Rating: 
Summary: A Compelling and Lively Sequel to "Monkeewrench"
Review: P. J. Tracy (the pseudonym for a mother-daughter writing duo) gained a lot of fans with their first novel, MONKEEWRENCH, a word-of-mouth favorite. Now MONKEEWRENCH's unforgettable characters, lively pacing and eccentric humor return in the sequel, LIVE BAIT.A year after the Monkeewrench killing spree paralyzed the city, Minneapolis's finest are still reeling. It's been a slow few months in the homicide department, but on a rainy April night, two murders are called in. At first, the two crimes seem unrelated --- the only connection is that both victims are senior citizens. As Detective Magozzi and his team investigate, though, it soon becomes clear that the two murders are connected, but not in a way that anyone would have imagined. The surprising connection between two seemingly unrelated murders is just one of LIVE BAIT's plot twists that will keep readers hooked. In addition to the compelling mystery story, Tracy's clever, sharp-tongued prose and wry observations add depth to the novel. One detective, for instance, describes the muggy spring day by saying, "I feel like Frosty the Snowman when he got locked in the greenhouse with all the poinsettias." The weather is, in fact, a major force in the novel, as a tornado bears down on the city just as the Minneapolis police bear down on their suspect. Most of the favorite characters from MONKEEWRENCH are back for this second installment. Many of them are still bruised from their earlier adventures, none more so than Marty Pullman, the cop whose wife was murdered by the Monkeewrench killer. Unable to work, haunted by memories of his wife and his own dark secrets, Marty is a tragic character, consumed by loss and alcoholism. Beautiful but fragile Grace MacBride is also back, trying hard to live a normal life now that she's no longer in mortal danger. Grace's motley band of software developers --- the central characters of MONKEEWRENCH --- are here, too, but in LIVE BAIT, they serve primarily as comic relief rather than as fully developed characters. Their connection to the plot is tenuous at best, although the author does seem to be setting up a larger role for this quirky crew in the next installment of this winning mystery series. Stay tuned! --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
Rating:
Summary: Another polished and intriguing story
Review: P.J. Tracy (the pseudonymous identity of a mother-daughter writing team) wrote one of the best debut mysteries of 2003, the Gumshoe Award-winning Monkeewrench. Now she has written a sequel, Live Bait, and it is another polished and intriguing story.
Like John Sandford, the superb crime writer whose work hers most resembles, Tracy uses the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as the setting for her stories. That frigid Midwestern location makes a perfect backdrop for her suspenseful and witty stories of cops and killers.
Several elderly people in the city have been the victims of violent attacks, and the pressure on the police to solve the crimes is intense.
Live Bait has a complex and interesting plot, and the lead characters are nicely done. Unfortunately the secondary characters who were used to such great effect in Monkeewrench hardly appear in this one, but that is only a minor detraction.
Reviewed by David Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times
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