Reader reviews

• maref_17

  (4/5)

  Wonderfully intelligent and strong women characters in a comfortable and realistic setting have me looking forward to the next book in this series. It's a winner for me.
• newsieq

  (3/5)

  Teacher Tori Cannon is out of a job and at loose ends – and she’s just lost her beloved grandmother. Herb, her grandfather, operates a bait shop on Lotus Bay in upstate New York … and he’s saddled with an old motel that’s filled with his late wife’s “stuff.” Tori decides to stay on to help Herb get things in order. While looking through the decrepit motel property, they come across the body of Mr. Jackson, an elderly man who was a customer at the bait shop. He also owned and lived on a piece of property a wealthy landowner covets. Soon, Tori is joined by her old friend Kathy, who’s awaiting an inheritance so she can get on with her life. As the two women, both at pivotal points in their lives, help with the fix-up, both become enthralled with the idea of staying in Lotus Bay permanently. This is more a story of girlfriends than a mystery. It’s a great story concept, but seems hastily put together, poorly plotted and overly reliant on coincidence. The resolution violates, in my humble opinion, one of the basic rules of mystery writing. It also could have used some judicious copy-editing. With Baited Breath is a disappointing book from an author I admire and usually enjoy reading.
• drebbles

  (5/5)

  Tori Cannon has returned to Lotus Bay for her grandmother's funeral and, because she is at a crossroads in her life, she decides to stay with her grandfather for a while. She is saddened to see how run down her grandfather’s bait shop, motel, and house have become and, with the help of her friend Kathy Grant, tries to spruce up the place with the idea of opening the hotel up again. Much to her dismay her grandfather has other ideas but Tori doesn't have much time to dwell on her problems - a murder victim has been found in one of the hotel units. Tori and Kathy get caught up in solving not only that mystery but the mystery surrounding an abandoned house Kathy is hoping to buy. The two of them need to be careful or they too will be bait for a killer.“With Baited Breath” is the nicely done first novel in the Lorraine Bartlett’s Lotus Bay cozy mystery series. Since this is the first book in the series, in some ways it acts just to set up the characters – Tori, her grandfather, Kathy, Annisa, and Noreen - and this is perfectly done. By the end of the book I felt like I knew all the characters, especially Tori and Kathy, and Lotus Bay itself. I love the Lotus Bay setting and wish I could visit there myself. I also love the characters especially Tory and Kathy but I really like Anissa. She has a bit of an edge to her and takes some getting used to as a character but she adds a nice bit of sharpness to the book. Again, because this is the first book in the series and sets up the background for future books, some things in the book are resolved a bit too neatly (although what happens to Tori's grandfather towards the end of the book did make me smile- if only I could be that lucky in real life!) however the reason for the murder in the book is anything but soft and cozy it is all too real, sad, and frightening. This plot-line was particulary well done by Lorraine Bartlett.“With Baited Breath” is another nicely done cozy mystery by Lorraine Bartlett and a good start to a new series.
• kathy89_1

  (3/5)

  With Baited BreathI started this book 3 times before I finally got far enough into the storyline to grab my interest. The story starts with the death of Tori’s grandmother and her grandfather’s grief, bitterness and his not caring for the rundown condition of his bait and tackle shop/motel. Tori, herself, are depressed because she just lost her teaching position and has hopes of moving in and running the business with her grandfather. Her best friend, Kathy, arrives to help her clean out the rooms cluttered with yard sale finds when they discover a dead body.This series isn’t as good as her Jeff Resnick and Booktown Mysteries.
• Angela Johnson

  (2/5)

  A lot of filler in this, and so much redundant dialogue I easily skipped chapters without missing a plot thread. And what is up with the narration? A disruptive mishmash of clashing Minnesota and southern accents and not a single upstate New York accent in the lot for a story situated near Rochester.
• LAURA A MOTTER

  (5/5)

  1 person found this helpful

  Loved book. Can't handle the "FLAT NORTHERN SPEECH "IM SOUTHERN.. NO OFFENSE.. JUST GRATES ON MY EARS...

  1 person found this helpful

• grandmacootie

  (4/5)

  The beginning of the book was very compelling. I read a sample and was so hooked that I had to buy the book right away. Tori has a lot going on in her life, things haven't worked out as she had planned and hoped, and now her grandmother has died and she is going to stay with her grandfather for awhile. Her grandparents owned a bait shop which has fallen to neglect and disrepair. Tori realizes that she has always felt happy there and wants to stay, but her grandfather has other ideas - and of course there is the body she finds and a few other complications.As Tori begins to settle in the book starts to bog down a bit. Her Grandpa Herb isn't all that likable most of the time, and Tori and her friends Kathy and Anissa are sometimes annoyingly immature for grown women. At times they are almost like three high schoolers in how they talk, think and act. The book seems a bit rushed, which might account for why it feels like Tori and company are not thinking things through as well as they should.That said, this was a very enjoyable read and I didn't want to put it down. The mystery was solved with a twist that I hadn't expected and lives are starting to sort themselves out. There are a lot of possibilities for Tori with the bait shop and Kathy with her B&B and Anissa with her construction work, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series to see what is in store for Tori next.