The Blurb :
Tori Cannon and her grandfather, Herb, return from her grandmother’s funeral, and it’s with sadness that she learns the bait shop and small motel they ran has fallen on hard times. Jammed into one of the motel’s units is the body of one of Herb’s customers, his mouth filled with spikes. The victim had no enemies, except for the rich woman who wanted to level his eyesore of a home. But he’s also got a daughter who’s resentful her father wasn’t a major force in her life, and friends who were anything but.
Tori’s friend, Kathy, arrives to help spruce up the property, and the two of them find themselves mixed up in the petty jealousies and deadly consequences that murder entails. Can they save the bait shop and find a murderer or will they, too, sleep with the fishes?
My Thoughts :
With Baited Breath is the first in a new series by Lorraine Bartlett a.k.a Lorna Barrett. The Lotus Bay Mystery debut was a must read for me and as soon as I started reading I couldn't put it down. Great characters and an interesting storyline kept me delving into this one and I enjoyed it all right till the very end.
First and foremost I really liked the characters in this new series. The story is told from two perspectives, Kathy and Tori but there are also two other women involved, Anissa and Noreen. All together they make a great team who each bring a little something to the group. Secondly I was really into the renovation efforts. The process Kathy and Tori were going through with the Cannon place and then the talk about the house really got me hooked. I found myself thinking of ideas for the place the projects were so infectious!
There was more! Kathy and Tori's determination was inspiring. I don't think many people in their situations would turn things around with such energy. Anissa's strength was also inspiring and her helpful and friendly character just added to the welcoming atmosphere the book gave.
However I have to point out that this cozy mystery while it does have a mystery wasn't overly mysterious. There wasn't much sleuthing going on and the murder plot was not a big deal in comparison to all the characters getting their lives back together. The mystery aspect of the story had no police detectives getting annoyed at people snooping around and there weren't that many clues or suspects. In the end the thing was solved pretty quickly with everything coming together in a chapter.
All in all this is a great debut and definitely worth trying if you are looking for something new to start or know the authors other work. I am very eager to read the next installment and can't wait to see what happens to with the Cannon place and the other various projects/situations. The sequel will be on pre-order that is for sure!
