''Live Bait'' is the second book by author

P. J. Tracy P. J. Tracy is a pseudonym for American mother-daughter writing team Patricia (P. J.) (b. 1946 d. Stillwater December 21, 2016) and Traci Lambrecht, winners of the Anthony, Barry, Gumshoe, and Minnesota Book Awards. Their ten mystery thrillers i ...

. It follows on from her first book, ''

Monkeewrench ''Monkeewrench'' (released later in the United Kingdom as ''Want to Play?''), is the first novel by author team P. J. Tracy. It revolves around the search for a copycat killer, who is recreating murders found in a new computer game. It also seems ...

'' and has the same principal characters. This book starts with the death of an elderly man, which at closer inspection looks like an execution.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews wrote of it: "Tracy returns in surprising detail to the idiosyncratic formula of her striking debut—Minneapolis cops and computer nerds battling the serial killer of a mysterious group of strangers—with more gravitas and more heartfelt revelations substituting for the wit, antic byplay, and originality of the prototype."

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

wrote: "With generous doses of humor and suspense, this sharp, satisfying thriller will rivet readers from the start."

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

reviewed it with: "It doesn’t sound sexy, but 'Bait' is quick-witted and -paced, with a snappy plot that incorporates romance, gore, and a surprise ending. For those who mourn that Patricia Cornwell ain’t what she used to be, Tracy’s a wondrous discovery."

References

2004 American novels American thriller novels American crime novels Novels by P. J. Tracy {{2000s-crime-novel-stub