Live Bait

Monkeewrench Series, Book 2

By: P. J. Tracy

Narrated by: Buck Schirner

Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are bored - ever since they solved the Monkeewrench case, the Twin Cities have been in a murder-free dry spell, as people no longer seem interested in killing one another. But when elderly Morey Gilbert is found dead in the plant nursery he runs with his wife, Lily, the crime drought ends - not with a trickle, but with a torrent. Who would kill Morey, a man without an enemy, a man who might as well have been a saint? His tiny, cranky little wife is no help, and may even be a suspect; his estranged son, Jack, an infamous ambulance-chasing lawyer, has his own enemies; and his son-in-law, former cop Marty Pullman, is so depressed over his wife's death a year earlier he's ready to kill himself, but not Morey. The number of victims - all elderly - grows, and the city is fearful once again. Can Grace McBride's cold case-solving software program somehow find the missing link?

Listen to another Monkeewrench title.©2004 P.J. Tracy (P)2004 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

There’s a hurdle you need to get over

I own the first book in this series Monkeewrench and LOVED IT. I’ve listened to it over and over in fact. The biggest hurdler in this next book is the lead detective’s name isn’t pronounced the same and this irritated me every time I heard it even though the narrator was the same. I still enjoyed it and will probably listen to it again to pick up the stuff I missed. Detective I am not!

Liked it, but not as much as the first book.

Liked this installment, but not quite as much as the first. It seemed like it took a long time for before we started getting answers. Just a lot of around and around. I really enjoyed the humor, and Leo and Gino's easy working relationship. And I'm glad Leo and Grace finally seemed to take the plunge at the end! I don't want Leo's heart broken!

Buck Schirner's performance is spot on with great comedic timing!

Good Story!

I really like the first book in the series. And the second is does not disappoint....on number three!

Outstanding Book!

Any additional comments?

This was the first P.J. Tracy book I ever listened to and I loved it enough to buy it a second time(first time was cassette!)

Excellent and surprising

2nd book in Monkeewrench series and it’s good!
I love the combo of serious mystery and serious background but plenty of humor. So many likable characters.
I read this soon after it came out and just finished it a second time, but this time in an audiobook. Narrator is not one of the greats but is pretty good.

I’m sad that one of the authors (the mother) died because together they were really good and I loved the whole series. The daughter’s a good writer but her current series lacks the sly humor and the characters are less developed than the ones in this series.

It's okay

I did not enjoy this book as much as the first--I kept having to rewind. (Without spoiling it) I thought the motive for the killings was somewhat trite and rather obvious, and at the same time preposterous (Ludlum-esque, I'd say). Throughout, it felt like the author was reaching to keep all the series characters involved (which is an appropriate goal because the characterization was one of the most interesting parts of the first in the series). I also feel it's a mistake to name two characters so similarly, Maury and Marty—very easy to conflate them when listening, and I think it would happen when reading as well.

I really like listening to these types of series while driving, so I'll give the next one a chance, but this one really failed to hit the mark for me. The narrator is fine throughout, does a good job of differentiating the voices.