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A hobby turns deadly…

In the novella Baited, it’s been a long, hot, summer for PI Julie Collins. With her partner Kevin off on assignment, she’s lured into taking a case involving a missing fisherman. Nothing about the man’s disappearance is as it seems. Although Julie is no stranger to the dark currents that churn below the surface, can she count on her friend Jimmer, and her lover Tony Martinez, to keep her from getting in too deep?

66 pages, Unknown Binding

First published April 7, 2014

14 people are currently reading
96 people want to read

About the author

Lori G. Armstrong

21 books279 followers
Lori Armstrong is the two-time winner of the Shamus Award given by the Private Eye Writers of America and a New York Times bestselling author of contemporary western erotic romance, written as Lorelei James. Her books have won the Willa Cather Literary Award and have been nominated for the High Plains Book Award and the Daphne du Maurier Award. She lives in western South Dakota - See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/L...

Series
* PI Julie Collins
* Mercy Gunderson Mystery

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5 stars
60 (40%)
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3 stars
27 (18%)
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2 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for Keri.
2,105 reviews122 followers
May 22, 2014
Love it whenever I get me some Julie Collins action of course with a side of sexy El Presidente of the Hombres MC Martinez! I hope that with the addition of the new character Lisa we got a new JC int he works! Could she be a new love interest for Kevin? I hope so.
2,120 reviews15 followers
June 17, 2017
I don't like novella's and never read them, until now. 5 stars Julie is still Julie
Profile Image for Nicole.
60 reviews
February 20, 2017
This is a quick short case for Julie Collins AMAZING PI. Or she THINKS it's going to be a quick case since the guy in front of her seems a few marbles short of a game. While the temperature heats up, the case gets interesting. She gets helps from her friend, Jimmer (while Kevin is off on another case), when more than meets the eye appears while she is investigating.
Profile Image for Sidney.
2,072 reviews7 followers
April 11, 2022
A 66 page ebook novella. Julie has gotten herself into another mess. Hired to look into a missing person who of course ends up dead. All focus is around fishing…..
Profile Image for Simply Love Book Reviews.
7,046 reviews870 followers
April 8, 2014
Java-girl's review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

Are you a fan of gritty mysteries featuring kickass women? Are you a Lorelei James fan? Did you know she writes two awesome mystery series featuring kickass women, under the name Lori Armstrong? While I’m a fan of her Mercy Gunderson series, I am a self-professed super fan of her Shamus nominated Julie Collins, PI series! There are four books in the series, BLOOD TIES, HALLOWED GROUND, SHALLOW GRAVE, and SNOW BLIND, a short story, DEAD FLOWERS and a brand-new novella, BAITED.

To say that I was excited about this new addition to the series is an understatement! Finally! New adventures of my favorite PI, Julie Collins! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this story…and it was so worth the wait!

Julie is a tough chick who can take a punch and come up swinging. She often lets her emotions and her sense of justice lead her into dangerous situations. In BAITED, she takes on a missing person’s case, at the request of the missing man’s best friend. As an investigator, she is both smart and persistent. Even though she doesn’t think there is much to her client’s claim that his friend isn’t just missing, but was murdered, she sets out to uncover the truth. In addition to the missing person’s case, she is also battling her own case of loneliness. Her former BFF, Kim, isn’t around as much since she became a mom, and her business partner and longtime friend, Kevin, is spending a lot of time on the road. Tony Martinez, Julie’s super sexy, badass biker boyfriend, is busy with his various business interests, as well as running the Hombres MC, leaving Julie on her own more often than she would like. Feeling lonely and a little sorry for herself, she sets out to make a new friend…in Tony’s bar. Lucky for both Julie and fans of this series, her old friends are here too-- Kevin, Jimmer, and even Big Mike. I love the entire cast of characters in this series and am thrilled when they show up! It’s like a visit with old friends. Some kind of scary old friends, but friends that I’ve missed and was excited to see.

BAITED is a mystery, not a romance. But Julie and Martinez’s relationship is romantic…and sweet…and smoking hot! I LOVE these two together and can’t get enough of them! Tough guy Martinez is perfect for Julie. He always seems to know what she needs, often before she does. Did I mention this man is seriously HOT?

I love Julie Collins, flaws and all. I always know I’m going to get a great mystery, a few laughs, some emotional highs and lows, and even a little romance.

Remember, BAITED isn’t a standalone. If you haven’t read this series…what are you waiting for?!

Review copy provided for an honest review.
Profile Image for Sandy.
872 reviews245 followers
May 12, 2014
I'm a long time fan of this series & with no novels in sight, I grab these short stories like a life line as they come out (kinda sad, really...).
They are well written with suspenseful, intricate plots & characters that are fully drawn. With a plethora of novels featuring teenangsters, it's a pleasure to spend time with mature, multidimensional characters involved in a relationship that developed gradually & realistically. The evolving romance between Julie & Martinez continues from book to book while the current suspense/mystery plot line takes centre stage. This means you get moments that scare the bejeezus out of you mixed with moments that can make you weak in the knees.
In this outing, Julie is bored & worried she's losing her "kickass" status. Her relationship with Martinez is stable & remarkably drama free & recent cases have posed little challenge. That's about to change.
Rich Barber shows up at the office with a problem. His friend JC has been missing for a month now & no one seems particularly concerned. The cops think he did a runner but Rich has his own theory. He's sure JC was murdered by his wife.
Cindy Jo runs a nail salon & is significantly older than her absent husband. Since she's the bread winner in the family, she blew a gasket when he bought an expensive fishing boat shortly before he disappeared.
Julie decides to make an effort & visits the salon. But Cindy Jo is nobody's fool & has her own story to tell. Seems Rich left a few things out of his version. What should have been a couple of days easy work soon becomes much more deadly & Julie is back in her element.
This is a shortie so I won't give up more of the plot. It's just great to catch up with the characters, kind of like running into old friends you haven't seen in a while.
Julie's character has gradually softened over the last couple of stories as she slowly grew to trust Martinez & what they have together. Martinez....well, he remains a smart, tough biker who is ruthless when it comes to business. But there is another side, reserved for Julie alone, that is sweet & intense and....jeesh, hand me that fan! Trust me, while they may be living their version of domestic life, they can still steam up the pages with the best of them.
Regulars like Big Mike, Kevin & Jimmer all put in appearances. Whereas "Dead Flowers" was a more personal story, this one is largely a suspense/mystery with a small (but perfectly formed) side of romance. It's not a stand alone so if you haven't read this series....lucky you. Start at the beginning & prepare to become addicted to the adventures of Julie & "El Presidente". In fact, while you're at it, go ahead & get the first of the "Mercy Gunderson" series as well. You're welcome.
203 reviews
February 20, 2017
Ah a mini Mystery!! All while Julie gets a lesson in friendship. And of course I loved it, what can I say, I really enjoy reading Julie's character!
Profile Image for Larri.
139 reviews4 followers
April 17, 2014
I love Julie Collins! I really, really do! The Julie Collins series is one of my all-time favorites and I was so excited when I heard that Lori Armstrong was writing a brand new novella! If you're a fan of Julie, you won't want to miss this latest installment.
Julie is hired to investigate a missing person, by the man's best friend who believes he isn't just missing, but dead. Although she isn't completely convinced, she agrees to take the case. As with all the books in this series, there's no predicting what Julie will find once she starts digging around.
Feeling at loose ends, Julie is looking to make a new friend, but don't worry, her old friends are all here--Kevin, Jimmer, Big Mike and Julie's love interest, Tony Martinez.
An interesting mystery, some laugh out loud moments, and even a little romance, you don't want to miss this one!
Profile Image for Cindy.
2,350 reviews172 followers
April 9, 2014
Julie Collins takes a case almost out of shear boredom. With her partner in the PI firm off on a case she end up agreeing to look into a missing person case when the man’s best friend comes in convinced his wife killed him.

The usually tough, chain smoking Julie is feeling a little depressed lately and decides what would it hurt to look into the guys disappearance. This was a short little mystery that still managed to pack in some great scenes between her and Tony and some gruesome discoveries as she followed the clues about the missing man.
Profile Image for Renee.
201 reviews1 follower
April 13, 2014
Thank you Lori Armstrong for once again giving me my Tony Martinez, aka el Presidente, fix.
Julie Collins can't seem to keep trouble from finding her. When she is hired to investigate the disappearance of wannabe pro-fisherman she finds herself literally in a boatload of trouble. She also gets a life lesson how many true and wonderful friends she has already had in her life.
Lori Armstrong doesn't disappoint with the Julie Collins short. If you haven't read her other Julie Collins stories I suggest you put them at the top of your. TBR list.
Profile Image for Kitty Catalyst.
59 reviews20 followers
October 15, 2016
Short story

PI Julie Collins has been asked to investigate a joke of a case. A case where she will be able to, for once, keep herself out of trouble. Quickly things begin to go wrong and she has to find a missing person before she is the next one to go missing. This is a great short story and will hopefully be followed by another full length novel.
Profile Image for Darcy.
14.5k reviews543 followers
August 23, 2014
This one was classic Julie. I love how she ends up in situations that seem normal at first, but then end up crazy. For some reason I loved Julie's pity party, loved how Tony got her out of it and how he made her realize that Julie does have good friends.
Profile Image for Angela Shirley.
943 reviews6 followers
August 10, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, although I think it is the feisty main character that does it for me.

She does not care who she offends and is brilliant in her deductions of who killed J C. I recommend reading this book but as I said before the only draw back is they are too short.
Profile Image for Jeanne Stone.
946 reviews4 followers
June 24, 2016
The Julie Collins series is at the top of my favorite books ever. I love Julie, Martinez, Kevin, Kim and Jimbo like old friends. Armstrong does a great job of weaving the fishing metaphor into the story. This book was not quite as interesting as the others but still solidly worth the read.
Profile Image for Sarah.
420 reviews2 followers
April 15, 2014
This is a great Julie Collins short story. Well written, fast paced. We get quite a bit of Julie and Martinez together. Good one.
Profile Image for Jan.
384 reviews12 followers
April 19, 2014
I have been missing Julie and her crew. Glad to catch up with her. Still hoping for more novels about Julie. Great little short story.
1,219 reviews22 followers
April 20, 2014
Another great edition to this series. If you haven't read it and enjoy gritty love stories blended with mystery start now! (only make sure you start with book one).
Profile Image for Reeannun.
73 reviews4 followers
June 16, 2014
ILOVE Julie Collins. I've missed this series so much. This was a very short story but it was packed with little tidbits of our favorite characters. I just wish she would write another novel!
Profile Image for Linda.
1,605 reviews
October 24, 2014
I'd love to see more of Julie and Mercy, both excellent series protagonists.
1,345 reviews14 followers
March 9, 2015
Another nice but short mystery. Wishing there had been more Julie Collins books. Moving on to next series about Mercy Gunderson.
Profile Image for Lisa Guertin.
572 reviews11 followers
March 15, 2017
Good things come in small packages. My only complaint is that this book was too short. It was great to see Julie and the gang again.
Profile Image for Debbie Loader.
1,035 reviews
April 13, 2017
Kevin is skip tracing and Julie is filing until she gets a visitor with a fishy tail! Julie solves yet another case and lives to fight another day.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews

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