"Captivating Romantic Suspense"

Robards returns once again with a pulse pounding novel of romantic suspense. Maddie Fitzgerald has just taken over her own advertising agency. Traveling from St. Louis to New Orleans, she hopes to land the biggest account of her career. But in New Orleans, she is attacked in her hotel room and barely escapes her assailant. Enter F.B.I. Agent Sam McCabe. On the trail of a serial killer who calls McCabe and leaves him clues as to the identity of his next victim, McCabe discovers that another Maddie Fitzgerald was murdered in New Orleans on the same night that ad exec Maddie escaped.

Wary of the F.B.I. for personal reasons relating to her past, Maddie tries to avoid McCabe's questions about her attacker. But McCabe is continually persistent and follows Maddie back to St. Louis and saves her life when a sniper tries to kill her in her car. As McCabe and other agents are assigned to protect Maddie at her home, electrically charged attraction heats up between the two, and McCabe must decide if he wants to get involved with the woman he is assigned to protect.

Non-stop suspense amidst sensual romance heats up the pages of this captivating novel. Robards adds a touch of humor to the mystery when Maddie is forced to care for Zelda, the dog belonging to the owner of her newest account. Top rate suspenseful action and sizzling romance form the backbone of this spectacular read, one of Robards' all-time best.

Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted August 13, 2004

A bewitching combination of pulse-pounding twists and blazing romance, Bait is the remarkable Karen Robards at her best.

Summary

It's a business trip that takes attorney Maddie Fitzgerald down to New Orleans, but it's hardly business as usual when a man breaks into her hotel room and tries to kill her. Barely escaping with her life, the sexy, stylish thirty-two-year-old brunette calls the police and finds herself face-to-face with FBI agent Sam McCabe. Unnerved by his questions—and his good looks—Maddie is told she's been targeted by a hired killer, one who has eluded McCabe for years.

Apparently, she's been mistaken for another woman, an FBI informant of the same name who was also staying at the hotel that night. McCabe grills her, and then disappears. Shaken, she finishes her business and returns home to St. Louis.

But days later, Maddie is attacked a second time, and again McCabe returns to question her. He convinces her that the only way she'll ever be safe again is if the killer is caught, and the quickest way to nab him is to use her as bait. Maddie reluctantly agrees, and sparks fly and then ignite as McCabe shadows her. But their unexpected romance throws McCabe off his stride—and puts Maddie in the hands of a killer.