It takes a certain kind of writer to develop a cast of wacky characters without making them into caricatures. Pamela Morsi is able to do just that with the folks of Warbler’s Lake, Missouri. From the leads to the supporting cast, it is the characters and Ms. Morsi’s smooth writing that give Bitsy’s Bait & BBQ most of it’s appeal.

Katy Dodson wants to get away from the nomadic ways of her childhood and put down some roots for herself and her son Josh, so she takes the settlement money from her recent divorce and buys Bitsy’s B&B in an online auction that will benefit the local school. It’s not until she and her sister, Emma, arrive in the picturesque Ozark town that she sees her folly: Bitsy’s is not a Bed & Breakfast but a Bait & Barbeque.

Emma, who has been more or less picking up the pieces of Katy’s life every time it crumbles, wants to figure a way for Katy to get herself out of this mess, but Katy, always the optimist, wants to give it a go. So Emma puts aside her dreams of going back to college again to become an anthropologist and starts to learn a bit about bait and cooking. The townsfolk all want Katy to succeed and eat at the diner as much as possible, even if they only serve oatmeal and toast. Emma quickly gets the hang of bait – of which I learned way more than I ever wanted to – but Katy struggles with the barbeque.

Back in the city, Gwen Dodson, Katy’s ex-mother-in-law and CEO of a restaurant franchise, decides that she wants to have a relationship with her grandson after screwing up so badly with her own son. She confronts and bullies her son, Sean, into fighting for a custody change, but since Sean hasn’t seen his son since he walked out on Katy and Josh three years ago, he must try to spend some time with him if he wants a shot at winning the case. Gwen and Sean pack up and hit the road, heading for Warbler’s Creek.

If it weren’t for the romance between Katy and Sean, I would have had a DIK in my hands. While Katy is a wonderful character whom I grew to love, I never warmed up to Sean. His past and what he did to Katy is reprehensible. He acted like a spoiled twelve year-old and I don’t believe he ever made amends for it. Katy just welcomes him back. Love, I understand, is a powerful thing, but sometimes enough is enough. There isn’t an epilogue, but I’d bet money that it won’t be the last time Sean disappoints Katy. Luckily, this isn’t a romance and the focus is more on the bond between the sisters and finally finding a place to call home.

Much of the novel is focused on Katy, but it is Emma who I wanted to see more of. She’s cynical, independent and speaks her mind – I loved her. Her journey is an interesting one and I was quite satisfied with where she was at the end of the book.

The rest of the cast are equally endearing. Latt the bait man, Nadine the single mother of three, Curt the mailman/preacher, even the old lady who sits on her porch all day long dressed to the nines are vivid characters. The town of Warbler’s Lake also plays an integral role in the story.

Doomed love story aside, Bitsy’s Bait & BBQ is an easy and endearing read. having heard many good things about Pamela Morsi and I can’t think of why I haven’t read more of her backlist, but it’s never too late to start.