Monkeewrench

Rating:
Summary: Grabbed Me from the first
Review: I started this book last night and could not put it down. The dialogue is snappy and funny, and the relationships between the two detective teams (and those around them) are believable and touching. I've been reading mysteries voraciously for 20+ years; almost never has a book grabbed me so quickly - I even dreamed I was a character in the book - a first for me! I think the strongest point of this book is its characters - I liked reading about them all. More by this duo please! I also loved the location - I know it well.

Rating:
Summary: Too much fun!
Review: This mystery is what I term, "unputdownable." Vivid characters, snappy pace, and a great sense of humor as well as genuine suspense. You'll love it.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging book, but...
Review: Like many of the other reviewers, I went through this book without taking too many breaks, although for the first half of the novel it was because I was genuinely caught up, and for the second half it was almost as if I'd already invested enough time that I might as well see how it ended.

Don't get me wrong: Tracy does a wonderful job of creating a complex, looping plotline, and juggling all the plot threads and large cast of characters. When the threads start to mesh together, things become very interesting indeed. And the way she (well, they) puts sentences together is real pleasure to read.

But none of the characters truly engaged me, except perhaps for the two teams of Magozzi-Rolseth and Halloran-Bonar, and as appealing as those two pairs are, they're almost too similar. The Monkeewrench crew's close friendship is well-presented, but I never fully bought them as 3D characters. Every last cop, no matter where he or she is from, is an easygoing team-player with a heart of gold wrapped in deadpan banter, prone to work overtime until their colleagues shoo them home. Which is nice, but doesn't really ring true; there must be a great many cops like this in real life, but every single one?

As the plot progresses, there also seem to be an increasing number of moments where the killer gets away with murder by pure luck: cops ignoring a hiding-spot, cops venturing forth without working equipment, someone spotting something and being in just the right frame of mind to misinterpret it, people splitting up when they know someone's after them, etc. I doubt any games company would release their *entire* game (especially a game with levels) on the net. And just how did that final e-mail get sent?

I want to like it more. But it's still a good read.

Rating:
Summary: What a story!
Review: This is a sensational read! A group of 30 something college friends forms a a very successful company which makes computer games. They are in the process of developing a murder game when, to their horror, a serial killer begins to copy the style of murders outlined in the new game.The murders begin in a church in a small town in Wisconsin, leaving the local police with the impression that it is a one-off retribution killing until a team of detectives in Minneapolis links the murders with a series of slayings in their own city.It's a fast, exciting story with a few red herrings thrown in to keep the reader on his toes. Be prepared to read it in a short space of time as you won't be able to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: This was a wonderfully written and thoughtfully plotted book. The characters were well-developed and their interactions were believable. The pace was quick and made for an easy read. I rushed to the end, but savored the last few chapters because I hated for the book to end. Looking forward to the next book by this mother-daughter team!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great Characters, Great Storyline
Review: This is such a great book! Not only is the story line suspenseful...the characters are real and very intesting. The writing style was so wonderful and the descriptions so well written that it almost felt like watching a great movie instead of reading a book. I would highly, highly recommend this book to any avid reader no matter what genre they prefer!!

Rating:
Summary: P.S.
Review: Just realized that P.J. Tracy will have another book coming out on April 22, 2004, with some of the same characters. Something to look forward to.

Rating:
Summary: Fun for a Day
Review: I agree, this was a one-day read, but it was delicious for that one day and I can't wait to see what this Mother-Daughter team come up with next. I sincerely hope they continue with some of the characters invented for this book, because there were many and each was interesting and fresh. If you are a computer fan, then you'll find this book even more pleasurable. I couldn't put it down, and my husband grabbed it before I could give it to anyone else. Now he's enjoying it as much as I did.

Rating:
Summary: earlier mention of a minor gun glitch
Review: An earlier reviewer mentioned a minor gun glitch in the book. It stated that a police officer would have a round already chambered in a semi-automatic weapon while it was carried in a holster. Most law enforcement personnel would not chamber a round until they anticipated using their weapon.

Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Debut
Review: The premise to this debut novel is instantly fascinating, the kind of start that has you licking your lips in anticipation of a great story. The good news is, the rest of the book lives up to the early promise and provides a thrilling story that had me frantically turning pages.

A small company of computer whizzes who operate under the company name of Monkeewrench Inc are on the verge of releasing a sure fire hit of a computer game. It's called Serial Killer Detective and judging by the number of web-site hits, pre-release orders and prototype downloads, it's going to be a mega seller. The game itself displays murder scene photos and the player plays detective, gathering evidence in order to solve the case. The photos that make up the game are very distinctive, not to mention lifelike and seem to be one of the big attractions to the game. The Monkeewrench partners can almost see their wealth grow before their eyes.

But then the murders begin and when the murder scenes look almost exactly like the photos in the game all thoughts of future happiness and wealth for Mnkeewrench evaporates. Enter Minneapolis homicide detective Leo Magozzi, an instantly likable character and another of the strong points of the book. He leads the investigation into the murders, which number 2 before the comparison with the game is made. The big problem is there are a total of 20 murders in the game, which leaves a lot to go and a huge headache for Magozzi. Meanwhile, sheriff Michael Halloran is in the middle of investigating a double homicide in the small town of Calumet, Wisconsin. How on earth is this related to what's going on in Minneapolis?

A tremendously suspenseful story is the result as the police seem powerless to stop the murders from taking place, even though they seem to have enough information to stop them. And when we find out that the Monkeewrench people have been through this sort of thing before, well, it gets even more intriguing.