Monkeewrench

Book Description

People are dying for the new computer game by the software company Monkeewrench. Literally. With Serial Killer Detective out in limited release, the real-life murders of a jogger and a young woman have already mimicked the first two scenarios in the game.

But Grace McBride and her eccentric Monkeewrench partners are caught in a vise. If they tell the Minneapolis police of the link between their game and the murders, they'll shine a spotlight on the past they thought they had erased-and the horror they thought they'd left behind. If they don't, eighteen more people will die...

Customer Reviews:

monkeewrench.......2007-09-09

Intriguing, clever. A unique read. Can't wait to complete the set!
Mrs Steve Friedman

Fun Read.......2007-05-13

I enjoy police and thriller stories and these authors are a fun read. There were a few too many characters, in my opinion, but the premise of an internet game becoming the inspiration for a serial killer was entertaining.

Monkey See (a good book), Monkey Do (a review).......2007-05-02

Where was I when this book came out? This is a great start to what I am assuming is a good career for this mother/daughter team.

The Monkeewrench team is a great group of people who you wished you knew; you wished they were *your* family. The detectives from both cities are people you want on your side. The video game scenario is very current. The characters are well written. Grace was a pain in the rear, but with reason. I loved that they made Annie, a "larger" woman, so sexy. You get a good sense of who the characters are, but only in bits and pieces at first. I felt like I needed more info. and enjoyed needing to know more. I could not put it down because I knew something else was coming. Whodunnit? Who? Who?

You'll have to read it to find out.

What's not to like ... ?.......2007-03-17

There are already 120 reviews posted ... so why post another?

Only because I thought this novel was an easy 5 stars and wondered what folks found wrong with it. Don't read it if you think that big-city police shouldn't use the "F" word! The language and images are in character ... P.J. and Traci will never be confused with Louisa May Alcott!

The Monkeewrench gang's characters are as sharply drawn as Hayduke and Seldom-Seen Smith's. I laughed aloud at the irreverant humor. Add my 5 stars along with review #121!

Great Debut.......2007-01-06

It's incredible that this book is a debut novel; it's that good. Richly developed characters and intriguing mystery make this a speedy read. The gang at Monkeewrench, a software gaming company, are hiding from a former tragedy, all rallying around their leader, Grace. She is deeply wounded and so closed off that it's amazing she's brave enough to venture from her home. That she does makes her the character that steals every scene she's in. While the majority of the book follows the homicide detectives (both likable), it's the passages with the Monkeewrench gang that make this mystery engaging. Grace is like no other heroine in current mysteries. Give it a try. If you like strong female characters, you won't be disappointed

Average customer rating:

Brave and radical crime novel
Three and a half stars because...
The series is still spot on.
Not the page turner former novels were.
Monkeerench Team Play Very Minor Role as Their Support Cast From Former Novels Take the Limelight!

Snow Blind (Monkeewrench)
P. J. Tracy
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: MP3 CD

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ASIN: 1593359403
Release Date: 2006-08-03

Book Description

With the holidays over and the long cold winter looming, January can be a bleak month in Minneapolis. So what better way to bring a little cheer to the good people of the city than by sponsoring an old-fashioned snowman-building contest? In a matter of hours, a local park is filled with the innocent laughter of children and their frosty creations. But things take an awful turn when the dead bodies of police officers are discovered inside two of the snowmen - sending the entire department and Detectives Magozzi and Rolseth on high alert.

The next day, Iris Rikker, the newly minted sheriff of rural Dundas County, comes across another body in another snowman. Fearing that Rikker's inexperience will hamper the investigation, Magozzi and Rolseth head north - in a blizzard - to hunt for clues. As Grace MacBride and her crack computer jocks at Monkeewrench comb the Web for connections, a terrifying link emerges, connecting the dead cops, Magozzi and Rolseth, and Monkeewrench - a link that must be broken before it's too late.

Customer Reviews:

Brave and radical crime novel.......2007-08-29

I have used the words "brave and radical"in my title for this review and there is a reason for this.Most crime novels provide their readers with a sense of closure by setting up a situation in which a crime is perpetrated ,investigated and solved .The culprits are identified and brough to justive and order is restored to the moral universe of the book .Crime novels are thus deeply Conservative ,at least for the most part.
Here there is no such sense of closure or the restoration of order.We are never wholly sure who the killers are -we are left to make our own minds up -and justice is not meted out to the potential perpetrators.This is a book of moral ambiguity and even handedness

It seens the return of the Minneapolis cops familiar to readers of earlier P J Tracy books ,Rizzoli and Rolseth .The crew of the computer company Monkeewrench ,while present as before,take a back seat this time out and the result is a book more like a police proceduraal than are earlier works .Events are set in motion with the discovery ,in a frozen Minneaplois park of two bodies ,hidden in snowmen .They are the remains of two local cops ,Tommy Deaton and Toby Myerson
Soon thereafter another body hidden inside a snowman turns up ,this time in upstate Minnesota .There is no mystery here about the killer ,the body being that of a parole officer ,and he has ben killed by a parolee ,a vicious killer named Weinbeck who is seeking the whereabouts of his wife ,who he abused repeatedly when free .
This case is dumped in the lap of a newly elected female sheriiff of the county ,Rikker ,a woman who feels out of her depth -mainly becuase she is .
Events turn on Bitterroot , a community of women ,in the wilds of the state ,that was established a haven for abused women ,a community whose founders ,we learn ,had killed in the past .It turns out that one of the murdered cops was also a spousal abuser and his ex-cop father in law is a suspect in the case .
The crimes may be the work of the father in law;they may have been carried out by women from Bitterrrot ,some of whom beleieve the world should be ourged of abusers by any means possible
The lack of clear resolution will frustrate and annoy many readers but for me it adds to the appeal of a well written and even handed book that raises real issues in an adult ,responsible and mature way .It may lavk the sheer tension of earlier wirks by this writing team but it is a more mature and ambiguous work ,with a very good line in desriptive writing of climate and terrain

Three and a half stars because..........2007-07-16

...it kept me interested and was an entertaining read but there were just too many coincidences in it to be realistic. The idea, of bodies in snowmen set up a creepy visual but I'm just not convinced the killer/s would have gone to so much trouble.

Grace and the gang hardly featured at all but I didn't feel the story was any the less for that. Instead, I enjoyed the interactions between detectives Gino and Magozzi and the rookie sheriff Iris Rikker with Lieutenant Sampson.

The story line featuring Steve Doyle (the parole officer) or more to the point how he was found, was again unlikely, It was too obvious that it had only been put in to link the story lines geographically.

There were certainly some good and believable plot lines along the way but I think the characters in this series of books are so widespread, that although the authors try and involve them all each time, even to a small extent, it's just not feasible without making some of the story lines seem far-fetched.

The series is still spot on........2007-06-11

P. J. Tracy, Snow Blind (Putnam, 2006)

Tracy's fourth Monkeewrench novel once again centers on Magozzi and Rolseth, with the actual Monkeewrench gang (yes, I know, it's an awful pun, but I can't stop myself from using it) taking a back seat. We start off with two bodies discovered in snowmen at the Minneapolis Police Department's snowman-building contest. That's bad enough, but when Magozzi and Rolseth find out their two victims are cops, everything goes haywire. Meanwhile, a just-released felon disappears from a meeting with his parole officer, and the parole officer disappears with him. Are the two cases connected, and if so, how? Just to make things interesting, a third snowman turns up in a county sixty miles north of Minneapolis, in a county whose Sheriff is on her first day on the job, and has no police experience except dispatch. What could possibly go more wrong? Everything, as it turns out, and that's part of what makes the Monkeewrench books so appealing.

As with the first three books in the series, this is a very quick and engaging read, fast enough paced to keep you turning the pages, but still striaghtforward. It's not quite right to call this a mystery, but it doesn't quite fall under the police-procedural heading, either. Whatever it is, it's a lot of fun. If you haven't yet discovered Monkeewrench, you should. ****

Not the page turner former novels were........2007-01-12

Since Monkeewrench is one of my all-time favorite books, my standards are high. Snow Blind just didn't compare. My husband and I have read all of P.J. Tracy's books and eagerly await each new work; but, if they'd write a book equally as good as their Monkeewrench and Dead Run, we'd wait longer for each new book!

Monkeerench Team Play Very Minor Role as Their Support Cast From Former Novels Take the Limelight!.......2006-11-04

Snow Blind revolves around Minnesotan detectives Rolseth and Magozzi who have been the support cast to the computer geniuses who make up the Monkeewrench team in the three former novels of this great series. The Monkeewrench team are still in this one, just on very few pages. Obviously after an extremely high quality and popular series so far, the ultimate test for this mother and daughter team is to write a novel with completely separate characters. Snow Blind is obviously them trying their hand to see if they can one day produce that independent novel, while still at the moment keeping the attachment to the popular characters of this great series. Good on them for them that, many authors are too scared of the backlash from their fans to take this step. Hopefully the success of this book will encourage them to take the next step and go all the way (while of course still continuing to write more in the great Monkeerench series as well).

In Snow Blind Minneapolis homicide detectives are disgusted to find inside the thawing snow men at a charity event the corpses of two of their own. As they pursue the case more corpse filled snow men appear outside of Minneapolis. Their pursuit takes them to rural Dundas County where small town politics still runs the police. They will have to deal with a police force that resents its newly elected female sheriff, Iris Rikker whose first day on the job was the discovery of a corpse snowman. Throw in a mysterious community called Bitterroot that has no male residents and Detective Magozzi and Rolseth and the other officers will have their most interesting and confusing case ever.

To be honest Snow Blind isn't the high quality masterpiece that the initial Monkeerench (also published as Want to Play? in some markets) and next in the series Live Bait were. I did like the fact that it was more plausible and relied less on coincidence to pull of the story line than third in the series Hit and Run did and is back to a traditional police homicide thriller rather than American terrorists as was the case with that novel. Although not as good as the predecessors and certainly more predictable than the other novels it is still a great read for anyone and not just fans of P.J. Tracy. It also does not give away the plots of former novels if this is your initial entry into their work.

Average customer rating:

ok plot, bad editing!
Not worth reading
another winner!
Love this series!
Good thriller with pace and panache

Dead Run (Monkeewrench)
P. J. Tracy
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1597373419
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Book Description

Monkeewrench founders Grace McBride and Annie Belinsky, along with Deputy Sharon Mueller, are driving from Minneapolis to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where they believe a new serial killer is just warming up, when their car breaks down, deep in the northern woods, far away from civilization and cell towers. A walk through the forest leads them to the crossroads town of Four Corners, where they had hoped to find a landline and a mechanic, but instead find…absolutely nothing.

Something terrible has happened in Four Corners, and the complete absence of life and severed phone lines in every building make it impossible to get help. Grace, her senses honed by a lifetime of justifiable paranoia, sees the sinister in every detail, and her intuition barely saves all three of them when they witness a horrifying double murder. Grace, Annie, and Sharon are suddenly running for their lives, while the rest of the Monkeewrench crew, along with Minneapolis cops Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, strike out on a blind search to find them.

Customer Reviews:

ok plot, bad editing!.......2007-05-17

ok plot, bad editing! they kept talking about how quiet it was but they couldn't hear a huge RV going breakneck speeds on country roads until it pulled up right in front of them? that is only one of the many inconsistencies I found. One must read it all the way through without stopping because if you stop you'll notice these things. also having never read the first two books the characters were completely faceless to me. only harley and sheriff ed pitala were explained in any way gave them 'life'. not bad for an airplane read I guess.

Not worth reading.......2007-04-11

Not only was the plot unbelievable throughout the entire book, but the ending was terrible. If the authors wish to write about computers, they should do some research first and learn how computers work.

The dual-author thing is strange also. One of the authors is definitely worse than the other. They should part ways.

another winner!.......2007-03-08

I bought Monkeewrench and loved it so much that I bought the rest of PJ Tracy's books too. Dead Run is terrific. I love how the story focuses on Grace, Annie and Sharon - these are three terrific, strong women. Great story! Keep up the good work, PJ Tracy!! You have a big fan in Indiana!

Love this series!.......2007-01-17

I enjoy the P.J. Tracy series so much that I order the next one before I've finished the current book. Dead Run is a little more suspenseful then the last two and, truthfully, more unbelievable than the last two but still a great read. This series has over the top characters and fun plot lines. You learn to love a bunch of super intelligent but emotionally scarred people. You laugh at the humorous bantering between the detectives and find yourself rooting for the hint of romance to get a move on while turning the page to see what plot twist is around the corner. Fun books, like a cozy read in that you get to know the characters well and but then with the thrill of a more hard core suspense novel.

Good thriller with pace and panache .......2006-12-19

This is another novel about the "Monkeewrench " crew and the Minneapolis and Wisconsin cops with whom they co-operate to do down the bad guys .It differs from the previous series entries in being more thrillerish and less of a murder mystery.Indeed there are no mystery elements in the book and what we get is a good chase thriller.

The women from Monkeewrench -the Rubensesque Annie and the edgy Grace -are travelling by car to Green Bay from Minneapolis accompanied by a cop , Sharon Mueller ,when their car breaks down in a mobile phone and radio"dead zone ".They make their way on foot to the small town of Four Corners ,Wisconsin which they find is deserted and whose phone lines have been cut ,They then witness what seems to be the shooting of a local citizen by a National Guardsman.In fact .the killer is a member of a right wing militia group which is planning a nerve gas attack on selected targets .There has been a leakage in the area and the group is seeking to isolate the area and press ahead with the planned attack

We then get interlocking plots as the women seek to evade the militia and escape while their colleagues and the law enforcement agencies try tolocate them and foil the baddies

The authors take time to introduce us to the inhabitants of the town torn apart by the plot and this helps readers feel more empathy than if they had just been faceless victims and there is an nice vein of humour in the relationships between the cops and the somewhat unorthodox computer geeks they are partnered with .The tension build nicely and this is a good solid entry in a consistently entertaining series

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Juego de asesinos / Monkeewrench
P. J. Tracy , and Escarlata Guillen
Manufacturer: Roca Editorial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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2 Titles By P. J. Tracy - Live Bait - Monkeewrench

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2 Titles By P. J. Tracy - Live Bait - Monkeewrench
P. J. Tracy
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000PEHTB4

Product Description

2 massmarket paperback Titles By P. J. Tracy - Live Bait - Monkeewrench

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MONKEEWRENCH
P. J. TRACY
Manufacturer: NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY/MASS MARK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KUW5VM

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Monkeewrench a Novel
p. J. Tracy
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P1H2TG

Book Description

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except . . . she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her . . . and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking . . . and wondering . . . and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except . . . he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled . . . and when he kissed her . . . the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn't help but wonder . . . could this imperfect man be perfect for her?

Download Description

"E-Book Extras: Behind the Novel by Julia Quinn, The Bridgerton Basics: Ms. Quinn Fills You In

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster when he proposed to her in a letter -- but Sir Phillip was wrong. The dashing beauty steals his heart, but can the rugged, moody Sir Phillip convince her it's a perfect match? "Our contemporary Jane Austen" (Jill Barnett).

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except. she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her.and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking.and wondering. and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except.he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled.and when he kissed her.the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn't help but wonder.could this imperfect man be perfect for her? "

Customer Reviews:

Not a page turner.......2007-08-28

This book is so boring, I had to force myself to keep reading to se if it would improve, but it didn't. Sir Phillip is so boring, it makes it hard to believe she'd fall for him. Not a good read.

My favorite Bridgerton book . . . .......2007-03-16

I think the story of Eloise Bridgerton and Sir Phillip Crane is romantic and engaging, in fact they're my favorite Bridgerton couple so far. Phillip's rough edges and hidden vulerabilities made him very appealing. I cared for him, liked him, and genuinely wanted him to be happy. Eloise's funny little quirks (ie talking too much, being very opinionated, sharpshooting better than her brothers, etc.), along with the genuine caring she shows Phillip and his children, also make her a very likable, well-rounded character. Other reviewers stated that this story was too formulaic, and perhaps it does rather follow the perscribed romance novel formula, but in this case the formula really works. Enough back story is provided to make Phillip's attraction to Eloise believable and heart-warming. And I thought the love scenes, particularly the one on Phillip and Eloise's wedding night, warranted turning up the air-conditioning a few notches.

Fifth Bridgerton book, fifth Bridgerton child.......2007-02-26

The fifth book in Julia Quinn's successful Bridgerton series tells the story of Eloise, 28-year-old spinster and middle child. Eloise has turned down six suitors in her many years on the Marriage Mart with the hopes of falling in love and finding the perfect man. Still, when her best friend and fellow spinster, Penelope Featherington, marries her older brother Colin, she cannot help but feel betrayed. She decides to run away and visit a man with whom she has been conducting correspondence, Sir Phillip Crane, the widower of her distant cousin Marina who has proposed marriage in his most recent letter. Though he asks her to marry him via post, she couldn't possibly marry a stranger... could she?

Sir Phillip Crane is in need of a wife. After his wife died, his 8-year-old twins became completely unruly, scaring away governesses and running through his house like terrors. He doesn't really care if the woman in question is beautiful, wealthy, or has a mind for numbers, as long as she is willing to instill some discipline in his little monsters. After a year of correspondence with Eloise Bridgerton, he concludes that she must be an on-the-shelf spinster, and that his proposal of marriage will be a welcome invitation. When the woman turns up on his doorstep unannounced, imagine his surprise to find that she's actually beautiful...

I've been dreading picking up To Sir Phillip, With Love even though I've read the majority of the other Bridgerton books, just because I didn't really believe that I would find the story plausible. What well-bred young lady just runs off in the middle of the night to meet a complete stranger sans escort and with no concern for her formerly sterling reputation. Still, I enjoyed this book more than I did Benedict and Colin's stories, though not nearly as much as those of Anthony and Daphne. Eloise and Phillip are an excellent couple, their wits are matched, and they both refuse to back down when they feel something. The way that Eloise teaches Phillip to love and trust again is romantic and endearing, and the way that Phillip melts under her tutelage is the way you'd a imagine a hero would behave. I recommend the fifth book in the Bridgerton series and suggest giving it a chance before writing it off as implausible.

one of the better ones.......2006-11-26

I like Eloise and the idea of her running off to meet a penpal was very fitting. But I would have liked it if the author had developed more of their relationship through letters. When they finally meet in person, Sir Phillip and Eloise are strangers, despite their correspondence of a year. And what a shame that they are forced to marry before they realize that they should be together. I was kind of disappointed when the Bridgerton brothers came barging in, although the author showed an unusual and softer side of Anthony Bridgerton in this book.

Funny and romantic........2006-09-09

This is the first Julia Quinn book that I read, I am still not sure how to react to it. After reading some great novels by Linda Lael Miller, Lorraine Heath, Maggie Osborne, Emily Carmichael, Maureen Mckade and more I tend to anticipate more from a writer. The book isn't bad, but I do think that if we to take out all the sex scenes from it-It would have being more suitable for my almost teenage daughter to read. I just didn't feel connected to the script the way I usually do when I read a great romance. I do agree with some of the other readers that the beginning is very promising. The whole idea is quite intriguing; however this is where it ends. Nevertheless, the story is funny and "light". If you are looking for an easy book to read, without getting too emotionally involve in the plot "To Sir Phillip with Love" is the one for you.

A Sir Phillip, Con Amor / To Sir Phillip With Love

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A Sir Phillip, Con Amor / To Sir Phillip With Love
Julia Quinn
Manufacturer: Titania
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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