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Title: Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy ISBN: 0-399-14978-3 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 14 April, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.72 (60 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A Pageburner with Great Characters
Comment: A double murder in Wisconsin and a series of murders in Minneapolis are somehow related to the mysterious employees of Monkeewrench software. Telling any more would spoil the fun of letting this book reveal the story!
The authors put a lot of life into the various characters: two Minneapolis detectives, a Wisconsin sheriff and two deputies, the five partners of Monkeewrench software, plus one wife, the victims of a double-murder, and a whole cast of supporting characters. That's probably what made this book so much fun to read, along with the fact that the book has a lot more humor than the typical murder mystery.
The book isn't perfect though; there are one or two details in the mystery I was still wondering about after I finished reading the book. There's also a slight bit of misdirection going on in the plot, which is common enough in mysteries, but it always leaves me feeling a little cheated.
So, it's a fun, fast read that draws you in and makes you want to finish. The great characters are part of what makes the books so engaging. Once you start the book, you'll want to keep reading until you finish the book - I read it in one evening!
Rating: 5
Summary: For once, a book that lives up to the hype!
Comment: I was curious about this book after reading a glowing review in, I think, People magazine. I've been disappointed by reviews before, but this book was everything the review promised, and more. I love the characters, and especially the interplay between the characters. There are plot twists and enough kinkiness and gore to satisfy those with a blood lust; unlike another reviewer, I didn't find the language particularly obscene. True mystery buffs will have a good idea "whodunit" so the ending is not a total shock, but it is satisfying, nonetheless. It was a one-day read -- I couldn't put it down -- and I look forward to reading more by this/these author(s). I also enjoyed the Minnesota locale, though I can't vouch for its accuracy since I've never been there. If you liked this book, you might also enjoy "AKA Jane" and "Run Jane Run" by Maureen Tan.
Rating: 3
Summary: An engaging book, but...
Comment: 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.
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Title: Shutter Island: A Novel by Dennis Lehane ISBN: 0688163173 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 15 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: No 2nd Chance by Harlan Coben ISBN: 0525947299 Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 28 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Naked Prey by John Sandford ISBN: 0399150439 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 12 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Good Morning, Killer by April Smith ISBN: 0375412409 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 22 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: A Cold Heart: An Alex Delaware Novel by Jonathan Kellerman ISBN: 0345452550 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 29 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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