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catriona176's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended by Ellen J. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sguilty%20dead%20p%20j%20tracy__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
shjemm's review against another edition
4.0
1 word: incredible
More words: fast paced, short chapters and written so good! Such a plot-twist at the end and it almost made me cry
More words: fast paced, short chapters and written so good! Such a plot-twist at the end and it almost made me cry
kirkw1972's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my favourite detective series. One of the things I love the most is the relationships of all the characters. They're so diverse and beautifully written and have evolved so much over the 9 books. It's always so easy to slip back into this world.
This time we have two plots that start off separate but as with all these things they ended up intertwining. There's a fair bit of foreshadowing of who the bad guy(s) may be in this one and some of it was revealed fairly early on so the story becomes a race instead to catch a killer and avoid various things being blown up. With this then it's a very fast paced book and information comes at you thick and fast.
And then Grace's pregnancy. Less was said about her and the others from Monkeewrench in this book but this story line reached it's logical conclusion and in typical dramatic fashion. There wasn't a great deal of happy ending in here with the conclusion of the murder story so this was a nice inclusion so everything could end with at least one happy note.
Overall then another great story in an otherwise fantastic series and can't wait for the next one.
This time we have two plots that start off separate but as with all these things they ended up intertwining. There's a fair bit of foreshadowing of who the bad guy(s) may be in this one and some of it was revealed fairly early on so the story becomes a race instead to catch a killer and avoid various things being blown up. With this then it's a very fast paced book and information comes at you thick and fast.
And then Grace's pregnancy. Less was said about her and the others from Monkeewrench in this book but this story line reached it's logical conclusion and in typical dramatic fashion. There wasn't a great deal of happy ending in here with the conclusion of the murder story so this was a nice inclusion so everything could end with at least one happy note.
Overall then another great story in an otherwise fantastic series and can't wait for the next one.
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
4.0
Not surprisingly, P.J. Tracy delivers another great installment in the Monkeewrench series. A prominent and respected Twin Cities business icon is found dead of an apparent suicide. There's chatter on the dark web that Minneapolis might be the target of a terrorist attack. Twenty years ago, a 14 year old girl was found bludgeoned to death, and she was pregnant too. All of these threads somehow need to be brought together and our favorite detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are up to the job, with the help of Grace McBride and the rest of the Monkeewrench geniuses. Oh, and Leo and Grace are anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child. Lots going on in this one, but Tracy expertly handles the load and, as usual, takes the time to give us some great secondary characters like the brave, smart, and heartbroken Rosalie and hapless Ben the getaway driver.
katieb94's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mazza57's review against another edition
4.0
I have read others in this series - one day I must get round to reading them in order. Fortunately i have read the first so know enough to be able to follow this one. I have no idea how two people writing together manage to maintain the pace, mystery, suspense and twists in this plot. The characterisation is excellent I love Grace, Gino and Leo especially and they work really well together. This one centres on both old and new crimes with connections that the Police need to make, and make quickly. It has great complexity in the storyline and kept me guessing almost to the end
cassies_books_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
This was a quick read for me I enjoyed it it takes place in the twin cities. It starts with Gregory Norwood who kills himself on the one year anniversary of his sons named Treys death of an overdose and after reading further you find out his death was assisted by a man named Gus, which you don’t know why. Also dying at the same time is a photojournalist who was on a mission to get a picture of Gregory on the death of his son. Called into investigate the deaths are two detectives Leo and Gino. Some things that jump out to them on Gregory’s death is that the gun he shot himself with is in the wrong hand and the gun was wiped clean. I loved the twisted plots and the different characters! I give this four stars!
darice's review against another edition
4.0
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The Guilty Dead is book number 9 in the Monkeewrench series, written by a mother-daughter writing duo.
I remember over more than 10 years ago I stumbled upon Want to Play? at the bookstore. I was hooked from page one. About a group of misfit genius programmers who became each others family through life traumas. Since then the Monkeewrench team has become a valuable partner to the homicide detective team of Minneapolis.
It’s in the middle of a very hot and humid summer and Grace is ready to give birth to her baby with cop Detective Leo Magozzi. They have settled in a stable albeit a bit unusual relationship. Grace still has her past demons and her trusty sig saur 9mm close at hand. Leo has accepted this and they are in their own happily ever after. Of course, danger is never far and soon the Monkeewrench team is chasing leads to a possible terrorist threat in Minneapolis while Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are investigating a high profile suspected suicide.
A trail of bodies starts turning up plus past murders while everyone is still grasping at straws about the who and why. In the end, it all comes to blow. Needless to say, I couldn’t stop reading until I finished.
Monkeewrench is one of the few series I’m keeping up with and hopefully there will be more books. You should read the whole series or at least book 1 to understand the dynamics. Especially the Monkeewrench team has a lot of history that explains their current life and work.
I hope the next installment will be more focused on the Monkeewrench team. After 9 books there is still much mystery surrounding their past.
This review was originally published at The Quiet Musings: The Book Edition
The Guilty Dead is book number 9 in the Monkeewrench series, written by a mother-daughter writing duo.
I remember over more than 10 years ago I stumbled upon Want to Play? at the bookstore. I was hooked from page one. About a group of misfit genius programmers who became each others family through life traumas. Since then the Monkeewrench team has become a valuable partner to the homicide detective team of Minneapolis.
It’s in the middle of a very hot and humid summer and Grace is ready to give birth to her baby with cop Detective Leo Magozzi. They have settled in a stable albeit a bit unusual relationship. Grace still has her past demons and her trusty sig saur 9mm close at hand. Leo has accepted this and they are in their own happily ever after. Of course, danger is never far and soon the Monkeewrench team is chasing leads to a possible terrorist threat in Minneapolis while Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are investigating a high profile suspected suicide.
A trail of bodies starts turning up plus past murders while everyone is still grasping at straws about the who and why. In the end, it all comes to blow. Needless to say, I couldn’t stop reading until I finished.
Monkeewrench is one of the few series I’m keeping up with and hopefully there will be more books. You should read the whole series or at least book 1 to understand the dynamics. Especially the Monkeewrench team has a lot of history that explains their current life and work.
I hope the next installment will be more focused on the Monkeewrench team. After 9 books there is still much mystery surrounding their past.
This review was originally published at The Quiet Musings: The Book Edition
martyfried's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley, I don't have to wait for this book to be published. I delayed reading the previous book to make the wait shorter, but now, I got to read both that one and now this new one.
The Monkeewrench series has become one of my favorites, and this one did not disappoint. As usual, the people make up a large part of the story, but the plot was really strong, too. And there is the usual humor in the banter and thoughts of the characters that make it so much fun to read. It was sad that some good people had to die, but the humor made it much easier to handle. And as is often the case with their stories, the lines between good and bad people are somewhat blurred.
If you've never read any other books in this series, I advise you to start at the beginning. Get to know the characters, especially the Monkeewrench crew, and homicide detectives Gino (Gino Rolseth) and Magozzi (Leo Magozzi, but everyone calls him Magozzi). These characters are all featured in subsequent books.
Monkeewrench is a software company made up of mysterious but highly intelligent programmers who start out writing games, but are also very good at hacking into secure sites, writing custom security and facial recognition software, etc. that are useful to law enforcement. Nobody there is really what they seem. Harley looks like a Hells Angel, Grace carries a gun everywhere, Annie is fat and sexy, always wears high heels, makeup, fancy clothes, and Roadrunner is a tall, skinny vegetarian bicyclist. Somehow though, they all get along and work miracles on their computers.
It was nice to see so many people working together to solve the crimes in this case - Monkeewrench, the FBI, and the MPD all cooperating without egos getting in the way. It almost seems like everyone just wants to solve the case, not boost their egos.
Of course the highlight of the book is Grace's pregnancy. Who would have ever thought at the start of the series that this would ever happen, and that she would actually be happy and optimistic about this. Everyone is excited - Harley wanted her to stay in bed starting at about the 2nd month; Magozzi and Gino have a bet on when it will arrive. And when it does, Magozzi thought she "was without question the most beautiful child ever born." When it's time to pick a name, all he can think of is “Nothing’s good enough. Except maybe Grace Junior.” Poor Grace - her pedestal is so high she's probably going to be afraid to move lest she fall off. But it seems like Magozzi thinks anything she does is perfect even if it isn't, so it probably won't matter.
Well, until the next one comes out (hopefully), I guess it's time to catch up on some other series that have been on my back burner for a while.
The Monkeewrench series has become one of my favorites, and this one did not disappoint. As usual, the people make up a large part of the story, but the plot was really strong, too. And there is the usual humor in the banter and thoughts of the characters that make it so much fun to read. It was sad that some good people had to die, but the humor made it much easier to handle. And as is often the case with their stories, the lines between good and bad people are somewhat blurred.
If you've never read any other books in this series, I advise you to start at the beginning. Get to know the characters, especially the Monkeewrench crew, and homicide detectives Gino (Gino Rolseth) and Magozzi (Leo Magozzi, but everyone calls him Magozzi). These characters are all featured in subsequent books.
Monkeewrench is a software company made up of mysterious but highly intelligent programmers who start out writing games, but are also very good at hacking into secure sites, writing custom security and facial recognition software, etc. that are useful to law enforcement. Nobody there is really what they seem. Harley looks like a Hells Angel, Grace carries a gun everywhere, Annie is fat and sexy, always wears high heels, makeup, fancy clothes, and Roadrunner is a tall, skinny vegetarian bicyclist. Somehow though, they all get along and work miracles on their computers.
It was nice to see so many people working together to solve the crimes in this case - Monkeewrench, the FBI, and the MPD all cooperating without egos getting in the way. It almost seems like everyone just wants to solve the case, not boost their egos.
Of course the highlight of the book is Grace's pregnancy. Who would have ever thought at the start of the series that this would ever happen, and that she would actually be happy and optimistic about this. Everyone is excited - Harley wanted her to stay in bed starting at about the 2nd month; Magozzi and Gino have a bet on when it will arrive. And when it does, Magozzi thought she "was without question the most beautiful child ever born." When it's time to pick a name, all he can think of is “Nothing’s good enough. Except maybe Grace Junior.” Poor Grace - her pedestal is so high she's probably going to be afraid to move lest she fall off. But it seems like Magozzi thinks anything she does is perfect even if it isn't, so it probably won't matter.
Well, until the next one comes out (hopefully), I guess it's time to catch up on some other series that have been on my back burner for a while.