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pewterwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf.
*** eProof given by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review/reaction & audiobook borrowed from local library ***
In this, the ninth instalment of the Twin Cities or Monkeewrench series, Gregory Norwood is a wealthy businessman and close friend of the lead candidate for Minnesota’s Governor, is found dead on the first anniversary of his son’s drug overdose. It seems obvious that grief drove him to commit suicide.
Expect why would a left-handed man use his right hand to pull the trigger? And why is there blood and hair of a photo-journalist at the house - when his body is discovered in park mere hours later?
What should be an open and shut case turns into a murder enquiry and with this, it raises the question: is there something dark hiding in city’s most powerful family’s closet? And with Monkeewrench’s beta-test of a computer programme discover a possible terror attack might be happening soon, everyone has to work fast…
So, what did I think of this?
I had a blast with this. I whizzed through the audiobook and not once felt that the plot was slow or dull.
This, in a weird way, reminded me of James Patterson when his stories get it right. The chapters were short and punchy, the plot was fast (I think this novel takes place over 24-28 hour period), you never got bored as it’s quite addictive. But, unlike James Patterson, this didn’t feel like a cookie-cutter plot. There was a bit of meat to its bones and story and characters felt a tad more complex.
And from other people’s reviews, if you are a long time fan of the series, the character development is slow and hugely rewarding. While, if you are a new reader to the series, you never feel like you’re missing out or you entered the series at the wrong place. The Guilty Dead felt both like a standalone and yet a good instalment to a long running series.
I do have to admit that I did audiobook most of this and, at times, I got a little frustrated with the narrator as some voices sounded very similar. The same goes with scene changes. Now, in the past, when I have listened to audiobooks, if there is a scene change or we change to a different character’s point of view/situation, there has been a gap of a few seconds so listeners know the scene is changing. Not in this audiobook. The narrator just powered on, leaving no breather for listeners to go “Oh, we’re changing times/locations/characters/etc”. By the end, I got use to this but at the start, it was incredible jarring.
But saying that, I did hugely enjoy myself. Like I said earlier, I do have one or two other P.J. Tracy novels to read/audiobook and I will try and get to them as soon as I can.
*** eProof given by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review/reaction & audiobook borrowed from local library ***
In this, the ninth instalment of the Twin Cities or Monkeewrench series, Gregory Norwood is a wealthy businessman and close friend of the lead candidate for Minnesota’s Governor, is found dead on the first anniversary of his son’s drug overdose. It seems obvious that grief drove him to commit suicide.
Expect why would a left-handed man use his right hand to pull the trigger? And why is there blood and hair of a photo-journalist at the house - when his body is discovered in park mere hours later?
What should be an open and shut case turns into a murder enquiry and with this, it raises the question: is there something dark hiding in city’s most powerful family’s closet? And with Monkeewrench’s beta-test of a computer programme discover a possible terror attack might be happening soon, everyone has to work fast…
So, what did I think of this?
I had a blast with this. I whizzed through the audiobook and not once felt that the plot was slow or dull.
This, in a weird way, reminded me of James Patterson when his stories get it right. The chapters were short and punchy, the plot was fast (I think this novel takes place over 24-28 hour period), you never got bored as it’s quite addictive. But, unlike James Patterson, this didn’t feel like a cookie-cutter plot. There was a bit of meat to its bones and story and characters felt a tad more complex.
And from other people’s reviews, if you are a long time fan of the series, the character development is slow and hugely rewarding. While, if you are a new reader to the series, you never feel like you’re missing out or you entered the series at the wrong place. The Guilty Dead felt both like a standalone and yet a good instalment to a long running series.
I do have to admit that I did audiobook most of this and, at times, I got a little frustrated with the narrator as some voices sounded very similar. The same goes with scene changes. Now, in the past, when I have listened to audiobooks, if there is a scene change or we change to a different character’s point of view/situation, there has been a gap of a few seconds so listeners know the scene is changing. Not in this audiobook. The narrator just powered on, leaving no breather for listeners to go “Oh, we’re changing times/locations/characters/etc”. By the end, I got use to this but at the start, it was incredible jarring.
But saying that, I did hugely enjoy myself. Like I said earlier, I do have one or two other P.J. Tracy novels to read/audiobook and I will try and get to them as soon as I can.
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
It has been quite a long while since I have read a Monkeewrench book. I used to read them pretty regularly. I don't know what happened as I did enjoy the books that I read. After finishing this book, I will make sure to not let long periods of time lapse between books. It was like I hadn't really left. Instantly, I was able to jump right into this book with no problems. The characters embraced me as did I to them.
Magozzi and Rolseth make good partners. They work very well together. Then, there is Magozzi and Grace's relationship. I like them together. They made a good couple. Yet, I like that their relationship did not distract from the main storyline. Which was full of a good steady pace with plenty of action. There wasn't really any down time, thus I really liked this factor. It was made better because of the characters. Fans of this series will enjoy this latest offering in this series.
Magozzi and Rolseth make good partners. They work very well together. Then, there is Magozzi and Grace's relationship. I like them together. They made a good couple. Yet, I like that their relationship did not distract from the main storyline. Which was full of a good steady pace with plenty of action. There wasn't really any down time, thus I really liked this factor. It was made better because of the characters. Fans of this series will enjoy this latest offering in this series.
rozlev's review against another edition
5.0
If you're a fan of the Monkeywrench series, you won't be disappointed. Fast read. Good mystery, great characters, twists and turns, and a few surprises.
sandin954's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent entry in this top notch series. The plot moved along at a brisk pace and the characters were as enjoyable as ever.
sandin954's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent entry in this top notch series. The plot moved along at a brisk pace and the characters were as enjoyable as ever.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley. This book is a well done thriller with one criminal identified early on. As the story unfolds, the reader learns the others. Minneapolis detectives Magozzi and Gino piece together a series of murders with help from the FBI and Monkeewrench, a software company. Magozzi's wife works for Monkeewrench and is very pregnant. There is a bittersweet ending that ties up the plot very well. This is book 9 in the series, but I found it ok as a stand alone.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley. This book is a well done thriller with one criminal identified early on. As the story unfolds, the reader learns the others. Minneapolis detectives Magozzi and Gino piece together a series of murders with help from the FBI and Monkeewrench, a software company. Magozzi's wife works for Monkeewrench and is very pregnant. There is a bittersweet ending that ties up the plot very well. This is book 9 in the series, but I found it ok as a stand alone.
erinnejc's review against another edition
5.0
Fabulous!! Been a long time fan of P.J. Tracy, and this series. Loved everything about this story and cannot wait for more.
lisanussd's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great series with great characters. I’m glad I found it.
mhoffrob's review against another edition
4.0
While I had not read any of the prior titles in the Monkeewrench series of mystery/thrillers, "the Guilty Dead" (the 9th in the series) was riveting and I did not feel I'd missed anything by jumping in the middle of the series. Some character development and background, obviously, but this title was enjoyable on its own, enought that I'll keep P.J. Tracy in mind when my "too read" pile diminishes a bit.
Monkeeshines is a private software firm in Minneapolis, where much of this title is set. The plot revolves around the apparent suicide of philanthrapist Gregory Norwood, one year after his son Trey's death by overdose. But a pair of detectives soon noticed disturbing clues at the scene and determine this gun shot wound was not self inflicted. Meanwhile, Monkeeshines' new software discovers a terrorist plot against Minneapolis City Hall, and some unconnected deaths in the area. Slowly, a master plot links all together and leads to a manhunt and uncovering long buried secrets of the Norwood family and a condidate for MN govenor.
Would recommend to fans of psychological thrillers, espionage plots and the like. Similar to author Harlen Coben.
Monkeeshines is a private software firm in Minneapolis, where much of this title is set. The plot revolves around the apparent suicide of philanthrapist Gregory Norwood, one year after his son Trey's death by overdose. But a pair of detectives soon noticed disturbing clues at the scene and determine this gun shot wound was not self inflicted. Meanwhile, Monkeeshines' new software discovers a terrorist plot against Minneapolis City Hall, and some unconnected deaths in the area. Slowly, a master plot links all together and leads to a manhunt and uncovering long buried secrets of the Norwood family and a condidate for MN govenor.
Would recommend to fans of psychological thrillers, espionage plots and the like. Similar to author Harlen Coben.
terri90's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25