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Great book with an interesting, scary premise. I could barely put it down. I'm glad I discovered the mother-daughter team of PJ Tracy. You will want to start with Monkeewrench, the first in the series, and read them all in order (Dead Run is the 3rd. There are 4 books in the series with a new one due sometime this year - 2009).
Marlene W. (KansasSunflower) - Overland Park, KS reviewed Dead Run (Monkeewrench, Bk 3) on + 289 more book reviews
I absolutely loved this book. It sparked the imagination and I was living what was happening to them, I could see it in my mind so vividly. I have had this book for a while and kept putting off reading it. Shame on me. I've now ordered the rest of the books in the series and I hope I enjoy them as much.
Oh wow! I can see why this is the favorite book of the series for most, as it's fantastic! The Monkeewrench team are back in a doozy of a thriller. Grace McBride and Annie Belinsky are traveling to Green Bay, Wisconsin with deputy Sharon Mueller to assist locals with finding a serial killer using their new software. They get lost on the way and stumble onto the mysteriously empty town of Four Corners, where they unwittingly witness the brutal murders of two civilians by military men. They need to get out to tell someone but the whole town is surrounded and they are being hunted.
Meanwhile Detectives Leo Magozzi and his partner team up with Sheriff Halloran and the rest of the Monkeewrench team to try to find the women. When more people turn up missing in the same area and the Feds keep everyone, including local law enforcement, away without telling them why, they suspect something bigger than unsolved murders and missing persons is up. But they have no idea HOW big...
It was great to have the Monkeewrench team back in the thick of things instead of on the periphery, and this novel starts with a bang and doesn't let the tension up as it races through to its nerve-wracking climax. Fantastic premise brilliantly executed - I don't see how they can top this one but I sure hope they keep trying!
Meanwhile Detectives Leo Magozzi and his partner team up with Sheriff Halloran and the rest of the Monkeewrench team to try to find the women. When more people turn up missing in the same area and the Feds keep everyone, including local law enforcement, away without telling them why, they suspect something bigger than unsolved murders and missing persons is up. But they have no idea HOW big...
It was great to have the Monkeewrench team back in the thick of things instead of on the periphery, and this novel starts with a bang and doesn't let the tension up as it races through to its nerve-wracking climax. Fantastic premise brilliantly executed - I don't see how they can top this one but I sure hope they keep trying!
This series continues to suprise me. Except for some occasional dialogue that seems to work a bit hard at being funny, the books just get better and better. Don't get me wrong. It does have humor and usually it's very natural but sometimes just a little awkward. That criticism is outweighed however, by the original plotting, superb writing and generally tight and realistic dialogue. Very hard to put down.
Here's one section, from the p.o.v. of an 8 year old: "He was straddling his old bike across the street from the cafe, staring through the plate-glass window, watching Hazel's broad back hunch and move over the grill plate behind the counter. Even through the dust-streaked window, he could see that great pile of too-black hair wobbling on top of her head, and when she turned aournd to plop a plate down on the counter in front of a customer, he saw the loose skin of remembered chins cascading down over the place where her neck was supposed to be." Writing just doesn't get much more vivid than that. :)
Here's one section, from the p.o.v. of an 8 year old: "He was straddling his old bike across the street from the cafe, staring through the plate-glass window, watching Hazel's broad back hunch and move over the grill plate behind the counter. Even through the dust-streaked window, he could see that great pile of too-black hair wobbling on top of her head, and when she turned aournd to plop a plate down on the counter in front of a customer, he saw the loose skin of remembered chins cascading down over the place where her neck was supposed to be." Writing just doesn't get much more vivid than that. :)
Highly recommended but also recommended that you read this series in order: Monkeewrench, followed by Live Bait, followed by Dead Run.
The third outing for the Monkeewrench crew finds Grace, Annie and Sharon (Wisconsin deputy from the first book, now on loan to the FBI) traveling from Minneapolis to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Along the way their car breaks down and they stumble into a town where everyone has mysteriously vanished, and progressively more sinister developments are taking place.
Unlike the first two books which were more whodunnit mysteries, this is straight up slam-bang suspense as the three women pool all their considerable resources to survive their predicament. The rest of the now familiar characters, Minneapolis detectives Maggozzi and Rolseth, the Monkeewrench geeks, with Wisconsin sheriff Mike Halloran and deputy Bonar Carlson race to the rescue.
It becomes increasingly clear that not only has something horrible happened in the isolated Wisconsin town, but sinister forces are trying to make it happen again, on a larger scale.
Some reviews have pointed out the preposterousness of the plot, and it is one of those books that you read breathlessly and then put down and think, now waaaaiit a minute, that is kind of unbelievable. But, these days of terrorism maybe not so unbelievable. There are whackos out there!
Again, the characters are what drew me in and kept me involved with the story. The development of their intertwining plotlines, like Magozzi's slowly blooming romance with Grace and Sharon's with Mike Halloran, makes this more than a routinely forgettable thriller. The idea of three women kicking ass and getting themselves out of their predicament, plus the touches of humor amid the suspense and horror, are just icing on the cake.
This is a book I devoured in a couple of days. If I had more time in one day I'd have finished it in a day!
The third outing for the Monkeewrench crew finds Grace, Annie and Sharon (Wisconsin deputy from the first book, now on loan to the FBI) traveling from Minneapolis to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Along the way their car breaks down and they stumble into a town where everyone has mysteriously vanished, and progressively more sinister developments are taking place.
Unlike the first two books which were more whodunnit mysteries, this is straight up slam-bang suspense as the three women pool all their considerable resources to survive their predicament. The rest of the now familiar characters, Minneapolis detectives Maggozzi and Rolseth, the Monkeewrench geeks, with Wisconsin sheriff Mike Halloran and deputy Bonar Carlson race to the rescue.
It becomes increasingly clear that not only has something horrible happened in the isolated Wisconsin town, but sinister forces are trying to make it happen again, on a larger scale.
Some reviews have pointed out the preposterousness of the plot, and it is one of those books that you read breathlessly and then put down and think, now waaaaiit a minute, that is kind of unbelievable. But, these days of terrorism maybe not so unbelievable. There are whackos out there!
Again, the characters are what drew me in and kept me involved with the story. The development of their intertwining plotlines, like Magozzi's slowly blooming romance with Grace and Sharon's with Mike Halloran, makes this more than a routinely forgettable thriller. The idea of three women kicking ass and getting themselves out of their predicament, plus the touches of humor amid the suspense and horror, are just icing on the cake.
This is a book I devoured in a couple of days. If I had more time in one day I'd have finished it in a day!
This book is just plain great fun - an amazingly fulfilling thriller that just makes you want to run out and read anything written by this author. Don't miss this one!
A heart-stopping thriller when Sharon, Grace and Annie set out to share their indentification program and end up in the wrong place surrounded by killers. Very good!
P.J. Tracy.....WOW! I loved loved loved the writing and this story scared the crap out of me. Very suspenseful. I just ordered 2 more of this author's books and I can't wait to read them!
Very good. I liked Monkeywrench and this is equally good.
P. J Tracy's second book, this series is becoming one that I don'y want to miss any of the books.
This was unbelievably fast paced. I read it in one day...couldn't put it down.
A group is en route to Green Bay, following reports of a serial killer, when their car breaks down deep in the northern woods. A short walk through the forest leads them to the eerily quiet town of Four Corners, where they find severed phone lines and a complete absence of life. But the quiet is deceptive. Before they know it, they witness a horrifying double murder-and discover that this is only the beginning of a race to save their own lives...and countless others.
These books are highly addictive. Makes you want the next one right away!
I love this series!! I think this was even better than the first two. Impossible to put down!
Computer game company founders Grace MacBride and Annie Belinsky-along with Wisconsin deputy Sharon Mueller-are enroute to Green Bay,following reports of a seriel killer,when their car breaks down deep in the northern woods. A short walk through the forest leads them to a eerily quiet town of Four Corners,where they find severed phone lines and a complete absence of any life. But the quiet is dective. Before they know it,they witness a horrifying double murder-and discover that this is only the beginning of a race to save their own lives...and countless others. From Back Cover.
I found this book very just as good as Live Bait and Monkeewrench . I am waiting impatiently for the next book in this series.
I found this book very just as good as Live Bait and Monkeewrench . I am waiting impatiently for the next book in this series.
ANOTHER GREAT READ,WHAT WOULD YOU DO,IF YOU FOUND OUT A SMALL HARMLESS TOWN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ACTS OF TERRORISM
Another enjoyable installment in a very enjoyable series.
Excellent! Keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. More about the whole gang in this one.
3rd book of a series, very quick moving
First time I read this writer. Great read. Had a hard time putting it down.
Grace and Annie stumble on a double murder when their car breaks down on the way to a nearby town. Very suspenseful!
The software developers known as the Monkeewrench team have volunteered their sophisticated computer programs and their considerable expertise to help police departments solve related crimes. When Sharon Mueller, a Wisconsin police deputy now working for the FBI in Minneapolis, asks Grace MacBride and Annie Belinsky of the Monkeewrench team to help her connect the dots in a series of Green Bay murders, the three women set off on a road trip through rural Wisconsin.
Along the way, they find the grisly remnants of a mysterious event: an abandoned town, a quasi-military blockade, and a farm field filled with unspeakable horrors. Is this some kind of secret government experiment? Or is it the beginning of a new kind of war? Drawn into the mystery against their will, the three women soon find themselves actively involved not only in saving themselves, but also in preventing the potential deaths of thousands of other people.
Along the way, they find the grisly remnants of a mysterious event: an abandoned town, a quasi-military blockade, and a farm field filled with unspeakable horrors. Is this some kind of secret government experiment? Or is it the beginning of a new kind of war? Drawn into the mystery against their will, the three women soon find themselves actively involved not only in saving themselves, but also in preventing the potential deaths of thousands of other people.
In the latest winner from the pseudonymous mother/daughter writing team, Tracy's quirky characters get caught up in a homegrown terrorist plot featuring ultra right-wing militiamen and three tanker trucks full of nerve gas. Having gotten rich from their gaming software, the eccentric personnel of the Minneapolis-based Monkeewrench computer company (Harley Davidson, Grace MacBride, Annie Belinski and the six-foot-seven-inch geek Roadrunner) are presently giving away their "computerized detective software" to police departments with serial killer problems.
Grace, Annie and Wisconsin deputy Sharon Mueller are headed to Green Bay, where Sharon believes a serial killer has set up shop. But during a quick sightseeing detour into the Wisconsin hinterlands, Grace's Range Rover breaks down and the women have to hike through the woods for help. They end up in the town of Four Corners, which seems abandoned. The ladies don't know it yet, but that's because earlier that day a milk truck loaded with nerve gas rolled over, lost its load and wiped out everyone in town.
Now the entire area is surrounded by a right-wing paramilitary bent on keeping the spill a secret by killing anyone left alive. Tracy's characters are full of quips and comedy, and yet they all have dark pasts ominously and obliquely referred to throughout the novel. The jokes, cold-blooded murders and the past secrets sometimes work at cross-purposes, but the courage and indomitable spirit of the plucky trio will win readers over as they speed through the final pages of the race-against-the-clock ending.
Grace, Annie and Wisconsin deputy Sharon Mueller are headed to Green Bay, where Sharon believes a serial killer has set up shop. But during a quick sightseeing detour into the Wisconsin hinterlands, Grace's Range Rover breaks down and the women have to hike through the woods for help. They end up in the town of Four Corners, which seems abandoned. The ladies don't know it yet, but that's because earlier that day a milk truck loaded with nerve gas rolled over, lost its load and wiped out everyone in town.
Now the entire area is surrounded by a right-wing paramilitary bent on keeping the spill a secret by killing anyone left alive. Tracy's characters are full of quips and comedy, and yet they all have dark pasts ominously and obliquely referred to throughout the novel. The jokes, cold-blooded murders and the past secrets sometimes work at cross-purposes, but the courage and indomitable spirit of the plucky trio will win readers over as they speed through the final pages of the race-against-the-clock ending.
Third in the series about Monkeewrench, a group of computer geniuses. This one tries to enter the outdoor adventure mode, not sure how successful this was but there was a lot of danger for our heroes to extract themselves from.
This series just keeps getting better! A must read!
P.J. Tracy back at their best with the Monkeewrench crew
Interesting story, keeps moving at a fast pace..... Computer game founders Grace MacBride and Annie Belinsky, along with Wisconsin deptuy Sharon Mueller are en route to Green Bay, following reports of a serial killer when thier car breaks down deep in the northern woods. A short walk thru the forest leads them to the eerily quiet town of Four Corners, wehre they find severed phone lines and a complete abscense of any life. But the quiet is deceptive and before they know it they witness a horrifying double murder and discover that this is only the beginning of a race to save their own lives and countless others.....
great story following the monkeewrench crew! tense....
Computer experts, FBI and local sheriff all are involved in this latest thriller by Tracy. The action is fast and the characters are very interesting.
Good read!!!