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Book Review of Dead Run (Monkeewrench, Bk 3)

Dead Run (Monkeewrench, Bk 3)
Dead Run (Monkeewrench, Bk 3)
Author: P. J. Tracy
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
geejay avatar reviewed #3 in Series on + 85 more book reviews


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!