People are dying for the new computer game by the software company Monkeewrench. Literally. With Serial Killer Detective out in limited release, th...
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Feb 11, 2012
Jane
rated it: 
It’s not bad, but I had some problems with it. It’s interesting enough to pass the time if you like murder mysteries.
STORY BRIEF:
Monkeewrench is the name of a software company that creates computer games. There are five partners. Ten years ago something happened that caused all of them to change their names, move to Minnesota, live in secured homes, and carry guns. Their new game, just released, is about a serial killer with twenty crime scenes. A real life serial killer h More...
STORY BRIEF:
Monkeewrench is the name of a software company that creates computer games. There are five partners. Ten years ago something happened that caused all of them to change their names, move to Minnesota, live in secured homes, and carry guns. Their new game, just released, is about a serial killer with twenty crime scenes. A real life serial killer h More...
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Mar 07, 2009
Mary JL
rated it: 
Almost did not read this one--I got it as a gift and the title sounded odd. Glad I did not make that mistake!!!
It is a novel about a group of colorful characters who own a software development company called Monkeewrench. Branching out from their education software, the team is devising a new game--"Serial Killer Detective".
It soon becomes obvious that a serial killer is mimicking all of the murders in the game--playing with real victims. The Minneapolis po More...
It is a novel about a group of colorful characters who own a software development company called Monkeewrench. Branching out from their education software, the team is devising a new game--"Serial Killer Detective".
It soon becomes obvious that a serial killer is mimicking all of the murders in the game--playing with real victims. The Minneapolis po More...
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Dec 17, 2010
Keri
rated it: 
The saying goes that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But when people start dying exactly like Grace dreamed them up for her company, Monkeewrench's hottest new video game, she is not flattered. As a matter of fact she is terrified, because it appears she or someone she loves could be the next target.
This was such an awesome read! If you are looking for a something without a lot of over the top violence then this book may be for you. There were murders, but they were ha More...
This was such an awesome read! If you are looking for a something without a lot of over the top violence then this book may be for you. There were murders, but they were ha More...
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Apr 25, 2011
D.G. ~Shameless Hussy~
rated it:
Really good mystery with an amazing cast of characters. I think I liked everybody but Grace. The book didn't get 5 stars because I figured out the murderer from the beginning. :)
The narrator was really good. At first I wasn't sure I was going to like him (he has a bit of a gravely voice) but once the book got underway, I realized he was a great choice. More than 80% of the characters in the book are male and he did an awesome job with the different voices.
I loved how this boo More...
The narrator was really good. At first I wasn't sure I was going to like him (he has a bit of a gravely voice) but once the book got underway, I realized he was a great choice. More than 80% of the characters in the book are male and he did an awesome job with the different voices.
I loved how this boo More...
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Mar 12, 2009
Kirstie
rated it:
So my husband picked this book up for me at the library because he knew I was coming to the end of the series of John Sanford books I was reading and thought this might be of interest to me.
I have to say the overall it was a pretty good book, sadly the ending was a bit more convoluted than it needed to be and I totally figured out who the killer was halfway through, though I had a harder time with the motive this person had.
Overall it was a decent story that was executed More...
I have to say the overall it was a pretty good book, sadly the ending was a bit more convoluted than it needed to be and I totally figured out who the killer was halfway through, though I had a harder time with the motive this person had.
Overall it was a decent story that was executed More...
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Jan 08, 2012
Ashlee
rated it:
Two words.... LOVED IT!
I listen to this on Audio book in my car (I have an hour travel to work sometimes) and I couldn't get enough of it. Even when my borrowed copy had a scratch on the last disc, I even reserved another copy, just so I could finish it and find out who the murderer was.
The characters are funny and very very... real. They don't alwats react to events like you would expect, because people don't always react that way in real life. You can tell Grace is afraid of so More...
I listen to this on Audio book in my car (I have an hour travel to work sometimes) and I couldn't get enough of it. Even when my borrowed copy had a scratch on the last disc, I even reserved another copy, just so I could finish it and find out who the murderer was.
The characters are funny and very very... real. They don't alwats react to events like you would expect, because people don't always react that way in real life. You can tell Grace is afraid of so More...
Sep 17, 2010
Marleen
rated it:
Second review (Dec. 09)
I decided to re-read this one because I really wanted to relive all the details of the Sharon Mueller & Mike Halloran connection. I think those two are simply adorable!
In any case, this remains a very good read with fantastic dialogues and truer than life characters.
First review in March 2009 -
Highly enjoyable and suspenseful read! And what clever writing!!
This book has all the ingredients I look for in a terrific read: a storyline tha More...
I decided to re-read this one because I really wanted to relive all the details of the Sharon Mueller & Mike Halloran connection. I think those two are simply adorable!
In any case, this remains a very good read with fantastic dialogues and truer than life characters.
First review in March 2009 -
Highly enjoyable and suspenseful read! And what clever writing!!
This book has all the ingredients I look for in a terrific read: a storyline tha More...
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Feb 21, 2009
Cathy
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Sep 07, 2007
LJ
rated it:
MONKEEWRENCH – EX
P.J. Tracy – 1st book
An unpopular, troublemaking old couple are brutally murdered in a small Wisconsin town church. While Wisconsin Sheriff Michael Halloran and Deputy Bonar Carlson are working to solve their case, in the Minnesotan Twin cities, Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, are dealing with a serial killer is copying a computer game where 20 murders happen. The games’ designers, a social outcast group whose company is called Monkeewrench, have their own i More...
P.J. Tracy – 1st book
An unpopular, troublemaking old couple are brutally murdered in a small Wisconsin town church. While Wisconsin Sheriff Michael Halloran and Deputy Bonar Carlson are working to solve their case, in the Minnesotan Twin cities, Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, are dealing with a serial killer is copying a computer game where 20 murders happen. The games’ designers, a social outcast group whose company is called Monkeewrench, have their own i More...
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Aug 05, 2008
Scott
rated it:
Hey, I'm in the middle of it, so how the heck should I know, but so far, it's a page turner. I bought it at a salvation army store closing sale because it was like 50 cents. It's a murder mystery.
Addendum:
Alright. I finished it. It continued to be a page turner, til the end, even though I had pretty well guessed (but you don't know) who the murderer was. It may have actually dropped a half a star to 3.5 in rating in the last 20 pages because, with half a dozen people alre More...
Addendum:
Alright. I finished it. It continued to be a page turner, til the end, even though I had pretty well guessed (but you don't know) who the murderer was. It may have actually dropped a half a star to 3.5 in rating in the last 20 pages because, with half a dozen people alre More...
Jun 05, 2007
Krystal
rated it:
I have to say I was suprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I bought with the idea that it would be one of my filler books, you know, a book to fill the time until I get one I really want. As it ended up, this book was one that was started and finished within a 24 hour period. I stayed up all night to finish it, and was amazed that a writing team (mother and daughter) could write such a cohesive, well thought out story. Normally these thriller fillers don't even rate a mention, but this on
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Jul 24, 2011
Susan
rated it:
First book of the series by the same name, set in modern-day Minneapolis MN and Calumet Wisconsin. Grace McBride and 4 dear friends formed the Monkeewrench software game company. Their latest game, Serial Killer Detective, has been beta testing online for a week when a copycat serial killer in Minneapolis begins murdering real people following the game murder scenarios exactly. MPD Homicide detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth investigate the murders as well as the Monkeewrench team. Meanwhil
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Jun 09, 2010
Jlaurenmc
rated it:
An online serial killer game incites a cluster of murders in the Minneapolis area. In rural Wisconsin, two people are brutally killed inside a Catholic church. Is there a connection? In mother-daughter team P.J. Tracy's first novel, Monkeewrench, big-city police, rural sheriff's deputies, and FBI agents find themselves entangled in a mess of such great proportions that none of them are prepared for the answers.
It begins with the software company Monkeewrench. Long known for their edu More...
It begins with the software company Monkeewrench. Long known for their edu More...
Apr 06, 2010
Oddmonster
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 29, 2009
Dorie
rated it:
P.J. and Traci Lambrecht are the mother/daughter writing team behind this fantastic debut novel.
A group of five friends with a mysterious past have banded together to create the company ‘Monkeewrench’, a successful software company in Minneapolis. Instead of their usual educational software, they’ve developed ‘Serial Killer Detective’, a game about a series of 20 unique murders. The horrors of their past come back to haunt the five technogeeks when a killer strikes out to recreate the mur More...
A group of five friends with a mysterious past have banded together to create the company ‘Monkeewrench’, a successful software company in Minneapolis. Instead of their usual educational software, they’ve developed ‘Serial Killer Detective’, a game about a series of 20 unique murders. The horrors of their past come back to haunt the five technogeeks when a killer strikes out to recreate the mur More...
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Nov 11, 2011
Laura
rated it:
After a rather slow start, this became a truly well-done mystery novel. Featuring a disparate cast of characters and a series of gruesome murders, Monkeewrench will keep you on your toes until the very end.
I have to say, I had a little bit of trouble with this at first. Reading it was like looking at a completed jigsaw puzzle of, say, kittens playing with yarns balls. All of a sudden I'd run into a section which jarred me, like running into a section of the puzzle featuring robots b More...
I have to say, I had a little bit of trouble with this at first. Reading it was like looking at a completed jigsaw puzzle of, say, kittens playing with yarns balls. All of a sudden I'd run into a section which jarred me, like running into a section of the puzzle featuring robots b More...
Nov 15, 2010
Kandice
rated it:
I absolutely loved everything about this book and can't wait to read the others in the series! While the concept of a serial killer mirroring a game isn't new, the characters on the game development side of the story were very new. A mysterious group of five developers with a non-existent past create a game which suddenly comes to life. As the police race to try and stop the killer, we gradually learn the background of the characters and why they're pasts are so mysterious. Add in another un
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May 18, 2010
Emily
rated it:
Great first novel. I was really impressed that two authors together could make such a seamless story, and what a ride it is. It's got human characters, it doesn't get too mired in techno-speak, and it's got a thrilling, cold, crazy plotline.
A set of real murders are following those envisioned in a computer game of hunting a serial killer, and we're introduced to the software company Monkeewrench employees as both potential suspects and sources of information. The hook could easily be More...
A set of real murders are following those envisioned in a computer game of hunting a serial killer, and we're introduced to the software company Monkeewrench employees as both potential suspects and sources of information. The hook could easily be More...
Feb 02, 2012
Karen
rated it:
What a delightful surprise! This police procedural mystery is realistically set in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Anyone with any familiarity with that part of the country will immediately recognize the speech patterns and some stereotypical characters. Yet the plot is anything but stereotypical. Someone is murdering people, following the plot of a new video game that is in the pre-release stage. The creators of the game are an especially unusual group of geeks, who have past secrets of their own
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Jun 06, 2008
Cathleen
rated it: 
Not nearly as funny or as clever as I'd been told, and much more crude than I expected from a mother/daughter writing team (my preconception, I know, but still). The beginning chapters were mired in too much, and I almost gave it up. The action did improve, but ultimately this just wasn't really my taste, and the dual romance subplots were too similar. Other authors do this better.
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May 13, 2011
Chris A.
rated it:
I am not a huge reader of stock and trade murder mysteries, so I don't know a lot of the conventions that are typical of this genre. I enjoyed the story, liked most of the characters, though I got a little tired of the stereotype "lonely good cop with fat loveable partner" of which there are two in this story. Also, there is no single star protagonist, which bothers me. I want a focus, and this just won't let me decide who I'm rooting for.
Next bit I had trouble with was th More...
Next bit I had trouble with was th More...
Apr 14, 2009
Trilby
rated it:
An entertaining mystery/thriller set in Minnesota and Wisconsin, this novel is fun to read. Tracy (actually two people) does a wonderful job of individualizing the dozen or so major characters, making them lively and colorful. Of course, I must admit that the Minneapolis setting kept my attention, as much of the action takes place within a three-mile radius of my house. One thing I don't understand, however, is why one of the main characters would set up company headquarters in the Minneapolis w
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Jul 10, 2010
Karen
rated it:
Want to Play? is a mystery thriller written by mother/daughter team who use the pseudonym P J Tracy.
A group of five friends who compile gaming software soon discover that someone is using their latest game – Serial Killer Detective – as a basis for murder. When they report the discovery to the police, they quickly find themselves on the top of the suspect list.
I picked this book up as I flew out of the house to catch a train. I wanted something to read on the long trip More...
A group of five friends who compile gaming software soon discover that someone is using their latest game – Serial Killer Detective – as a basis for murder. When they report the discovery to the police, they quickly find themselves on the top of the suspect list.
I picked this book up as I flew out of the house to catch a train. I wanted something to read on the long trip More...
May 31, 2010
Jess
rated it:
I don't remember who recommended this one to me, but whoever it was thanks! This book was a suspenseful thriller, that had the reader following a crazy killer who decided to copy the murders featured in a new video game. The creators of the video game (the company is called Monkeewrench) warn police that they know which murder is coming next, but can the police stop the copycat before it's too late?
The best part of this book for me was the members of the Monkeewrench team. They are a More...
The best part of this book for me was the members of the Monkeewrench team. They are a More...
Jul 16, 2011
Anna
rated it:
Absolutly Fab read! it was clever, funny and ironic all in one. I srtuggled to put this book down and if it hadn't been for family and work commitments I swear I would have read it in one sitting, even if it meant not sleeping.
This author has a real talent and shone through in this her very first book. The characters where easy to to depict and easy to get along with and the plot just kept developing with out a fault. I spent from page one of this book right until the end second guessing More...
This author has a real talent and shone through in this her very first book. The characters where easy to to depict and easy to get along with and the plot just kept developing with out a fault. I spent from page one of this book right until the end second guessing More...
Nov 09, 2010
Robert
rated it:
I call this one a twystery. How's that for a new word, a mystery within a mystery, or a twystery. It appears someone is whacking people based on a computer game created by a group of folks at a small company called Monkeewrench. But hold the press folks and tell me just who are these Monkeewrench folks. Not who you would think thats for sure. Even the author blew me away. When I looked at the back of the dust jacket and found that the author P.J. Tracy is a pseudonym for a mother and daughter wr
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Nov 27, 2008
John
rated it:
The opener into the Monkeewrench series by a talented mother / daughter duo. Technically centered, but not overwhelmingly so. Anybody who knows their way around a keyboard won't get lost. It's entertaining and plausible.
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Nov 27, 2010
Gail
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What a riveting thriller! It starts with a strange ritualistic murder in a church in small town Wisconsin. Then we move to Minneapolis where Grace McBride is the owner of a company, Monkeewrench, that makes computer games. Her partners, each eccentric in their own way, are creating a computer game called Serial Killer Detective. A series of murders soon disrupt the carefully constructed and protected lives of the Monkeewrench partners as the murderer is duplicating the murders in the game.
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Jul 29, 2008
Jane
rated it:
Monkeewrench is Tracy's debut, and after I read it, I had to blaze through the other three books. Great story, wisecracking characters, perfect pacing. What more could you ask for in a thriller?
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Oct 17, 2010
Karen
rated it:
A great begining of a series. The writing is funny - the cops are like an old married couple. The solidarity of the Monkeewrench group is enviable. The murders are pretty gruesome - the Monkeewrench group has a computer game with serial killer committing nasty murders and the player has to catch him. And someone is mimicking the game and killing real people. The Monkeewrench group officially doesn't exist beyond the past years and that also focuses the police on them. Half of it is finding
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