Shoot to Thrill

I have read all of the books in the Monkeewrench series and this one is about as good as the original. The past few novels seemed to sideline the efforts of Grace and her crew, but once again they are center stage in "Shoot to Thrill." For any newbies out there that aren't familiar with Monkeewrench, they are a group of computer whizzes who work closely with the Minneapolis P.D. to solve cyber crime. And they've got their hands full on this case. When I thought the storyline would basically follow a single plot that involved unsolved and evolving murders, the authors laid another one right on top of it. And I didn't even see it coming. For anyone who has been following the series, you'll have to wait until the very last page for one of the most ambiguous endings I've come across in a long time. Believe me, this could go one of two ways. If you like quirky characters, snappy dialogue, and a taste of what Orwell warned about in "1984," you should love "Shoot to Thrill."

I have never read a P.J Tracy novel. I picked this book because of the name "monkeywrench gang." That sounded like something I would like to read, however the title didn't do anything for me. When it came in I saw that this was the 5th in a series. This is where the blindman/elephant reference comes in. I had to make a judgement on something I had never seen or read. I was lost because I didn't know the back ground of the characters. There were references to stalkers,ex-wives,afraid to leave the house, FBI alomost getting some killed, and so on. I have no clue if this novel fits in with the others in the series, or how it compares to the others. So do you have to read the other novels to enjoy this? Hell no! Once you get over the idea of not knowing the characters' history, you are treated to a great novel. The story takes place in Minneapolis. I couldn't help but think of Lucas Davenport when I saw this and the two compare very favorabily. You have cyber serial killers who post who they are going to kill before they do it and the killers then film it and post it on YouTube. The idea is current, sick, and is scary. The book starts with a murder and never slows down. I was at first disappointed that the Monkeywrench gang is just part of a very large group of characters. It is here that the two authors really excel. There are the four Monkeywrench gang, one FBI agent,a woman FBI porfiler, two main dectectives, one minor detective, two sherrifs, two living victims, one drunken judge, and one dog that the authors manage to weave in and out of the plot. I found myself liking all of them and all of them have their part to play. This is very impressive. The plot was weaving in and out with clues and red herrings glore. I was never bored and I wasn't sure what was going on. Like the detectives, I relaxed when they "solved" a murder only like the cops to be jerked in a new direction. The ending of the book, not the mystery, was strangely tender and unexpected in a way. I am not sure how that fits with the history of characters, but I liked it. So this book for me was great. For my first taste of P.J. Tracy, I am impressed with the writing,plot, and the characters.

This review is from the advanced reading copy of the new book, Shoot To Thrill, by the mother-daughter team know as P.J. Tracy. This is the 5th installment in the Monkeewrench series, and it has been almost 4 years since the last book in this series. And it was worth the wait. The story revolves around the FBI discovering that someone is posting LIVE MURDERS on the internet. Agent John Smith, almost ready for mandatory retirement at the age of 57, and a man who has given his entire adult life to the bureau, is appointed as the liason between the FBI agents and cops in Minnesota, and the web hackers that have been called to duty, no questions asked. When John meets up with the Monkeewrench gang, a bunch perceived as misfits, it takes him to places he has never been, and tempts him to cross lines he has never crossed. The elite group of computer experts are the first line of defense for the FBI and the city cops to try to stop these terrible murders once and for all. The underlying message in the book is terrifying; that with the popularity and ease of use of the internet and social networking sites, people are intent on taking risks that were previously unheard of, in order to garner their 15 minutes of fame. A lot of the places mentioned in the book reminded me a bit of the John Sandford novels, based in Minnesota, and as in his books, the law enforcement regular characters were humorous, smart and totally realistic. If you have never read any of the books in this series, you will still be able to enjoy this book, as there are several references that help you understand the back story on the continuing characters and yet it is not repetitious. But, you will want to see what you have been missing and get the first four anyway! I really like this series and feel that the writing is original, action packed and well worth the time it takes to read it. And it is so realistic, it is positively scary! I truly didn't want the story to end, as it felt like some good friends were leaving......and I sure hope they come back to visit sooner next time!

I've read all the previous books in this series, and I remembered that I had enjoyed them, although not much else. Within a few minutes of picking up this book, though, it all came back to me. The writing is good -- tight and clever without being over-the-top. But mostly, it's the characters -- the four cyber-geniuses of Monkeewrench, the Minneapolis-based software company that seems to have become problem-solver-in-chief for the nation's bureaucratized law enforcement; their friends and co-workers in the Minneapolis Police Department; and just about anybody else who wanders into the pages of the book: they are compelling and likeable people. Even victims who get only a few paragraphs are transformed into people you care about. It's a gift. The computer aspects of the book are handled beautifully. In contrast to other stories that include hackers, the technology is not so overblown that it was clearly modelled after a Heinlein novel rather than anything remotely achievable any time soon. On the other hand, it is also not so oversimplified that you're wondering why you didn't just do this from your laptop at home, let alone why all these Important Law Officers are impressed by it. It is darned hard to talk about the technical stuff without getting carried away by it and some fine series have lost audience because of that, but this team balances it all very nicely. A lot of books published lately have been ending lately with somebody dying, and it makes me cry. But sometimes I'll cry when a book ends just because the book ended, and I'm sorry to see it end. I cried at the end of this book. Oh, and the portrayal of the upper Midwest... delightfully accurate.

Shoot to Thrill is the fifth book in a series featuring the very successful software company Monkeewrench, its eccentric owners, and the Minneapolis police department. I have been a fan of the series since the beginning, and this latest installment shows the writing team P.J. Tracy at their best! The foundation of Shoot to Thrill is the dark side of what people can do with the Internet and social networking sites. Almost everyone is aware that pornography, violence, and scams are rampant on the Internet, but evil is taken up a step when people begin filming murders and anonymously posting them online. Once the FBI and Minneapolis Police Department realize that this may be a chain of murders committed by a serial killer or a connected group, they reach out to a group of computer hackers who have the skills and ability to explore some avenues forbidden by law to the enforcement agencies. This brings Monkeewrench into the story, which is tasked with creating an algorithm to identify real versus fake murder videos. Monkeewrench, of course, has capabilities beyond this, and is soon technically deep into the investigation. The owners of Monkeewrench have worked with the Minneapolis police department before, including Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, who are assigned to this case. An FBI is sent from Washington, and due to the sensitive nature of the information involved, works out of the Monkeewrench offices, leading to believable scenarios where all the characters interact. The personal lives of the characters run in parallel to the investigation, adding layers to the overall story. Leo Magozzi is having a romantic yet distant relationship with Grace, one of the owners of Monkeewrench. Grace is beginning to feel restricted by the necessity to keep everyone at arm's length for her, and their protection. The FBI agent is having a mid-life crisis, and a dishonored judge is creating trouble on the fringes of the investigation. Along with these more dramatic situations, details of everyday life--Rolseth's happy marriage, Internet dating by another police officer, a change in attire by one of the Monkeewrench owners create a contrast between evil and ordinary. Shoot to Thrill grabs and holds the reader's attention with a chilling mystery, fast action, and a wealth of characters and situations that personalize the story and make it easy to believe this could happen anywhere. I highly recommend this book to fans of mystery, police, or thrillers, as well as fans of P.J. Tracy.