Monkeewrench by P. J. Tracy (2003, Hardcover)

"Monkeewrench" is a mystery/thriller by the mother-daughter writing team, P.J. Tracy. Set in both Wisconsin and the Twin Cities, the story revolves around a reclusive group of computer-game creators, and the serial killer from their past, who is replicating the murders which they wrote for their demonstration game. A similar crime in the Dairy State brings together police from a rural sheriff's department with the investigators in Minnesota, in a race against time to stop the next killing in the computer game sequence. Complicating matters is the reluctance of the computer game staff, collectively calling themselves "Monkeewrench," to reveal the past secret which haunts them all.

Solid writing combined with a surprise conclusion makes "Monkeewrench" good reading for those who love mysteries, thrillers, or that hotbed of crime which has sprung up in the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin.

The P.J. Tracy writing team has already authored two sequels, "Live Bait" and "Dead Run," which provide similar thrills, without becoming formulaic. A fourth volume, "Snow Blind," has just come out in hardcover.

I purchased this book for my daughter, who has adopted my love of mysteries and thrillers. As I live in western Wisconsin, and my daughter in St. Paul, we very much enjoyed the familar locales. One minor quibble exists over the description of the Wisconsin law enforcement folks having to travel over six hours along Highway 29 and Interstate 94 to get to Minneapolis. As a regular attendee at Green Bay Packer football games and Minnesota Wild hockey games, I know it's a lot shorter trip, unless you're traveling from out in Lake Michigan. Other than that artistic license, I found the book entertaining and suspenseful, and would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre, or those looking for a good summer escape read. And my daughter would, too.