P. J. Tracy is a mother-daughter writing team, that gives the reader a perspective covering two generations. Although the mystery series focuses on the computer geniuses that make up the Monkeewrench gang, it also lets us in on the lives of two Minneapolis homicide cops.
The four members of the gang include Harley, a giant biker at six feet seven inches, Roadrunner, a bicyclist always clothed in Lycra, Annie, a sexy and flamboyant dresser, and Grace, a silent, sober and paranoid loner. Combined, they are a family of well-to-do computer hackers and programmers. Separately, they are solitary computer geeks, who have no real family outside of Monkeewrench.
Two of Minneapolis’s finest use Monkeewrench’s computer expertise in locating murderers, who have killed in various cities across America. The two policemen are Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth. Leo is divorced and in love with Grace, but is not very hopeful that she will ever come out of her shell. Gino is fat and happily married with a family that Leo envies. Their interplay is handled with just the right amount of banter, and their loyalty is what you would expect from partners in blue.
Along comes the FBI, who asks for their assistance in finding a common thread among the killers, whose only link is that they film and then broadcast their killings on the Internet. An older FBI agent named John Smith becomes the information liaison between Monkeewrench and the FBI. Grace is attracted to him, and the gang inadvertently adopts him, recognizing him as another loner.
I guessed who was behind the killings early on, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the chase and getting to know more about the characters involved. I thought John Smith was a very likeable character and hope that he is featured in future books.
The overall story makes you wonder about the power and influence of the Internet, but then I am sure previous generations felt the same way about television. Besides, technology also works in favor of the police, who will soon be able to use hand-held iris scanners to instantly identify anyone with a criminal record.
Whether you are a computer geek, a fan of Minnesota settings or a mystery lover fond of police procedurals, I think you will enjoy the fifth book in the series. Monkeewrench, the first book, came out in 2003 and was the winner of the Anthony Award in 2004. Fans had to wait a couple of years for this newest release, but it was an enjoyable page-turner and worth the wait.