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Publisher Unknown, Kindle Edition, 319 pages
Description
With the help of local law enforcement and the FBI, the Monkeewrench crew tracks a serial killer using savvy computer technology.
User reviews
LibraryThing member ijustgetbored
Shoot to Thrill does indeed have its share of thrills, and, like all Monkeewrench novels, it finds a unique way to link murder and technology in a suspenseful way. The idea of the videotaped murders and a hit list drives the novel along quickly; indeed, this is a quick read. My only complaint is
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that the Monkeewrench crew itself seems to be-- as characters-- rather underdeveloped in this novel; they just don't seem to get much personal treatment. You get the feeling that the authors are *trying* to bring something out with Grace, but it just falls flat. The murder and mayhem and suspense are all there, but it's lacking on the level of character. There's also one plot element that appears partway through that-- and I can't say what my complaint is specifically without getting into spoilers-- seems to drop out of the sky; it's a bit of a random interlude. Overall, high marks on the plot, lower score on character development. It's a good entry in the Monkeewrench series. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarciRae
A body is discovered floating in the Mississippi river and the cause of death is ruled a suicide. Minneapolis cops Gino and Magozzi think it is an open and shut case. Until the FBI shows up.
FBI agent John Smith invites the assistance of several known criminal hackers in solving a new string of
In P.J. Tracy’s Shoot To Thrill criminals are able to gain notoriety through posting videos of their crimes on the internet. As technology advances, the criminals evolve and adapt and are able to connect in a way that was impossible before the internet. This novel is definitely a page turner that is difficult to put down after you have read about a hundred pages. The writing is witty and rich with Midwestern idioms. The characters are intriguing and the naming of the FBI agent John Smith further exemplifies the humor of the mother-daughter writing duo. I will definitely be picking up another P.J. Tracy novel in the future!
FBI agent John Smith invites the assistance of several known criminal hackers in solving a new string of
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cyber crimes-snuff films posted online. The Monkeewrench crew agrees to help and finds the link between the FBI case and the case the Minneapolis homicide detectives have already deemed closed. Can they crack the code and catch the killer or will the vast world wide web continue to provide a mask for the criminal while simultaneously perpetuating a new breed of crime?In P.J. Tracy’s Shoot To Thrill criminals are able to gain notoriety through posting videos of their crimes on the internet. As technology advances, the criminals evolve and adapt and are able to connect in a way that was impossible before the internet. This novel is definitely a page turner that is difficult to put down after you have read about a hundred pages. The writing is witty and rich with Midwestern idioms. The characters are intriguing and the naming of the FBI agent John Smith further exemplifies the humor of the mother-daughter writing duo. I will definitely be picking up another P.J. Tracy novel in the future!
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LibraryThing member EvilynJ
An FBI cyber crimes agent asks the Monkeewrench crew for help after several horrifying murders from all over the country are posted on the Internet. As they work to create software that can distinguish a "real" murder from a staged film, the crew is visited by homicide detectives Magozzi and
Fifth in the Monkeewrench series. As always interesting computer technology and quirky humor. The wacky bunch of characters continues to grow. Highly recommend the series.
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Rolseth when the latest victim is found floating in the Mississippi River. Fifth in the Monkeewrench series. As always interesting computer technology and quirky humor. The wacky bunch of characters continues to grow. Highly recommend the series.
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LibraryThing member whirligigwitch
Did not finish. Disappointing - incoherent, badly edited and hard to read. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood? Very hard to get into, characters seemed stiff and stilted.
LibraryThing member bookappeal
The Monkeewrench crew team up with FBI agent John Smith and Detectives Magozzi and Rolseth when serial killing takes to the internet with video footage of real murders posted on public sites. Expert hackers Harley and Roadrunner work feverishly to prevent further killings and Smith finds himself in
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a strange situation, not only accepting help from people he previously considered criminals, but liking them as well. Magozzi still tries to advance his cautious relationship with Grace who is receptive but also seems drawn to Agent Smith. Hilariously anachronistic Rolseth has plenty to say about the ethical dangers of the internet. This series continues to combine distinctive characters with a plot that showcases the authors' creative speculation on the future of technology. Show Less
LibraryThing member seizethebook
If there was a rating system for book content, this one most likely would be rated R. I would not recommend it to just anyone, but if you like a good mystery/suspense/romance novel and don't mind a little of the "bad" stuff, you would probably enjoy this book.
It is the story of a group of computer
I have read all five of P.J. Tracy's books, which include Monkeewrench, Live Bait, Dead Run, Snow Blind, and Shoot to Thrill. I have been impressed with the writing style of this mother/daughter team. The writing is seamless, and the books are dripping with sarcasm on every page. Here is just one example of the humorous exchanges between characters that make these stories so fun to read:
"It's too hot to fight crime. You know what I've been thinking? About shifting from Homicide over to Water Rescue, just for the summer."
Magozzi glanced over at his partner's generous paunch.
"What?"
"I just had a really scary visual flash of you in a wet suit."
Gino gave his protruding belly a fond pat. "Some women find this profile irresistible."
"What women?"
"Some women. Somewhere."
Funny.
If you have a hard time wading through the language and innuendos to get at the story, then this book is not for you. However, if you can read around all that to enjoy the great suspenseful plot, then by all means, get a copy of this book and read it. I liked it. I think you will, too.
It is the story of a group of computer
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geeks (Monkeewrench) and law enforcement officers who join forces to solve a particular crime that is sweeping the country. There are people who are videotaping murders and posting them on the Internet. The police, FBI, and computer hackers use their skills to track these murderers down and at the same time try to solve a case involving mysterious boxes that are left in several public places in Minneapolis. What is in these boxes? Who would murder someone, then put the video out for the whole world to see? Who is it that they are killing and why?I have read all five of P.J. Tracy's books, which include Monkeewrench, Live Bait, Dead Run, Snow Blind, and Shoot to Thrill. I have been impressed with the writing style of this mother/daughter team. The writing is seamless, and the books are dripping with sarcasm on every page. Here is just one example of the humorous exchanges between characters that make these stories so fun to read:
"It's too hot to fight crime. You know what I've been thinking? About shifting from Homicide over to Water Rescue, just for the summer."
Magozzi glanced over at his partner's generous paunch.
"What?"
"I just had a really scary visual flash of you in a wet suit."
Gino gave his protruding belly a fond pat. "Some women find this profile irresistible."
"What women?"
"Some women. Somewhere."
Funny.
If you have a hard time wading through the language and innuendos to get at the story, then this book is not for you. However, if you can read around all that to enjoy the great suspenseful plot, then by all means, get a copy of this book and read it. I liked it. I think you will, too.
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LibraryThing member SandyLee
Another in the great Monkeewrench Series. This time murders are being telecast over the Internet throughout the U.S. The FBI enlists the aid of hackers in order to track down who is doing the killing. They also are looking for a software program that can distinguish between staged deaths and the
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real thing. Enter Grace and her band of computer geeks. Meanwhile the hilarious team of Margozzi and Rolseth have their hands full with a bride found floating in the river. They soon discover the bride is a he and his death ends up on the Internet, too. Toss in a drunken judge and an FBI agent being put out to pasture by the Bureau and you have another great read from P.J. Tracy. My only confusion --- SPOILER ALERT --- is in the ending. I must have missed something because Grace tells Leo she has something to tell him but the reader never finds out what that is. Then after spending the night with Grace, Leo is thinking about always “wanting things to change and out of the blue it does.” Next scene Grace is sailing off into the sunset with another guy. Knowing Grace is a computer whiz, I figure she was talking in binary codes. Either way, I’m a pretty simple-language person so my book did not come with a secret decoder ring. If anyone knows what the reader is to think about this ending, please share. Show Less
LibraryThing member delphimo
Many years ago, I read the first book of this series, Monkeewrench, about a group of computer nerds who help the police with crimes. The action in the first novel was non stop, but this novel dwells mostly in cyberspace. I am computer literate, but the use of so many computer terms and language
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does not enhance the story line. The presentation of characters and setting is flimsy. The book is okay for a beach read, but for involved reading this is adolescent. Show Less
LibraryThing member TerryWeyna
The Monkeewrench gang is still at it, thank goodness. Shoot to Thrill is another fine entry in this series written by a mother and daughter under the joint penname of P.J. Tracy.
Those familiar with the series, which began with Monkeewrench and proceeded through Live Bait, Dead Run and Snow Blind,
Fans of television crime shows will not be shocked at the premise of this thriller (which, by the way, has absolutely nothing to do with the title so far as I can tell – one of my pet peeves about this genre). Murderers are posting films of their crimes on YouTube. Worse, they are sending out posts in advance of their crimes that basically state where they will take place in a sort of code intended to clue in other afficianados of snuff films. Monkeewrench’s first task is to give the FBI a way to differentiate films of actual murders from those of staged playacting, but its role soon grows to decoding messages and otherwise playing an integral role in solving the crime.
The biggest difference between this novel and the three other Monkeewrench thrillers I’ve read (I’ve yet to get to Snow Blind) is that this time none of the Monkeewrench gang is in any direct peril. That is a sensible move on Tracy’s part – it wouldn’t be realistic to have this group of relatively nice folks under constant attack – but it does tend to ratchet down the suspense, even as the reader is waiting to see whether a particular murder has been forestalled.
As is my practice when reviewing thrillers, I’m not going to tell you anything else about the book, because that would ruin it for you. I advise you to not even read the jacket copy. Just know that Tracy still rises above the mass of thriller writers to give her readers something unique and fun to read. Throw this in your suitcase for your summer beach vacation.
Those familiar with the series, which began with Monkeewrench and proceeded through Live Bait, Dead Run and Snow Blind,
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will be happy to learn that there’s a new one, the first since 2006. Because the first three thrillers about this group of computer hackers came out at roughly yearly intervals, I was afraid that Tracy had taken the series as far as she intended. Fortunately, though, Grace McBride, Harley Davidson, Roadrunner and Annie Belinsky are still at it, with all the usual hangers-on and sidekicks who are becoming more three-dimensional with each new book. A new and interesting character, FBI agent John Smith, joins the team this time around, as the man who has brought them a problem that only their computer skills are likely to solve.Fans of television crime shows will not be shocked at the premise of this thriller (which, by the way, has absolutely nothing to do with the title so far as I can tell – one of my pet peeves about this genre). Murderers are posting films of their crimes on YouTube. Worse, they are sending out posts in advance of their crimes that basically state where they will take place in a sort of code intended to clue in other afficianados of snuff films. Monkeewrench’s first task is to give the FBI a way to differentiate films of actual murders from those of staged playacting, but its role soon grows to decoding messages and otherwise playing an integral role in solving the crime.
The biggest difference between this novel and the three other Monkeewrench thrillers I’ve read (I’ve yet to get to Snow Blind) is that this time none of the Monkeewrench gang is in any direct peril. That is a sensible move on Tracy’s part – it wouldn’t be realistic to have this group of relatively nice folks under constant attack – but it does tend to ratchet down the suspense, even as the reader is waiting to see whether a particular murder has been forestalled.
As is my practice when reviewing thrillers, I’m not going to tell you anything else about the book, because that would ruin it for you. I advise you to not even read the jacket copy. Just know that Tracy still rises above the mass of thriller writers to give her readers something unique and fun to read. Throw this in your suitcase for your summer beach vacation.
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LibraryThing member kayceel
It's been a while since a new Monkeewrench book came out, and I'm thrilled it did!
This was a fun, creepy and exciting read - the twist wasn't as mind-blowing as the first novel, and it wasn't wrapped up as clearly as I'd have liked, but for a fast-paced murder mystery, this one hits the
Recommended.
This was a fun, creepy and exciting read - the twist wasn't as mind-blowing as the first novel, and it wasn't wrapped up as clearly as I'd have liked, but for a fast-paced murder mystery, this one hits the
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spot!Recommended.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Not exactly high octance but suspensful enough, with an almost clever idea. Many authors don't seem to actually live in the same world they're writing about though, and sadly don't really understand the technology they describe or the people who use it routinely, this is once again, a case in
The Monkeywrench team again play little more than a backdrop in this, technical support to the cops Leo and Gino, who are the real heros, even though they'd prefer not to be. A spate of killings seem to indicate that a serial killer is on the loose. However a couple of quick arrests prove that there are also many copyct's about and seperating the real from the vain proves quite difficult. Interspersed with this we also get some random 'character building' scenes. A new FBI agent turns up to help mokeywrench 'share' data. He doesn't talk much, is passionate about his work, and likes to cook well. ie he fits right in with Grace's world. Meanwhile Leo goes to a bar with an attractive profiler, who nearly collapses drunk at his feet. The already disjointed nature of the plot, takes a further battering from these somewhat random asides.
As a plot idea it dos just about work, and although it is fairly obvious who is involved, the precise context works fairly well. Again though, there are matters of plausability. Such a character would never, ever, in a million years of trying, be able to block monkeywrench from tracing them. Even following someone else's guidleines, as per the conversation Gion has with his daughter. Likewise from where do kids, even rich kids, get several meters of lead sheeting? It is details like this that make or break a mystery book, or at least elivate it above averagely good. And while I mistly like the characters and approve of the interactions, such defficiencies get in the way. What perhaps is worse, is the authors' compete failure to deal sympathetically with gay characters. Very seldom is it acceptible to refer to them as "his/her" all the time. The detectives at least should have been trained to pick one pronoun, and stick with it.
The technological moralising is perhaps understandable. The plot is certainly entertaining, Monkeywrench hasn't yet become a boring add-on, and this adventure is a reasonable addition to the series. It doesn't come close to the inventiveness of the first, but it isn't bad.
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point.The Monkeywrench team again play little more than a backdrop in this, technical support to the cops Leo and Gino, who are the real heros, even though they'd prefer not to be. A spate of killings seem to indicate that a serial killer is on the loose. However a couple of quick arrests prove that there are also many copyct's about and seperating the real from the vain proves quite difficult. Interspersed with this we also get some random 'character building' scenes. A new FBI agent turns up to help mokeywrench 'share' data. He doesn't talk much, is passionate about his work, and likes to cook well. ie he fits right in with Grace's world. Meanwhile Leo goes to a bar with an attractive profiler, who nearly collapses drunk at his feet. The already disjointed nature of the plot, takes a further battering from these somewhat random asides.
As a plot idea it dos just about work, and although it is fairly obvious who is involved, the precise context works fairly well. Again though, there are matters of plausability. Such a character would never, ever, in a million years of trying, be able to block monkeywrench from tracing them. Even following someone else's guidleines, as per the conversation Gion has with his daughter. Likewise from where do kids, even rich kids, get several meters of lead sheeting? It is details like this that make or break a mystery book, or at least elivate it above averagely good. And while I mistly like the characters and approve of the interactions, such defficiencies get in the way. What perhaps is worse, is the authors' compete failure to deal sympathetically with gay characters. Very seldom is it acceptible to refer to them as "his/her" all the time. The detectives at least should have been trained to pick one pronoun, and stick with it.
The technological moralising is perhaps understandable. The plot is certainly entertaining, Monkeywrench hasn't yet become a boring add-on, and this adventure is a reasonable addition to the series. It doesn't come close to the inventiveness of the first, but it isn't bad.
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LibraryThing member SonicQuack
Shoot to Thrill is the fifth MonkeeRench novel and can be read as a standalone story and although there are recurring characters in each of the books, Shoot to Thrill offers very little new content in the dynamics of the group.
The story is an enjoyable chase after an internet-savvy psychopath who
The story is an enjoyable chase after an internet-savvy psychopath who
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posts his kills on-line. The authors evidence an ability to juggle hard crime with interesting and entertaining detectives with some cracking dialogue. There's not as much content as the previous entries and the character interaction helps keep the pages turning. There is a disjointed slice of action in the final third which offers no story development and seems rather out of place, however that aside Shoot to Thrill remains an enjoyable, if rather shallow, crime story. Show Less
LibraryThing member BCCJillster
I'm a bit stumped about how I feel about this one. I've read every single Monkeewrench entry and loved them all...but this one didn't cut the same swath.
Not enough about the gang, and if you haven't read their background, you'd have not a clue as to who they are or why you should care. And the
On the up side, lots about Magozzi and a new, quite likable FBI character, Smith.
As to the crimes, and there are many, some make sense, a couple really don't and I have no idea why they were thrown in other than to make a point about the nature of me too'ism.
I only recommend this for die-hard fans who don't want to miss an entry in the series. Very peculiar, imho.
Not enough about the gang, and if you haven't read their background, you'd have not a clue as to who they are or why you should care. And the
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ending is beyond confusing--probably on purpose because they intend to answer the WTF question next time.On the up side, lots about Magozzi and a new, quite likable FBI character, Smith.
As to the crimes, and there are many, some make sense, a couple really don't and I have no idea why they were thrown in other than to make a point about the nature of me too'ism.
I only recommend this for die-hard fans who don't want to miss an entry in the series. Very peculiar, imho.
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LibraryThing member cathymoore
I read this as a stand alone, to be honest I'm not even sure where I got it from, but I have never read any of the other books in the series. After finishing this I'm in no great rush to go out and buy the rest. Don't get me wrong it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, there are just many,
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many better books and better characters out there. Show Less
LibraryThing member reannon
Life Is Good. FINALLY a new P.J. Tracy in the Monkeewrench series after far too long, and next up in my stack of books are the final two in Stieg Larsson's trilogy that started with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. My bliss would be complete if Edward Wright would come out with another John Ray
This is the fifth in the series about a firm of software engineers. The company is called Monkeewrench. All of the team are brilliant, capable, and damaged, none more so than Grace MacBride, the main character, who has been through levels of trauma that seem unsurvivable. She lives carefully, and works with the people who are essentially her family, and sometimes with Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth. Magozzi loves Grace, and she lets him get as close to her as she can let anyone.
The FBI finds that there are five videos on the internet that are of genuine murders. Agent John Smith, nearing retirement, comes to Minneapolis to hire Monkeewrench and other computer crackers to find who is posting the videos so they can catch the murderer or murderers. Magozzi and Rolseth get involved when a sixth murder happens in their jurisdiction. Someone leaks the story, and the code that identifies that a new murder video will be posted becomes the next viral Internet meme, greatly hampering the investigation.
It is a good book, though not my favorite in the series. I did really like the new character of Agent Smith. And I appreciate that the global level of communications brings new dangers along with great benefits, though I think the authors (a mother-daughter team who use the pseudonym P.J. Tracy) come close to getting preachy about it. Read the whole series, it is well worth it.
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Horn novel.This is the fifth in the series about a firm of software engineers. The company is called Monkeewrench. All of the team are brilliant, capable, and damaged, none more so than Grace MacBride, the main character, who has been through levels of trauma that seem unsurvivable. She lives carefully, and works with the people who are essentially her family, and sometimes with Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth. Magozzi loves Grace, and she lets him get as close to her as she can let anyone.
The FBI finds that there are five videos on the internet that are of genuine murders. Agent John Smith, nearing retirement, comes to Minneapolis to hire Monkeewrench and other computer crackers to find who is posting the videos so they can catch the murderer or murderers. Magozzi and Rolseth get involved when a sixth murder happens in their jurisdiction. Someone leaks the story, and the code that identifies that a new murder video will be posted becomes the next viral Internet meme, greatly hampering the investigation.
It is a good book, though not my favorite in the series. I did really like the new character of Agent Smith. And I appreciate that the global level of communications brings new dangers along with great benefits, though I think the authors (a mother-daughter team who use the pseudonym P.J. Tracy) come close to getting preachy about it. Read the whole series, it is well worth it.
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LibraryThing member seldombites
This is an extremely well-written mystery thriller. It only took me one day to read, because I was unable to put it down. The characters are real, the prose easy to read and the plot all too believable in the internet age. I particularly enjoyed the race-against-time scenes. These parts aren't
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always easy to write and often fall flat, but in this book the tension that built up was genuine and I found myself gripping the book as tightly as I could while praying that they would arrive in time. Play to Kill is definitely an example of one of the better written murder mysteries and I highly recommend it as a gateway into the genre. Show Less
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
The FBI sends liaison, John Smith, to work with the Monkeewrench crew, a group of programming geniuses who use their skills to help stop criminals. John Smith is six months from a mandatory retirement. He's lived a life as anonymous and bland as his name, connecting to no one and nothing except for
Despite having determined that all the clips originated from the same location, the FBI is unable to trace the videos back to their ultimate source due to extremely sophisticated masking techniques employed by the person or people posting them. Smith enlists Monkeewrench to help trace the origin of the clips, as well as to design a software program that will be able to run an analysis of similar videos posted online to determine if they depict real murders or are staged murders posted by copycats seeking their 15 minutes of fame. Detectives Rolseth and Magozzi, veterans of working cases with the Monkeewrench crew, find themselves drawn into the Federal investigation where they work to discover who is behind the country-wide connected killing and violence spree that seems based on an internet group’s kill list.
Shoot to Thrill is a timely thriller that addresses the junction of technology and deviant behavior and whether social media and instant internet fame drives people to more heinous acts than could previously be imagined. “The web is normalizing deviant behavior” one character suggests. I really enjoy this series and the incredibly humorous banter between Rolseth and Magozzi. I liked this one, in particular, because it seemed to have equal parts of Magozzi/Rolseth and also of the incredibly entertaining Monkeewrench crew. It can be read as a standalone novel but you'll understand the relationships better if you've read the first one in the series.
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his work. After 30 years of service, he suddenly finds himself in charge of an investigation into a series of video clips posted online which appear to depict actual murders. Despite having determined that all the clips originated from the same location, the FBI is unable to trace the videos back to their ultimate source due to extremely sophisticated masking techniques employed by the person or people posting them. Smith enlists Monkeewrench to help trace the origin of the clips, as well as to design a software program that will be able to run an analysis of similar videos posted online to determine if they depict real murders or are staged murders posted by copycats seeking their 15 minutes of fame. Detectives Rolseth and Magozzi, veterans of working cases with the Monkeewrench crew, find themselves drawn into the Federal investigation where they work to discover who is behind the country-wide connected killing and violence spree that seems based on an internet group’s kill list.
Shoot to Thrill is a timely thriller that addresses the junction of technology and deviant behavior and whether social media and instant internet fame drives people to more heinous acts than could previously be imagined. “The web is normalizing deviant behavior” one character suggests. I really enjoy this series and the incredibly humorous banter between Rolseth and Magozzi. I liked this one, in particular, because it seemed to have equal parts of Magozzi/Rolseth and also of the incredibly entertaining Monkeewrench crew. It can be read as a standalone novel but you'll understand the relationships better if you've read the first one in the series.
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LibraryThing member dorie.craig
A great addition to the Monkeewrench series. This time the crew is caught up investigating serial murders throughout the country. The difference is, the deaths are announced on the internet before they occur, and a video of the actual murder is posted to popular social websites after they are
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committed, potentially by multiple individuals. There are a few reasons I really liked this book. One is that there was a nice balance of all the recurring characters, including Magazzi and Rolseth, and all the Monkeewrench members. Also the balance between the investigation, the drama and tension, and the bits of humor also was nicely balanced. I also really liked the two new characters introduced in this book, both with the FBI -- one a male agent and the other a female profiler. I especially liked the agent John, a man at the end of his career wondering whether he has made the right choices, both personally and professionally. However, I ended the book a little confused about the future use of these characters, but I do hope they show up in future books. If you like the rest of this series, you'll definitely like this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member pgchuis
This one is fairly well balanced between the Monkeywrench crew assisting the FBI (in the form of the likeable Agent John Smith) and Leo and Gino doing their bit in the fight against murderers posting videos of their killings to the internet.
Stars deducted for the (at best ambiguous) attitude to
Stars deducted for the (at best ambiguous) attitude to
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homosexuals, the entirely unrelated bombing sub-plot, and the whole Leo/Chelsea and John/Grace episodes. I hope these last strands are misdirection so far as the series as a whole is concerned. Show Less
LibraryThing member kimkimkim
Like a rubber band, the story stretched out, pulled back, went slack and then I held my breath. Lots of tension, blood, horrible people, and an ending that stretched out again. Solid 3-1/2 stars.
LibraryThing member kmartin802
Magozzi and Rolseth's most recent case is that of a transvestite dressed as a bride found face down in the Mississippi River. At first it looks like an accident, but that changes to murder when it is learned that someone videoed the murder and posted it on YouTube.
Meanwhile, Grace and the
When it is discovered that there is a chatroom where murderers and would-be murderers can go and brag about their kills, the case and the project come together. The Monkeewrench gang and the police work together to try to find the killers before they can kill again.
A side issue has to do with the disaffected using the internet to get their fifteen minutes of fame with a case of someone leaving packages with suspicious contents all over the Twin Cities. This story talks a lot about the negative side of the Web since it gives a forum for crazies of all kinds.
I thought it was a great story and a thought-provoking one too.
Meanwhile, Grace and the
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Monkeewrench gang are trying to write some software that can distinguish between videos that fake murders and those that are real. They are working with FBI Agent John Smith who is nearing his mandatory retirement date and wondering what he is going to do with the rest of his life. When it is discovered that there is a chatroom where murderers and would-be murderers can go and brag about their kills, the case and the project come together. The Monkeewrench gang and the police work together to try to find the killers before they can kill again.
A side issue has to do with the disaffected using the internet to get their fifteen minutes of fame with a case of someone leaving packages with suspicious contents all over the Twin Cities. This story talks a lot about the negative side of the Web since it gives a forum for crazies of all kinds.
I thought it was a great story and a thought-provoking one too.
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LibraryThing member ThoughtsofJoyLibrary
The Monkeewrench crew has been recruited to assist the FBI in a case that involves videos of murders that are being posted on the Web.
It's been 4 years since the last Monkeewrench appearance, and I'm delighted to see them back. I'm not so sure how this one would read to newcomers of the series,
Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
It's been 4 years since the last Monkeewrench appearance, and I'm delighted to see them back. I'm not so sure how this one would read to newcomers of the series,
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because there didn't seem to be a lot of background information on the crew. However, the crew did what the crew does best and that's use their computer skills to help solve crimes. The interaction of quips and playful teasing between Monkeewrench, the FBI agent John Smith and the local police detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth was a highlight. And, while the story line was interesting and kept me turning the pages, there was some wordiness and a scene or two that caused an eye-roll or a "yeah right" comment, but overall it was an enjoyable read. (3.75/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
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LibraryThing member Skybalon
Turns out I accidentally read this book before reading #4. Doesn't really matter and wouldn't have changed my opinion of this one. The authors' feel free to make up the way the Internet works and more importantly how one would actually use it solve crimes.
The characters which were always pretty
I'm done with the series, and won't be going back to read #4.
The characters which were always pretty
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much stereotypes to begin with have not grown throughout the series and the final scene is borderline stupid and not really in character.I'm done with the series, and won't be going back to read #4.
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LibraryThing member susandennis
I don't remember the other Tracy books being as prosaic and hackneyed and it really bothered me for the first quarter of this book. But, then I got all involved in the plot and except for the occasional cliched reference, I forgot about it and enjoyed the ride.
LibraryThing member capewood
When something like "A Monkeewrench Novel" is written on the cover, you know right away that you're dealing with a series. Monkeewrench Software are former computer hackers who now specializes in writing security software. Their headquarters are in Minneapolis but they don't seem to know Lucas
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Davenport. In this story, they get involved in helping the FBI track down what might be a series of murders which are filmed and put on the Internet. This was a pretty good read. I don't think I'm going to track down the back catalog but I'll read the next book in the series, if there is one. Show Less
Original publication date
2010
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Pages
319