P. J. Tracy

After a mild winter in Minnesota, April comes in with snow - lots and lots of snow. That is great for the police department festival which includes ski races and kids building snowmen. However, it also gives someone an opportunity to kill and encase their victims in snowmen.

Two of the snowmen contain the bodies of two police officers which gets Magozzi and Gino looking for reasons they were killed and the murderer. When another man embedded in a snowman is found in a Northern Minnesota show more county, Magozzi and Gino drive through a snowstorm looking for connections. What they find is a new, rookie Sheriff who is on her first day and feeling very much over her head. They also find a settlement called Bitterroot which houses almost 400 women who were victims of domestic abuse.

Meanwhile, the Monkeewrench gang, who did some security for Bitterroot but didn't know its purpose, have run across a mention of Minnesota snowmen in a secure chat room posted before the murdered cops were found. Even though they are computer geniuses, they are having a very hard time getting through the site's firewalls to find out who posted the messages.

This case cuts very close to home for Gino who has a daughter in her midteens. He can easily understand why a person would murder an abuser. But self-defense seems to be sliding into vigilantism. The only problem is that they can't prove what they believe.

This was an excellent thriller about a very timely topic and with a way of concealing murder victims that is quite haunting and very creepy. My only complaint about this story was that I wanted to see the Monkeewrench crew have a bigger role and more time on the page. show less

Gregory Norwood, a wealthy Minnesota businessman, has been found dead in his home. His body has been found on the one year anniversary of his son’s drug overdose and appears to be a suicide. Detectives Gino and Magozzi are on the case, which from first glance appears to be an open close standard suicide. That is until they realize that Norwood was left-handed and the gun is resting in his right hand.

When another body is found with a connection to Norwood, the detectives believe they have show more a murderer on the run. But what would cause someone to want to kill Norwood? The investigation begins to reveal that the Norwood family may have been hiding some interesting secrets under the rug. It appears that this is not the first murder to occur in their family history. What happened to make someone decide to kill Gregory Norwood? Can Gino and Magozzi find the killer before they strike again?

I had such a great reading experience with NOTHING STAYS BURIED last year, that I knew I wanted to request THE GUILTY DEAD. Tracy did not let me down! The book opens with a murder that has been staged as a suicide and each storyline that begins unspooling from here has a connection in some way to the murder victim, Gregory Norwood. The Norwood family has been through the ringer, with a murder holding a family connection in the past, the loss of Trey, the son, last year, and now the death of the father. It seems that each of these deaths has something in common and now along with Detectives Gino and Magozzi, the reader is left to piece together the connections. The chapters are brief and typically contain a cliff hanger of sorts that drives the reader to continue reading, however, the next chapter you read is likely coming from another angle of the book. Before you know it you’ve devoured 100 pages in one sitting. The writing is so fluid that you are easily swept up into the crimes and their outcomes. THE GUILTY DEAD is an addictive, fast-paced crime fiction read that will leave you wanting more from your new or old favorite characters!

A special thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing me a free review copy! show less

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 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 show more 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! show less

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan has some issues she needs to resolve. She has been struggling for a while. Her brother passed away overseas and she also shot someone in the line of duty. So, she has some unresolved issues that need to be addressed. But, when a prominent lawyer is discovered floating in water, it is presumed accidental. But, Margaret has a sense, a sixth sense or whatever, this is not what it looks like.

I enjoyed Margaret. She is smart and tough, even though she is damaged. I show more like flawed characters. They add so much to the story when they feel human to the reader. Then there is Sam Easton…another flawed character. These two pair up to discover what is actually happening in the desert…religious cult…or…well, read the book to find out!

This story is a bit slow in places and did not pull me in. I had big expectations though and that sometimes throws off the real aspects. It is a bit disjointed in places. But, a cult drama is always intriguing to me.

Need a novel set in the desert to warm you up this winter…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. show less