I didn’t enjoy this writing style and the story elements. It felt contrived and didn’t really keep me hooked. Felt more conversational than suspenseful.

Nothing Stays Buried
Monkeewrench, Book #8
P. J. Tracy
5 Stars

Synopsis:

When Minneapolis homicide detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are called to a crime scene in a heavily wooded city park, everything about the setting is all too familiar. And when they discover a playing card on the victim's body, their worst fears are confirmed there s a serial killer operating in the city for the first time in years.

Across town, Grace MacBride and her unconventional partners at Monkeewrench Software find themselves at both personal and career crossroads. Weary of the darker side of their computer work for law enforcement, they agree to take on a private missing-persons case in a small farming community in southwestern Minnesota.

As the violence accelerates in Minneapolis, Magozzi and Gino soon realize their killer is planning to complete the deck, and they enlist Monkeewrench to help stop the rampage. As a baffling tangle of evidence accumulates, the cops and Monkeewrench make the unlikely connections among a farmer's missing daughter, a serial killer, and a decades-old stabbing that brings them face-to-face with pure evil. (Goodreads)

Review:

I had read the first few books in this series, and then I stopped (I am not sure why). Well, I can assure you that I will be reading the ones that I have not read, because they are just so good. Nothing Stays Buried is as good as it gets.

The characters are well rounded and well developed. The Monkeewrench gang work very hard but they can relax too, and they are getting ready for the newest member, baby Grace/Leo. Leo and Gino are still hard at work trying to keep the people of Minneapolis safe. They all care about each other and they are a family of choice, which I think maybe the best kind.

The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly through their actions and words. The authors is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The two mysteries were well plotted and they were carried on well throughout the book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted mystery book. Looking forward to reading the next one.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Penguin Group, Putnam, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

The Monkeewrench Crew is back, Grace, Harley, Annie and Roadrunner. Joining them are the homicide detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth. The Monkeewrench Crew has taken on an unusual case for them. They are asked to look into the case of a woman missing from rural Minnesota. The woman's Father and the local Sheriff want closure on the case, one way or another, so the crew packs up their computers and heads out. Meanwhile in Minneapolis the detectives are working a case of multiple murders of women, killed in parks with a playing card left on their bodies. It is obvious there is a serial killer on the loose and no clues.

Monkeewrench is one of my favorite series and the author delivers another winner in this entry. The action is fast paced and the story line is great. All my favorite characters are back. This is the 8th book in the series and could be read alone, but the characters and the stories in the previous books are so good I highly recommend them.

This book was on my to-read list for a while. For some strange reason, I hadn't picked up on the Monkeywrench series before this book, so starting well into the series doesn't make a lot of sense. But despite doing this, I didn't feel I was at a serious disadvantage. That being said, I will soon pick up the other books in the series because I truly enjoyed this book.
This book is about detectives Magozzi and Rolseth chasing an apparent serial killer in Minneapolis. The killer seems to become very active all of a sudden and the reasons are anything but obvious.
A well-told story that I truly enjoyed. Can't wait to dive into the other books in this series.

I understand that this is an ARC, but the formatting errors and typos made it SO beyond difficult to read and enjoy. I read a lot of ARCs, but this was just beyond anything I’ve seen. I maybe would have enjoyed it more if I could have read it with more of a consistent flow. Overall the story seemed to have a good premise. It was very slow in the beginning but picked up a lot at the very end. I think a lot of readers may stop reading and “DNF” this book before it picks up though. I would be interested in reading more in this world as long as there aren’t as many typos and formatting errors.

I found this installment of the Monkeywrench crew to be just okay. Nothing particularly grab me or even interested me. That's a bit disappointing, but I'll keep reading the series. I enjoy the characters, and there's an addition coming soon.

This thriller brings the Monkeewrench crew to Minnesota, where a killer is murdering women and leaving playing cards on their bodies.

Homicide Detective Leo Magozzi and his girlfriend, Grace MacBride are going to have child, making him a first-time parent. She works for Monkewrench, which is assisting Magozzi’s investigation. When a farmer in Buttonwillow asks for Monkeewrench’s help in finding out what happened to his daughter, who has disappeared in the woods, they head there in their RV. The RV is called the Chariot and has computers and other equipment they use in their work. Farmer Walt has an unusual guest who lives in his field, an African lion, an animal that escaped from a wildlife rescue facility.

Magozzi and his partner, Gino Rolseth, cope with a journalist who is nosing into their investigation, and the FBI.

The characters are all interesting and quirky in their own way. The action is fast-paced and the dialog is witty. The characters have a great sense of humor and I had some laugh-out-loud moments when reading. I loved the huge spider on the wall scene. Funny stuff. There is plenty of humor sprinkled throughout the novel and the story itself holds the reader’s attention well. There are subplots as well, so the reader has plenty to ponder.

The authors are a mother-daughter team. This book is number 8 in a series featuring the Monkeewrench characters. I have not read the other books in the series, but plan to. I enjoyed this one a lot. The authors did a great job and I am interested in learning more about these characters in the other books in the series.

I have enjoyed these Monkeewrench characters since the beginning. The Minnesota settings have been a plus, the creepy cases less so, but I have powered through and read them all. I welcomed the chance to catch up with this group, their banter and foibles.

I so look forward to a PJ Tracy book. I discovered this series by accident, but I am so happy I did. I couldn't put this book down it was so good I had to read it in one sitting. If you're a true fan of the series you'll be delighted with how the story and relationship between Grace and Magozzi is progressing! I can't wait for the next book!

I have read all the Monkeywrench books in order and love them. The dialogue and the interaction between Grace and Maggozzi and Leo is great. I was sad to learn that this is the last mother/daughter book, but do hope the series continues. You will not be disappointed with any in the series. Best to read in order so you build a relationship with the characters as they are carried throughout the book.

I have several books by these authors on my shelves but I have not had the chance to read them yet. I was glad when this book became available to read as I really wanted to read one of their books. The term "Monkeewrench" just sounded so fun.

And that's what this book was. Fun to read. I really enjoyed getting to know the gang and what a rig they have! I want one of those!

The story was action packed with a serial killer on the loose and a missing daughter who happens upon a dead body in the middle of the road. The tornado scene at the end of the book had my heart beating out of my chest.

Excellent read. I can't wait to read more by these authors.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

3.5 stars. I have really enjoyed the books I have read from this series, and I had high expectations for this one. Great premise and I always love the Monkeewrench crew and their interactions with each other. I also still love Gino and Magozzi. What I didn't like so much was that everything was a bit chaotic. I realize this was probably intentional, but it was a messy kind of chaotic, not a suspenseful kind of chaotic. There were parts/characters in the story line that weren't fleshed out enough (if at all) and new characters appearing 3/4 of the way into the book. I also don't feel like I got enough of Grace and Magozzi and the normal characters; no one's story was furthered or developed past the previous novel in the series. So I still loved it because it was Monkeewrench, but it could have used another 100 pages or so to really give me what I wanted out of this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for a free digital ARC copy of this book.

Nothing Stays Buried

by P. J. Tracy; Traci Lambrecht

PENGUIN GROUP Putnam

G.P. Putnam's Sons
Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 01 Aug 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Nothing Stays Buried through Penguin Group Putnam through Netgalley:

When Minneapolis Homicide Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rosleth are called to a heavily wooded area, the setting is all to familiar, a victim's body with a playing card on the victim's body. They soon realize a serial killer is at work in the area!

Across town Grace Macbride and her unconventional partners at Monkeewrench Software find themselves at personal and career crossroads. Growing tired of the dark side of their computer law enforcement, they agree to work on a missing persons case in a small farming town in Southwestern Minnesota.

With the violence growing worse in Minneapolis Magozzi and Gino realize that he doesn't plan to stop until they complete the deck. Soon they enlist Monkeewrench to help stop the rampage. Will they be able to stop this killer before even more victims show up?

Find out in Nothing Stays Buried!

Five out of five stars

Happy Reading

First Sentence: Something horrible was going to happen to Marla.

Minneapolis police Detectives Magozzi and Rolseth are working to find has a serial killer whose trademark is a playing. In a southwestern Minnesota farming community, Grace McBride and the Monkeywrench Software gang agree to work a missing-persons case. Could the two cases be related?

There’s nothing quite like an evocative description—“There was no moon tonight, and the darkness seemed to swallow the beams of her headlights as if she were shining them down the throat of a monster.”—except an interesting cast of characters. Although this is the eighth book in the series, one needn’t have read the previous books as Tracy does a wonderful job of introducing the characters and providing their backstories. The introduction to Harley is particularly touching, and Walt Gustaufson, the father of the missing person, is very real—“Death is a part of life. Always has been, always will be.”

Tracy is very good at conveying the understanding cops have for the families of the victims and how hard working homicide can be—“There were too many goddamned idioms in the English language with the word “dead” in them. Dead end. Dead ringer. Dead reckoning. …” She also has a deft touch at injecting wry humor and analogies into a scene—“Five miles off the freeway, Harley turned his Hummer onto a washboard dirt road and rattled their teeth for ten minutes before easing into a driveway with potholes slightly smaller than the Grand Canyon.”

The plot consists of multiple threads, increasing one-by-one. The suspense and tension are ratcheted up at an increasing pace to where even the weather plays a critical role. The ending may be a bit improbable, but it’s very gratifying.

“Nothing Stays Buried” is exciting, and dramatic, but also touches one’s emotions.

NOTHING STAYS BURIED (Pol Proc/Lic Invest-Dets Magozzi & Rolseth/The Monkeywrench Gang-Minnesota-Contemp) – VG
Tracy, P.J. – 8th in series
G.P. Putnam’s Sons – Aug 2017

While the Monkeewrench crew (including a six-months pregnant Grace) are in Iowa, helping a friend of Harley’s to find out what happened to his missing daughter, Magozzi and his partner Gino are on the hunt for a serial killer who seems to have come out of hiding. As the serial killer begins to unravel, killing with more frequency, he begins to make mistakes, leaving clues behind that bring the two detectives closer to the Monkeewrench investigation than they ever could have imagined.

This is only my second book in the Monkeewrench series (though it’s #8 in the series), but it has cemented the series onto my list of must read series. So. Damn. Good. Not only are the mysteries expertly written, the character development is so good they feel like family. And though I haven’t read the first six (this will be remedied at some point!), Grace and Magozzi have both grown in the past two books, as a couple and as individuals, and I love the direction they seem to be heading. The whole misfit crew is charming and their idiosyncrasies keep things interesting.

It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what made this book so much better than the last (though it was great, this one just hit home for me). Perhaps it was the setting and Walt (who I hope will be a return character). Maybe it was that it was compelling without being frantic – I didn’t want to put it down, but it wasn’t so intense that my anxiety was triggered (yeah, that’s a thing for me). The pace was perfection. The story was engaging, reflective, crafty, and even managed to humanize the villain without negating his evil nature.

Honestly, I just can’t say a bad thing about it. And I think that pretty much says it all.

Another solid entry in the Monkeewrench series. Already looking forward to the next one as a baby invades the ranks!

Magozzi and Gino are after a serial killer who leaves a spade playing card on each of his victims. They're afraid he's trying to get through the whole suit or deck before he stops his killing spree. They bring in Grace (who happens to be pregnant with Magozzi's first child) and her Monkeewrench team who use their computer skills for law enforcement. As more and more evidence accumulates, they're in a race to catch this killer before he kills again.

Book 8 in the series, I was hesitant as I prefer to read series books in order. This does work as a standalone though I do wish I had a little bit more background on Magozzi and Grace. I love their relationship, how different they are and how well they play off each other. The banter between most of the characters in this novel is fun to read and they feel like family. I wish there had been more from the killer's point of view. While we do get a glimpse into his mind, I needed just a bit more. I love the idea of the playing cards as calling cards. I'm not sure why this was so intriguing to me. Maybe the tattoos as reminders also made it a bit more sinister. The ending felt a bit abrupt and too easy for a couple of reasons but I won't spoil you by going into that. Overall, I thought the book was well done and flowed nicely. What I enjoyed the most about this book was the relationships between the characters over the main storyline.

3.5 Stars bumped to 4

I have loved this author since the time many ,many years ago i picked up the firs book in this series. This book does not need to be read in order, but it just gives you more detailing about some of the characters involved. This story will give you the creeps, like shivers down your spine and making sure you lock the front door. It has been so long since i read a crime book of this nature with intrigue and enticing characters, and a worthy adversary who challenges our heroes.
review on goodreads under the profile name kimothy

I've been a fan of the this series since the first book "Monkeewrench" almost 13 years ago. The series has changed somewhat since then, and not all of the changes are for the better. A big part of the charm was the interaction and relationships between Grace McBride and her Monkeewrench crew. a highly skilled, quirky group of hackers. Most of the focus has shifted to homicide detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth. Magozzi and Rolseth are investigating a crime scene and find clues that indicate a serial killer is in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, Monkeewrench is investigating a missing persons case in a small farming town. I enjoy Magozzi and Rolseth and the police procedural aspects. But, for me, I would rather see more of the quirky characters I've come to know and love thru out the years. Grace, Roadrunner, Annie, Harley Davidson. At times, they seemed almost like an afterthought. The book is from different points of view and has a few subplots, but is not hard to follow. The pacing and suspense are good and the ending was acceptable. Maybe, if I hadn't read the earlier books, I could give it a higher rating. It just felt like something was missing. I received an ARC from Netgalley at no cost for an honest opinion and review.

Big thanks to Putnam Books for the copy in exchange for my honest review!

While this was book 8 in the Monkeewrench series, I couldn't pass up a murder mystery/thriller based in Minnesota! NOTHING STAYS BURIED by mother-daughter duo known as PJ Tracy (PJ and Traci Lambrecht) could definitely be read as a standalone. I was worried that I'd be completely lost that far into a series, but I wasn't. I definitely want to go back and read the first books so I can get to know the Monkeewrench gang better!

The body of a young woman is found in a park and unfortunately for Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, the crime scene is all too familiar. Months prior, a woman was found in a similar setting, but the killer was never found. Now the body count is rising and they have no leads. To make matters harder, a few FBI agents show up in Minneapolis to help, but their motives aren't completely revealed.

Meanwhile, at Monkeewrench Software, they are trying to find a new case to solve. Harley finds an old missing persons case that has gone cold. Marla, daughter of farmer Walk Gustafson, went missing without a trace 2 months ago and no one has any clue as to what could have happened to her, or where she could have gone.

It was very interesting reading about the characters that many other readers have grown attached to. While I didn't have the same connection to them as some, I felt that the character development was great even in book 8. Leo and Grace are having a baby together and they're excited for their new life that is about to begin - I'm sure there is a lot to this relationship that I have missed, but I'm definitely wanting to go back and read the other books. In this book it's definitely more focused on how these two investigations are affecting the lives of everyone involved. These killings are continuing, with no leads, and then is this missing persons case somehow tied in?

I did enjoy the few chapters that were from the killer's perspective. Definitely a dark and twisted individual. I will always love serial killer thrillers that dive into the mind of the killer. Even if it's just a little glimpse into their thought process or their motives. I find it fascinating - especially when an author does it so well. If it doesn't make you cringe or feel uncomfortable, then it's not a good enough serial killer!

Overall, I loved this! I loved it being set in Minnesota and knowing the areas they were referencing. Even the weather! This was a great thriller and mystery - no doubt about it that I'm going to find the first book, MONKEEWRENCH, now!

I give this 4.5/5 stars!