Ice Cold Heart is a great addition to the Monkeewrench series! More of the focus was on the detectives in this outing, though we still got to see the collaboration of the Monkeewrench team. The fast pace and the interesting plot twists kept my attention. It was hard to put this down, even though I had a bag of new ARCs from ALA Annual!

Another great Monkeewrench book by P.J. Tracy. I love how P.J. Tracy keeps you on the edge of your seat while developing her characters. The endings are always a surprise. This latest is no exception.

This is my first book by this author and I didn’t realize that this was part of a series. With that said, it is still an interesting read. It is a bit slow to get going (some of which may be because the characters and series are new to me) but overall the story direction is good and kept me reading. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite, but I don’t love to come into a series that is already developed. Solidly written and good.
#IceColdHeart #NetGalley

Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers,and the author for an ARC Copy for a review.

My first novel by this author PJ Tracey (formerly a mother-daughter writing team which in 2016 suffered the sad loss of P.J. (mother). Traci Lambert continues to write under the original team name.

Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth join Grace MacBride and Monkeewrench to uncover a dark and ugly conspiracy that reaches deep into the safety of homes in this latest electrifying thriller from New York Times bestselling author P. J. Tracy.

It's a bitter winter in Minnesota--too cold to kill. There hasn't been a murder for a month, but the lull quickly comes to an end for Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, when they're called to the gruesome homicide of Kelly Ramage. Found in a friend's vacant house, this was no random attack, and clues reveal that she was living a very dangerous secret life.

Magozzi and Gino trace her steps back to an art gallery where she was last seen alive. The gallery seems like a dead end, but the art is disturbing and exploitative. It may very well be inspiring a sadistic killer, because in this instance, art doesn't imitate life, it imitates death.

Tipped off about a year-old murder that is a mirror-image of Kelly's crime scene, Gino and Magozzi enlist the aid of Grace MacBride and her eccentric, tech genius partners in Monkeewrench Software to help them decipher the digital trail that might connect the cases.

As coincidences emerge, Magozzi, Gino, and the team have to work around the clock at breakneck pace to unravel a series of clues that form the framework of a larger, more sweeping, and insidious conspiracy than any of them could have imagined. Is Kelly the last person to die or just the most recent? And is there any way to stop it?

The first thing to mention is this being my first book by this author, so of course my first in this series, and now I know this is the tenth in the series, so in all honesty it took me a while to get into the many characters, from the police team to the monkeewrench team.

My own fault, but that happens when you are lucky to be approved a book to read to review. Saying that I followed the story which kept at a good pace, with a strong story, very little in clues but many nasty characters. As I read more I started to understand all the characters and how they fitted in the stories and they grew on me.

This book was a three star for me, until the last 30% of this book as the suspense built, the pace grew, and you could feel the atmosphere and urgency of the both teams, and I really enjoyed the last part and the pace.

So a four star book from me. I enjoyed the great characters, they grew on me.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author, PJ Tracy, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Ice Cold Heart in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I jumped at the chance to review this book as I really like the way the author writes. You never know where the storyline will take you. This book is certainly no exception.
The storyline was well written with compelling characters. I was hooked from the start, furiously turning the pages to see how the story was going to end.
Well worth a read.

In this thrilling episode of this excellent series, the Monkeewrench crew are chasing major bitcoin fraud and detectives Gino Rolseth and Leo Magozzi are engaged in searching for a depraved serial killer who seems to have a link to an avant-garde artist and a creepy S&M sex club. Roadrunner has also found himself attracted to a women who hunts down war criminals and is helping her look for a particularly nasty general who tortured and annihilated whole villages and during the Balkan wars.

This makes for plenty of action on all fronts and very compelling reading right up to the dramatic conclusion. All the plots are presented seamlessly and some interesting and, in some cases dangerous, characters introduced. It's always great to revisit the fascinating Monkeewrench team of Annie, Grace, Harley and Roadrunner and now to see them extending their family with partners and a baby for Grace and Leo. I really hope we'll continue to see more of these amazing characters and their exploits in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a free copy for an honest review.
Kelly Ramage was living a very secret and dangerous life. Magozzi and Rolseth find her dead in a friend’s house. They enlist the aid of friends at Monkeewrench Software to help with the case. Can be read as a stand-alone but be sure to read the rest of the series as they are very entertaining books. Characters are very humorous and unique and the plot is fast-paced. I’m looking forward to the next in the series. Recommend for mystery thriller readers.

3.5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC!

So, I didn't realize that this was a part of a series until I looked it up on Goodreads today. I think that reading the first books would help me know the characters better, but not having read them didn't negatively affect my enjoyment of this book.

I did enjoy this novel, but I wanted to enjoy it *more*. The writing felt a little stilted, and the characters seemed almost like caricatures because of the language they used. It felt like she was trying to use noir language without writing a noir story, or maybe that the language was just outdated for the modern era. I actually had to check and see if the author was from overseas to see if maybe there was just a translation issue, but no- she live in Minnesota. It's entirely possible that this is just the style of these novels - and it's not bad, it's just not something I'm used to.

I absolutely loved the story. I appreciated that the author was able to write the crime scenes in such a way that as a reader, I knew how gruesome and sadistic the killer was, but the writing wasn't gratuitous. I've read some novels where it felt like the author enjoyed writing the murder/rape/whatever scenes as much as their antagonist enjoyed committing the crime, and that wasn't the case here. She did a great job of showing the crimes for what they were without providing excuses or glorifying the behavior. Plus the storyline was just super interesting! I didn't have it figured out at all, and I'm normally pretty good at picking up who might be the guilty party.

I will say, I'm totally confused by the prologue. Is it connected to the other books in the series? Was it one of Petra's flashbacks? That seems like the most likely explanation, but it wasn't really connected to the crimes committed in this book in any way. I'm definitely interested in catching up on the rest of the series!

Ice Cold Heart keeps the focus of this series firmly on Monkeewrench Software. Even the police investigation results hang on what those computer geniuses can do. This story has many sub plots that seem to be too distant from each other to ever come together; the disappearance of a woman, a murder, a cryptocurrency exchange cyber attack, war crimes committed in the Yugoslavian War of Independence, and a reclusive artist called Rado. But don't worry about connecting the dots because P. J. Tracy has the situation well in hand. She even made me accept all the coincidences necessary to tell this story without voicing any complaints.

The city of Minneapolis is caught in the grips of a winter storm but these characters manage to make their way from one destination to another to investigate all the different trails being pursued. Those cold weather descriptions kept me feeling downright chilly even when the temperature outside my home was 89 degrees. Character development is the great feature of this series for me and that definitely holds true with this tenth book in the series. An enjoyable novel that held me captive throughout. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an e-Galley of this novel.

This was my first read of the series. It started off slow for me as I got to know the characters, but the plot quickly drew me in as the stpruline around Petra developed. It's a well-paced mystery with some good old fashioned detective work. Satisfying resolution to each storyline. I will definitely look at the previous novels in the series.

Thank you to #netgalley, Crooked Lane and the author for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ice Cold Heart is the tenth book in the best-selling Monkeewrench series. I have read this whole series and I have really enjoyed the stories and the characters. I hope she keeps on with this series in the future

A really great read that I thoroughly enjoyed . Would definitely recommend this book to those readers who enjoy reading this author’s work and those looking for a series with connected charcters

This book started out a bit slow for me but once I got about 5 chapters in I started getting drawn in and it kept my interest.

The main characters of this book were not new to me so I was excited when I received my free ARC from Netgalley. The relationships between Magozzi and Gino and Monkeewrench are not emphasized that much in this book. In fact, I felt like Monkeewrench was hardly involved. Nevertheless, the storyline was great. It was filled with a bunch of eccentric artist-type characters as well as your run-of-the-mill thugs. The book was very graphic where it needed to be but did not overdo it. I enjoyed the chase as Magozzi and Gino searched to find out who killed Kelly Ramage. The dark alleys they are led down and the colorful characters they engage with are just two of the reasons I like this series of books.

Thank you to Netgalley, P.J. Tracy, and Crooked Lane Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yay! They're back! And better than ever. I didn't enjoy the last Monkeewrench adventure as much as previous books, so, I'm thrilled to report that this is a return to excellent form.

It's got everything, murder, suspense, the usual team dynamics, with some new additions and fun. It's also heartbreaking at times, as the murder element links to the former Yugoslavia and the atrocities that occurred. I salute PJ Tracy in creating a book 10 of which her mother would be so proud.
You certainly don't need to have read the previous 9 books to enjoy this stand alone thriller. However, If you enjoy it as much as I did, you'll likely want to.

Really, really good!

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to preview.

First thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Those of you familiar with the Monkeewrench series know that the characters’ quirky issues and the harsh Minneapolis weather always play a major role in the story—and this 10th book follows that theme.

Roadrunner leaves his comfort zone to rescue a neighbor near death from hypothermia and then learns she is a government researcher looking for Bosnian war criminals. He offers to help her using Monkeewrench’s super computer called The Beast, even though he’s supposed to be looking for a hacker who stole money from a major bitcoin trader.

Meanwhile detectives Magozzi and Rolseth are investigating a woman’s murder that appears to have ties to a secret bondage club and are wondering if a current art exhibit in town featuring sadistic works by a reclusive artist is more than just a coincidence.

As the two cases overlap, Monkeewrench and the Minneapolis PD scramble to stay ahead of an unbelievably horrific killer who won’t quit.

A strong entry in the series as well as the first book since the passing of the mother in the mother/daughter writing team. Hard to put this one down. Highly recommend the series, best read in order.

“We’ve got an artist who might be a hacker, a war criminal who might be Kelly Ramage’s killer, possibly a secret code, and a client who’s been severely compromised by somebody really smart. And they might all be connected.”

Ice Cold Heart is the tenth book in the best-selling Monkeewrench series by award-winning American author, P J Tracy. Thoughts of an early weekend with Grace and Elizabeth go out the door for Detective Leo Magozzi when a young wife is found murdered in a bondage situation. It’s January in Minneapolis, and the cold hasn’t deterred the murderer, because hours later, the ageing medium who warned Gino and Magozzi about the murder is herself found slain.

Retracing the young woman’s steps, they are soon at a gallery facing the confronting work of a reclusive artist, whose work is so reminiscent of the murder that Gino and Magozzi if it’s the work of an acolyte. And as they become aware of another murder, Gino and Magozzi wonder if they have a serial killer on their hands. Further investigations send them to a gym, a sex club and a geodesic dome that serves as home for a flamboyant bon vivant.

Meanwhile, the Monkeewrench crew are kept busy trying to patch up the cyber security of a cryptocurrency merchant after a major breach resulted in a massive theft. When Roadrunner diverts his attention to helping his neighbour find a war criminal, they find unexpected links between their enquiries.

Tracy’s regular characters continue to develop with parenthood and coupledom altering priorities. Romance seems to be budding for Roadrunner although, much to his irritation, Harley poses them as a gay couple at one stage. The banter among the Monkeewrench crew and also between the cops is always a delight.

In a plot that dips into the Balkan war, BDSM, installation art and cyber theft, Tracy keeps the pages turning right up to the heart-stopping climax. And if the villains are on the radar, finding out when and how and why keeps even the most astute reader enthralled. While it can be read as a stand-alone, why deny oneself the pleasure of reading this excellent series? A very entertaining read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.

Hating the cold, but glad that it has brought them a full month without a murder, Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are called to a particularly gruesome murder involving bondage. The woman was reported missing by her husband. Is he involved? Their investigation leads them to a particularly gruesome art display at a gallery by an artist that is nowhere to be found. After they realize that a similar murder had occurred a year ago and a new victim is found, the detectives will seek help from Grace and her team at Monkeewrench (Grace and Leo share a new daughter, Elizabeth). Monkeewrench, a team of loveable and eccentric techies, are working to enhance security for their client, Bit Monster, after they suffered a major theft. When it seems that their case may dovetail with Leo and Gino’s, the whole gang gets involved. Another absorbing and fascinating mystery with the team from Monkeewrench, characters who know how to get the job done. I like the witty dialog between two long-time friends and partners, Leo and Gino, who have seen it all but forge ahead in their fight against crime. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Read a few in this series and really liked them. The Monkey wrench group are like the geek group in high school, most people stay away from them but the ones that don’t judge understand that this group is the best of all. The chemistry of all is one that we wish he all had. When they go out to solve a crisis they don’t quit until they get the answer. A riveting and sometimes shake you head book. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I found this a little long and hard to follow at times!
I love PJ Tracy, but I found there was too many characters and I got a big lost at times.
It hasn’t put me off any future books, but this just didn’t hit the mark for me.