The Deepest Cut by P.J. Tracy - A Monkeewrench Novel

 This review is of book number 11 in the 11-book Monkeewrench series. 

It has been a few years since PJ Tracy wrote another book in her popular series, having paused to write a 4-book series featuring Margaret Nolan, a California police detective. Now, Book Eleven in the Monkeewrench series is here and the characters I love are back! 

Most mysteries have one or two main characters and an assortment of minor characters. The Monkeewrench series has 6 main characters (the homicide detective team of Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolsteth and the 4 person Monkeewrench team of Grace, Harley Davidson, Annie and Roadrunner (who together are collectively referred to as Monkeewrench throughout the stories).  

Monkeewrench is a software company whose expert computer team developed a program to help law enforcement with difficult cases.  Since they are based in Minneapolis, the police they help most often is the MPD homicide department.  

The minor characters which populate this series are just as interesting and fun to get to know as the main characters. Written with a large dose of humor, the drama of the crimes being investigated are mitigated by this lightheartedness. We love the interaction between Leo and Gino and among the other members of the homicide department. And the fascinating characters seem to grow with each publication, giving us a group of characters who seem so real and so likable with each reading that we become convinced they are all real. 

Gino’s complaints about the Minnesota weather in each book are very relatable to those who have experienced similar situations (it’s way too hot with too many mosquitoes [SUMMER]. Or, it’s too bitterly cold here; I’m moving to Florida! [WINTER] ). 

And let’s not forget Charlie, the mongrel abandoned dog taken in by Grace, who is scared of his own shadow until he learns what a home with love is all about. 

I have dearly missed the Monkeewrench team and all their adventures during the time between Book 10 (2019) and Book 11 (2025).  Welcome back, Monkeewrench ~ you have been missed!

A Brief Synopsis of The Deepest Cut

In Book ten, homicide detectives Leo & Gino arrested a pair of killers for the murder of several women, aided by their cyber-sleuth friends and partners at Monkeewrench.  One of the killers has a fatal heart attack after being arrested; the other (Wolfgang Mauer) is sent to a maximum security mental hospital in rural Minnesota.

In The Deepest Cut, we find Mauer plotting his escape (with help from his ‘mother’) and planning a revenge involving the detectives and the Monkeewrench crew who got him a life sentence.

The escape is successful and three bodies and the kidnapping of a 10-year-old boy later, an inexperienced county sheriff finds herself head-first in a massive manhunt. She teams up with Minneapolis homicide and Monkeewrench to find Mauer before more people die.

Summary

I recommend reading the Monkeewrench Series by P.J. Tracy starting with Book One (Monkeewrench / Want to Play?), as each book in the series builds on characters we meet in subsequent books. The interactions and backstories help understand the characters better as we meet them again in each new book. In Book Eleven (The Deepest Cut), we find that the county sheriff helping solve the current case is someone we first met in Book Ten. :) 

Even the authors’ backstory is fascinating: they were actually a mother-daughter duo using a pseudonym.

Welcome to the Monkeewrench Series by P.J. Tracy! 

*Book Review of ‘The Deepest Cut’ by P.J. Tracy and background on the Monkeewrench Series was written by Wednesday Elf

*The Intro Image is compliments of Pixabay and Fotojet. The monkey image is from Pixabay.

Read the Monkeewrench Series of Books ~ from the first to the latest: 

 

Monkeewrench (Monkeewrench Mysteries Book 1)Check PriceThe Deepest Cut: A Monkeewrench NovelCheck Price