I picked this crime mystery drama up at my local library book sale.
Written by mother/daughter duo using the pseudonym PJ Tracy, Monkeewrench is a novel about a Minneapolis police detective who spends every second of his time trying to catch a serial killer who is acting out the crimes portrayed in a video game.
The story starts off in a rural Wisconsin church where Father Newberry discovers two of his parishioners shot to death in one of his pews.
How are these murders connected to the serial killings in Minneapolis?
With the help of the game’s creators, a gun-toting, mismatched group who have covered up their past, and never seem to have an alibi for the killings, Detective Leo Magozzi tries to catch the killer before he strikes again.
Not the type of book I’d normally gravitate towards, but I had a hard time putting this one down. It didn’t seem predictable at all, and I enjoyed reading about my home city, even if it was about a serial killer on the loose. I wondered to myself, would people still flock to MOA even though one shopper will be singled out and killed? Would the police shut it down? Hopefully we’ll never have to find out.
Main character Detective Magozzi, is a trustworthy guy, and I trusted his instincts toward the Monkeewrench team, even though they were all extremely shady.
The ending was of course dramatic, and well written, I pictured the whole scene play out in my head. It would make a great movie with the vibe of Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.
Pool of Life. 