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I almost didn't pick this one up. Had I not done so, I would have missed a terrific reading experience. The title bothered me and still does, but that is all. (I understand the UK edition has a better title.) The story is fresh, witty, intricate and engaging. The writing skills of the two authors -- it's a mother-daughter team -- I'd rate high to excellent. The characters drew me into their lives. In short MONKEEWRENCH passed all my tests for quality in thriller/mystery fiction. The plot involves a primary murder committed in a church in a small town in Minnesota, a series of murders committed years before in Georgia and a new series of killings that follow a computer game called Monkeewrench. By the time the deaths are linked, all sleuths are desperate to solve the case not just for professional reasons but personal ones as well. The characters had depth, including the ones so far-out that they were difficult to imagine as real. I bought it all, hook and sinker as well as line! The people in the book fit the situation and plot and are painted in clear, bright colors for the enjoyment of the reader. I never lost track of who was who or felt that a character was brushed too lightly to make sense. I cared about them all, even the bad ones. I did not solve the mystery before it was solved by the lead characters. MONKEEWRENCH was the first mystery novel in a long, long time that has been able to keep me guessing almost to the finale's revealing lines. Once I knew the plot fully, I went back and looked at the clues. I grant the authors full credit for laying the trail properly but doing it well enough to keep me from figuring it out until the very end. The plot is, as I've said, intricate. It winds from one locale to another, weaving lives and events together slowly but surely until the pattern finally points to motive and killer. The settings of rural Minnesota and urban Minneapolis add to the suspenseful atmosphere as does the lingering questions of guilt possessed by several of the lead characters. This is a book and these are writers I recommend without reservation. The appearance of one of the lead characters in the teaser for their next book delighted me. It's in my pre-order pile!
Reviewed by Sharon Brondos, August 2004
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