Friday, September 6, 2019

Review: Ice Cold Heart by P.J. Tracy


Publication Date: September 10th 2019 by Crooked Lane Books
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

About the book:

The gripping new thriller in P. J. Tracy's Twin Cities series, coming in Summer 2019
On a bitterly cold winter night, Kelly Ramage leaves her suburban home, telling her husband she's going to meet a friend.
She never comes back.
When her body is discovered, murdered in what seems to be a sex game gone horribly wrong, Detectives Gino and Magozzi take the case, expecting to find a flirtatious trail leading straight to the killer.
However, Kelly's sinister lover has done a disturbingly good job of hiding his identity. This isn't his first victim - and that she won't be the last...
My Thoughts:
Ice Cold Heart opens with Detectives Gino and Magozzi investigating the murder of a woman tied up to a bed with bondage elements.  The murder echoes the art exhibit she attended earlier in the evening. Is this a BDSM scene that went horribly wrong or a more sinister situation? This mystery was a disturbing one!

The Monkeewrench series grabbed my attention last year and I jumped in at book nine with no trouble, although, I didn’t appreciate all the relationships between Gino, Magozzi, and the Monkeewrench team as much as I would’ve had I read the series in order.  Since then I went back and read all the previous books, and I’ve come to love this series! They open with a mystery for the Detectives and a separate one for the Monkeewrench team, that usually end up intersecting and merging by the end.  I’d call this a crime police procedural, but with a little fun.  Not the murders, obviously, most of those are disturbing and sad, but the relationships between the characters are filled with bits of humor.  Detectives Gino and Magozzi are partners, but also best friends which comes through as they investigate each case. Whether ribbing each other or providing support both in work and personal matters, they have each other’s backs. 

In book one, the Detectives and the Monkeewrench team come together, but there’s distrust and suspicions on both sides, and it takes solving the case to meld them together into what they are now.  Monkeewrench is a computer software company.  Each member, Grace, Roadrunner, Annie, and Harley a genius with a troubled past, more family than business partners. Their programs end up helping the police and FBI nail down the bad guys.

From book one Grace, and Magozzi have had an attraction that’s morphed into something amazing, and I’ve loved watching every small step they’ve made to be together.  Their romance is one of my favorite things about the series, and this installment was especially sweet!  But every character shines in their own way, and I’ve loved seeing the friendships formed and how they interact. I was excited to learn more about Roadrunner and his past in this installment and thrilled over some new developments for him!  The Monkeewrench series continues to be an addictive one, not losing one bit of steam even after ten books! I can’t wait for the next one!

4 Suns



16 comments:

  1. That is so neat how you were able to jump in, loved it, and went back for the rest. The dynamics within the team of characters and detectives sound great and I like the darker mystery described here.

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    1. It is nice when you can jump right in, but I'm so happy I read the rest of the books, too!

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  2. The cover looks familiar, hmmmm, maybe one the library si getting

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  3. This sounds like an addictive series! What a mystery! I love that there were lighter parts of the story with the love story and bits of humor among the characters interwoven in this mystery thriller. Awesome Review Rachel :)

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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    1. I especially love the humor and the ongoing personal relationships. Thanks, Lindy! :)

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  4. It sounds like one of those series that just gets better with each book. Something I'd enjoy too. Great review!

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    1. Hope you like it if you pick it up, Jenea, and thanks! :)

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  5. I've never heard of P.J. Tracy but apparently s/he has been around a while if this is book 10 of a series. And it's always impressive when a series can stay consistently strong after so many books.

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    1. Yes, I only just heard of her last year, and I'm so glad I did!

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  6. I haven't read anything in this series, but I am on a thriller binge right now so I might have to check this one out! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hope you enjoy it if you decide to pick it up, Tracy! :)

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  7. I still haven't read Monkeewrench, which is completely sad considering the series is now up to ten books! I really need to get my butt in gear.

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  8. This one sounds so good! I dont read much mystery but I am really intrigued by the sound of this one. Great review!

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