Someone is killing terrorists who have been flying under the radar. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing except the terrorists have decided Grace's friend from the FBI, John Smith, is responsible and, by extension, Monkeewrench. Tracy has also created two of my favorite secondary characters ever, the Chief of the Ojibwa tribal police and his Army buddy, Claude. My favorite in the series so far.

This again felt like the Monkeewrench crew were taking a step back to let other characters take the limelight. Like a backdoor pilot.
It's also full of strange wording and casual racism. It feels like some characters are acting like mouthpieces for the authors' racial opinions (this character is ok with racial terms so that's that....)
It's very strange. The plot is weak and the last five minutes of chapter 49, of 55 chapters, are so awkwardly worded and veers off to talk about lipstick it detracts from the dramatic incident that had just unfolded.
I will give the next book a chance to redeem the series but something has happened to the writing here that I can't ignore.

Ooof. I’ve been reading this series because of the local angle, but they’ve progressively become more and more offensive. This one felt like it was written by someone’s Fox News-loving aunt from deep suburbia.

I'm a big fan of the Monkeewrench series by PJ Tracy and Monkeewrench #6 - Two Evils (or Off the Grid for US readers) is the latest installment. We find Grace relaxed for the first time in a long time, wearing a dress and enjoying the high seas with ex-FBI agent John Smith. However their peaceful existence is shattered when two men board their boat late on night and try to kill John. We later find out that John has been monitoring the internet for terrorist groups and accidentally stumbled upon a Halloween terror plot.

A big part of the Monkeewrench series is the suspense in each book, and whilst Two Evils has some great moments of suspense, there isn't that same build up of tension that you find particularly in the first few books. That being said, the book was well written and the moments of suspense that were present had me on the edge of my seat. The plot was very good, with enough complexity to keep me guessing, though the final 'encounter' was a bit anti-climatic with very little action. I especially liked the sub-plot between Grace and Magozzi, and am looking forward to it being explored more in the next novel.

Overall a good solid, enjoyable read which will appeal to both fans of the series and new readers.

[A review copy was provided by Penguin Books]

This is another excellent page turner from P.J. Tracy with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. This time around there are a few (murderous) threads that ultimately end up inter-twinning and it is helpful to have read some (if not all) of the previous books as there is a lot left out from previous events. Having said that though this is still a really enjoyable read.

Wow

These Monkeewrench books are always fun. Set in the Twin Cities and surrounding area, they have local flavor. They deal with gritty crimes, a la John Sanford. But here the writers give the crime due respect, while creating colorful characters who work as a team and function as a family. There is alwasy a cyber-thriller element here, too. ( The Monkeewrench Team are software developers.) If you are new to the series, start with the first one, Monkeewrench. It is still the best one, in my opinion.

This one was just Ok for the Monkeewrench team series...not their best gig. Oh well, light listening.

I loved the first book in this series. In Australia, it was called Want To Play?, which I think is actually a better title. What a thrill ride! The next three were all decent, but Play To Kill/Shoot To Thrill (once again it had a different title for Australia) was terrible. And Off The Grid/Two Evils (yet more re-titling!) is even worse! Faceless villains, needless head-hopping (which is still happening just chapters from the end) and a suspenseless "climax" that happens off-page and doesn't involve any of the main characters! Lord Almighty! As others have mentioned, there is casual racism (or at least racial profiling) and incorrect facts and terminology. How did this get published? And how did it get so many positive reviews? Am I too picky? Are others too easily pleased?

#114of2012