I was really looking forward to reading this because I really like all the other P.J. Tracy books - their first, Want To Play? is one of my favourite books of all time. While I think some of their plots are a little hit and miss, they have excellent dialogue and the relationships between the characters are great - apart from I felt the John/Grace relationship was far too mysterious.

I didn't enjoy this book so much because I felt like there was no tension in it, despite the heavy subject matter of terrorism. I felt the inclusion of the Native American community was unnecessary, I didn't understand why they were brought in at all, and I thought the final showdown was lackluster. I just felt confused by everything that had happened, because I felt there was no reason behind it all. Also, I personally find the books which include terrorism less interesting than a stereotypical murder plot - for example, James Patterson's earlier books I thought were great but then all his books would end in bomb threats or terrorist groups and it was repetitive and dull. I was a bit disappointed that P.J. Tracy went down this path.

While I didn't like this book very much, I would definately recommend any of the other P.J. Tracy books.

Much as I hate to write a harsh review for one of my favourite authors, the fact remains that this book just doesn't quite cut it! Okay - it isn't as bad as the complete waste of paper and time that its predecessor (Shoot to Thrill) was, but nowhere does it match up to the thrillers that we've come to expect from the mother - daughter duo that gave us 'Want to Play', 'Live Bait' and 'Snow Blind'.
Avoid. Unless you're an avid fan who likes to indulge in reading masochism.

"for three months she'd been safe, unafraid, almost feeling like a normal person for the first time in her life, and oh god, she'd licked that up like a child tasting her very first popsicle. and now, in the space of a blink, it was all gone, taken away by whoever was up there, whether their intent was innocent or evil."

"i dont care how big your sword is, you ain't never gonna be able to slay her dragons. nobody can. thats something she's gotta figure out for herself."

"she pulled out several tissues and crumpled them in her hands, worrying them like prayer beads in her lap. the kimberly-clark rosary - the detectives had seen it countless times."

I liked it, but the suspense was lacking a bit.

I could not be more disappointed in this book. What this seriously written by the same authors as the previous entries in the series? These books have always centered around Monkeywrench, a small eccentric group of computer programmers who end up assisting the police in a series of cases throughout the novels. The group dynamics of Monkeewrench and the halting relationship of Grace Mcbride and police detective Magozzi has been the heart and soul of the books, but these elements are MIA in this latest entry. Although I have read all the previous books, I still needed a reminder of who the characters were and why I should care about them, which I was still piecing together at the end of the book. The characters, who I know and feel affectionate toward from the earlier books, still seemed two-dimensional and uninteresting. Such character development as did take place seemed unrealistic and almost insulting. Grace McBride, a deeply damaged women, paranoid and suspicious as a result of a horrific childhood, is on a cruise with a retired FBI agent as the story begins, and has discovered that wearing a sundress and sandals completely alters her outlook on life. Really? The writing is clunky, cliches abound, the Native American called Chief has sequoia-like legs, and blood is referred to as the liquid of life.... cringe. The big showdown at the end, with an army coming for our heroes who are waiting on platforms in the trees must have taken place off-screen; a few people die, and suddenly Harley is calling the all clear. What? To add insult to injury, I listened to this book on CDs borrowed from my library (so glad I ddin't pay for it); I disliked the reader and, at the end of each CD, some inappropriately upbeat music played underneath the narrator, often completely at odds with the tone of the book. Will I read the next Monkeewrench book? Only if it is pre-read by a trusted friend who assures me that the series has rediscovered its heart.

None of the later books have captured the energy and excitement of the first three for me, but this one was better than the last one or two.

Just when you think a series must be running out of steam (for how can things remain explosive forever?), P.J. Tracy comes out with another stellar novel in the Monkeewrench series! Down in the Caribbean, Grace MacBride is enjoying a restful, platonic time with former FBI Agent John Smith, aboard his boat. When two masked men make their way on deck and try to kill Smith, MacBride has no choice but to neutralise them. She discovers a photo of Smith and learns that these Saudi nationals seem to have been targeting him for reasons unknown. Back in Minneapolis, Magozzi and Rolseth are neck-deep in a case where a young Indigenous girl has had her throat slashed, one of six kidnapped from a reservation and likely bound for a life of human trafficking. When the authorities arrive at the kidnappers’ house, they find two of the perpetrators shot in the head, the apparent shooter across the way, and the five girls bound in the basement. A number of readings from the Koran and a calendar with a date is circled in red is found inside, leaving Magozzi and Rolseth to wonder if there is something brewing of the terrorist variety. While trying to piece together their case, Magozzi receives a call from Detroit, where a similar situation has occurred, two men killed and the same date circled on the calendar. This is soon matched by even more killings across America, reported by various police forces. Might there be a nation-wide terror plot brewing that the Feds inadvertently discovered? With John Smith off the grid, Magozzi and Rolseth must ensure that all connections to him are secured, including members of the Monkeewrench team. Still, there seems to be something in the works and yet a number of vigilantes stopping things at the same pace. P.J Tracy offers another poignant novel in this evolving series that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout. Perfect for series fans and those who love a quick holiday read!

I have come to thoroughly enjoy this summer binge of P.J. Tracy’s work! The stories continue to find poignant ways to entertain me as I work and putter around the house, while not becoming too repetitive. Magozzi and Rolseth are always able to find new and great banter to keep me smiling, which is matched with their superior sleuthing skills to keep the reader hooked. Magozzi seems to be processing his distancing from Grace MacBride with ease, though the narrative does not spend too much time analyzing it, or his true sentiments about the John Smith angle. Rolseth has his own weak moments, particularly when speaking about child trafficking and his daughter, who is about the same age as these victims. The entire Monkeewrench crew is present, using their skills to crack the current case open and Tracy shows some development with them, if only peppered throughout the narrative. They are, truly, there to keep the series name going, rather than being firmly in the middle of this piece throughout. This novel keeps a dim spotlight on John Smith, while also spending time examining some of the indigenous ways of life, in which Tracy finds parallels to unite, rather than divide. The narrative flows well and the reader is treated to decent writing, something that lacks at times within this genre. Over the past ten years, the focus of thrillers has been to turn things on Muslim extremism and some of the evils that came from a post-9/11 world. While Tracy does hint at some of this throughout, there is less of a ‘beat the dead horse’ about good versus evil, which pleases me greatly. Smearing and using silly soapbox moments to colour an entire religion with a single brush gets old in the genre and I have read too many books where this hot button topic is used to sell manuscripts. Moving away from the traditional police procedural, P.J. Tracy entertains the reader with strong storylines, perfect for a vacation or summer binge. I am eager to keep racing through these books and have almost caught up to a great Goodreads friend who is bingeing as well.

Kudos, P.J. Tracy, for another wonderful piece. I am so happy to have found this series and hope to feel more chills throughout this summer reading binge!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons

The sixth book in the Monkeewrench series does not disappoint. Grace MacBride has taken a vacation with retired FBI agent John Smith. For the first time in her life, Grace relaxes and it feels good. But two terrorists show up on John's sailboat and Grace has to kill them. It becomes apparent these two are tied to John's work tracking terrorists. Meanwhile, bodies begin showing up in Minneapolis and Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are trying to find the common link between them. John goes undercover and Grace shows up at the Monkeewrench mansion and starts searching John's computer. What Harley, Roadrunner, Annie and Grace uncover is mind-boggling; hundreds of terrorists not on any Federal watch list. And they are coming after John and the Monkeewrench crew. The five hit the road in Grace's Range Rover for northern Minnesota and the Sand River Objiwe Indian reservation. Mayhem ensues. Lots of action and more character revelations. A satisfactory resolution.

P. J. Tracy, Off the Grid (Putnam, 2012)

Full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Amazon Vine.

I did something I rarely so with Off the Grid, the long-awaited sixth Monkeewrench novel—I read it out of order. I'm far enough behind in my reading that I haven't read the fifth book yet, and in the world of mystery-series-cum-soap-opera that the Monkeewrench books inhabit, that means I missed some crucial developments in the last book that made me wonder what on earth was going on in a few scenes. Still, I looked at is as an experiment—will someone coming to the series of rthe first time be able to read this as a standalone book and enjoy it? I'd offer a qualified “yes”; you can do it, but you'll get a lot more out of it if you head back to Monkeewrench and begin at the beginning.

Plot: as we open, Grace MacBride, the head of software company (and amateur sleuth team) Monkeewrench, is on a boat in the middle of the Caribbean Sea with her old pal John Smith, a retired FBI agent. (I'm assuming we get the whys and wherefores of how that came out in book five.) Where could possibly be safer? Anywhere, as it turns out: the boat is boarded by a team of assassins, which leads grace to believe that, perhaps, she and Smith are safer in a different middle of nowhere. She makes plans to, after a quick stop at Monkeewrench HQ, spirit Smith off to the deep northern Minnesota woods. But trouble, as it usually is where Monkeewrench is concerned, is a-brewin', and Grace's police pals, Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, are smack in the middle of what, three days later, looks like a nationwide terrorist conspiracy...

The Lambrechts (P. J. Tracy, for the uninitiated, is a mother-and-daughter writing team) do their usual bang-up job of action writing, mixing in just enough romance for the hearts-and-flowers crowd (though there's a lot less in this book than usual—even Annie spends more time worrying about getting shot than about how low-cut her blouse is, and that's saying something) and introducing us to a passel of interesting new characters in addition to reacquainting us with some old, old friends. If you've taken the journey since the good old days—impossible to believe it's been almost a decade since Monkeewrench was published—then sitting down with Off the Grid will be like curling up with a mug of hot cocoa and a (very, very dangerous) old friend. If you're new to the series, as I said—you can start here if you want, you won't find yourself floundering too much. But you'd be best served going back and starting at the beginning. As for me, I plan to get to the book I skipped soonest; before this, it had been nearly five years since I last journeyed into the world of Monkeewrench, and that's way, way too long. *** ½

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.