Really buoyed the latest instalment of the monkeewrench series and sped through the book. It’s been a while since I have ready any of these and so it was nice to come back to familiar characters without being bored and still find the premise new. Admittedly this was more of a Gino and Magozzi detective thriller and featured characters from monkeewrench.

A very complicated murder investigation.

Leo Magozzi and his partner Gino Rolseth are enjoying a reasonably peaceful time in the Minneapolis Homicide Division. The weather is so atrocious that murder seems to have taken a backseat. But having said these words out loud, the spell is broken, and they're called to the horrific death of a young married woman. She's been found badly beaten, and her face is completely covered in duct tape. She's covered in bruises and welts, and it looks at first like a BDSM session has got out of control.

Harley Davidson, Roadrunner, Grace MacBride and Annie Belinsky, the partners of Monkeewrench are desperately trying to find out who has hacked into a Bitcoin account, stealing millions.

As Magozzi and Rolseth start digging into the murdered woman's background, little do either they nor Monkeewrench know just how complicated things will become for both as the woman’s death and the hacking are related.

This is my second meeting with Magozzi and Roseth and the rest of the team from Minneapolis Homicide and Monkeewrench. I, unfortunately, hadn't heard of this series before reading The Guilty Dead. I'm so pleased that I have read this next book. P J Tracy has an effortless style of writing and manages to bring in some interesting characters to add to the conundrum of why the first murder took place and who the protagonists are.

The characters are strong and believable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series.

Dietes

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

#IceColdHeart #NetGalley This was the first book I have read in this series and although it was perfectly capable of being read as a stand alone, I think I would have got more from the characters (particularly Magozzi & Grace) if had a more in depth knowledge of their background and story. Having said that it was a very good read with lots of action and a gripping story. I did get a bit confused with the cryptocurrency story line and found it a bit hard to follow - I wanted someone to explain it to me simply - but maybe that's my age!!

My thanks to Penguin U.K./Michael Joseph for an eARC via NetGalley of P.J. Tracy’s ‘Ice Cold Heart’ in exchange for an honest review. It was published on 22 August.

This is the tenth in the Monkeewrench series of crime thrillers set in Minneapolis. It is the second one written by Traci Lambrecht on her own after the death of her mother and writing partner, P.J., in 2016.

The series title refers to a group of gifted computer programmers that now works closely with law enforcement; though they have a special bond with Minneapolis Homicide Detectives Gino Rolseth and Leo Magozzi.

During a bitterly cold winter night Kelly Ramage leaves for an evening out telling her husband that she is meeting a friend for an art show opening and dinner. He suggests that she stay over given the bad weather. She fails to return. It isn’t long until her body is discovered and at first the police assume that she died during a sex game gone wrong.

However, it soon emerges that her body was displayed in a fashion that echoes the disturbing art work of Rado, the anonymous, controversial artist whose opening Kelly had attended. The case quickly becomes more complicated when another victim is discovered.

Meanwhile, the Monkeewrench Group has been hired to improve security at a large cryptocurrency exchange after they were hacked. They also provide support to Gino and Leo. Eventually the cases begin to converge.

I have read six books in the series to date and have always rated them highly in terms of intelligent, exciting plots and well developed characters. Returning to the series was like meeting up with a group of friends after time away. I found that I was quickly able to catch-up with recent changes in their personal lives. There is also enough background provided for new readers though reading in order allows for the development of character arcs. It is a series that I would certainly recommend highly.

I enjoyed this very much and found it almost impossible to put down. I plan to go back and catch up on the books that I missed as well as look forward to Book 11.

Amazing characters and a well thought out plot make this another fantastic read from P.J. Tracy.

Great to be back with Magozzi, Rolseth and the Monkeewrench crew. Having read all of the books in this series so far, I genuinely feel like I’m in the company of friends when I read about these characters. Not only have I invested a significant amount of time to them, I’m emotionally invested in their lives too. I love how they stay true to their established characters but still grow book after book. I’m also interested to see how Petra’s introduction will play out.

I love the comfort of knowing what to expect from a book written by this author. I’m continually surprised and impressed by how she makes the crimes reflective of real life and demonstrates the impact technology is having on the criminal world. Ice Cold Heart covers cyber crimes such a hacking and cryptocurrency which are ever growing problems in today’s world.

As always the story is well structured and develops naturally, making it clear the author has spent time researching the key parts of the plot to ensure they are believable.

P.J. Tracy never fails to disappoint me with me her books and that is why she is an auto-buy author for me. Another phenomenal read that I highly recommend.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ice Cold Heart is available now in the UK in Kindle and hardcover format and in paperback from October 31st.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers (Penguin Random House and Michael Joesph UK) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

Despite its being a bit convoluted.. the strands come together .. Good characters despite confusions for me who was who .. plot raises great issues of influence of art on viewers, and , again, some credibility lapses (an extreme artist is a sociopath after all (with, I think , several names) ... family male cops vs eccentric men and women ..gay or Career women .. even one cop's wife is a nervous wreck and career woman ...due to her working?? But gripping, and this is a talented writer for sure.

Another thrilling ride as the Monkeewrench team and Detectives Magozzi and Rolseth have to trap a killer. Great plotting and pacing drives this tale to a thrilling conclusion. Recommended!

Fast paced with multiple plot threads, this was a great read. I'm loving the progression of the main characters and there's plenty of twists and turns. One of my favourite detective series.

Now I’m a huge fan of the Monkeewrench series (or is it the Gino and Magozzi series?), it’s always been one of those “buy in the first week” kind of books; but for some reason I found Ice Cold Heart a little hard work.

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the writing, because Traci has again done a great job of capturing the magic that she had when writing with her mother, It was as captivating as always, Instead I think it was more the whole Rado - disturbing mysterious artist, combined with crypto currency and war criminals. Everything is interwoven cleverly between Monkeewrench and the amazing duo of Gino and Magozzi, but it all left me a little confused if I’m honest, Plus there just wasn’t enough Monkeewrench, and I really enjoy their involvement in the books normally,.

I did love the development of Roadrunner’s personal story though, that was a real highlight for me.

I look forward to the next book, when Grace is hopefully back in the driving seat of Monkeewrench and we can get down to business as usual.

An interesting story with all the twists and twists you would expect from a fascinating book. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this genre.

Another in the gripping and addictive Monkeerench series. Set in a snowy and desolate landscape, war criminals, a very perverted killer and organised crime based on cryptocurrency. Action, suspense and tension from the first to the last page. I read this book in one sitting finally turning the last page at 1.am. Personally I think that this is the best in the series so far. Everything you want in a gripping crime thriller. Almost five stars and highly recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Penguin UK and Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

One evening, Kelly Ramage leaves her home, telling her husband that she is going to visit a friend. She never returns. When her body is discovered, it is initially thought that her death is as the result of a sex game gone wrong, so detectives Gino and Magozzi think that if they find the lover, they will find the perpetrator. The killer, however, has done a good job in hiding his identity, leading the police to believe that he has done this before and that Kelly is certainly not going to be his last victim.

Ever since reading Want to Play?, the first of the Monkeewrench books, I have been a big fan of P. J. Tracy’s writing. Over the years, I have enjoyed seeing the character development, in particular Grace who, although still fearful of her past, is now a mother to young Elizabeth. Who would have thought at the start of the series that she would be capable of having a relationship, never mind having a child?!

In Ice Cold Heart, we see less of the Monkeewrench team and more of detectives Gino and Magozzi. The case is a particularly horrible one, with the killer seemingly basing his crimes on the work of the controversial artist Rado. The detectives know that the man they are looking for is incredibly disturbed, and when another woman goes missing, someone they have already had contact with, they know it is a race against time to find her before she becomes the next victim.

The case becomes even more complicated when Roadrunner, one of the Monkeewrench team, befriends one of his neighbours, Petra. As the story progresses, we see how strong Petra is, despite the circumstances we find her in at the start of the book. She is searching for a notorious Balkan war criminal, and it is not long before the two cases cross paths. With Monkeewrench also searching for a hacker who has undertaken a multi-million dollar theft, there is plenty for the reader to sink their teeth into. I enjoyed seeing all of these cases slowly come together, and I was pleasantly surprised with the conclusion.

With a plot involving murder, war crimes, BDSM and computer hacking, Ice Cold Heart is a fast-paced read with something happening on every page. As I said earlier, I have enjoyed this series from the start, and this has definitely been one of my favourites so far.

Book 10 already; wow! Although, to be fair, I came in to the series about book seven - having played catch-up prior to reading it. Originally written by a mother-daughter combination, P.J., the mother, sadly passed away in 2016 but her daughter, Traci, has continued the series solo, and has done a might fine job of doing so.
We start with a psychic visiting detective duo Magozzi and Rolseth. She tries to tell them of the impending death of a woman. With scant detail to go on, they all but dismiss her visit. But then a young woman, Kelly Ramage, fails to return home from a night out, her body subsequently found and they are reminded of what the psychic said. It appears that Kelly might have been indulging in BDSM prior to her death which also correlates with her interest in controversial artist Rado whose gallery opening she visited on the night of her death.
Meanwhile, the Monkeewrench crew are investigating the hacking of a cryptocurrency firm which resulted in huge losses from several of their customers. Roadrunner has his turn in the spotlight in this book, in the shape of neighbour Petra whose life he saves when he discovers her half frozen in the Minneapolis harsh snow. She has her own story to tell, which she does to Roadrunner and he, in turn, enlists the Monkeewrench crew to assist.
There is simply so much going on in this book, all tightly plotted and intrinsically interconnected, that to say much more would inevitably include spoilers. So I'm not! Suffice to say that it had me on the edge of my seat throughout as I, along with the characters, tried to cut through the noise, join up the dots, to figure it all out. Sadly I failed, but happily they didn't.
Apart from all the cracking characters that I have grown closer and closer to throughout this series, one of the things I really love about this is the wonderful setting. It's almost a character in its own right. In this book, it's front and centre once again - mostly due to the time in which it is set and the weather that brings. It definitely adds colour and atmosphere to the proceedings.
It's also interesting to see how the dynamic has changed for certain characters with the birth of Elizabeth. As well as the impact that this event has had on several others.
All in all, a cracking addition to what is already for me a well loved series. Long may it continue. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Magozzi and Grace have a baby girl and they've settled in well to parenthood. Magozzi and Gino have been called in to investigate a nasty murder. It looks like a sex game that's gone wrong. But this is not the first victim. The case directs them to a local art gallery where some disturbing work is on display. Also, the Monkeyrench team are also investigating a crypto currency theft.

This book is well written and the plot is good. At the beginning of the book each chapter tells a different part of the story from a different point of view. The story is gripping, action packed and suspenseful. This book could be read as a standalone.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author P. J. Tracy for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love these novels and I’m so glad they are continuing after the sad loss of one half of this amazing writing duo, mother and daughter, I can only imagine how difficult it must be- but Ice Cold Heart doesn’t miss a beat, it is an intensely involving crime drama featuring our much loved group of characters, I devoured it in short order.

The main story itself is as compelling as ever, these cases always have a dark heart and inevitably end up being about something else than how it starts. This one was utterly addictive, the various threads of plot coming together into an explosive finale and reminding me why I’ve avidly followed the monkeewrench series from book one.

Overall this was a fantastic read- clever and intense with that strong page turning quality I’ve come to look forward to whenever I pick one of these up.

Excellent. Recommended.

I always look forward to a new book in the Monkeerench series and this latest book in the series doesn’t disappoint. Set in a wintry backdrop, the plot covers the hunt for war criminals, a perverted killer and organised crime based around cryptocurrency. Detectives Gino and Magozzi , along with Roadrunner from Monkeewrench gain a major role in this book.

Another highly readable novel in the series and as soon as you finish reading it you are eager to read another instalment in the Monkeewrench series. Always a good sign in a long running series.

This is one of my favourite series, with much loved characters, set in a bitterly cold and snowy January in Minneapolis in Minnesota. Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, MPD detectives are visited by a psychic, Blanco Szabo, wanting to report the future murder of a woman, but no details that could help identify the potential victim. A sexually unfulfilled beautiful married woman, Kelly Ramage, with inclinations that veer towards BDSM, leaves home for a secret sexual assignation that ends in her horrific murder. The anonymous, controversial artist, Rado, is exhibiting disturbing art pieces and video that suggest the killer is inspired by his work. After meeting a protester outside the art gallery, it becomes clear to the police that there is at least one other murder victim with a similar MO.

The Monkeewrench team of IT geniuses Grace, Harley, Annie and Roadrunner have been commissioned by cryptocurrency Bit Monster to improve their security after it had been hacked, resulting in huge losses. Roadrunner saves a neighbour, Petra's life, on a night where the freezing temperatures come close to claiming her life. Petra is searching for a notorious Balkans war criminal, Peter Praljik, last known to be in Minnesota. In the most twisted of narratives, there are further murders as the multiple threads begin to slowly connect after Leo and Gino join forces with Monkeewrench in a dangerous investigation. There is much joy to be observed from the closely bonded Leo and Grace, and their 5 month old daughter, Elizabeth, warmly embraced by the extended family that is the entire Monkeewrench crowd.

This is another wonderful addition to a beloved series which I have followed right from the beginning. I love the atmospheric wintry location with characters I adore and whom I have seen develop through the series, particularly Grace who has become marginally less paranoid as her relationship with Leo, and the birth of Elizabeth, and their calming and grounding influence. Roadrunner, for the first time, becomes emotionally entangled with Petra, partly because both of them have different but desperately traumatic backgrounds. This is an intense read, touching on the bleak history of the Balkans, and the unspeakable events that occurred there, and the ruthless, vicious perpetrators, some of whom ended up in the US in this novel. Fans of this series will love this, as indeed will crime fiction fans who have yet to encounter the MPD detectives and Monkeewrench. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Ice Cold heart by P.J. Tracy Is another gripping instalment of the Monkeerench series.
Kelly Ramage goes out on a cold winter night, telling her husband that she is staying at a friend’s house. The next day she has been found murdered. It’s looks like a sex game gone wrong. And they find out that this she is not the first victim. Leo Magozzi and Gino Roselth are assigned to the case, whilst investigating the case directs them to the local art gallery where an artist with a disturbing work is on display. While they do that, the Monkeewrench team are investigating a crypto currency like Bitcoin theft.
This is another great instalment of this series. I have read this series from the start and it never disappoints. I feel like I have come home. It is well written and has great characters especially Leo and Gino and great plot and the writing flows easily.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for a copy of this book.

Another page turner from Tracy
Please write quicker.
Its cold in Minnesota but that doesn't stop a terrible killer
With roots in the Balkans this story twists and turns but with the decent heart of detective and Monkeewrench who are the proper goodies of our story.

Everything you expect from a PJ.Tracy novel., jeopardy, strong relationships, quirky characters and creepy killer and murder scenarios. A great summer read. Thankyou to Michael Joseph and Netgalley for providing me with this free ARC