ARC Review: The Guilty Dead by P. J. Tracy

The Guilty Dead
Author: P. J. Tracy
Series: Monkeewrench (Book 9)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (September 11, 2018)

Description: Gregory Norwood is Minnesota’s most beloved philanthropist, and the story of his son’s overdose was splashed across the front page of all the papers. When a photojournalist sets out to get a candid shot of the highly successful businessman on the one year anniversary of his son’s death, he’s shocked to find Norwood dead with a smoking gun in his hand. The city is devastated, and Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are called in to handle the delicate case. It should be open and shut, but something is not right. Norwood's death is no suicide.

With no suspects and an increasing tangle of digital evidence that confounds the Minneapolis Police Department’s most seasoned cops, Magozzi calls on Grace MacBride, Monkeewrench Software’s founder and chief computer genius and the soon to be mother of their child together. She and her motley crew of partners begin to unravel connections between Norwood’s death and an even larger plot. Norwood wasn’t the first, won’t be the last, and by the end, may be just one of many to die. The breakneck, high stakes race to find his killer and save the lives of hundreds make P. J. Tracy's The Guilty Dead her most outstanding novel yet.

My Thoughts: THE GUILTY DEAD was a fast-paced mystery with a setting that was familiar for me. I have spent a lot of time in the Twin Cities and recognized a number of the sites. It tells the story of the apparent suicide of one of Minnesota's most-beloved philanthropists.

Gregory Norwood apparently kills himself on the one year anniversary of the death of his son due to a heroin overdose. However, having read the prologue, the reader knows that his son Trey's death was assisted by a man named Gus. What we don't know is why.

Also dying at the same time is a photo-journalist who was hoping to get a photo of the very private Norwood on the anniversary of his son's death. Called in to survey the scene are tow experienced Minneapolis police detectives - Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth. They immediately have some questions about the scene because the gun used was in the wrong hand. Their suspicions are confirmed when forensics show that the gun was wiped clean of fingerprints.

While his lawyer and family friend Robert Zeller seems convinced that it was suicide, his wife and daughter Rosalie are equally convinced that he was murdered. Magozzi and Gino begin to unravel the crime which leads back to his son's death and even further back to the death of young girl on Norwood's Colorado estate some years previously.

Magozzi is a little preoccupied with his personal life. His wife Grace, who works for Monkeewrench Security, is about to have their first child any day. Monkeewrench is also busy trying to perfect a computer program that will help the police and FBI track down terrorists. When sample data is inserted, they notice a credible threat against Minneapolis City Hall which gets law enforcement all focused in that direction.

I enjoyed the crisp prose and the nicely twisty plot of this ninth Monkeewrench novel. I've only read the first and found that this story stood alone quite well. It does make me want to read the novels in between because I am sure that this would have been an even more pleasurable experience if I had more background on the characters.

Favorite Quote:

"Rough night on the town?"

"Yeah. Angela and I took the kids to a grandstand show at the State Fair. I spent two hundred bucks on deep-fried food, visited a walk-in cooler to look at a bunch of sculptures carved out of butter, then capped off the night listening to some pre-pubescent boy band whine about girl problems they can't even begin to imagine yet. Five hours after the show was over, we fanally got out of the parking lot."

"And you had the time of your life."

Gino got a goofy look on his face, just like he alwasy did when his family was the topic of conversation. "Pretty much."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.