Shoot to Thrill
P.J. Tracy
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2010
U.S. hardcover, first edition
ISBN 978-0-399-15520-8
320 pages; $25.95

The Monkeewrench gang is still at it, thank goodness. Shoot to Thrill is another fine entry in this series written by a mother and daughter under the joint penname of P.J. Tracy.

Those familiar with the series, which began with Monkeewrench and proceeded through Live Bait, Dead Run and Snow Blind, will be happy to learn that there’s a new one, the first since 2006. Because the first three thrillers about this group of computer hackers came out at roughly yearly intervals, I was afraid that Tracy had taken the series as far as she intended. Fortunately, though, Grace McBride, Harley Davidson, Roadrunner and Annie Belinsky are still at it, with all the usual hangers-on and sidekicks who are becoming more three-dimensional with each new book. A new and interesting character, FBI agent John Smith, joins the team this time around, as the man who has brought them a problem that only their computer skills are likely to solve.

Fans of television crime shows will not be shocked at the premise of this thriller (which, by the way, has absolutely nothing to do with the title so far as I can tell – one of my pet peeves about this genre). Murderers are posting films of their crimes on YouTube. Worse, they are sending out posts in advance of their crimes that basically state where they will take place in a sort of code intended to clue in other afficianados of snuff films. Monkeewrench’s first task is to give the FBI a way to differentiate films of actual murders from those of staged playacting, but its role soon grows to decoding messages and otherwise playing an integral role in solving the crime.

The biggest difference between this novel and the three other Monkeewrench thrillers I’ve read (I’ve yet to get to Snow Blind) is that this time none of the Monkeewrench gang is in any direct peril. That is a sensible move on Tracy’s part – it wouldn’t be realistic to have this group of relatively nice folks under constant attack – but it does tend to ratchet down the suspense, even as the reader is waiting to see whether a particular murder has been forestalled.

As is my practice when reviewing thrillers, I’m not going to tell you anything else about the book, because that would ruin it for you. I advise you to not even read the jacket copy. Just know that Tracy still rises above the mass of thriller writers to give her readers something unique and fun to read. Throw this in your suitcase for your summer beach vacation.