Monkeewrench is the first novel written by p. j. tracy, the pen name of the mother/daughter duo, P. J. Lambrecht and Traci Lambrecht.

The title refers to a software company, Monkeewrench, which is owned by a group of eccentric people with mysterious pasts.  They create computer games featuring unusual murder scenarios.  The tension begins when it is discovered that someone is copying the gamesâ murders down to the smallest detail.  The first three murders take place in quick succession, and since there are a total of twenty games, the fear is that there will be twenty victims.

The group willingly assists the local Minneapolis detectives in solving the real-life murders.  The detectives, Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, are quirky in their own right and their interaction lends humorous relief to the intensity of the murder investigation.

The plot took many twists and turns and I was completely caught by surprise when the identity of the killer was revealed.  I would thoroughly recommend the book to anyone, not just murder mystery fans.

This mother/daughter team has also a second novel, Live Bait, which was not quite up to the level of Monkeewrench, but still an excellent read.