Review of Two Evils by P.J. Tracy

I wish I could say that I really enjoyed reading this novel but I felt the whole time I was missing something. The story begins with the escape of a 15 year old captive running away from the men who are holding her along with other younger Native girls. These girls vanished and it seemed no one cared and that is what's most heart breaking. Sadly the 15 year old was recaptured and killed by the faceless bad guys. Gino and Magozzi are on the trail and soon find that their case is also linked to a sudden assassination attempt by Somali terrorist. Grace, of Monkeewrench, kills the two terrorist who were going to assassinate John Smith. Soon they are running from an extreme group of have placed a jihad on Smith's head.

I wanted so badly to enjoy this book but I could never really get into it. I felt that I didn't know any of the characters at all and all the action seemed to be missing. There were conversations about the murders or terrorist plots but no real details. A lot of the characters made mistakes that only rookies would make. An ex-FBI agent would have to assume that if someone can hack into his computer they can also track a vehicle. And then the book just seemed to end. Overall, the Monkeewrench series is pretty popular so it pains me to be unable to endorse this but only readers who have been with this group from the beginning can truely enjoy this novel. I suspect their fanbase will enjoy this novel but I, personally, could not. **

Too Evil or Two Evils?

I must be honest, I am not being sucked into this book the way that I thought I would be. The mother/daughter duo are pretty well known and the Monkeewrench series has sold millions of copies. For the life of me I can't yet understand why. Don't get me wrong, the writing is good, the situations are fast paced, but I feel like I'm missing something. I'm only 40% in and but I don't feel much connections yet. Connections to anyone or anything. The only connection I had was the teen who tried to escape captivity only to be killed off in the first few pages. I understand her death was necessary to keep the story moving but Magozzi and Gino are not cutting it for me. This is probably what I get for starting a series so late in the game. This is my own fault...

Two Evils by P.J. Tracy

I am performing one of my cardinal sins and against my better judgement by starting Two Evils by P.J. Tracy. It is book 6 in the Monkeewrench series. Usually I hate starting so far into a series but the last time I did it, I was happy. The Sound of Broken Glass by Debbie Crombie turned out to be a really good book and didn't seem to spoil books from earlier written. Sometimes an author is gracious enough to realize not everyone knows their book is part of a series especially when the average person goes into a grocery store and sees bestselling author and a back cover that beckons their attention. The authors who know all about this person, makes it easy for said person to pick up the book where ever they discover it. No matter if it's the 1st in the series or 15th.

Synopsis: When a missing teenage girl is found dead in a parking lot, her throat slashed, it's only the beginning. The discovery leads police directly to the bodies of two young immigrants killed in their run down apartment. The next morning three more men are found dead in the street nearby. Welcome to summer in the city. None of it makes any sense. But as Minneapolis Police Department homicide detectives Gino and Magozzi struggle to establish what's happened, they realise that the deaths may not be as random as they first appear. Nor, it seems, were they simply an isolated, freak twenty-four hours of violence in the Twin Cities. As the killings continue, Gino and Magozzi turn to maverick computer analyst Grace McBride for help. But Grace's contribution to the investigation depends on her staying alive long enough to provide it. And as the evidence mounts, piece by piece, it reveals terrifying intent. Ultimately, it forces the two detectives to make a dreadful choice: down which path does the lesser of two evils lie..."