The fifth entry in the Monkeewrench series of crime novels, Shoot to Thrill gathers all the usual characters and has them investigating an unusual series of murders. These murders are announced in advance on the internet and then actual filmed footage of the crime is posted afterwards. Of course the perpetrators are ensuring that these messages are untraceable but the geniuses at Monkeewrench are working hard at discovering their identity.

We are introduced to a newcomer to the series, FBI agent John Smith, who actually hits it off with the Monkeewrench crew and with Grace in particular. In fact, at the end of the book, John and Grace make a big change to their lives, which will certainly impact the next book. Detectives Magozzi and Rolseth are in fine form and there is plenty of high tech puzzles for the Monkeewrench crew to work on, but for me this was probably my least favorite book of the series so far. As there are still plenty of Monkeewrench novels to come, I am hopeful that the mother/daughter team will bring the series back to it’s excellent level with the next book. ( )

4.5 Stars

Another good mystery filled with twists and turns. Great to see the Monkeewench crew back in the thick of it! ( )

The last couple of books in this series haven’t been my favorites. A few reviewers have complained of no character growth in this one, and I think that’s fair. The dialogue was kind of corny, and a few overgeneralizations about the sexes got under my skin. Also, I missed Sheriff Halloran and the other Wisconsin folks. I hope they’ll be back in future books.
I liked the introduction of FBI agent John Smith and how the Monkeewrench crew absorbed him into their group. It will be fun if he becomes a recurring character.
I didn’t see the twist coming at the end—I really should have—but I do enjoy being surprised, so that’s in the book’s favor too.
I’m not ready to quit this series, but I am ready for a break. I think good things may still be to come, so I’ll be back, eventually, for the next. ( )

I think the series gets better with each book, but maybe that's just because I'm getting to know the characters better. This book is basically more of the same, in many ways, but I thought it had a bit more humor. The story was interesting but nothing exceptional but the characters were more interesting to make up for it.

There was a new character, an FBI agent named John Smith, who started out being much like Joe Friday in Dragnet - very straight, no sense of humor, etc. But he turned out to be a good addition to the group. And, as usual, Gino Rolseth, one of the Minneapolis cops, added a lot of goofy humor.

Fortunately, I have the next book ready to read, so I'll go right into it while the characters are fresh in my mind. ( )

When something like "A Monkeewrench Novel" is written on the cover, you know right away that you're dealing with a series. Monkeewrench Software are former computer hackers who now specializes in writing security software. Their headquarters are in Minneapolis but they don't seem to know Lucas Davenport. In this story, they get involved in helping the FBI track down what might be a series of murders which are filmed and put on the Internet. This was a pretty good read. I don't think I'm going to track down the back catalog but I'll read the next book in the series, if there is one. ( )