Ice Cold Heart: A Monkeewrench Novel

Anthony Award winner Tracy’s enjoyable 10th Monkeewrench novel (after 2018’s The Guilty Dead) finds Minneapolis police detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth called to a particularly gruesome crime scene, where housewife Kelly Ramage has been bound, tortured, and asphyxiated. The victim was last seen alive at an exclusive art gallery featuring a controversial exhibition of images that Magozzi considers “glorified porn”; this leads him to wonder whether the art might be a catalyst for murder. Meanwhile, Grace McBride, Magozzi’s wife, and her partners at Monkeewrench Software are reworking the security platform for Bit Monster, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, which has recently been hit with a cyberattack that cost the exchange nearly $400 million. Another horrific death leads the detectives to believe they’re looking for a serial killer. Magozzi turns to the Monkeewrench crew for help following the killer’s online trail. Evidence emerges that suggests a link between the cyber theft and the murders. This smooth mix of police procedural and techno thriller offers likable characters and a complex, well-crafted plot. Tracy fans will be well satisfied. [em]Agent: Ellen Geiger, Frances Goldin Literary. (Sept.) [/em]