The Guilty Dead

A Monkeewrench Novel, Book 9

By: P. J. Tracy

Narrated by: Sarah Borges

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling author P. J. Tracy is back with the most addictive installment in her award-winning mystery series.

Dead men tell no tales...but their pasts can't keep a secret.

Gregory Norwood is Minnesota's most beloved philanthropist, and the story of his son's overdose was splashed across the front page of all the papers. When a photojournalist sets out to get a candid shot of the highly successful businessman on the one-year anniversary of his son's death, he's shocked to find Norwood dead with a smoking gun in his hand. The city is devastated, and Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are called in to handle the delicate case. It should be open and shut, but something is not right. Norwood's death is no suicide.

With no suspects and an increasing tangle of digital evidence that confounds the Minneapolis Police Department's most seasoned cops, Magozzi calls on Grace MacBride, Monkeewrench Software's founder and chief computer genius and the soon-to-be mother of their child together. She and her motley crew of partners begin to unravel connections between Norwood's death and an even larger plot. Norwood wasn't the first, won't be the last, and by the end, may be just one of many to die. The breakneck, high-stakes race to find his killer and save the lives of hundreds make P. J. Tracy's The Guilty Dead her most outstanding novel yet.

©2018 P. J. Tracy (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Who is this narrator?

I am an avid Audible subscriber and listen to books every day during my commute. I have also been a fan of PJ Tracy books since they first came out. This is the first time I've listened to one. What I want to know is who oversees the recording of narration? This narrator mispronounces too many words, intonation is wrong, etc. It was not much fun listening her. Next time I see Sarah Borges as a narrator, I'll skip the Audible version of the book.

Poor narrator

Someone should have spent some time coaching this narrator on vocabulary and pronunciation as used in this novel.
The mispronunciation of common computer terms is irksome and easily avoidable with editorial review.
Was this a matter of push to publish? No review? Whatever, it is not up to Monkeewrench par.

The Narrator Killed the Audio

If Video Killed the Radio, the Narrator Killed this Audible. I struggled through this as I have been a fan of the series since book one, but it was a struggle. I don't know if it was totally the narrator or a combination of a weakened plot. It just was a disappointment.

Good story, horrible narrator

I had to return this book. I couldn't stand the narrator. I guess I will have to read this one in paper form.

good story bad narrator

love these books but this narrator was awful. the bad Fargo accent was almost too bad to keep listening

Weak reader

There are soooo many mispronunciations throughout the book it’s quite annoying. The narrator’s voice isn’t bad but if you want to do this as a professional you should expand your vocabulary and learn to pronounce words correctly!!!

Addendum to my earlier somewhat negative review

At about 2/3 of the way through, the author hit her stride and the book became worthy of the earlier books in the series. Upgrading my rating to 4 but if I were just rate the story on the last 1/3, I would give it 5

Good Book

Good book but the narrator needs some work timing is all off and I don't think she understood the characters

Darker storyline than usual, difficulty getting into the story, plus the Audible version is awful.

I usually sail right through Monkeewrench books, but “The Guilty Dead” was a slog. I started with Audible, but too many mispronunciations and odd intonations annoyed, so I switched to Kindle. I recommend the Kindle version but not Audible book, with its unsatisfactory narrator.

The beginning starts smoothly, with murders in California, then switching to Minnesota, where a murder is disguised as suicide. The intricate mystery and police procedural are well-plotted, and although I correctly chose the primary villain, I kept reading for the motive.

OTOH, the Monkeewrench gang storyline was meh with too many coincidences. More, I was not expecting terrorism, which I’m not fond of reading about, even though it was intricately woven into the murder. I also had to really push to suspend disbelief that multiple murders and n act of terrorism were solved so quickly—less than 48 hours.

The Monkeewrench denouement with Grace, Magozzi and baby Elizabeth is heartwarming. The police procedural ending was unsatisfying due to several loose threads, which I cannot discuss without spoilers.

2.5 stars, bumped to 3 stars, because I liked the detectives’ storyline.

Another Monkeewrench Marvel

I got hooked on Monkeewrench from the very beginning, seemed I was always waiting for the next book. I always read books on tape/cds and now audio files, and the pandemic ended my reading commute. But with Audible on my iPhone, I think I’ve solved my problem. I liked the book—could have used more computer/Monkeewrench moments—and I love Grace finally happy. A good read/listen.