The Deepest Cut: A Novel
By (Author) P. J. Tracy
Crooked Lane Books
Crooked Lane Books
14th October 2025
9th September 2025
United States
General
Fiction
Hardback
320
Width 139mm, Height 209mm
The Monkeewrench team is back in a brand-new nail-biting thriller from New York Times bestselling author P. J. Tracy. The Monkeewrench team is back in a brand-new nail-biting thriller from New York Times bestselling author P. J. Tracy. Minneapolis homicide detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth arrest a sadistic pair of killers for the murder of several women with the help of Monkeewrench, their eccentric, cyber-sleuth friends and partners. One of the killers dies in custody and the other, Wolfgang Mauer, is sent to a maximum security mental hospital in a rural corner of Minnesota. There, Mauer plots his escape-and his vengeance. With the help of his mother, a former militia leader and assassin living an extravagant, reclusive life, he schemes to get out of the mental hospital and hunt down the detectives and the Monkeewrench crew that got him a life sentence. When Mauer successfully escapes, an inexperienced county sheriff is thrown head-first into a massive manhunt for the murderer. When she finds three bodies and discovers that Mauer has kidnapped a young boy, she realizes that Mauer's escape was just the beginning. With many lives on the line, Magozzi, Gino, and Monkeewrench join in the desperate search effort. The longer he's at large, the more people will die, and Mauer is on a mission to find those who sentenced him, so they all have targets on their backs.
Praise for the Monkeewrench series:
"Likable characters and a complex, well-crafted plot. Tracy fans will be well satisfied."
Publishers Weekly, on Ice Cold Heart
"The seriesmight have reached double digits, but its showing no signs of falling into a rut. More, please."
Booklist, on Ice Cold Heart
"Intense and fast paced...[Ice Cold Heart] includes the best elements for crime fiction readers: an intricate plot weaving multiple story lines."
Library Journal, starred review
"Interesting and fast-moving...Ice Cold Heart is sure to give you chills as the suspense ramps up, no matter the season."
BookTrib on Ice Cold Heart
Youll be hooked until the last page."
BookReporter on Ice Cold Heart
"Fast, fresh, funny and outrageously suspenseful."
Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A killer read in every way...Thriller fans will go ape."
People (Critic's Choice) on Monkeewrench
"An engrossing read. Those who havent found the pleasure of stories involving the Monkeewrench gang can easily jump-start."
AP News
"Icicle-sharp."
Entertainment Weekly on Snow Blind
"A suspenseful fast-paced story you can't wait to finish....Once you begin, you won't stop until the last page, it's that compelling."
Catherine Coulter, New York Times bestselling author of the FBI Thrillers on The Guilty Dead
"The stakes are higher, and nothing is as it seems. This is Tracy at her gritty, elegant best. Do not miss it."
J. T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Lie to Me
"I have been a fan of P. J. Tracys Monkeewrench series from the first book. Dark, twisty, suspensefuleverything I love in a mystery."
Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of the Lucy Kincaid series
"The banter is witty, the characters quirky, the plot action-packed."
Minneapolis Star Tribune, Summer Reads Pick on Nothing Stays Buried
P. J. Tracy was the pseudonym of mother-daughter writing team P. J. and Traci Lambrecht. Traci spent most of her childhood riding and showing horses. She graduated with a Russian studies major from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she also studied voice. Her aspirations of becoming a spy were dashed when the Cold War ended, so she began writing to finance her annoying habits of travel and singing in rock bands. Much to her mother's relief, she finally realized that the written word was her true calling. They had a long, prolific career together in multiple genres before P. J.'s passing in December 2016. Traci continues to write.