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DEAD RUN
by P. J. Tracy
Putnam, April 2005
336 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0399152466


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Reading P J Tracy's DEAD RUN is a bit like being at one of those parties where everyone knows everyone else. They're all perfectly friendly, of course, but you end up standing at the side, smiling and nodding and enjoying the chat, but wondering what else you're missing.

It's the third in the series after MONKEEWRENCH (renamed WANT TO PLAY? in the UK by some idiot) and LIVE BAIT. And on this evidence it's a series best read in order. I'm not anally-retentive about reading series chronologically -- I read Peter Robinson and Stuart Pawson's books pretty much back to front, so to speak -- but I was at sea for chunks of DEAD RUN.

While I enjoyed the book, I couldn't help wishing there had been at least some recap for those joining the adventure late, not least so I could work out how the characters had arrived at where they are now. I suppose it raises the question of how much filling in there should be in books for late-comers.

Ah yes, the characters. DEAD RUN has a cast of thousands, and even towards the end of the book I still wasn't sure I could tell my sheriffs from my police from my FBI. And, to add to the confusion, half of them seem to want to disappear off into the sunset with someone else from the rag-bag and bobtail collection.

The plot's not much new, but it's certainly a page-turner. Grace MacBride and Annie Belinksy from Monkeewrench, and their friend deputy sheriff Sharon Mueller, are travelling through Minnesota to take some special software to a police force. On the way there, their car breaks down and they trek through woods to what turns out to be a ghost-town. But why the heck are the military trying to kill them?

It all turns into a '45 seconds to save the universe' sort of finale. But getting there is entertaining, and the dialogue zips along very acceptably. And, thank heavens, it's one of those books where mobile phones can't save the day, even if the Monkeewrench crew careering round the mid-West in a super-sized bus seems a tad unlikely.

The snag with having so many main characters (and a rather laissez-faire attitude to point of view) is that getting to know them is a struggle. Grace appears to be superwoman, Sharon has a traumatic childhood dragging her down, and Annie . . . well, we're told several dozen times that she's a large woman. Yes, thanks, I think we get the picture -- and wow, big women can be relied on in a crisis.

When are writers ever going to grasp the concept that no, it isn't necessary to have a catwalk-perfect heroine who runs 20 miles before breakfast. and survives on crispbread and fresh air? Annie's a great character and the one I'd choose to have fighting my corner anytime over actually rather boring ice queen Grace and twitchy Sharon.

PJ Tracy is mother and daughter partnership PJ and Traci Lambrecht (I always get them mixed up with PJ Parrish, who are sisters). They're a great writing partnership, and if you've enjoyed the earlier books in the series, you're sure to enjoy DEAD RUN. I shall be going back to read MONKEEWRENCH to fill in the gaps.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, May 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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