So many layers in this story. They all make it so interesting. Sam is trying to help Mel while trying to help himself. He probably needs more help, but his friendship with Mel means a lot to him. Sma has lost a lot and continues to lose more, but he remains a good kind caring man. He continues to help and stabd by Mel. I'd love for this story to continue to see how Mel and Sam continue after all their loss. As friends or maybe lovers they seem to be people who truly care about each other.

Another well done thriller with an intricate plot and unusual characters. The author’s depiction of ptsd and of a woman who believeS herself to be a victimized without courage.
The strength of character and mental strength needed by them to make it through and conquer the hunt for a serial killer and an obsessed stalker is slowly revealed to themselves.
Wild ride from frightening to tense to sweet to ‘oh my God’ Worth your time
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc

I’m a long time Monkeewrench fan so when I found out there was a new series coming I was super excited.

Sam Easton is a Veteran with PSTD figuring out how to get his life back.

But dreams like this one weren’t memories, they were ghoulish, torturous mosaics of guilt and fear, sorrow and regret.

Melody Traeger was semi famous but started over for her own sanity.

Sam and Melody are the main focus of this crazy crime thriller.

A different direction for this author than past books Nothing wrong with that just a change. Not as much suspense as before but still a good adventure.

I received a free copy of Deep Into the Dark by P.J. Tracy in return for an honest review.
“ Deep Into the Dark” is a good title for this murder thriller which dives deeply into various Dark areas. The dark side of Hollywood‘S movie and tv business where promoters will promise anything to anyone to hit the big time. The dark, sleazy , dangerous streets of L.A. where a serial killer is doing his or her best to emulate Jack the Ripper by eviscerating hookers in crummy motel rooms. The darkness in a human mind. In fact there is nothing at all to lighten the narrative. Even whatever romance there is, and there is little , is smudged.
The main character is Sam, a vet who was severely wounded in the Afghan by an IED which killed everyone in his squad but him, leaving him with horrible facial burn scars and brain damage. The lingering severe headaches are bad enough, but Sam suffers blackouts, nightmares and sees visions that show how a complete stranger will die. Troubled hardly describes Sam.
He does hold a job in a bar stocking, prepping and cleaning . Also working there is Mel ( Melody) waitress/ bartender. A former druggie, sex-worker , she tries hard to be straight, in an atmosphere where everyone is on the make. At the beginning of the book, Mel is involved with a hustler type of movie “ developer” . A smooth talking, handsome stud who wants to be In the big time, he had a cocaine habit and a bad habit of slapping around women. He is murdered and the. The cops suspect Mel, and wonder if Sam, in one of his blackout periods might have killed.
The author has a florid writing style that tends to being melodramatic, even manic. I guess that befits his characters and milieu, and It does not help that scenes and characters often change within a chapter, without the usual line break or double space, so that I lost track of events for a bit.
The deeper into the book I went , I thought that he author was trying too hard for shock value even as he seem to load the plot down with dramatic flourishes. Moreover, there seemed to be too many things going on: the serial killer, the personal problems of one of the cops, a doper who wants to make a true crime movie about a crime yet to happen.
Summary: dark, confused, and needed a strong editor.

An enjoyable read. As much as I like the Monkee Wrench crew, it's nice to have a different environment. I did find the use of larger vocabulary, especially at the beginning, to be unnecessary and believe that in one or two instances, may have been used incorrectly.

All that being said, I have read all of the books by the author (and I'm sorry for the loss suffered) and do look forward to more stand alone reads, as well as more featuring the Monkee Wrench crew.

P.J. Tracy Has Upped Their Game!
maryg03

Sam has a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. Melanie has war wounds of her own. These friends have another thing in common--a stalker who is killing people close to them. Is he closing in on them as well?

Deep in the Dark is the mother-daughter team of P.J. Tracy at their best. The main characters are compelling and the multiple, complex plot lines are balanced beautifully. As a reader, I was engaged, absorbed, but never confused. While the resolution of the two main story threads did not come as a surprise, it was nontheless satisfying. I hope we will be seeing these characters again.

I was an early reader of the Monkeywrench series but confess that I had lost track of it. After reading this book, I can't wait to read the entire series.

This was not at all what I was expecting. I loved the Monkeewrench series so I was excited to be approved for the newest book. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this newest one by P.J. Tracy. This one just didn't grab me at all. Nothing against the writing style or author ... the story and the characters didn't grab me from the beginning.

I gave it three stars because there is nothing wrong with the writing style, the flow of the story, or the character development, I just didn't care for the story itself.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartins press for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book
I enjoyed this one it was fast paced and I felt like it had engaging characters and good plot

I love The Monkeywrench series. This is the first book in a new series by one of the authors of that series.

Sam Easton is an Afghanistan vet whose life is in ruins. He has severe PTSD, his wife left him and he's struggling to survive. He works in a bar and one day one of his co-workers shows up with bruises inflicted by her boyfriend. The boyfriend turns up dead and Sam is the suspect. Margaret Dolan is the LAPD detective assigned to the case. She lost her brother in war and has sympathy for Sam and his plight. When another shocking murder happens, the case becomes more complicated.

It's a good book. I was missing some of the humor that was in the Monkeywrench series but it was enjoyable and I'll read the next in the series.

Sadly this one didnt' do it for me. I was excited to get started, but very early on I felt lost. the characters really didn't hold my attention and the storyline wasn't so good it kept my interest. as I pushed through hoping for some redeeming characters, it just never happened. The overall writing is good and the author is well versed, just didn't hook me.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I have been a fan of PJ Tracy books for years. Sam Elston is separated from his wife who was murdered. Of course Sam is th3 obvious suspect. This book was well written and kept my attention from beginning to end.

A good read! It is a mystery involving a couple of friends who work together. Sam is a war veteran suffering from PTSD and Mel a former musician with lifestyle issues. As the story unfolds and they become murder suspects they must solve the crime themselves in order to move forward in their lives.

Hmmm... As a big fan of Monkeewrench series, I may honestly say that I was expecting something more earth shattering, mind blowing from the author !

It was still a great start with complex storyline and relatable, well-developed, layered, interesting characters and action packed, moving, balanced pace writing. So you need to start this series without comparing it with previous works of the author for not being disappointed or raise the bar of your higher expectations.

We’re introduced two new characters in this book. Sam Easton,a veteran, survivor, returned back from Afghanistan to have a fresh start, divorced, bartender, joining to therapy sessions, still fighting with his past demons, carrying both psychical and mental scars.

LAPD detective Margaret Nolan also has dramatic past and invisible scars, taking a murder case and prime suspect is Sam who might have murdered his close friend Melody’s boyfriend because he was abusing her and Melody needed his help.

Margaret also lost her brother at overseas so she can easily relate with Sam and from the beginning she never thinks he is the killer. Then another murder case occurs at the other side of the town, changing the direction of investigation.

After I read the blurb, I thought this book was about Sam and Margaret but Sam and Melody who conduct their own investigation together to clear their names and find the real killer of the abusive boyfriend stole the show.

Thankfully I liked both of the characters from the beginning so I enjoyed to read their heart throbbing, intriguing, twisty adventure.

This is not the best beginning book of new series but it has still promising potential. I still want to give a chance to the upcoming books.
The killer’s identity was so obvious from the beginning which bothered me a little but character and story development, pacing were still well-crafted.

So I cut some points and rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 brand new mystery/ crime thriller series stars!

Fingers crossed. I hope the next book will be so much better!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minatour Books for sharing this exciting arc with me in exchange my honest review.

New York Times bestseller P. J. Tracy returns with Deep into the Dark, a brand new series set in LA and featuring up-and-coming LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan and murder suspect Sam Easton. I have been a fan of this authors Monkeewrench series set in Minnesota for years and had no doubt this book would be just as entertaining. There is less humor...this is a serious mystery with some serious characters and a suspenseful plot from page one. This new book did not disappoint and I am hoping for more of these characters in the future. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I was apprehensive when I realized this was a new series for P.J. Tracy. Wow!!! Was I surprised. Fast paced mystery. Loved the new characters and can't wait for the next in the series. A solid 5 stars in my book.

This is the first book in a new series written by the daughter after the passing of her mother, the other half of the writing team for the Monkeewrench series.
Sam Easton is a veteran suffering from PTSD, hallucinations/visions and memory gaps. Recently separated from his wife, working at a bar and attending therapy sessions are the way he spends his days.
Sam offers shelter to a fellow coworker Melody after she was beaten by her boyfriend. When the boyfriend is murdered, Sam becomes a suspect. As the detectives investigate the murder, Sam is tied to another murder.
I really liked Sam who was doing his best to heal and move on.

At first I was sad that this was not a Monkeywrench book, but once you get into it, the characters are great, and this is a new exciting series! At least I hope it's the beginning of a new series. Very hard to put down, even though I knew or suspected the whodunits, you still couldn't put it down until the very end. Great book, great story, great characters, what's not to love? Highly recommend!!!

As a longtime fan of PJ Tracy's Monkeywrench series, I was eager to read their latest, a new series set in L.A. Like the Monkeywrench series, Deep into the Dark follows a pair of homicide detectives as well as the "damaged" individuals who are suspects in a series of murders. Bartender Melody Traeger is a recovered addict and abuse victim, barback Sam Easton is a vet suffering PTSD from his service in Afghanistan. When people close to them are killed, Melody and Sam are the top suspects on LAPD Detectives Nolan and Crawford's list, but the perspective the reader is given makes it hard to believe, so who did do it? Like the Monkeywrench series, the characters are well-written and draw you into the story, and the plot is fast-paced and keeps your interest.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC. I was so excited to read this because I loved the Monkeewrench books. I was also curious if a book just written by the daughter could live up to the previous books. The beginning of this book was slow-I felt like nothing was happening until about 50% through. But when the book got going it was really good. The ending was unexpected but exciting, even though for much of it the serial killer mystery didn't feel like the main focus. Thew actual ending puled it all together in a satisfying way! Will we see these characters again?

4.5 Stars

Oh, how I love Minotaur. This cover and title caught my eye, and I was thrilled to be approved for this title.

Sam, a veteran suffering from PTSD and possible hallucinations, and Melody, a former drug addict/rock star, are co-workers who are brought together by a series of unsettling developments. A serial killer is on the loose, and when both are connected to the victims, they have to find a way to not only prove their innocence, but also avoid a dangerous, psychopathic stalker.

There are subplots and layers--military conspiracy, detectives working homicide, a movie director--I didn't cover in my summary, but this is the main story that carries the rest. And for the most part, I really enjoyed this read.

I won't lie: it took me a bit to really bite into the first few chapters. I found the language to be pretentious and a overly condescending. It reminded me of Prodigal Son (which I found to be a hit dramatic and whiny for my personal taste). But I liked the serial killer focus, and pushed through. After that, there was a real groove, and I devoured the rest of the book in a single sitting.

Sam is a wonderful character; he steals the show, in my opinion. His voice is authentic and powerful, his back story is compelling, and he's got a great rapport with Melody. What brings him to the next level, however, is the examination of veteran support, PTSD, and mental illness. Sometimes in thrillers, the audience is set up to assume the worst of anyone suffering from a mental illness. It's something to be ashamed of, an automatic indicator of guilt, or a source of discrediting. Here, though, Sam's PTSD is presented as not only an important part of his character, but also a progressive fact. His family, friends, and co-workers know he has issues. He has a shrink who is supportive and open and recognizes crisis but doesn't associate it with guilt. The detectives aren't quick to blame him because of his stressors; instead, there is a distinction made between the two, a fact that raises an important awareness to how those who suffer from mental illness are treated. I loved the healthy dialogue surrounding his triggers and for that alone, I can't wait to read more of him.

Additionally, the plot is structured well and flows. Never a dull moment, there's enough action to carry this from point a to point b without feeling melodramatic or forced.

Overall, Deep into the Dark is an action-packed, energetic military-esque thriller that explores relevant issues with punches and heart. I think this will hit the sweet spot for many readers, and I'm putting this high on my list of books to read in 2021.

Big thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.