Monkey Wrench [Paperback]

Liza Cody (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996

When a murderer of prostitutes strikes close to home, Eva Wylie, also known as the London Lassassin, interrupts her training for the British women's wrestling championship to dole out her bare-knuckled brand of justice. Reprint. NYT. PW

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like Miss Marple and Lord Peter Wimsey, Eva Wylie, introduced in Bucket Nut, is a character of such convincing reality, it's hard to believe she doesn't exist somewhere. She also, like them, inhabits a fully believable world, but hers revolves around a gym?she's a villainous female wrestler?and two vicious watch dogs in the toughest part of London. Nicknamed the London Lassassin, the deeply moral Eva finds her personal code put to the test when the diminutive, monkey-faced Crystal, the closest thing to a friend Eva will allow herself, asks for help in finding and punishing her prostitute sister's killer. Eva reluctantly agrees?and ends up paying a high personal price. What propels this unconventional mystery (in which Cody's other series heroine, Anna Lee, briefly appears) is less the need to discover whodunit than the power of Eva's voice as she tells her story: menacing, barely in control of her rage, but also vulnerable, funny and on the side of the angels. The pace is breathless and jittery, much like the London Lassassin herself, who is a singular treasure.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Rough-and-tumble wrestler Eva Wylie, introduced in Bucket Nut (Doubleday, 1993), struts her attitudinal stuff around the tougher side of London. Having risen above her own humble beginnings and homelessness, Eva now divides her time between the gym and her night job, exhibiting an abrasive self-respect. Provoked by the murder of several of their number, a group of streetwalkers asks her for self-defense training, but she refuses until friend Crystal "changes" her mind. Eva's cockiness, coupled with a tough compassion and susceptibility to manipulation, generates an invigorating narrative that should please Cody's many fans.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Mysterious Pr. 96 (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446404578
• ISBN-13: 978-0446404570
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,089,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the author of the Anna Lee and Eva Wylie series of mysteries as well as the stand-alone novels Ballad of a Dead Nobody, Gimme More and Rift. Many of my short stories are collected in Lucky Dip and other stories. My website is www.LizaCody.com. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mysteries look different to a professional wrestler!, April 3, 1998

By 

Margaret Fiore - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monkey Wrench (Paperback)

The usually simple formula of a detective story has been hopelessly convoluted by dirty reality, and Eva Wylie's slightly twisted perception of it. I've never met a protagonist so ugly, tough, and stubborn, and she's female!

Eva's arms look a lot better than her face; the wrestling fans don't call her Bucket Nut (Bucket Head) for nothing. But underneath her hard-as-nails exterior, she's way more vulnerable than she wants to be. Eva ends up using her muscle and street know-how to try to even up the score in one of the oldest battles known to the city scene. Prostitutes in the area are getting brutally killed, and one of them happens to be the sister of her old sidekick, Crystal. Crystal wants justice for her sister, and she doesn't hesitate to manipulate Eva into helping out. Eva just wants peace - a few good workouts, a wild fight in the ring now and then, and hanging out with her junkyard dogs. But Crystal has the tenacity of a Monkey Wrench, and won't let her be until she feels her sister is avenged.

It's a non-stop ride through the seamiest streets of London, with the most unusual, nasty, oddly laughable and ultimately admirable heroine I've ever read. Go, Bucket Nut!!

5.0 out of 5 stars I was heartbroken to learn there are only 3 books in this series, December 3, 2008

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monkey Wrench (Paperback)

Although this book took a bit of getting into -- it's a very strong story told by a very strong main character in a "noir" style of speaking -- once I got into it, I loved it. I thought, "I'll have to read the rest of the series" (this is the second) and learned that there are only three in all. Author, please explain?

The main character, Eva, is a female wrestler in London. She's tough -- very tough -- and very independent. She has attitude and problems with authority. And underneath it all, she's a kind person, despite what she says about herself being so tough and not caring about others.

Eva gets involved with a bunch of streetwalkers. One of them has been beaten to death, and the victim's sister is an old acquaintance of Eva (Eva claims not to be friends with her). Eva agrees to teach them self-defense and more and more gets pulled into their lives.

This book doesn't really focus on "who done it" -- and the ending isn't neat and tidy, like most mysteries. But it's great writing with a strong central female character who is likable despite her extreme roughness and quick temper.

I look forward to reading the other two in the series and wish the author would revive this character.

5.0 out of 5 stars delightful contender!, August 1, 2005

By 

James Neville (Katy (Houston), TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monkey Wrench (Hardcover)

Just came across this and I'm going to read the next one in the series immediately! The other reviews explain this unique female lead and her environment. I like the book because it is quirky, consistent, a bit of an inspiration, and slyly humorous. Eva Wylie is a contender!