Author: JL Merrow
Release date: July 12,
2016
ISBN: 9781619234611
Length: 249 pages
Series: The Plumber's Mate Mysteries
Blurb:
Death is what happens when you're making
other plans.
The last thing newly engaged plumber Tom Paretski needs is to stumble
over another dead body. He's got enough on his mind already as the
reality of his impending marriage sinks in. Not only is his family situation
complicated, his heroism at a pub fire made him a local celebrity. Now
everyone and their uncle wants a piece of his psychic talents. Hired to
find a missing necklace, Tom and his fiance, private investigator Phil
Morrison, wind up trying to unmask a killer - and there's no shortage of
suspects, up to and including the local bishop himself. As Tom and Phil
try to uncover the truth, they find themselves pulled in all different
directions by the conflicting pressures of their families and their own
desires. But the murderer they're up against is a ruthless schemer who
won't hesitate to kill again. If Tom and Phil aren't careful, their love
- and all their plans for the future - could be blown down like a house of
straw.
Warning: Contains a bishop of questionable Christian charity, a necklace
of questionable taste, and a plumber of questionable nationality who may be
running out of time.
My thoughts:
I’d completely
forgotten how much I love reading mysteries. Well, good mysteries that is.
English village style mysteries. Mysteries inhabited by CHARACTERS. And ‘Blow Down’ was the perfect book to
remind me. I had a ball reading this story.
I have to make
a confession first; I didn’t actually read the first three books in this
series. Yes, I’m asking myself ‘why the hell not?’ too, but that doesn’t change
the fact that I read this book without any knowledge as to what had happened
previously. And it didn’t matter. Of course I can’t judge whether or not I
would have enjoyed this book (even) more if I had read the three preceding
titles, but I do know that I never felt lost in this book. Not once did I
wonder what something or somebody was referring to, or whether I was missing
something. The book provides enough background information for the uninitiated
to be fully emerged in the story, without ever dumping said information on the
reader.
Tom and Phil
are fabulous characters. I want to be their mate and wouldn’t mind going for a
pint with them—even if I’m not much of a beer drinker. I loved them as
individuals and I loved them together. They’re gruff; more inclined to slag
each other off than to be lovey-dovey. And like typical men, they’re
disinclined to talk, leading to huge statements being made in the form of
abrupt outbursts. All of which, of course, only served to make those moments
when they do allow the mask to slip and their feelings to shine through, all
the more touching.
The mystery in
this book was good. It is what I would consider to be a ‘typical’ English
village mystery with a limited cast of all too likely suspects, most if not all
of whom have something to hide—be it murder or something else. I’ve read many
mysteries in my life and one of the reasons I started reading other genres is
because I got too good at guessing the culprit. A mystery just isn’t as much
fun when you know who ‘done’ it as soon as the character is introduced. I was
delighted when the revelation of who the murderer was, surprised me and yet
made perfect sense.
And then the
humour... I can’t remember the last time I laughed as much or as loudly while
reading a book. In fact, I laughed out loud so much my poor husband went from
bemused to somewhat worried. But then I made him read the following passage
and, well, he laughed:
“Rugby, now…
Well, it’s just a bunch of big bastards getting up close and personal with each
other, innit? Sort of like wrestling, only not faked, with intervals of some
bloke built like an armoured car grabbing the ball and legging it, trying to
make it to the other side of the pitch before fifteen other blokes, some of
who’re built like Chieftain bloody tanks, throw themselves on top of him.”
Oh, and did I
mention this is the most English of stories?
Long review
short: I loved this book. An interesting and well plotted mystery, combined
with great characters, a charming couple, and laugh out loud humour made what
for me is pretty much a perfect read.
Author Bio:
JL Merrow is
that rare beast, and English person who refuses to drink tea. She read
Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst
which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one
regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst
holding a glass of champagne.
She writes
across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and and
mysteries, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novel Slam! won the 2013
Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy and her novella Muscling Through and novel Relief Valve were both EPIC Awards Finalists.
JL Merrow is a
member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, International Thriller Writers,
Verulam Writers' Circle and the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.
Find JL Merrow online at www.jlmerrow.com, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jl.merrow
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