Blow Down (The Plumber's Mate Mysteries #4)

Title:
Blow Down (The Plumber's Mate Mysteries Book 4)
Author: JL Merrow
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: March 24, 2018 (Second Edition)
Genre(s): Mystery / Suspense
Page Count: 174
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

In this fourth book in the Plumber's Mate series, life goes on for the whole gang. Newly engaged Tom and Phil ponder the big issues - where will they live, will they hyphenate their surnames, should Tom invite his newly-found sire to the wedding, how can they convince Gary and Darren they are most definitely not interested in a foursome - while Cherry and the very (loud) Reverend Greg continue to plan their upcoming nuptials, Dave and Jen are awaiting the birth of their little sprog and Gary indulges Darren's love of Morris dancing with the St. Leonard's Stompers ... all four foot nine of him, done up in whites and bells and those funny-coloured tassel things they wear, and with a straw hat on top. [...] “Doesn’t he just look so virile?” Gary gushed.


The murder plot involves the thoroughly despised Amelia Fenchurch-Majors and a missing necklace and as usual the suspects are numerous with plenty of red herrings that will keep you guessing until the very end. However, I felt the murder /mystery element was a bit too ragged with too many tangents that never got adequately developed. It didn't hold my interest as intensely as the mystery in Relief Valve (Book 2 in the series) and the plot felt a bit more bogged down than in previous books.

While Phil continues to be a bit of an unknown, Phil and Tom's relationship continues to deepen and grow stronger and I love how they have overcome their rocky start and are settling into an easy domesticity. We get a few more hints into Phil's past, including more details about the mysterious Mark, and while the ending is ...... nice, I firmly believe there are a few more book(s) in the Plumber's Mate series coming down the pike. After all, we are awaiting the rebuilding of the Devil's Dyke and need to know if Cherry's wedding go off without a hitch, will Greg become the top God-Botherer, will Darren and Gary finally give up on that foursome, and what sort of mangled / strangled / stabbed / beheaded corpse will Tom next discover?

No comments:

Post a Comment