Review: Pressure Head by JL Merrow

Title: Pressure Head (Plumber’s Mate Mysteries: Book One)

Author: JL Merrow

Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Length:  256 Pages

Category: Contemporary, Mystery

At a Glance: A cozy little mystery wrapped in an amazingly humorous and intriguing little package. I can’t begin to even explain how much I love this book.

Reviewed By: Lindsey

Blurb: Some things are better left hidden.

Tom Paretski’s not just a plumber with a dodgy hip courtesy of a schoolboy accident. He also has a sixth sense for finding hidden things. Called in by the police to help locate a body near Brock’s Hollow, he’s staggered to encounter Phil Morrison, his old school crush–and the closeted bully whose actions contributed to Tom’s accident.

Phil’s all grown up now, and Tom’s unwilling attraction to him is back with a vengeance. Phil’s now openly gay—and what’s more, he’s interested in Tom’s personal charms as well as his psychic talents. As a private investigator called in by the dead woman’s parents, Phil is sceptical about Tom’s unusual gift, but nevertheless quick to spot its potential to aid him in his work.

The further they go with the investigation, the less they can ignore their shared past, and the more the pressure and the heat build between them. But Tom isn’t certain he wants to know the secrets he’s helping to uncover, while there’s a murderer on the loose who won’t hesitate to kill again—and this uneasy couple is moving right into his sights.

Publisher’s note: This is lightly edited reprint of a previously published novel

Review: I’ll say upfront I read this story years ago when it was previously published. It’s been close to five years or more, and honestly, my memory faded quite a bit as to everything that happened—not because the story itself wasn’t memorable but because shortly after this one came out a lot happened in my life, and, unfortunately, a lot of books I read before that time were kind of pushed back in favor of dealing with my new normal. When I saw it was up and being republished, I immediately snapped it up because though I couldn’t remember everything that happened, what I did remember was absolutely loving it. I am so glad I did, because reading this one again was such an absolute pleasure for me in reexperiencing the wonderfully crafted tale.

How much do I love this book? Let me count the ways….

The plot. How amazing is it to have a plumber by trade who has this knack for finding things; a gift of divination, if you will? Utterly brilliant. Or at least the way this carefully crafted tale is delivered. Mind you, they aren’t usually lost things. They are hidden things. And water. And sometimes people. Tom can sense secrets people don’t want others to find or know about, and in his unique case, water, which makes him a pretty fabulous plumber to have come around. Mostly what he senses is more or less harmless. Water leaks (of course), porn stashes, expensive jewelry, love letters… But sometimes his gift can be used under more dire circumstances. Like finding dead bodies. In this case, after his pal in the police requests his services in finding a dead body, Tom’s path ends up converging with Phil’s—Tom’s former bully and a now out-and-proud, gorgeous private investigator who thinks Tom’s particular talent can help him track down the murderer and, in turn, save Phil’s friend from falsely taking the fall.

Tom has got to be one of my favorite characters. He is perfectly fashioned and, in my opinion, an amazing choice in narration. He carries the story with his keen observations wrapped in witty humor and life experiences. He’s relatable and an average guy (mostly), with a peculiar gift. People can’t help but be drawn to his outgoing personality and charm. I love how he is so expressive with his emotions. He is quirky, endearing, and intelligent, though not in a bookish or educational sense. He has great logic and instincts and is an observer of the human character.

Now, a wee bit about Phil, a source of both angst and passion to Tom. He is far more subdued, and his emotions are often hard to read, often keeping himself wrapped in a blank mask, only allowing bits and pieces of emotion to leak through. Generally, when he does reveal something, it is expressed in anger, though it’s clear more is going on underneath. The waiting for it to finally reach its breaking point was oh-so-sweet torture. He is not as developed as Tom, but as this is the beginning of a series, this is not altogether unexpected. We get just enough to be intrigued by what happens next with him.

What about the romance? Tom and Phil’s past and current interactions together create a wonderful push and pull, and keeps you wondering when and what will finally give the final push to make them both face their feelings. Their attraction is vivid but mixed with so many other emotions to wade through: guilt, doubt, anger, suspicion, and sadness. They share humor, but it is often tinged with uncertainty as they try to navigate their history and truly see who they are in the present. What I found so amazing is that despite the slow-burn and romance being a main plot point, somehow it didn’t detract the focus from the mystery, yet it didn’t take a backseat either. It’s expertly woven in with just the right amount of tension, and producing a fantastically balanced romantic suspense, but don’t expect a ton of sexy times. This is just their beginning, and they have a lot of crap to get through before they finally give in to that attraction, which is something this particular reader is all for, especially when I know there are more books in a series to explore the relationship.

As for the mystery—top notch delivery.  So many possibilities are thrown out there that it was difficult to make my own theories on who was the actual murderer. This was seriously imaginative, and I truly enjoyed following the two as they ran around trying to uncover the truth through what was hidden for the people in Melanie Porter’s life. The amount of shenanigans Tom gets himself into trying to sneak around and find what hidden truths, and what to do when things went awry, keeps things interesting and gives it an almost believable feel. Tom has no idea what he is doing, is clearly uncomfortable poking his nose around people’s houses and searching for their shame, and is completely hysterical in his thoughts. Reading Tom think on his feet, and make excuses, and explain his odd behavior had me cracking up constantly.

If you couldn’t already tell, I loved this entire story to pieces. Pressure Head is a cozy little mystery wrapped in an amazingly humorous and intriguing little package, and is highly recommended!

You can buy Pressure Head here:
[zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2DIqMp3″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Riptide Publishing [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2DHI5Xc” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Barnes & Noble [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/pressure-head/id1322533971?mt=11″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iBooks [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2DHhNUX” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Kobo [/zilla_button]