Lock Nut by J. L. Merrow
Review by Lauren
source: copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: Read it on Goodreads if you’re okay with some slight spoilers!
Review: If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile now, then I know that I love the Plumber’s Mate Mysteries series and Lock Nut is number 5. I do think these books are best read in order. Each one focuses on a new, complete mystery, but at the same time, you get to know more about some of the characters as you read the books – especially main characters, Tom and Phil, who are in a relationship. I love seeing their relationship grow and change through the books, which made it seem really realistic. As for the mysteries, Phil is a private investigator and Tom has a “power” of sorts that lets him feel the emotions of a person who has deliberately hidden something; so, say that something is a body – it would probably have a really strong, bad feeling attached to it (and it would feel guilty if the person felt bad). This power comes in handy in each book to help solve various crimes, but it’s not necessarily something that Tom loves.
New book in a favorite series out today: Lock Nut by J.L. Merrow! #mmromance #bookbloggers Click To TweetAs the books progress, more and more people find out about this gift and they don’t always understand that he’s not a psychic in the “traditional” sense where he can see the future or find anything (it has to be deliberately hidden). Lock Nut’s mystery surrounds a guy who has most likely been murdered, and Tom was just seen the previous day chasing him around Camden Market in order to deliver a package. Therefore, many believe that Tom is involved…so Tom and Phil do get involved, but in order to find out who the real culprit was, and boy, did I not see this one coming! Maybe it will be obvious to some – I can never say – but I do think the motive will surprise many, and that’s just as interesting as the who, right?
One thing that I really loved about this book is all the mentions of Camden Market – where the deceased used to work – because this is somewhere that I actually visited when I went to London. It was nice to recognize the landscape and picture my time there. If you ever go to London, I recommend checking out Camden Market.
It looks like Lock Nut might be the final book in the series, but I’d really love to hear more about Tom and Phil and all their crazy adventures. I don’t usually care if I have a physical copy of most e-books that I read, but I honestly wish I had actual copies of this series that I could keep on my shelves. I might have to invest in those! Hopefully that will tell you just how much I enjoyed these books! Read them!
Now you have me very curious about these books. Great review and I am glad that you are enjoying this series.
About the only mystery series I was a pretty faithful reader of was the Goldy Bear series by Diane Mott Davidson, although I’m a book or two behind on it now. But I love following a series like that to get to see their family change, as well as the growth in any relationships. Great review!
Oh I am totally going to read this!
I love a great mystery series! I’ll have to check these out. Especially when they delve into the area they are in – helps you learn a lot about places that you wouldn’t normally hear about. Thanks for the review!
I actually know someone in real life with this “power”. It is a huge burden for them. Interesting take for a novel.
How fascinating! I’d imagine it would be a burden!!
This sounds like a fun read, I always enjoy mysteries with a supernatural twist!
You’ve been to London? How fun!! I would love to visit one day!
Yes! And I ACTUALLY plan to share posts about it starting in June.
Great to know that you are enjoying the series. I want to give it a look the next time I have a spare minute or two.
I always like it when a book references a place I’ve been to 🙂
This is new to me, but it sounds interesting! I like that it seems to put a different spin on physics and what their abilities are. I feel like I would need to read this to really understand what you’re saying!
L @ Do You Dog-ear?
I try and explain Tom’s powers in every review and it’s kind of tough! LOL Definitely recommend though.
Oh yes I remember seeing your reviews of the other ones and it’s great that it continues to be good!
This sounds like such an interesting mystery. I also love it when books are set in places that I’m familiar with. It really makes it so easy to visualize everything that’s happening.
Don’t you just love a series that’s consistently good, there doesn’t seem to be all that many around lately. I seen the first book pop up on my Goodreads feed the other day and didn’t recognise the cover. I’m not sure if they’re in the process of being redesigned but it looked awesome! Hopefully the series gets a second wind with the new covers and she churns out a few more. Awesome review Lauren, so glad you’ve enjoyed the series ♥♥♥
Thanks, Kelly! And yes, there are new covers for all of them – I think a new publisher released them which is how I’ve been reading/reviewing them. I really like the new covers, which are the ones in my reviews.
I really love it when you get to see a couple grow together over the course of a series. This one sounds really good.
aww always hard to say goodbye to a beloved series 🙁 glad to see you enjoyed it till the end hopefully she will bring more
That is so neat that you’ve been to the market. It did sound like it was full of wonderful curiosities and was located in a cool spot as well.
Hey, good news! I did an interview with Jami (JL) and she said that this is definitely not the end and she is writing more. Woohoo!
This sounds like a great series, its awesome when your familiar with the places in a book. Hopefully this won’t be the end for you.
Tori @ In Tori Lex
I’ve got London on my list to visit someday. I’ll have to be sure to check out Camden Market whenever I do get to go. This series sounds like a good one and I love books that build upon each other with relationships/etc.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com