Lock Nut

Definitely the weakest one in the series. The first half was hard to get through. The mystery started off boring, the usual humor was lacking, Tom and Phil seemed kinda off, the fun side characters were nowhere to be found, nor was there meaningful development of their relationship. Fortunately it picked up in the second half, but not enough to match the quality of the earlier books. The ending was great though. I hope this concludes their story, best to go out on a sort-of high.

If this is the end of the series, I'm satisfied, as it leaves Tom and Phil in a very happy place (literally) and allows them to solve a crime that requires them to confront an unusual marriage just as they are about to start their own. If you need a sentence that summarizes their relationship, it can be found early on when Tom fondly refers to Phil as “the stubborn git who's my beloved.” Five books into the series, they may not be all hearts and flowers, but there's no doubt they love each other and belong together.

Merged review:

If this is the end of the series, I'm satisfied, as it leaves Tom and Phil in a very happy place (literally) and allows them to solve a crime that requires them to confront an unusual marriage just as they are about to start their own. If you need a sentence that summarizes their relationship, it can be found early on when Tom fondly refers to Phil as “the stubborn git who's my beloved.” Five books into the series, they may not be all hearts and flowers, but there's no doubt they love each other and belong together.