Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: A Body in a Bathhouse
SERIES: A Mitch O’Reilly Mystery #1
AUTHOR: Brad Shreve
PUBLISHER: Beeson Press
LENGTH: 242 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2019
BLURB:
Nearly bankrupt, wise-cracking private investigator, Mitch O’Reilly, divides his time accepting any investigation gig that comes his way, while half-heartedly running his Eye Spy Supply shop in a forgotten Los Angeles strip mall.
Two tours in Afghanistan have left Mitch a broken man whose social life amounts to enduring his fun-loving sister, Josie, and hooking up with anonymous men he meets online. That may change when he gets his big break. A beloved comedy scriptwriter is murdered at a bathhouse, and Mitch is hired to prove the innocence of the club custodian. In addition, the flirtatious club manager, Trent Nakos, has Mitch reexamining his belief that there should be no emotional entanglements associated with sex.
While Mitch investigates the bathhouse murder, he learns there’s more to investigate than just a dead body. He must choose between continuing a case that could finally put him on the map or drop the case to protect the one he loves.
REVIEW:
When I first started reading this, I wasn’t sure what to think. It’s a mystery so I loved that, but Mitch, who is the PI, a ‘good guy’, but he seemed so callous. Rude. But the more you get to know him, the more you understand why he is the way he is and he’s really not a bad guy at all. Just…’broken’.
I have to say, this one actually stumped me. I didn’t figure it out to the murderer was revealed. I had a feeling of one of the people involved but I missed the clues for the rest of it. It’s a good mystery, too. The only problem I really had is there are some grammatical errors that need to be fixed and a couple of times parts of a sentence was missing. Other than that, it’s a good read.
Being a private investigator isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But after leaving the military, Mitch really didn’t want to be a cop, per se. So his sister got him a job where he earned his PI license and then he opened the Eye Spy shop. Business isn’t exactly booming, so Mitch is grateful for the case he’s gotten, but the problem is, it brings up old memories that cause PTSD. A murder in a Bathhouse. And his job is to find evidence or something that can clear the janitor and lover of the victim. All while trying to somewhat avoid the hunky manager of the place, Trent. The suspects in this one add up. Seems like everyone argued with the victim before he died. And the two biggest suspects are two of the victims lovers. Yes, lovers. The more Mitch digs, the more he finds out about the victim. The man had lovers galore, including a 20 year open relationship. Several people had motives, and all of them have secrets they want no one to know. One so bad, they are threatening Mitch and his family, even Trent’s family. More people are getting murdered and Mitch has to figure out what’s going on before with whom before it’s too late.
Mitch is a character for sure. Having dealt with the whole Afghanistan tours, I don’t know how anyone stays sane, especially Mitch. And at times, he barely does. When he first got out, it wasn’t a pretty picture. Thankfully, he had his sister to help him back on his feet some. When reading about what really happened over there for him, my heart broke. When you first read him, I will be surprised if you guys don’t come up with the same conclusion I did. That he comes across crass, callous, and very much an ass sometimes. In spite of being very attracted to Trent, he ends up hurting him. And then you get the whole story.
For Trent, I admire the man. He gets hurt, yes, but he still tries to keep a smile on his face. Still tries to keep going. Still tries to bring out the good smiles from Mitch. He’s good for Mitch. Really good. He made Mitch further look into himself and realize a few things. And it’s all for the better.
There’s quite a few good characters in this. Josie, Mitch’s sister. *Snorts* that girl needs a keeper sometimes lol. Trent’s aunt Ada. She’s amazing. It’s just a good cast of characters. Good, bad, and ugly. If you all figure out who did it pretty quick, I will have to feel ashamed for sure. Lol.
I recommend! Get your thinking caps on and find the clues!
RATING: 
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