Tash and Joel are career paramedics, coming to the rescue of Adelaide residents of every class, culture and age. In a job where every day can bring death and violence, they maintain their sanity through a friendship built on black humour. But as the daily exposure to trauma begins to take its toll, both, in different ways, must fight to preserve their mental health and relationships - even with one another. How much pressure can Tash and Joel handle, and what happens when they finally crack?

With each chapter revolving around an emergency - some frightening, some moving, some simply funny - The Application of Pressure is as tense as it is engaging. Digging beneath the shocking surface of gore and grit, Rachael Mead lays bare the humanity of emergency services personnel and their patients.

Masterfully written, The Application of Pressure is a breathtaking and deeply human debut novel that reveals not only the trauma of a life lived on the frontline of medicine, but also the essential, binding friendships that make such a life possible.