Category: Historical Mystery

In the Family Way: Another John Pickett Mystery by Sheri Cobb South

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Mystery, Part of a Series2 Comments

In the Family Way: Another John Pickett Mystery (John Pickett Mysteries Book 12)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: John Pickett Mystery #12
Publication Date: 10/31/22
Period: Georgian (just before Regency)
Number of Pages: 272

You’ll just love John Pickett, but, of course, you know that if you’ve ever read any of the books in this series. If you haven’t read any, I strongly urge you to read them all – from the beginning because it is so heartwarming to watch John grow from a gangly pickpocket to the intelligent, mature, caring man he is today. You can certainly read this as a standalone book, but the experience is so much richer if you’ve watched John from the beginning. Now, he’s going to be a father, and he’s going to be such a wonderful one. We know that because of the way he treats Kit, his ten-year-old half-brother.

The book opens with a bang when John is followed and then abducted by two men. He’s definitely shocked to learn the identity of the man behind the abduction. Not only shocked but definitely displeased. He doesn’t like the man and he doesn’t like what the man has to say. As soon as he arrives back at his home, he gets another shock. John’s father, Gentleman Jack Pickett, has returned from serving his sentence in the Antipodes. Yes, another man John doesn’t want in his life and he’s shown up in it – and on the same day.

John fully intends to put his father out of the house and not look back, but Julia influences him to do otherwise. Kit also influences John’s decision to offer his father a place to stay; after all, Kit has never seen his father before and Gentleman Jack didn’t know he had a second son.

When Gentleman Jack is murdered that same night – stabbed in the back with a strange-looking knife – John is determined to find the murderer. Gentleman Jack had hinted at some life changes while he was visiting, but didn’t elaborate on them – are those changes the reason he was murdered? John treks all over London – from the docks, to the City, to Whitehall, and points between before he puts all of the clues together.

It turns out that Gentleman Jack’s life-changing news was just that – for both Jack and John and I cannot wait to see the results of that in future books. I’m also anxious to see what happens with the gentleman who had John kidnapped – that one is scrumptious as well! Then, to add whipped cream to the top, Julia went into labor and delivered their first child.

This book had it all – and might just be my favorite book of the series – but I think I say that with each new book. There is a true abiding romance between John and Julia, a sweet newly found love between John and Kit, an intriguing murder mystery to solve, and a relationship with someone new who will be a friend or foe. So, I can definitely recommend this book, this series, and this author, and I hope you will enjoy the read as much as I did. The trouble with this series is that as soon as you finish a book, you are already wishing for the next.

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A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder by Dianne Freeman

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #5)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Countess of Harleigh Mystery
Publication Date: 6/28/22
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: Audiobook

Poor Frances (Countess Harleigh) has spent a miserable last four months. Her mother came over from America to plan her sister’s wedding – and then stayed on to plan Frances’s wedding to George. Frances’s mother is best taken in small doses – but so is all of her family. Ah! But tomorrow she and George will be wed, and while they are off in the south of France for their wedding trip, Frances’s family will head back to America.

Sigh – those best-laid plans . . . The wedding was wonderful with so much love and joy, then on to the wedding breakfast at her brother-in-law’s house. Frances and George were giddy with happiness – until . . . Yes, Frances’s brother Alonzo was arrested for murder. It seems that Alonza was murdering the neighbor next door while everyone else was celebrating Frances and George. Or was he?

So, there goes their lovely trip because they absolutely must stay and help Alonzo. They don’t believe, even for a second, that Alonzo murdered Mr. Cooper – even if he was found standing over the body with a knife in his hand. It seems Alonzo was very interested in courting Mr. Cooper’s daughter, but the nasty, scheming, Mr. Cooper wanted a title in the family. When another body is added to the count everybody is looking for motives, connections, and murderers.

This was an excellently written, well-plotted, and well-delivered mystery accompanied by a lovely romance between two bright, intelligent, witty people you just have to love. The only reason I didn’t rate this book a 5-star read is that one of the characters was heir to a title and he was threatened with being disinherited and having the title passed to one of his other brothers. You CANNOT do that and it annoys me when an author tries to use that ploy. Two minutes of research would tell you that the laws of primogeniture don’t work that way and it couldn’t be done. He could be disinherited and all of the non-entailed monies could go to his brothers, but the title, entailed properties, and entailed monies would go to the firstborn legitimate son. Anyway, it is a well-done story other than that and I do definitely recommend it.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator, Sarah Zimmerman. Her voice was very pleasant, and you could hear the humor coming through. I could just picture my version of Frances with that exact voice. Her range of voices for the characters was well done and I loved how George’s frustration at not having any alone time with Frances came right through the voice.

I definitely recommend this book – and this audio version. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.