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    In Milady's Chamber: John Pickett Mysteries, #1
    A Dead Bore: John Pickett Mysteries, #2
    Pickpocket's Apprentice: John Pickett Mysteries, #0.5
    Ebook series7 titles

    John Pickett Mysteries Series

    By Sheri Cobb South

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this series

    Having resigned his position at Bow Street in disgrace (at least in his own mind) and failed in his attempt to establish himself as a private agent, John Pickett toils away at a tedious job as a clerk in the City. When he is approached by a man wishing to hire him to extract a young lady being held against her will at an asylum for opium-eaters, Pickett jumps at the chance to prove himself, and has a very reluctant Julia commit him to the institution as a patient. But nothing at the Larches is exactly as it seems, and while getting in may be easy, getting out may be another matter entirely…

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSheri Cobb South
    Release dateSep 1, 2018
    In Milady's Chamber: John Pickett Mysteries, #1
    A Dead Bore: John Pickett Mysteries, #2
    Pickpocket's Apprentice: John Pickett Mysteries, #0.5

    Titles in the series (7)

    • 0

      Pickpocket's Apprentice: John Pickett Mysteries, #0.5
      Pickpocket's Apprentice: John Pickett Mysteries, #0.5

      Pickpocket's Apprentice: John Pickett Mysteries, #0.5

      Sheri Cobb South
      5/5 - 3 ratings
      5/5 - 3 ratings

      Prequel novella to the award-winning John Pickett Mystery series! When magistrate Patrick Colquhoun orders a habitual thief and ne'er-do-well transported to Botany Bay, he doesn't realize a fourteen-year-old boy has been left behind to follow in his father's footsteps—not until young John Pickett is hauled into Bow Street for stealing an apple from the produce market at Covent Garden. Feeling to some extent responsible for the boy, Mr. Colquhoun prevails upon Mr. Elias Granger, a prosperous coal merchant, to take him on as an apprentice. For the next five years, John Pickett hauls coal in exchange for room and board. The work is dirty and hard, but the drudgery is lightened by the occasional deliveries to Bow Street, where Mr. Colquhoun usually tosses Pickett a coin for his pains. An even more pleasant diversion exists in the form of Mr. Granger's pert daughter Sophy, with whom Pickett tumbles headlong into love. And then one day nineteen-year-old John Pickett stumbles by accident into a criminal investigation that will bring him once again to the attention of Bow Street for an entirely different reason, and will change the course of his life . . .

      Prequel novella to the award-winning John Pickett Mystery series! When magistrate Patrick Colquhoun orders a habitual thief and ne'er-do-well transported to Botany Bay, he doesn't realize a fourteen-year-old boy has been left behind to follow in his father's footsteps—not until young John Pickett is hauled into Bow Street for stealing an apple from the produce market at Covent Garden. Feeling to some extent responsible for the boy, Mr. Colquhoun prevails upon Mr. Elias Granger, a prosperous coal merchant, to take him on as an apprentice. For the next five years, John Pickett hauls coal in exchange for room and board. The work is dirty and hard, but the drudgery is lightened by the occasional deliveries to Bow Street, where Mr. Colquhoun usually tosses Pickett a coin for his pains. An even more pleasant diversion exists in the form of Mr. Granger's pert daughter Sophy, with whom Pickett tumbles headlong into love. And then one day nineteen-year-old John Pickett stumbles by accident into a criminal investigation that will bring him once again to the attention of Bow Street for an entirely different reason, and will change the course of his life . . .

    • 1

      In Milady's Chamber: John Pickett Mysteries, #1
      In Milady's Chamber: John Pickett Mysteries, #1

      In Milady's Chamber: John Pickett Mysteries, #1

      Sheri Cobb South
      4/5 - 3 ratings
      4/5 - 3 ratings

      Low Dealings in High Society... Estranged from her aristocratic husband through her failure to produce an heir, Lady Fieldhurst resolves to repay his neglect by taking a lover. Fate takes a hand when she and her paramour enter her bedroom and find Lord Fieldhurst lying on the floor—with her nail scissors protruding through his neck. Idealistic young Bow Street Runner John Pickett has spent most of his brief career chasing petty pickpockets. Nothing in his experience has prepared him for low dealings in high society—or for the beautiful widow who is the chief suspect. The popular press sees the case as a classic lovers' triangle and expects a quick arrest, while back in Bow Street, the magistrate questions Pickett's handling of the case in the light of his unprofessional interest in Lady Fieldhurst. Under increasing pressure from without and within, Pickett must uncover the true murderer if he is to save an innocent woman from the gallows. 

      Low Dealings in High Society... Estranged from her aristocratic husband through her failure to produce an heir, Lady Fieldhurst resolves to repay his neglect by taking a lover. Fate takes a hand when she and her paramour enter her bedroom and find Lord Fieldhurst lying on the floor—with her nail scissors protruding through his neck. Idealistic young Bow Street Runner John Pickett has spent most of his brief career chasing petty pickpockets. Nothing in his experience has prepared him for low dealings in high society—or for the beautiful widow who is the chief suspect. The popular press sees the case as a classic lovers' triangle and expects a quick arrest, while back in Bow Street, the magistrate questions Pickett's handling of the case in the light of his unprofessional interest in Lady Fieldhurst. Under increasing pressure from without and within, Pickett must uncover the true murderer if he is to save an innocent woman from the gallows. 

    • 2

      A Dead Bore: John Pickett Mysteries, #2
      A Dead Bore: John Pickett Mysteries, #2

      A Dead Bore: John Pickett Mysteries, #2

      Sheri Cobb South
      4/5 - 5 ratings
      4/5 - 5 ratings

      At your service, milady... Eager to escape London following the scandal of her husband's death, beautiful Lady Fieldhurst accepts an invitation to spend the summer in rural Yorkshire at the home of Sir Gerald and Lady Hollingshead. She soon discovers, however, that country life is not the panacea she imagined: tension reigns and tempers flare at Hollingshead Place, due in large part to Lady Hollingshead's ambitions for her daughter Emma, a lovely young lady destined for a brilliant marriage in spite of her love for a penniless curate. When a dinner party ends with the death of the vicar--a kindly old soul whose only sin appears to be the authorship of a dull local history--Lady Fieldhurst suspects foul play and sends for Bow Street Runner John Pickett, with one stipulation: since she is the guest of the Hollingsheads, Pickett must keep his connection to Bow Street a secret. Pickett obliges by presenting himself as Lady Fieldhurst's footman, complete with livery and powdered hair. But he soon has his white-gloved hands full sifting through old secrets, uncovering hidden passions, and dealing with a demanding housekeeper--not to mention avoiding the younger daughter of the house, a precocious fourteen-year-old with a schoolgirl tendre for the faux footman. Then there is the problem of Lady Fieldhurst herself, at once an able assistant and an all too pleasant distraction.

      At your service, milady... Eager to escape London following the scandal of her husband's death, beautiful Lady Fieldhurst accepts an invitation to spend the summer in rural Yorkshire at the home of Sir Gerald and Lady Hollingshead. She soon discovers, however, that country life is not the panacea she imagined: tension reigns and tempers flare at Hollingshead Place, due in large part to Lady Hollingshead's ambitions for her daughter Emma, a lovely young lady destined for a brilliant marriage in spite of her love for a penniless curate. When a dinner party ends with the death of the vicar--a kindly old soul whose only sin appears to be the authorship of a dull local history--Lady Fieldhurst suspects foul play and sends for Bow Street Runner John Pickett, with one stipulation: since she is the guest of the Hollingsheads, Pickett must keep his connection to Bow Street a secret. Pickett obliges by presenting himself as Lady Fieldhurst's footman, complete with livery and powdered hair. But he soon has his white-gloved hands full sifting through old secrets, uncovering hidden passions, and dealing with a demanding housekeeper--not to mention avoiding the younger daughter of the house, a precocious fourteen-year-old with a schoolgirl tendre for the faux footman. Then there is the problem of Lady Fieldhurst herself, at once an able assistant and an all too pleasant distraction.

    • 4

      Waiting Game: John Pickett Mysteries, #4.5
      Waiting Game: John Pickett Mysteries, #4.5

      Waiting Game: John Pickett Mysteries, #4.5

      Sheri Cobb South
      5/5 - 1 rating
      5/5 - 1 rating

      All things come to those who wait... Bow Street Runner John Pickett and Julia, Lady Fieldhurst seem to have arrived at an impasse as they wait for the annulment of their accidental marriage to come before the ecclesiastical court. In the meantime, Pickett is summoned to investigate the theft of almost two hundred pounds from a linen-draper's shop--but finds no sign that either the shop or the safe where the money was kept has been forced upon. Given the lack of evidence, he can only assume that the money was taken by someone inside. With a host of suspects and a hostile hound named Brutus impeding his progress, Pickett must resort to the tricks of his former trade in order to catch a thief.

      All things come to those who wait... Bow Street Runner John Pickett and Julia, Lady Fieldhurst seem to have arrived at an impasse as they wait for the annulment of their accidental marriage to come before the ecclesiastical court. In the meantime, Pickett is summoned to investigate the theft of almost two hundred pounds from a linen-draper's shop--but finds no sign that either the shop or the safe where the money was kept has been forced upon. Given the lack of evidence, he can only assume that the money was taken by someone inside. With a host of suspects and a hostile hound named Brutus impeding his progress, Pickett must resort to the tricks of his former trade in order to catch a thief.

    • 6

      For Deader or Worse: John Pickett Mysteries, #6
      For Deader or Worse: John Pickett Mysteries, #6

      For Deader or Worse: John Pickett Mysteries, #6

      Sheri Cobb South
      5/5 - 1 rating
      5/5 - 1 rating

      John Pickett's greatest challenge yet...meeting his in-laws! After a modest wedding ceremony, Bow Street Runner John Pickett and his bride Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst, set out for a wedding trip to Somersetshire, wher Pickett must face his gratest challenge yet: meeting his in-laws. Sir Thaddeus and Lady Runyon are shocked at their daughter's hasty remarriage--and appalled by her choice of a second husband. Pickett, for his part, is surprised to learn that Julia once had an elder sister: Claudia, Lady Buckleigh, disappeared thirteen years earlier, leaving no trace beyond a blood-soaked shawl. When Sir Thaddeus confides that his wife is convinced Claudia's spirit now haunts her childhood home, Pickett sees a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of Julia's family. He agrees to investigate and, hopefully, lay the Runyon "ghost," whoever--or whatever--it is. Matters take a grisly turn when Sir Thaddeus's groom is discovered with his throat slit. The timing could hardly be worse, for the whole village is aflutter with the news that Lord Buckleigh has brought home a new bride, just when Major James Pennington, the vicar's son who was Claudia's childhood sweetheart, has returned on leave from war in the Peninsula. The major was apparently the last person to see Claudia alive, and Pickett is convinced he knows more about her disappearance than he's telling. Suddenly it seems the distant past is not so distant, after all. It may not even be past... 

      John Pickett's greatest challenge yet...meeting his in-laws! After a modest wedding ceremony, Bow Street Runner John Pickett and his bride Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst, set out for a wedding trip to Somersetshire, wher Pickett must face his gratest challenge yet: meeting his in-laws. Sir Thaddeus and Lady Runyon are shocked at their daughter's hasty remarriage--and appalled by her choice of a second husband. Pickett, for his part, is surprised to learn that Julia once had an elder sister: Claudia, Lady Buckleigh, disappeared thirteen years earlier, leaving no trace beyond a blood-soaked shawl. When Sir Thaddeus confides that his wife is convinced Claudia's spirit now haunts her childhood home, Pickett sees a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of Julia's family. He agrees to investigate and, hopefully, lay the Runyon "ghost," whoever--or whatever--it is. Matters take a grisly turn when Sir Thaddeus's groom is discovered with his throat slit. The timing could hardly be worse, for the whole village is aflutter with the news that Lord Buckleigh has brought home a new bride, just when Major James Pennington, the vicar's son who was Claudia's childhood sweetheart, has returned on leave from war in the Peninsula. The major was apparently the last person to see Claudia alive, and Pickett is convinced he knows more about her disappearance than he's telling. Suddenly it seems the distant past is not so distant, after all. It may not even be past... 

    • 8

      Peril by Post: John Pickett Mysteries, #8
      Peril by Post: John Pickett Mysteries, #8

      Peril by Post: John Pickett Mysteries, #8

      Sheri Cobb South
      5/5 - 1 rating
      5/5 - 1 rating

      Honeymoon from Hades... The eighth book in the series finds John Pickett bound for England's scenic Lake District, where an unsigned letter has summoned him for an unspecified reason. Pickett and his wife Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst, take a room at the Hart and Hound as the letter instructs him. Once installed there, however, Pickett can do nothing but wait for the anonymous contact to identify himself. A midnight search of the inn's register seems to identify the innkeeper, Ned Hawkins, as his man, but before Pickett can discover the reason for his summons, Hawkins is pushed from a cliff--surviving the fall only long enough to call Pickett's attention to the letter in his pocket. With his contact dead and his only clue a letter containing nothing more than a rambling account of family news, Pickett knows he's on his own. But that isn't the worst of his problems: Julia saw the crime being committed, and although she can't identify the murderer, there is every indication that the killer knows he was seen--and intends to eliminate any possible witnesses. Amidst a quirky cast of characters including a host of holiday-makers, a bucolic love triangle, an aspiring poet in the Romantic vein, and an old friend of his magistrate, Mr. Colquhoun, Pickett must discover the secret behind that urgent summons before a second, and far more personal, murder is committed.

      Honeymoon from Hades... The eighth book in the series finds John Pickett bound for England's scenic Lake District, where an unsigned letter has summoned him for an unspecified reason. Pickett and his wife Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst, take a room at the Hart and Hound as the letter instructs him. Once installed there, however, Pickett can do nothing but wait for the anonymous contact to identify himself. A midnight search of the inn's register seems to identify the innkeeper, Ned Hawkins, as his man, but before Pickett can discover the reason for his summons, Hawkins is pushed from a cliff--surviving the fall only long enough to call Pickett's attention to the letter in his pocket. With his contact dead and his only clue a letter containing nothing more than a rambling account of family news, Pickett knows he's on his own. But that isn't the worst of his problems: Julia saw the crime being committed, and although she can't identify the murderer, there is every indication that the killer knows he was seen--and intends to eliminate any possible witnesses. Amidst a quirky cast of characters including a host of holiday-makers, a bucolic love triangle, an aspiring poet in the Romantic vein, and an old friend of his magistrate, Mr. Colquhoun, Pickett must discover the secret behind that urgent summons before a second, and far more personal, murder is committed.

    • 10

      Nowhere Man: John Pickett Mysteries, #10.5
      Nowhere Man: John Pickett Mysteries, #10.5

      Nowhere Man: John Pickett Mysteries, #10.5

      Sheri Cobb South
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      Having resigned his position at Bow Street, John Pickett waits in vain for someone—anyone!—to engage his services as a private inquiry agent. As weeks go by with no responses to his newspaper advertisement, he has taken to spending his days wandering idly about London rather than admit his failure to his beloved wife Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst.   One day, while loitering amidst the crowds thronging the Covent Garden market, he wonders morosely if it might have been better had he not been born at all. Then he sees one of his former colleagues and, in an attempt to make a discreet exit, contrives instead to knock himself unconscious.   He awakens to discover that his Bow Street colleague doesn't seem to remember him, and after staggering back home to Curzon Street, he finds someone else living in the house where he lived with Julia. But still greater surprises are in store for Pickett as he attempts to navigate his way through a world in which he never existed…   With a wink and a nod to Frank Capra's classic film It's a Wonderful Life, Nowhere Man offers an alternate version of many of the earlier entries in the John Pickett mystery series.

      Having resigned his position at Bow Street, John Pickett waits in vain for someone—anyone!—to engage his services as a private inquiry agent. As weeks go by with no responses to his newspaper advertisement, he has taken to spending his days wandering idly about London rather than admit his failure to his beloved wife Julia, the former Lady Fieldhurst.   One day, while loitering amidst the crowds thronging the Covent Garden market, he wonders morosely if it might have been better had he not been born at all. Then he sees one of his former colleagues and, in an attempt to make a discreet exit, contrives instead to knock himself unconscious.   He awakens to discover that his Bow Street colleague doesn't seem to remember him, and after staggering back home to Curzon Street, he finds someone else living in the house where he lived with Julia. But still greater surprises are in store for Pickett as he attempts to navigate his way through a world in which he never existed…   With a wink and a nod to Frank Capra's classic film It's a Wonderful Life, Nowhere Man offers an alternate version of many of the earlier entries in the John Pickett mystery series.

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