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SERIES REVIEW

I absolutely adored Sheri Cobb South’s book The Weaver Takes a Wife, so when a Regency book group friend recommended her John Pickett series, I jumped on it. The title of the first book, In Milady’s Chamber, makes one wonder if it is in fact a Medieval story, but the book is firmly established in the Regency Era. The beautiful Lady Julia Fieldhurst is accused of murdering her husband, and up-and-coming Bow Street Runner John Pickett makes it his ardent goal to save her from the gallows.

The bashful but brave John Pickett is the best sort of hero—clever (except in deducing Lady Fieldhurst’s interest in him), confident (until he turns into a lovesick puddle whenever Lady Fieldhurst is near), and competent (unless he’s dreaming about kissing the prime suspect in the murder case).

As the series progresses, John solves several more murders (which happily keep throwing him into Lady Fieldhurst’s company). The aristocratic lady, although smitten with John Pickett and his care for her, is loath to leave her life in the ton to link herself to a man who earns twenty-five shillings a week and lives in two rooms above a chandler’s shop. Love will find a way, however, and the story of John and Julia’s shift from investigative partners to partners in every sense of the word, takes place over the course of the first five books.

There are twelve books in the series, but since I’ve overspent my book budget for the month, I may be waiting till next month to go on to book six!