Review: DINNER MOST DEADLY by Sheri Cobb South

Dinner Most Deadly by Sheri Cobb South, the latest John Pickett Regency mystery, intertwines a satisfying murder mystery with the latest wrinkles in the up-and-down romance of Bow Street Runner John Picket and the widowed Julia, Lady Fieldhurst.

Julia, at the urging of her friend, hosts a dinner party at which she will select a lover. Reluctantly. The only man she wants is John Pickett, but society’s strictures forbid a linkage between a baron’s widow and a poor commoner. One of her candidates is a man no one at the dinner likes, each for a very good reason. But, by the end of the evening, the object of their dislike can no longer cause trouble, because someone shoots him dead in the foyer.

John Pickett is called in to investigate. He must solve the case, as well as explain to Julia the ramifications of their visit to Scotland (in Family Plot). Even worse, he discovers the distasteful thing he must do to free them both from the effects.

Ms. South writes truly villainous villains, this one so bad you’re glad when he is killed, and even wish the murderer could get away with the crime. But that is not to be, since John is so good at his work. Still…

While the mystery is intriguing, at this point, John and Julia’s romance is the main draw.

In John Pickett, Ms. South gives us a portrait of the common man as superior to the aristocrat. Though not born to the Quality, he is more of a gentleman than most of the so-called “gentlemen” in Society. With each installment in this series, he becomes more of a hero. Here, he is willing to debase himself in order to protect Julia, while still refusing to do anything that will dishonor her or their love. What a man.

Julia still wavers in her commitment, though not her desire, for John, and that’s understandable, given all the pressure applied to her to conform, which is worse for a woman than for a man. Will she take a stand for love?

But John is also human, and he’s almost at the breaking point. Something has to give. While money and class are very real impediments to John and Julia’s love, we still root for love to win.

Julia had better make her decision soon. If she doesn’t snatch up John, I’ll take him. :)

Thank you all,

Linda

ARC provided by the author

Review: FAMILY PLOT by Sheri Cobb South

John Pickett is back!

If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting for Sheri Cobb South's Regency mystery Family Plot, the continuing story of the mutual attraction between Bow Street Runner John Pickett and the widowed Julia, Lady Fieldhurst.

The Fieldhursts have banished Julia to Scotland because of the unwanted attention her husband’s murder has attracted, and also because she pays too much attention to a certain Bow Street Runner. As long as they’re banishing her, they use her as an escort and babysitter for the current Lord Fieldhurst’s sons. En route to the nobleman’s estate, they take a detour to the coast, and to prevent anyone from tracing them, Julia assumes the name Mrs. Pickett.

Things heat up when a woman washes ashore, one who professes she’s the long-lost daughter of a prominent local family. Things heat up more when the family hires John Pickett to investigate the woman’s story. Not only does he find secrets, but also a “wife” he didn’t know he had, and one he desperately wants to claim.

Ms. South has crafted a fine Regency, full of the language and social customs of the time, the continuing love interest of John and Julia, and a mystery convoluted enough to satisfy die-hard fans of the genre.

But the best part of the novel is the dance between John and Julia as they try to deny their increasing feelings for each other. Who says you need sex in a story? I much prefer the slow burn between John and Julia.

I love John Pickett. He’s the best type of hero: honorable, competent, intelligent, kind, self-made. And he’s young and gorgeous, too, which certainly doesn’t hurt. :) He’s also madly in love with Julia, and she with him, but the social gulf which separates a Bow Street Runner, son of a pickpocket, from a well-born widow of a baron, is too vast for them to bridge. Or is it? Will true love triumph?

Julia shows herself to be more than just a pretty face. Bullied by her husband’s family and the customs of the time, she questions why she lets this happen. Her transformation is at hand, and by the finale she proves herself a woman to be reckoned with. My kind of heroine.

If you’re rooting for John and Julia, you’ll adore the end! But don’t peek. Save the surprise for the last. You’ll be glad you did.

Thank you all,

Linda

ARC provided by the author