Sweet Holiday Novella

In this holiday short story John Pickett gets to investigate a burglary and celebrate the holidays with the family of his mentor, Mr. Colquhoun.
Seeing John amidst the family celebrations at the Colquhoun residence is sweet and a little sad as John yearns for more for himself than his solitary life.
The investigation wraps up a little quickly as this is a novella but is still well done and doesn't feel rushed.
Joel Leslie Froomkin's performance was top notch and very enjoyable.

11 people found this helpful

Enjoyable Short Mystery

I enjoyed this audiobook of the continuing stories of John Pickett. Although the mystery was rather simple, and it was easy to guess the culprit early on, I enjoyed learning more about the magistrate and his domestic life. He is obviously a very warm and caring person, and a dedicated mentor to Pickett. Following Pickett's thought processes and watching him methodically pursue clues and apprehend the criminal was fun, with humor interspersed throughout the tale. The story also adds another layer to the challenging relationship between Pickett and the Viscountess Fieldhurst. I am eager for the next book/audiobook in the series!

The narration was good and well-paced. It made for easy listening.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the author. This is my honest, voluntary review.

5 people found this helpful

A John Pickett Christmas Story

Waiting Game was a delightful novella about the Christmas Season for John Pickett and Lady Julia. John has a case regarding a robbery (big thank you for no murder in a Christmas story) to solve over the holidays. The case is an interesting and fun whodunnit, complete with an et tu Brute moment;). Although a short story, it is complete mystery. The rest of the story treats us to the festivities and the current situations that John and Lady Julia are experiencing during the Christmas holidays. A lovely look at where their lives are and how they are coping after their last meeting. This story shows more depth to all of the main characters and fleshes out more regarding their personal lives. For me, it was really fantastic to get a glimpse into the home life of the magistrate, Patrick Calhoun. Patrick is one of my favourite characters, so it was really fun to have more about him and his family life. I loved his family! This part was truly my favourite. Sheri has this brilliant ability to introduce more characters into her stories that you enjoy so much that you don’t want them to leave! Even the jerky ones (Lord Rupert Laytham) are still super interesting;) This story was short and sweet and definitely a treat to read at Christmas time. It will be on my list of Christmas reads for the years to come. Narrator Joel Froomkin as always delivers an amazing performance which just makes me want to go right back to Pickpocket’s Apprentice and start the series all over again. Really fabulous series with a wonderful blend of historical fiction, mystery and romance all written with a skillful hand and a light touch. I can not wait for the next book! Too Hot To Handel!!

I received Waiting Game: Another John Pickett Mystery free in exchange for an unbiased review.

4 people found this helpful

Fun novella in the John Pickett series

I am so enjoying this series. This novella was a very fun glimpse into another adventure with John Pickett. We get a little back story on John's mentor Mr. Colquhoun and his family. Joel Froomkin's narration is wonderful as it's been in all this series.

4 people found this helpful

Another great cozy mystery series

This is part of a wonderful cozy mystery series with a touch of romance as well. Comfortable setting, old world charm, heroine that is intelligent, and mysteries that are challenging to solve make this one of my favorite series. Listen slowly though to make them last - wish the author would publish more stories soon!

1 person found this helpful

A Christmas Novella to fill the holidays

A charming Christmas novella which finds Mr. Pickett, waiting to hear about his annulment to Lady Fieldhurst, joining his Bow Street boss for Christmas dinner. He then gets assigned to investigate a theft of cash from a local merchant's safe of 200 pounds. Confounding the investigation, there is no evidence of a break-in, so he decides it had to be an insider. But who? A different type of investigation from his usual Society murders, Mr. Pickett throws himself into this one to distract himself from continuing to think of Lady Fieldhurst. But, alas, he can't stop thinking of her.

Once again, Sheri Cobb South has written a charming story that continues the saga of John Pickett and Lady Fieldhurst, adding a little more angst to their personal woes.

Joel Froomkin brings back the previous characters and creates new ones for the mystery. The man can do anything!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

1 person found this helpful

Great Addition to Series!

I so enjoy this series! The characters of John Pickett and Lady Fieldhurst are such endearing characters. Joel Froomkin does such an outstanding performance with this series. I love his accents and various voices for the characters. He puts the right emotions into the story. Sheri Cobb South is able to write vivid imagery, that one can envision the various scenes. Although this book is a novella, it is so worth listening to. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series. This story is both a standalone listen and a continuation of the series. I liked the fact that I wasn't certain who the thief was until it was revealed. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review.

3 people found this helpful

Cute

I was enamored with this series in the beginning. But now I remember that I was growing fatigued of the narration. While the narrator is very talented, as the series progresses, many of the voices start melding together, sounding similar, and are overlaid with the Scottish accent. This little novella was simple and more of a whodunit. I played it on a fast speed and even skipped some spots. Worth a listen anyway if you can get it at a good price. My favorite part was how Calhoun creatively solved one aspect of the plan to catch the thief toward the end.

Wonderful Historical Mystery Series

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own. This is a quick novella in the John Pickett series and a standalone story [no cliffhanger ending]. At this point in the series, I do not recommend that you start the series with this novella. I strongly urge you to start at beginning of the series so that you can enjoy the character development of John Pickett and Lady Fieldhurst and their relationship. Again in this story, there is the tension of will they or won't they between John and Lady Fieldhurst. However, for those that complain about a lack of resolution -- please remember that the story does not take place today with today's norms and desires. It takes place well over 200 years ago and in a time when status in society was everything. People did not act openly on their desires without considering how it would appear to society. Marriages were often business deals and not often for love. So, be patient and enjoy the romantic tension between John and Lady Fieldhurst. Here, there is not a lot of direct interaction between John and Lady Fieldhurst. It is the waiting period for the annulment. John is assigned to a robbery which has taken place in a fabric shop and he must use the skills he developed as a pickpocket to solve the case. John also gets to spend Christmas with his mentor [father-figure] Judge Colquhoun. Highly recommend this historical mystery series. The narrator, Joel Froomkin, is absolutely a perfect fit for this series.

Good story

I had to listen to the story in one sitting, I found myself hoping that the annulment never comes through.