For Deader or Worse

John Pickett Mysteries, Book 6

By: Sheri Cobb South

Narrated by: Joel Froomkin

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

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, where Pickett must face his greatest 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 13 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' 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....

©2017 Sheri Cobb South (P)2018 Sheri Cobb South

This series just gets better and better!

I really enjoyed this installment in the series. The characters I love continue to grow and change and new characters are added that I hope will continue to show up in the next books. All the books are delightful -- enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, but also a few turns that you expect.

Better and Better!

I so enjoy listening to this series featuring John Pickett and his wife the former Lady Fieldhurst. Each adventure is a standalone book with the same endearing characters and some new ones added in. This particular book features Julia's sister, whom has been missing for 13 years. I love how Sheri Cobb South weaves the mystery and brings to light some issues that plagued the time frame of the book. Julia's mother in the story was more concerned with being a paragon of society instead of nurturing her family. I wanted to strangle the lady. Joel Froomkin did such a wonderful performance with his variety of characters and their distinguishable voices. His British accent adds to the vivid imagery and authenticity of the story. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. The bonus short story at the end of this book was a fun addition. Kudos to the author for including it. I love the additional insights into John Pickett's character.

More Romance and Mystery!

I really love this series! After waiting 5 books, John Pickett and Lady Fieldhurst finally marry for real! Now John finds his biggest challenge yet - meeting the in-laws! And they are not very happy about the marriage. We also learn that Julia had an older sister, who died 13 years ago, or did she? Lady Runyon believes Claudia's ghost haunts their house. Pickett agrees to investigate, then comes upon Sir Thaddeus' groom with his throat slit!

Another murder, a mysterious prescence and in-laws who think John is beneath their beloved daughter get John thinking about how he can't afford to keep Julia's living standards on his wages. More doubt about their relationship does not help a murder investigation!

Once again, Sheri Cobb South breaths life into this pair and the crazy people who surround them. Add Joel Froomkin in, and you've got a mini-movie in your head as Froomkin does all of the voices and magically brings these memorable characters back to us once again.

More please!

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

A VERY ENJOYABLE PRESENTATION AND STORY

The entire series is a delightful British Romantic Detective tale of a Bowstreet Runner who is afflicted with love for a woman in his first investigation. I can only hope Ms. South allows further novels to be enacted.

Love this Series!

I am a big fan of The John Pickett mysteries and short stories. John is such a humble, forthright individual, committed to doing what’s right and just, even if no one else would ever know. I was so glad to see he and Julia come together. It’s great to see a good guy “everyman” make good. This is another fantastic story. It follows the further domestic developments between John and Julia, while also presenting another mystery for John to solve. The story unrolls at a leisurely pace giving the listener ample time to get to know the various primary and secondary characters. Sheri’s characters are always colorful, whether heroes, villains, or something in between, and the stories are often humorous as well as engaging and entertaining. I always enjoy going along with John as he teases out the clues to reach his conclusion. I highly recommend these stories.

The narration is fantastic. Joel does an excellent job voicing both male and female characters, his pacing is fantastic, and he does a great job of matching his delivery to the emotions and attitudes of his characters.

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

Love John and Julia Pickett

John and Julia Pickett are married and settling into married life. In this story, they had off on their wedding trip to visit Julia's parents. A decade-old mystery - the disappearance of Julie's sister Claudia - resurfaces when John sees a ghost in the house.

This is another solid John and Julia story. They work together to solve a mystery. John finds his world colliding as he interacts with Julia's country gentry parents. In addition, they deal with the growing pains of married life. Neither is perfect, but I love how they come to understand each other. Sherri Cobb South's characters are real and relatable and are always growing/developing.

I highly recommend Ms. Cobb South's stories for people who love historical romantic mysteries.

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

Honeymoon and... murder:)

I've had two of the books in the John Pickett Mysteries series waiting on my Kindle for some time now, but somehow I haven't yet got to read them - a big mistake, judging from what I have just finished listening to...:)

"For Deader or Worse" turned out to be one of those books I listened to almost in one sitting (as usual, I started too late at night and had to finish it the next day)... It has an intriguing plot with some really good twists - just when you think you have already worked everything out Ms South has yet another surprise for you... And the book is so well written that even when you think you know how the situation is going to be solved, you still listen on just to see how John and his sidekicks will manage with all this...

All the characters in the book are very well drawn and evoke strong emotions; some of them we like from the start, some we don't know what to think about, and some are just downright awful people - like in real life. There is also quite a lot of humor there, and social observations of the way of life in the 19th century England only add some flavour to the whole.

Narration by Mr Froomkin is very good. You definitely hear differences between aristocrats and those from the lower classes, and each "voice" perfectly mirrors the personality of a given character. Also, Mr Froomkin doesn't try to sound very feminine, which is good as it makes the female characters sound quite natural, too. All in all, this interpretation is perfect for the book.


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

A perfect British cozy!

Who can resist a British cozy? Although this is volume 6, this was actually the first book of the series I listened to. I had no trouble understanding the plot & all the characters even though I dove in late! The narration was impeccable, I felt like I was send back in time to Britain (I’m from the USA), and it was so easy to get engrossed into the story! If you love cozies, especially period piece cozies, you will love this!
I received this complimentary copy & gave an honest review.

The Wedding Trip

I am thoroughly enamored of John Pickett, erstwhile pickpocket and now Bow Street Runner, and his lady-love, Julia. Like May-December weddings in which it is perfectly proper for an aging lothario to wed a nubile young thing (an example or two of which can be found within these virtual covers, randy puns left entirely to your imagination and certainly not due to suggestive . . . language . . . herein--and, in fact, this Regency novel is utterly proper and circumspect) and a blind eye is turned, but should tables be reversed, the woman is reviled as a "cougar"; so with Prince and Pauper weddings where marriage requires appropriate mating of Rank, unless the family estates teeter on bankruptcy, and the bride rises--or falls! to her husband's rank but his does not commensurately drop nor improve. And yet in his own realm of acquired learning and inborn abilities to ferret out evil and solve crime, Mr. Pickett, lowest of low, is equal to any man and ultimately accorded due respect by all who know him.

Remember your high school literature classes and being told what was motivating the author and what themes and parallels we are to draw from the classics? Meanwhile, when asked, the author proclaims he or she just wanted to tell a good yarn. So although the fine points of the social niceties of the early 19th century become ideal targets to be skewered on modern sensibilities, what we have here is a rip-roaring good detective story with an accompanying romance or two framed exquisitely in its time and with a delicate touch allowing for humor and extreme enjoyment.

Adding to that enjoyment was the excellent narration [AUDIO] by Joel Froomkin who created extremely believable voices for each of the characters including especially pleasing female renderings. And BONUS! (at least in the audio version) there is a short story added to the end which provides an additional insight into our hero and his innate understanding of character and human nature.

Amazing didn't want it to end

Book 6 in this wonderful series and this maybe my favorite one yet. We find John and Julia off to meet Julia's parents. Of course a murder has to take place and no it's not one of the family. This series is fun, sweet, romantic and a mystery too. Joel Froomkin once again does an outstanding job of narrating the book. I found myself not wanting to stop listening. Joel has a way of reading this series that just gets you hooked. Sheri Cobb South is amazing in her writing of the story is placed in the past but it seems so today. Also the book has a little extra at the end "Finders Weepers" book 6.5 in the series.
"I was given this free audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."