Nowhere Man

Another John Pickett Novella

By: Sheri Cobb South

Narrated by: Joel L Froomkin

Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 wife. 

One day, while loitering in 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, manages 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....

©2020 Sheri Cobb South (P)2020 Sheri Cobb South

It’s a Wonderful Life with John Pickett

Nowhere Man is a bit like “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The story follows John Pickett, a former Bow Street Runner, as he tries to make sense of a world where he was never born. It’s an interesting short story, but I prefer the mysteries in the other books I have read in the series to this surreal tale.

The narrator is very talented and is able to convincingly create both male and female characters.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. This is my honest and voluntary review.

It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Pickett

This is an enchanting, entertaining, and creative story in which John Picket discovers it's a wonderful life. After being dejected about his perceived failure as an independent investigator, John Pickett internally wonders if the world and Julia would have been better if he was never born. He soon learns to be careful what you wish for a la 'It's a Wonderful Life' style. It's a unique and intriguing journey, and it takes him a while to realize/remember all the things that he has changed for the good. If you have read the other John Picket novels, you will have an idea, especially concerning key characters in John's life like Julia, but it takes John time to figure it out. Fantastic story.


The narration by Mr. Froomkin is spectacular as always, and he does a great job with both male and female voices.


I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

John Pickett's "It's A Wonderful Life"

John Pickett and "It's A Wonderful Life" combined into a great novella. I always enjoy Julia and John but maybe because I read this so close to Christmas and loving the classic Christmas movie I really enjoyed this one. Don't we all wonder what life would be like if we were never born? Well, John gets a glimpse at just that in this novella. Once again the narration is done by Joel L Froomkin and as in all the others, he is wonderful. I have come to recognize his voice and think of John Pickett.

Nowhere Man

A solid,good read.Mr Pickett is suffering the' I wish I'd never been born blues'.After being struck by a carraige,he gets his wish and sees just what life would be like if he were never in it. Joel L Froomkin did sa splendid job narrating.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 

Perfect Title for the Holiday Season

Gah! This was so perfect for the holidays! John Pickett is not feeling the self-love or self-respect we think he should. An off-handed "wish" leads to a world he doesn't recognize and an epiphany. I dare not say any more for fear of ruining things.

This is an lovely story. Trust your love for Sheri Cobb South's writing and add this title to your collection. You won't regret it.

Joel L Froomkin created the audio persona of the cast we have grown to love. He allows the listener to feel like he's come home. Bravo!

Mature content: none

Fun & Quick Pickett Novella

Poor Mr. Pickett is struggling to make his private investigator business working and having little success... In true Pickett form he starts being overly hard on himself in his moment of depression and says Julia would be better off if I had never been born. He gets his wish when he hits his head in an "It's A Wonderful Life" style but with a Pickett twist. It's a great book to reflect on, no one truly knows how many lives you touch and what would change if that was removed from the equation. It's a clean read and I will agree with another reviewer that was frustrated with his lack of normal cleverness and the amount of denial he was in over his situation in this book- that part was not up to the normal par of this series but it did work in drawing out the story and showing you a bigger scope of people he had impacted. It may not be my favorite Pickett story but I did still really enjoy it. If you're on the fence I would say give it a shot it was a fun and quick mystery.
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

John Pickett wishes he was never born!

I have listened to the books in this series out of order and each one stands alone. John Pickett, a Bow Street Runner (Early British policeman) and is going through a bad time and wishes he was never born. He hits his head, blacks out and suddenly finds that no one knows who he is anymore. This is a great mystery series, and this book has a different twist than the others. This story also answers some questions about John Picket's past. The narration in each book is absolutely fabulous and sounds like a full cast production. I was gifted a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for an honest review.

Short story not up to this authors par

You can happily skip this short story without missing anything from the series worth reading or listening to

What a great story!

Hey story taken from the plot of it’s a wonderful life with Jimmy Stewart in this book it’s John Pickett who watches he wasn’t born. He has a beautiful wife who is expecting in a 10-year-old half-brother and although they are financially stable he wants to contribute to the family and since he is retired from the police force in London and started his own private PI business business is not just slow it is that’s a definite staying still and this is what causes a more day to wish she was never born. Thanks to a lady selling apples he gets his wish. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in for those of you look like happy endings in love it’s a wonderful life you also love this book I highly recommend it!

Meaning in life

No angels, bells, or haloes, but only a vanishing prescient apple seller and a depressed John Pickett badly concussed in 1820s London in this tale worthy of Dickens. Feeling himself to be a failure, John is in the way of a horse and cracks his head. He then spends time in a world he does not understand because things are unfamiliar to him and he is unknown to those he knows because he has never been born. But he is who he is and is saddened by things as might have been while learning a few new things about himself and what he believed to be true. Very well done! I loved it!
Joel Froomkin continues to be the voice actor extraordinaire.