I knew this book will be a perfect fit for me. It happened when I heard this in the audio sample: “He hauled by the collar of a shabby grey coat a scrawny individual who appeared to be disinclined to bear him company.”
See, this is what I love in good regency stories. The language. Why say “he looked like he didn’t want to be there” when you can (and should) say it so… beautifully! Sheri Cobb South, you speak the quirky language of my tribe 🙂
When it comes to the plot of this prequel, it’s more of an origin story than a mystery novel – but there is a brush with crime here too, of course. It focuses on John Pickett’s childhood and adolescence, and on the kindness of his benefactor, so rare in those times.
The characters Sheri Cobb South drawn for us are very likeable and there is a subtle sense of humor weaved in. Also, Joel Froomkin, the narrator, is stunning. He can do accents, quirky voices, all sorts of them. He’s really, really good.
Give this a listen and the first full length novel will have far more richness for you. And you should definitely read that one… but that’s for another review 🙂
My heartfelt thanks to the author, narrator, or publisher for providing me this audiobook via Audiobook Boom at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review.