Endearing banter and a lot of murders: The adorable murder mysteries with Lady Julia and the Bow Street Runner John Pickett written by Sheri Cobb South

A few weeks ago I read a novel that was a free give away and was instantly hooked on the whole series. With my purse strings in hand I only bought three more from the ten book series.

The setting is London during the Regency era (the beginning of the 19th century).

The hero and heroine in the books are a woman from the country gentry who had made a adventitious marriage with a man from the high nobility, and a man who is now a Bow Street Runner (the early police detectives) who is the son of a criminal and who was more or less adopted by a judge. The detective elements are well done even if you sometimes are deliberately given a bit of advanced knowledge, the settings are superb and in my opinion often inspired by famous English novels and the ongoing interaction between the lady and the detective are endearing and often very funny.

In Milady's Chamber: A John Pickett Mystery (John Pickett Mysteries Book 1)

5.0 out of 5 stars: A detective with a touch of humour

Endearing, witty and a good plot. A young London"detective" (Bow Street Runner) has to research the death of a nobleman in the Regency period. The lady of the house is lovely but also the prime suspect
Great story! And very funny sometimes.

The murder mystery is a good one but left me with a few questions though.

Family Plot: Another John Pickett Mystery (John Pickett Mysteries Book 3)

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance and murder

After having done something what her in-laws think is rather scandalous, Lady Julia is banished to the Scottish family estate together with the recently revealed as bastards sons of the new heir.
En route they decide to go on an adventure and pretend to be someone else. So she takes her cousins to the sea instead and wades right into a mystery.

Funny, endearing and a good story.

The title might hint at what will be regarded the place where family members are buried. Or it has to do with the play enacted. Or just because it is all about family.

The setting is a bit "Wuthering Heights": an old house, harsh nature and gloomy men.

Peril by Post: Another John Pickett Mystery (John Pickett Mysteries Book 8)

Picture yourself a 'Pride and Prejudice' setting. Julia's parents live on a modest country estate but their neighbour is the most important landowner in the area. He used to be married to the older sister of Julia but that woman disappeared years ago and is thought to be dead. He has now remarried into a terrible social climbers family.

Instead of some big shot the country squire, Julia's father, now seems to have gotten himself a son-in-law from quite humble origins. That alone make for some fun reading.

But then people start to die around the place and John has to play detective again.

The plot is quite a good one. With a lot of historical background painting.

Brother, Can You Spare a Crime?: Another John Pickett Mystery

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much Dickens

In this last novel in the series - number 10 - John tries to save his young half-brother who is a gutter rat from the slums near Seven Dials from the gallows.

I am a big fan of this series but this book is more Dickens than detective and lacks the lighthearted fun of the interaction between John and Julia.