REVIEW: Nowhere Man: Another John Pickett Novella by Sheri Cobb South
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…
Dear Ms. Cobb South,
Yay a John Pickett novella to help tide us over until the next full length book! And with holiday purchases and reading coming up, the timing is perfect for a Regency retelling of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Poor John has had some hair raising adventures in the past but he has no idea what’s in store for him this time.
I agree with you that it was fun to reread about characters and events from the past books but in a slightly new way as now John’s influence has been removed – since he was never born. As one character says, no one goes through life without touching others and, in some way, changing their existence. John gets a chance to see just how much good he’s done in his twenty-five years and how different the world is without him.
If these people don’t know him, at least he knows them and is still ready to try and help where he can. John’s just selfless that way and nothing can or will change that. Julia – as is without John in her life – is right when she tells him that anyone who has him in their life is lucky. And doesn’t Julia turn into a tigress – in both worlds – when the chips are down and John is threatened?
When John’s inquiry service gets going, and Julia and I both have faith in him, I can’t wait to see – well, aside from Julia’s inevitable date with destiny – what will happen next in this series. B+
~Jayne
AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle
I’m a happy reader of this series and this definitely looks like a fun addition. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Jayne!
@Kareni: I was delighted when she sent me an email that she’d written it.