Too Hot to Handel

Another John Pickett Mystery

By: Sheri Cobb South

Narrated by: Joel Froomkin

When a rash of jewel thefts strikes London, magistrate Patrick Colquhoun deploys his Bow Street Runners to put a stop to the crimes. The Russian Princess Olga Fyodorovna is to attend a production of Handel’s Esther at Drury Lane Theatre, where she will wear a magnificent diamond necklace. The entire Bow Street force will be stationed at various locations around the theatre - including John Pickett, who will occupy a box directly across from the princess.

In order to preserve his incognito, Pickett must appear to be a private gentleman attending the theatre. Mr. Colquhoun recommends that he have a female companion - a lady, in fact, who might prevent him from making any glaring faux pas. But the only lady of Pickett’s acquaintance is Julia, Lady Fieldhurst, to whom he accidentally contracted a Scottish irregular marriage several months earlier, and with whom he is seeking an annulment against his own inclinations - and for whom he recklessly declared his love, secure in the belief he would never see her again.

The inevitable awkwardness of their reunion is forgotten when the theatre catches fire. In the confusion, the Russian diamonds are stolen, and Pickett is struck in the head and rendered unconscious. Suddenly it is up to Julia not only to nurse him back to health, but to discover his attacker and bring the culprit - and the jewel thief - to justice.

©2016 Sheri Cobb South (P)2018 Sheri Cobb South

Does not disappoint -- great read!

I'm making my way through the series and continue to delight in the characters and the story line. Light reading to be sure, but engaging and well written. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

another good read

I love the fact that Julia is the active sleuth in this book. This is probably more romance then mystery, and I figured out the villain pretty quickly; however, those factors do not diminish from the pleasure I received from reading this book.

Although I received a copy of the book from the author, I was under no obligation to give it a favorable review.

A terrific period detective story and romance

If you enjoy period detective stories and romances, you should get a kick out of Too Hot to Handel! The story features a strong female lead in the feisty viscountess who assists detective John Pickett in his case.

The narrator in this audiobook is very good (though I suspect there are actually two narrators as the female voice sounds rather distinctly female).

"This book was given to me for free at my request, and I provided this voluntary review."

Wonderful series!

I listened to the first book in this series and when I got the chance to get this book, I jumped on it! I enjoy the polite society of the 1800's English high society and the polite zingers they can throw. In this book, John is incapacitated after a very heroic act. Julia nurses him and learns more about herself in the process. I like that she isn't in denial the whole book, she makes decisions and goes with them. She slowly puts the pieces of the puzzle together. Another great listen, Joel Froomkin does a fantastic job narrating the story. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great Series

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

I am such a fan of this series. This is the fifth book in the John Pickett Mysteries series. It is a standalone story and can be read without having read the prior books in this series. The author does kindly do quick summaries of events which occurred in prior books to catch you up [or remind you, if it's been a while.]. However, I would recommend that you start with the first book in the series [In Milady's Chamber] to really get a feel for the MCs John Pickett and Lady Fieldhurst.

Here, John is assigned to attend the theater to surreptitiously watch for a thief after the Russian royal jewels and he is encouraged to take Lady Fieldhurst along as part of his disguise. At the theater a fire breaks out and John rescues Lady Fieldhurst. But, he receives a blow to the head. In a change from the previous books in the series, John is unconscious for most of the book while Lady Fieldhurst cares for him and conducts her own investigation into John's injuries and the missing jewels.

This is probably the book most fans of the series have been waiting for -- will they/won't they is finally answered. I really liked the exploration of Lady Fieldhurt's character in this book and her assertiveness. It was also fun to see her have to learn to do things for herself [without servants]. Equally fun, was learning how the other characters felt about John, through their care for his wellbeing as he was nursed back to health.

The narrator, Joel Froomkin, is absolutely a perfect compliment to this series.

A Series You Will Definitely Enjoy

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

This is the second book in the series I had the pleasure of listening to. I love the characters the author has created and, after listening to a couple of the books in the series, you will have the sensation, after a few pages, of reuniting with old friends. John could be a little more forceful at times, but Julia is a marvel. The plot is truly brilliant and the narration superb. Enjoyed every minute of the audiobook and so will you.

Family friendly

I am so thrilled with this series. It is family friendly, witty and fun.
I wish all authors were like Ms Cobb and write clean books anyone could read!
Thank you MS.Cobb for this wonderful entertainment.

can I give more than 5 stars to the narrator?!

okay Joelle was absolutely fantastic like always he is one of the best narrator I have ever heard on Audible and believe me after 500 books I have heard a lot of narrator's about the book was interesting and very well written I liked the story very very much it was very enjoyable and of course Joel was the perfect voice for the characters

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

A terrific historical mystery

Having accidentally gotten himself irregularly married to the widowed Julia, Lady Fieldhurst, Bow Street Runner John Pickett works to fight a jewel thief in Sheri Cobb South's Too Hot to Handel. Mr. Pickett earlier declared his love for Lady Fieldhurst and then announced that he would never see the lady of a much higher station again. However, he resorts to asking Lady Fieldhurst to join him at a performance of Handel's oratorio of Esther. There the Bow Street Runners are holding a sting to catch the jewel thieves, and Mr. Pickett needs the help of Lady Fieldhurst to help him go undercover at the theater. As the final act begins, Mr. Pickett is surprised to see the royals start to leave, long before scheduled, and soon the word spreads that the Drury Lane Theater is on fire. Mr. Pickett performs some acts of heroism and saves Lady Fieldhurst, but he ends up seriously injured himself.

At this point, Lady Fieldhurst realizes just how much she truly loves Mr. Pickett and determines to nurse him herself. In the meantime, she finds the stolen diamonds in Mr. Pickett's pockets, but before she can turn them over to the police, they go missing yet again. As a protege of Patrick Colcuhoun, the head of the Bow Street Runners, Mr. Pickett gets the best care possible, but even that may not be enough to save him. Thus Mrs. Fieldhurst takes on her own investigation to get to the bottom of the case.

Too Hot to Handel is a terrific, riveting book that kept me drawn to every minute of the book. Much of the book spends its time in a romance between Mr. Pickett and Lady Fieldhurst, as she comes to realize how much she loves him and wants to be his wife. I usually don't like strong romances, preferring only gentle romances in connection with cozy mysteries. But I found myself rooting for this couple, and any discussions of sex is done obliquely. I really enjoyed the characters in the book and the way they came to life.

The plot of the book had interesting details that concluded in a strong manner. I liked the historical setting of this book and the details of high society in the 1800s. The book also concludes with a short story that continues the plot of the novel Too Hot to Handel.

Joel Froomkin narration the audio edition of this book, making it an enjoyable experience to listen to. I liked his performance, which worked with the text to keep me attracted and listening eagerly.

I really liked Too Hot to Handel, but I definitely wish I had read the first books before getting to this one. I have already purchased books .5 and one, eager to listen to the previous books in the series. I give this book five stars.

This was so much fun the listen to

What a great story line, I could not put this down, it held me captive.

I haven't read the other John Pickett books and I could tell that I was missing things, but not enough to affect my enjoyment of the book, it has however left me wanting to go back and get the earlier books.

The characters in this book are really vivid and I enjoyed getting to know a bit about them. I was quite impressed with Julia, she's rather remarkable for the era that she lives in, very determined.

The narration is well done, I enjoyed the character voices and the delivery was smooth and emotive.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

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