Narrated by Joel Froomkin

Sheri Cobb South’s The Weaver Takes a Wife is one of my favourite traditional Regencies, and while I know it’s available in audio, I didn’t like the narrator based on the sample available at Audible, so chose not to listen further. But when the first of the author’s John Pickett Mysteries, In Milady’s Chamber (using a different narrator) came up for review, I decided to give it a go; I enjoy historical mysteries, and have heard good things about this series.

John Pickett made his first appearance in the novella, The Pickpocket’s Apprentice, which told the story of how fourteen-year-old John was taken under the wing of magistrate Patrick Colquhoun and, five years later, became involved in a criminal investigation that brought him to the attention of Bow Street. Now twenty-four, John is the youngest runner on the Bow Street force, and spends his days dealing mostly with petty crimes. But an accident which sees him in the right place at the right time catapults him into a murder investigation and into the rarefied world of the ton, a world outside his experience and which he is ill-equipped to deal with.

After years locked into a loveless marriage, Lady Julia Fieldhurst finally decides that perhaps it is time to follow the pattern of so many other society marriages and look for happiness outside it. Lord Rupert Latham, a friend of long-standing has made it clear that he would welcome a relationship beyond friendship with Julia, and she is finally at the point of agreeing to have an affair with him. Rupert escorts Julia home from a ball one evening, fully expecting to go to bed with her, when the discovery of her husband’s dead body on her bedroom floor, with a pair of needlework scissors sticking out of his neck, puts an end to all thoughts of an amorously satisfying evening.

When John Pickett arrives on the scene he is stunned by Lady Julia’s beauty and is instantly smitten by her, even though his rational mind tells him that a lady of her standing is well above the touch of a man such as he. John quickly realises that as the estranged wife, Lady Julia must be the prime suspect in her husband’s murder, but his instinct tells him otherwise, and he is determined to prove her innocent of the crime. But the eagerness of the scandal sheets to paint her as the Jezebel in a love triangle, and the pressure being exerted by John’s superiors turn his investigation into a race against time, and with all his lines of enquiry leading to dead ends, it seems John’s final act of the case will be to arrest the lady and commit her for trial.

In Milady’s Chamber is the first full-length novel (albeit a fairly short one – the audio comes in at just under seven hours) in a series which so far comprises five novels and a couple of novellas. It’s an easy listen, the plot isn’t overly complex and we’re introduced to a number of amiable characters – magistrate Patrick Colquhoun, tart-with-a-heart Lucy, and John’s landlady – who I suspect will recur in other books, all of whom are nicely drawn. Ms. Cobb South writes intelligently and with a nice dash of humour and while the idea of a viscountess interacting so freely with a Bow Street Runner isn’t strictly historically accurate, it’s no less so than the sorts of unequal relationships that form the basis of many an historical romance, so that wasn’t really an issue for me.

John is a sweet character; a kind and loyal young man who has come a long way from his life on the streets of London, and who has a talent for making people feel comfortable talking to him. He struggles to balance his infatuation with Lady Julia against his desire to do the right thing and to prove himself to his mentor, Mr. Colquhoun. But overall, the mystery is a little weak. The possibility that the late viscount was involved in espionage is raised but then mostly forgotten, and John’s arrival at the final solution is rather too convenient, as the thing turns on the correct interpretation of a French phrase which he stumbles upon pretty much by accident at just the right time. I should also point out that there isn’t a romance in this story, although I understand that will develop in future books.

Joel Froomkin is a new-to-me narrator and he acquits himself very well here. He does a good job in portraying John’s youth and idealism by adopting a light tone and less-than-perfectly-polished accent, and Lord Rupert, to whom he gives an ennui-laden drawl, sounds every inch the arrogant aristocrat. The Scottish accent employed for Mr. Colquhoun is perhaps a little thick in places, but not horribly so, although the same can’t be said of the French accent used for Camille, which is a bit over-the-top. His female voices are generally good overall; he raises his pitch a little but doesn’t resort to falsetto, and I had to smile at his portrayal of Lucy, the cockney lady-of-the-night who is John’s friend and would like to be more. I did notice a number of mispronunciations throughout, though, mostly of French terms that crop up now and again. One example I noted was the word “déshabille”, which he pronounced “deshabillay” (the “sh” and final “e” are not sounded) and I couldn’t understand why he pronounced the word “roof” as though it rhymed with “woof!” – the “oo” should be pronounced as in “soon” and not as in “look”. Overall, however, it’s a more than decent narration, and I’d certainly consider listening to Mr. Froomkin again.

I admit that I wavered a bit over the content grade for In Milady’s Chamber. There is nothing actually wrong with the writing or with the storytelling – the mystery is just a little tame for my taste. Mr. Froomkin’s narration enhances the story and while this isn’t an audiobook that will set the world alight, it might suit fans of “cozy” mysteries or anyone looking for a fairly short, undemanding listen.

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