Sheri Cobb South writes a series about Bow Street Runner John Pickett, whom we have learned was found by Magistrate Patrick Cahoon as a 14-year-old pickpocket, and she has now written a prequel story about how Cahoon found Pickett in the novella The Pickpocket’s Apprentice. The magistrate meets John when the boy gets caught stealing an apple and learns that John has been left alone in London when his father, a notorious criminal, has been transported to Australia. Determined to help John find honest employment, Cahoon calls in a favor and gets him apprenticed to Mr. Granger, a coal merchant. But eventually John proves himself to be highly clever, leading to his entry into Bow Street.
This novella would probably appeal less to those who haven’t read any of the John Pickett books, but those of us who have come to know him already will find it intriguing to see John’s early life and how he got started in Bow Street. Learning about how John got started in his job was really fascinating, and I really enjoyed getting to know his character better, especially what has made him the man he is in the other books. This book reminds me of the Sir John Fielding books by Bruce Alexander, one of my favorite historical mystery series, about the founder of the Bow Street Runners and the young man he rescues off the street, just as Cahoon rescues John. Further, the chapter titles are reminiscent of the titles found in 18th and early 19th century literature, adding to the historical sense of the book.
Joel Froomkin performs the audio version of this novella. He makes me think of the early 19th century as he reads the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience of this book.
The Pickpocket’s Apprentice was a fun read despite not having a serious mystery to it. It focuses more on characters and how the persona of John Pickett gets developed from a skinny pickpocket to a Bow Street Runner. Even though I expected to encounter more of a mystery, I appreciated the book a lot, enough so that I give it five stars.