I picked this up on a whim because I was looking for a new Historical Mystery series to read and this was a really short read and was the introduction to the series. I’m so glad I picked it up and am looking forward to finding other books in the series.
John Pickett (the hero of the series) is just fourteen years old when this book begins. His mother is dead and his father has been transported for pick-pocketing. With no way to care for himself, John has started pick-pocketing himself and is caught when stealing an apple to feed himself. The Bow Street Runner who catches him is a brutal lout who breaks his nose and otherwise beats him.
The magistrate realizes that John is on his own and that he is the magistrate who transported his father. There is something about the boy that appeals to the magistrate and he decides to help him. The magistrate makes some incorrect assumptions about the boy — and when they are finally corrected — he ends up bringing John into the Bow Street Runners.
I think this background will be of benefit for understanding the characters in future books.