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No Darkness as like Death

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Member Reviews

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

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I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A great mystery/drama novel. Highly recommend

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Celia and Nick are no longer seeing each other because rumor has it her husband is alive, not dead. A case brings them together to find out who attacked Mina and murdered the banker. Clues lead to Mina, but clues can be deceiving.
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Nancy Herriman is now one of my favorite authors. After sampling this title, I found the first book in the series and purchased it for my personal collection. I am so glad that I decided to start at the beginning of the series. Nancy's stories grab the reader and pull them into the past along with her characters. The mysteries are well-plotted and nicely written. Her characters are likeable and worth getting to know. I would definitely recommend Nancy Herriman's titles to anyone who likes a good mystery, but especially to readers who enjoy historical fiction. I anxiously await the next title. Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for the advance reader copy of this title.

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No Darkness as like Death is a great addition to Nancy Herriman's Mystery of Old Francisco series. It is my favorite I have read from it. Five stars

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I very much enjoy this author. she writes a solid mystery and I love the historical details included. I highly recommend this series.

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The fourth book in the Mysteries of Old San Francisco, No Darkness Like Death joins us up with Nurse by Day, detective when called upon Celia Davies. Spurred to action when a close neighbor is suspected of murder, Celia sets upon proving her innocence and in the process reuniting her reluctant partnership with Detective Greaves.

Another sharp outing for Celia and her band of friends. It’s true that no mystery is solved without a few good people to assist. I so enjoy the time period of the book (1860s) and appreciate the social issues they touch upon. In this case - battling politicians who are on opposite sides of the 14th amendment. It was an interesting mystery but I must admit I still don’t understand the why behind the murder.

Overall though I enjoyed meeting up with Celia, Nick, and their crew. And I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next with Celia and Patrick!

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Another good addition to this series.
It's entertaining and wll written.
I liked the characters and the vivid historical background, the solid mystery kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc, all opinions are mine

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Perhaps because I hadn't read the previous books in this series and thus was not invested in the developing relationship between the policeman and the female lead, I couldn't get very interested in this mystery. It appeared to be well written, but for me it was too slow, and I really just didn't care what happened. Perhaps it will be a good read for those who have already "met" the leads, but I found it didn't draw me in enough to go back and read the previous books -- and if I find a good story, even in the middle of a series, I will devour it and then go back and get the others. This didn't lure me in. #NetGalley #NoDarknessaslikeDeath

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I received an advanced ebook copy of this novel via NetGalley.

It wasn't what I expected it to be in all honesty and I felt like I was missing A LOT of back story being the fourth book in a series which sadly feels like I've missed out on so much between the characters and the relationships they've built and I do feel that I wouldn't be able to read a series that continually goes on. That said, this book was enjoyable and I liked to read about the difference in times in San Franscisco as this book is set in 1867.

Though there was a lot of dialogue it was mostly interesting though I did struggle as I do like to have a lot of narrative from the author rather than lots of chatter from the characters, sometimes you get way more from that if it's part of a series and you haven't read the other books, I really do enjoy the demonstration of description however there were other things I enjoyed that made up for the lacking such as the informative historical facts and the plot itself.

With thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for this free copy, I really appreciate it.

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No Darkness as Like Death by Nancy Herriman is a San Francisco Mystery taking place shortly after the end of the Civil War. Celia Davis runs a free clinic and solves crimes as a pastime. Her husband has recently reappeared, apparently, and is off in Colorado mining gold, which means she is no longer a free woman. This puts a damper on the blossoming romance between she and Nick Greaves, a police detective. Ambrose Shaw has been found dead at a local health institute where he had gone to treat a heart illness. San Francisco being so small at the time, Celia and her niece, Barbara, had just visited his daughter, a professional photographer, to have their portrait made. Celia, of course, gets embroiled in the murder investigation, the details of which seem very odd to her. And the whole thing touches her lie in multiple ways although she had never met the man. Despite being warned by Greaves to leave it alone, Celia jumps in headfirst.

I love these historical mysteries. While investigating, they portray so much of life at the time. I find it fascinating. One thing of note is the value of money. $75 is a major debt. Things cost so little that it never fails to amaze. Celia is a strong character, running the clinic, and trying to raise her half-Chinese niece, as well as being on call for anyone who needs her, all of the time. She doesn't know if she can trust the local criminal element: Griffin regarding her husband, Patrick, she does the right thing and retreats from personal entanglements. It is a good mystery, with excellent characters, filled with history. What more could a reader ask for? Loved it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of No Darkness As Like Death by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #alldarknessaslikedeath

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This is the fourth novel in a series. You definitely have to read the others to have a sense of the character relationships throughout the story. Nick seems to have a history with both Mina and Celia. I didn't like that he almost found the two women interchangeable in his affections at times. Then, once Mina is implicated in a murder investigation, it's not entirely clear whether Nick wants her to be guilty or not.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, though also pretty slow-paced. Nick and Celia conduct two separate investigations and hardly ever actually interact with one another or share their findings, which draws out the plot quite unnecessarily.

I was intrigued enough to want to seek out the rest of the novels in the series, which will hopefully fill the many holes that result from treating this as a stand-alone.

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Another excellent addition to the Mysteries of Old San Francisco series! The mystery itself was strong, the recurring characters sympathetic, and Celia and Nick’s longing giving all the feels. A rather unfortunate, but not totally unexpected, cliffhanger has me hoping for another installment next year!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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4.5 stars

This is the fourth book in the Mystery of Old San Francisco by Nancy Herriman.

This is the third book I have read in this series and I have to admit that it just keeps getting better and better. Celia Davis is a nurse who is very good at solving crimes. Detective Nick Greaves doesn’t keep Celia from her mysterious hunt but he uses her expertise to aid his own investigation. They make a very good team and round out each other nicely.

There has been a hit of interest in a romantic relationship between the two of them but I am not sure if such a thing will ever happen, especially considering the big shock to Celia at the end of this. That makes me a bit sad since I think the two of them together would be great.

The mystery here was quite complex and I like how Nick sometimes marvels at Celia’s insights. Lots of suspects to consider and with the hinderance of the setting of the 1860’s, I think the author does a great job of making us believe the time frame we are in.

This is a series I greatly recommend. This book really kept me guessing up until the end. I look forward to other books by this author.

If you love a good historical cozy mystery, definitely check this one out.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

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If you fancy a riveting, twisty and fun historical mystery with an unmissable ending, get a hold of this book! I just love the author's charming writing, laden with wit. It positively hums with historical details. There's angst, tension and suspense as well as atmosphere to settle into, the ultimate escapist antidote.

In 1860s San Francisco, a body is found at a health institute where clients go to take the waters. The body is that of a politician and, as we know, politicians are not without enemies. Nurse Celia Davies' client has amnesia and she has some explaining to do, as do all the characters. Detective Nick Greaves is on the case, as is Mrs. Davies, both with their special skillsets and personalities. Further crimes occur and we are led down a winding path through a forest of subplots which ends in a tremendous denouement. Not only are the crimes interesting but also the characters, politics and medical details which I adore. This book is unputdownable. I found my evening plans inevitably change...for the better.

My sincere thank you to Beyond the Pages and NetGalley for the privilege of reading the early e-ARC of this delightful book...I highly anticipate the next in the series!

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A local politician has been found dead, Celia Davies learns a patient of hers is a suspect. As the young woman suffered a blow and cannot remember what happened, Celia feels compelled to clear the girl's name. Detective Greaves is none to pleased as he also searches for clues to the murderer's identity. Will they learn the truth before another death occurs?

In the previous book, I thought these two were attracted to each other and were resigned to never being able to do anything about that attraction. If I had to go only by this book,. I would say they don't even like each other. When their paths do cross, they argue. They don't even trust each other. When Celia finds evidence, she holds it back, not trusting the detective to use it to solve the murder. Because she thinks he will jump to a conclusion she doesn't like. Her method of learning information also raised an eyebrow from me, and I did not approve.

The narrative is told mostly through dialogue, which i don't remember from the previous book. There wasn't much in the way of description, so I struggled to envision the scenes in my mind. It was also nice that there was less of a minor character than before, though there were a few distracting scenes told from his perspective. The plot itself is good. It kept me guessing as to the culprit.

This book ends on a cliff-hanger, but I'm not sure I'm interested enough to see how the plot point plays out in the next book.

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I enjoyed No Darkness as like Death very much. This is one of my must read series and did not disappoint. Celia and Nick are fascinating characters, both have intriguing backstories that are slowly being revealed book by book. As immigration and racism are an issue today, the anti-Chinese sentiment that was so prevalent in San Francisco during the 1800s and into the 1900s seems very pertinent, how much things have changed to stay the same. This particular plot was well done and kept me guessing. But I have to say, it is the last page of the book that I keep thinking about and cannot wait for the next book! Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #NoDarknessaslikeDeath.

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I really enjoyed this book and will be reading the rest of the series. It is set in San Francisco in the late 1800’s. The mystery was good enough to keep me guessing. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read it.

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Celia and Nick are back to team up and solve a murder in 1860’s San Francisco.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this one as much as I enjoyed the previous books in the series. I was almost distracted by Celia and Nick’s interactions, there just seems to be something off between them in this book. There was a surprise though in the very last seconds of the book that has been hinted at in at least the last book and I’m interested to see how it’s going to affect Celia. That being said, I still like their characters and I’m hoping this was just a one-off entry in the series that didn’t click for me.

I enjoyed the historical details in this book and I thought that aspect was still strong, as it was with the previous books.

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This is the first time I've read this author. I liked the mystery and the characters. The mystery kept me guessing and can't wait to see what happens in the next books. The historical information was interesting as well.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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