No Darkness as like Death by Nancy Herriman. A Mystery of Old San Francisco #4. Beyond the Page Publishing 2021.

This book begins in 1867 San Francisco, with the apparent murder of a local politician. The Copperheads were a short-lived faction of the Democrat party during the US Civil War era. Celia, former Crimean War nurse now serving women otherwise without health care, becomes involved when a neighbour is implicated, her fourth such partnership with Nick, detective, and Civil War veteran.

I was interested in reading about racism and politics in San Francisco at this time, and about the photography processes of the era. I was distracted Celia’s impulsiveness and Nick’s sadness, by the number of past and current relationship triangles and by trying to keep track of supporting characters and the relationships between them. No doubt, I should have started with the first of this favourably reviewed series instead of the fourth.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of No Darkness as like Death free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #NoDarknessaslikeDeath #NetGalley