Book 8 of this series, gives us Celia and Nick partnering again to solve a murder at a mineral springs that Celia is visiting with her cousin. As always, Herriman has done a great job with historical details, the murder plotline. I do wish the romance arc is resolved soon though. 8 books is a long enough time to resolve misgivings and built something lasting.

#NoMercyfortheInnocent #NetGalley

When the acquaintance who invited Celia Davies and her cousin on a trip to the hot springs winds up dead, the "lady detective" is once more on the case. With a handful of suspects, a blackmail note, deadly geysers and a runaway stranger, the plot started out promising.

Pros:
The mystery, as well as the overall depiction of old San Francisco were really well pieced together.

There were a lot of twists and turns that kept the story interesting. The FMC (Celia) is intelligent and observant and, though her reputation precedes her, still underestimated. Nevertheless, she rose to the challenge.

Cons:
I did have some issues with the MMC, however. I found it rather annoying that Nicholas couldn't even be happy for Taylor due to what seemed to be his own commitment issues. One moment he suggests he plans to marry Celia and the next he's in a rotten mood at the thought of Taylor's proposal. Everyone's urging Nicholas to put a ring on it and he seems to want to, but he's hesitating. Many series draw out the relationship between their central characters, but the way this was done was pretty frustrating.

I also found Nicholas to be a tad patronizing, though I suppose it aligns with the timeline of the series. This is the eighth in the series, so you'd think he'd have figured out she's capable of taking care of herself by now.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Nancy Herriman for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for No Rest for the Departed coming out May 6, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love this series. I think the characters are so smart. I really love the murder mystery aspect. Nick and Celia are fun characters and I enjoy them working together. Nick is a great detective. I definitely want to check out more books in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical murder mysteries!

No Mercy for the Innocent is a pitch-perfect blend of classic mystery vibes and modern psychological tension. Picture this: a secluded wellness retreat in the California mountains, a simmering cast of characters, and secrets bubbling just beneath the surface—until someone ends up literally boiled alive. 😱

Celia is the kind of amateur sleuth you root for—observant, sharp, and unafraid to question what everyone else accepts at face value. When the murder strikes, she doesn’t go with the easy answer (the creepy stranger), but instead peels back the layers on her travel companions, each one more suspicious than the last. The political scandals, hidden pasts, and a would-be fiancé with something to hide? Deliciously twisty.

And the ending? Chef's kiss. I did not see it coming.

Celia Davies and her cousin Barbara agree to accompany a friend and her niece on a journey to medicinal hot springs. When a woman dies in questionable circumstances, Celia is suspicious and begins to investigate. Meanwhile back in the city, Detective Nick Greaves is concerned with government corruption and bribes. Are the two cases connected? Can Nick keep independent Celia safe? Wonderful historical detail in this entire series, the author brings the era to life. The mystery kept me guessing, and I want more of Nick and Celia’s personal relationship. I received a free copy, and this is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Celia and cousin Barbara are invited to join a group going to the Geyser Hotel to partake of the sulphur waters, apparently a new 'thing' in 1880s San Francisco. It involves a long and tedious journey into the hills but they make it eventually. Rather soon however one of the party falls into a sulphur spring and dies rather horribly. Plenty of suspects - husband, step daughter, father's preferred husband to daughter, daughter's preferred husband and a stranger. Celia investigates and meddles really, uncovering political intrigue, greed, evasion and so on. Her almost fiancé Detective Nick Greaves rushes to the site, they return to SF and continue the detecting. The story is interesting as are the thought processes of both Nick and Celia. However, Celia presents these to Barbara, then to Nick, they discuss and repeat a few pages on. This does get rather repetitive I'm afraid. Can't quite give it 4* because of this. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy

I loved this book and to be honest it was not what I expected at all.. it was much better.

I don;t think the cover does it justice and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I did enjoy my reading time.

I loved the setting and the author did a good job at setting the scenes.

The story itself was amazing and I am looking for more in the series.

When I orginally picked up this book I was not aware that it was apart of a series. However, I was very interested in reading it so I looked up the rest of the books in the series to get an idea of what I was reading. Overall I was very impressed with No Mercy For The Innocent that hopefully in the near future I will read the rest this exciting mystery series.
Our main character Celia and her cousin Barbara go on a trip to a hot springs to help with Barbara physical ailment. On this journey they are joined with some acquaintances and for the time being thibgs are well. However, things take a turn for the worse when a murder takes place. Celia decides to investigate for herself and from there it seems there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this cause. Celia also enlists the help her sweetheart Nick to so some investigating of his own.
Overall I was very impressed by this book and thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Celia and her cousin Barbara accompany another family to a hot springs hotel. Following an arduous journey, one of their traveling companions dies after getting scalded in a geyser. Celia is unsatisfied with accusations against a young man traveling with the group and begins to look into what happened. A second murder adds to the complexity of the investigation, which she carries out alongside Det. Nick Greaves. The author is excellent at conveying the feeling of San Francisco in the 1860s with extensive historical detail. The plot was interesting although it moved rather slowly, as Nick and Celia covered the same ground and questioned the same suspects repeatedly, eventually stumbling into the solution. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Beyond the Page for the eARC.

The latest in the very enjoyable series set in 19th century San Francisco sees Celia and her cousin Barbara on a trip inland to visit hot springs in the company of an acquaintance. A murder at the springs quickly created questions for Celia about the acquaintance’s complicated family ties and potential political corruption. Celia presses on to try to find answers alongside Nick, who as always worries about her safety. The plot is well done as always, and the writing strong. In this book more than its predecessors I struggled a little more to understand why Celia is so strongly motivated to solve a murder that didn’t really directly affect her, especially when she seems to ignore any social convention to keep pushing. That said, though, this is a very enjoyable read with the promise that perhaps some of the personal relationships might develop at last. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All views are entirely my own and offered voluntarily.

I love, love, love this series! I wish it were more widely read because the mystery is just spectacular. The relationships move at a glacial place, but it’s always so satisfying when then do. And cousin Barbara is such a fascinating character. I so often want to yell at her to be nice! But then I think how there are so rarely truly grouchy main characters (and perhaps even without in soft hidden depths), and I want her to stay the young lady version of a grumpy old man forever. Thanks to Beyond the Page for the ARC.