No Refuge from the Grave by Nancy Herriman
I have so missed Celia and Nick!
In this meticulously researched book, the reader is transported back to nineteenth-century San Francisco, where nurse Celia Davies and Detective Nick Greaves pair up once again to solve a baffling string of crimes that include murder and arson.
When Celia Davies and an acquaintance stumble upon the dead body of a well-known loan shark on the front lawn of the acquaintance’s house, Celia is propelled into the investigation into the man’s murder and the mystery of what he was doing at that particular house on the night of his death.
Strangely, at the time of the man’s murder, Nick is investigating a fire that he is convinced was a case of arson, committed as part of an insurance fraud scheme. It just so happens that the insurance agent whom Nick suspects is the very same person who owns the house where the loan shark was found.
And when another body is discovered in the same neighborhood, the clues become even more confounding as Celia and Nick try to piece together the threads of a crime that goes deeper than anyone suspected.
Oh, and Celia’s husband is there to make life even more difficult…again.
This tale goes from the comfort and opulence of the places frequented by San Francisco’s wealthy and influential to the seedy areas of the city where money changes hands in the dark and nefarious deeds are part of everyday life.
The characters in this book are brilliantly drawn and play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses in a way that is engaging and kept me turning the pages. Celia is strong (and headstrong!) and brave, but she knows she’s going to need Nick’s help to get through this puzzle. And Nickâwell, he knows he needs Celia’s help and insights, but his feelings for her make it difficult for him to be around her.
If you like historical novels with three-dimensional characters, witty and sharp dialogue, an ingenious mystery, and a perfect denouement, you will love this book. I highly recommend it. You don’t have to start at the beginning of the series, but if you do, that makes the reading experience even richer.
Reade and Write 