No Comfort for the Lost: A Mystery of Old San Francisco
San Francisco, 1867: English Nurse Celia Davies, abandoned by her roving husband, tends to poor women at her clinic in post-Civil War San Francisco. She tries to make a home for her half-Chinese cousin, Barbara, while she waits for some news of her husband.
All Celia‘s medical expertise is of no use when the bayoneted body of Li Sha is pulled up from the bay. A reformed Chinese prostitute, Li Sha was Celia’s friend as well as the lover of her brother-in-law, Tom. Tom is quickly arrested and jailed for the murder. Amidst a background of anti-Chinese sentiment and police corruption, Detective Nicholas Greaves remains determined to solve the case and find the real killer, although the intriguing Mrs. Davies, and her penchant for finding trouble, factor into his desire for justice.
This well-written and absorbing novel is the first book in a promising new mystery series. Nancy Herriman paints a vivid array of unique characters and places them in an interesting setting. The book moves along at a pleasant clip, and the chemistry between Celia and Nicholas promises more adventures in the future. Recommended for lovers of historical mystery.
