Guest: Nancy Herriman

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Edith here, soaking up late-summer heat.

I’m excited to welcome fellow historical mystery author Nancy Herriman to the blog today Press photo compwith her new “A Mystery of Old San Francisco” series. This series sounds especially appealing to me as I am a native Californian, and it’s set only twenty years before my own historical series. Nancy’s first book in the series is No Comfort for the Lost. What a great title! I confess I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it’s next up on my Kindle. And she’s giving away a copy to one lucky commenter!

Take it away, Nancy.

Setting a Mystery in 1860s San Francisco

First off, thanks for hosting me! I thought I’d talk about why I chose 1860s San Francisco as a setting for my new mystery series. I’ve always found the city fascinating, and I think most people are familiar with its lore—stories about the 49ers and the Gold Rush, the Chinese laborers working on the Pacific Railroad, the famous people who lived there at that time, such as Mark Twain, Levi Strauss, J.A. Folger of coffee fame, Leland Stanford, Ghirardelli. There was so much going on, so much to see. Even then, it was an insanely popular tourist destination—I wonder if it was as hard to find a parking spot near the shoreline as it is now—and a huge draw for folks looking for a fresh start in life.

AAB-6905In the 1860s, San Francisco was one of the most diverse cities in the country, if not the most diverse. I decided to make use of that diversity and feature various immigrants in my book—my English heroine, the Irish scamp she’s taken under her wing, the boisterous Italian family living next door, her bossy Scottish housekeeper, all the Chinese she interacts with, including her half-Chinese cousin. A rich melting pot of people with an equally rich supply of problems.

And of course, the city is also infamous for being rough-and-tumble, its Barbary Coast (not AAC-8916actually on the coast, but named after the notorious Berber coastal region of North Africa) well-known for vice. Saloons, opium dens, and illegal gambling parlors existed to serve the male—and sometimes female—inhabitants. There were over 1000 drinking establishments in the city, nearly 1 for every 12 residents. You wouldn’t have any trouble finding a seat in a bar, I suppose!

NCL final coverAnd where there are vices, there are crimes. My heroine in No Comfort for the Lost, Celia Davies, is a strong-willed British nurse who runs a clinic for poor women. She becomes involved in crime-solving when one of her Chinese patients is found dead in the bay. Being who she is, Celia most certainly wants to help find the girl’s killer. Even if the handsome detective assigned to the case has other ideas about her involvement.

Edith: Ooh, this sounds fabulous, Nancy. I might have to take the afternoon off to do some reading! Thanks so much for sharing the flavor of your story with us!

Readers: What are your favorite settings for historical mysteries? Is there a setting and era you wish someone would set a mystery in? What about your own memories of visiting San Francisco? Ask Nancy a question today – she’ll be stopping in to respond. And giving away a book to one lucky commenter!

Nancy Herriman retired from an engineering career to take up the pen. She hasn’t looked back. Her work has won the RWA Daphne du Maurier award, and No Comfort for the Lost (NAL) was chosen as the Library Journal August 2015 Pick of the Month. When not writing, she enjoys singing, gabbing about writing, and eating dark chocolate. She currently lives in Central Ohio with her family. Learn more at: www.nancyherriman.com

Published by Edith Maxwell

Agatha Award -winning author Edith Maxwell writes the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page) and short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Dot and Amelia Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries series, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries (all from Kensington Publishing). She lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and cat Martin, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

26 Thoughts

  2. I met Nancy Herriman at Malice Domestic in May. I chose a great seat and Nancy sat next to me! Will love her books, I know. Thanks for reminding me about your interesting characters and setting, Nancy.

  4. I love San Francisco and was lucky enough to live close to it when we lived in Monterey. It’s a great city for walking. One of my favorite memories was being there during a rare snow. Everyone stopped what they were doing to lift their faces and hands to the snow. Thanks so much for joining us today!

    1. Thanks for having me, Sherry! Snow in San Francisco? That’s like the few times it snowed in Phoenix while I lived there. A wonderful rarity

  5. Very interesting. Wish i had a copy. Never been to San Fransisco though fancied going ever since i read the biography of Yahudi Menuin (wrong spelling,sorry)…he was brought up there and i remember reading about the fresh breezes and his home schooling there.
    I did not know that S F had been the most culturally diverse area..always assumed it would be New York.
    I live in York,N. Yorkshire.UK. I wonder if you could sell your books here? We have very many book groups! From Maggie C

    1. I was also surprised to find just how diverse San Francisco was in the 1860s as well, Maggie. The more I learn about it, the more interesting I find the city to be.

  6. Lived in San Francisco in the mid-70’s so have added this to my TBR list. This was a great post. Thanks for the chance to win.

  7. I grew up an hour north of San Francisco, so I’m intrigued by the setting. And the time period, since I do enjoy historical fiction – not that you can tell by how few historical fiction books I read. I’m definitely going to have to give this a try.

  8. Raised in Napa and first memory of San Francisco is World Fair in 1938. Still love to catch the ferry from Vallejo and go to the CITY. Have you got a seconb book in the works?

      1. I saw that title and can’t find it again. I know this will be a great series.

  10. Sounds like a fascinating book! I have historical fiction and cozies in my TBR “pile” right now, but no historical mystery. Looks like a great book to add to the list.
    Thanks

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