The Nurse by Valerie Keogh - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

I was ten when I made the decision to kill Jemma.

Her family - parents and an older sister - had moved from London to our small country village six months before. The first morning, Jemma had waltzed into our class completely unfazed by the wide eyes and audible whispers that followed her progress like sunflowers to her sun.

Our teacher, Miss Dryden, a tall willowy woman with steel grey hair and watery blue eyes, held a hand lightly on her shoulder and introduced her...

***

Do No Harm...

Bullied, overlooked and under-appreciated, Lissa McColl learns at an early age to do very bad things.

As a nurse, she is respected and valued for the first time in her life. But Lissa hates her job and the selfish, rude and inconsiderate people she has to deal with.

But being underestimated in this job had its advantages. Lissa can get close to people, find out their secrets...sometimes with deadly results.

***

This was a fast, and gripping read that I found difficult to put down.

The main character of this book, Lissa, is something of an anti-hero. Being told in the opening line of this novel that she was just ten years old when she planned the murder of a fellow school pupil, the reader is left in no doubt as to where the book is heading. Regardless of her murdering credentials, I could not help but like her character.

Neglected by her mother as a child, Lissa is craving love and attention, and she continues to seek this throughout her adult life. She was a fascinating character who is complex and thus made me question how reliable her narrative was.  However, there is a sadness to her character which the author portrays extremely well.

The book has been well written, and there are sufficient twists and turns in the plot to keep the story interesting and make the book compelling. It was an easy read and the words flowed across the page. Ms. Keogh demonstrates how well she understands her character and thus draws the reader in through her excellent storytelling skills.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I am delighted that she has an extensive back catalogue as I am very keen to read more of her work.

ISBN: 978 1804154816

Publisher:  Boldwood Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and hardcover (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  260 (hardcover)

About the Author:

Valerie Keogh is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and crime series, most recently published by Bloodhound. She originally comes from Dublin but now lives in Wiltshire and worked as a nurse for many years. Her first thriller for Boldwood was published in August 2022.

(ARC and media kit courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)