The Nurse

by Valerie Keogh

‘Keogh is the queen of compelling narratives and twisty plots’ Jenny O'Brien 'A wonderful book, I can’t rate this one highly enough. If only there were ten stars, it’s that good. Valerie Keogh is a master story-teller, and this is a masterful performance.' Bestselling author Anita Waller 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...

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Audiobook

296 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2023

About the author

Valerie started to write several years ago. She self-published eight crime novels and one psychological thriller before signing a two book contract with Bookouture in March 2018. The first of these, Secrets Between Us, is available now and the second is due in Feb 2019. She is a registered nurse with a degree in English and a Masters in American Literature. Recently she has given up nursing to concentrate on her writing career.

Reviews

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRUE CONFESSION:
This is the second "killer nurse" book that I have listened to in three weeks.

AM I SERIOUS?
Yes!

AM I SPOTTING A NEW TREND?
I hope not!

Valerie Keogh's "The Nurse" brilliantly explores the psyche of a deeply flawed and troubled woman who committed her first murder at age 10.

"I was ten when I made the decision to kill Gemma"..........
was the book's first sentence that instantly hooked me into the storyline.

The book was fast-paced and well-plotted, even though its middle was a bit muddled.

I listened to the audiobook read by Rose Robinson who did an outstanding job with the narration.

Author Valerie Keogh goes hot/cold with me and IMHO, this was one of her better books.

[Heather Adores Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Publication date ~ July 21, 2023
Page Count ~ 301 (53 chapters)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 25 minutes
Narrator ~ Rose Robinson
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ bullying, revenge, murder

Don't bully Lissa or she might just kill ya, even though she's only 10. Once a murderer always a murderer...until you get caught that is.

I wasn't overly wowed. It was fast paced and intriguing in the beginning, but adult Lissa was less interesting to me, so it slowed down a little. Sometimes I like unlikable characters, but not this time. A good amount of love for this one, so give it a whirl if the plot tickles your fancy. I enjoyed The Widow, so I'll for sure read her work again.

Narration notes:
She did a great job!

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Menacing,with a creeping sense of unease about what could happen…that’s how I would describe this book 😎
A great main character ,Lissa,who starts her evil early and continues it throughout her life……at times she thinks it is justified but ultimately to suit her needs,she has a cloying way about her yet fascinating to read and get to know and listen to her plans and thoughts…even when she ( and us ) get it terribly wrong about people she meets…
I thought the story was well plotted and gave the reader exactly what needed to try and work out her next move……,as always I liked a characters thoughts being in opposition to what they were saying/acting out
A tense read and the dastardly deeds continued to unfold
Thought the meeting in the Ivy with the solicitor was a bit of a filler and the ending just a tad rushed but they are minor thoughts on what is a very troubling yet exciting story,I think my fav so far by this author.

[Samantha Scheer · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review an early copy of this 7/21 release!

Man this one was a disappointment! But I guess that’s what I get when I request a book based off the cover. I really thought that this was going to be more focused on nursing than it was, which honestly would have made for a much more interesting story/thriller than what I read.

First off, the main character was insufferable. Oh my gosh I couldn’t stand her. I think that was the point honestly but wow. She was awful. Her obsession with her dead father and getting revenge for her father essentially never loving her and her mother was really tedious. The number of times she used the word bigamous to describe him was excessive. It was as if she was trying to avenge for the life she never got that she felt she deserved. And everything was about the money. How she could get more money. What shady things she could do to get more money. And I’m talking some very shady things.

The story fell flat, and the twist at the end wasn’t even twisty. It literally didn’t happen til one of the last five chapters of the story. It dragged on but I was invested enough to finish, so kudos for that. Nothing happened most of the story, besides our main character being obsessive over other peoples lives. The opening sentence of the book was a good one though and definitely drew you right in.

While yes, she is a nurse, I think I just expected so much more than what was given. I solely based this off the cover and the title and had super high hopes for it, and was left very disappointed.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt flat to me.
It’s a fast and easy read so if you needed to read something to help get you out of a reading slump or to hit your book goal this would be a good one. I just thought there’s be more to it.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

Bullied, over-looked and underappreciated, 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 the people, find out their secrets.... sometimes with deadly results.

Lissa's rough start in life has taken her down the wrong path and she does bad things. When she becomes a nurse, she has the opportunity to turn her life around. But thing don't always happen the way they should and the behaviour of others might make Lissa do bad things again.

You can't help but like Lissa even though she has done some bad things in the past. This is quite an addictive read. Lissa is quite a complex character. The pace is fast and the chapters are short. Lissa is a unreliable narrator. The ending of the book has a satisfying twist that ties up all the loose ends. I did think the story dipped for a bit in the middle of the book, so I took off half a star for that reason.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #ValerieKeogh for my ARC of #TheNurse in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW where do I start? Let me take a breath, I feel like I've done a round in the tumble dryer. This book had so many twists I don't know whether I'm coming or going!!!

The main character Lissa who is larger than life, at 10 was bullied but stood up to the bully in an extreme way.

The story accompanies Lissa through to her adulthood and all the traumas she endured along the way.

I loved this book. Definitely my cup of tea!! This had me hooked reading late into the night as I just simply couldn't put it down.

Fantastic, very addictive and a must read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book!!! The cover and blurb both sounded really appealing to me, but I had many problems with the storyline..

This had a basis for a great story, but everything seemed to be randomly thrown in, twists felt forced, and were extremely predictable. I felt like I was waiting for something to happen for the whole book. I wish there weren't so many plotholes - I had really high hopes for this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valerie Keogh fascinates me!
She has written several books with a profession as a main character, and this is her latest- the nursing sector.
She has written this one with enough detail that readers will think she has had training in it!
The premise is a brilliant one, but at the start you are shown why the character has become fixated on making people pay for their wrongdoings.
The pacing is fast and it's not difficult to finish this book in one sitting!
I have already seen the vocation of Keogh's next book's protagonist and I'm ready and waiting for it!

[Millie Cullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[SVETLANA · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 *

[Babs · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just awful.

It starts off promisingly. A ten year old decides to murder her playground bully and gets away with it. But from there it goes downhill fast.

The writing is terrible. The whole book is over written and full of errors and inconsistencies. The editing isn’t much better. There’s so much erroneous content in the book that could have been carved out to make it shorter and snappier.

The promise of the early sociopathic 10 year old fades to nothing and we end up with a tedious story of the mundane day to day life of a care assistant.

Boring. Pointless. Poorly written. How it’s getting so many 4 and 5 star reviews is the real mystery!

Avoid avoid avoid!!

[Jamie Watkinson-Harvey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Title: Promising Premise, Disappointing Execution

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)

I had high hopes for "The Nurse" by Valerie Keogh, but it ultimately left me thoroughly disappointed. The blurb hinted at a gripping tale of intrigue centered around a nurse exploiting her position, yet it took a substantial chunk of the book before the nursing career even came into play.

Instead, the story predominantly revolves around the near-vegetative mother of the weak protagonist in a care home, with a bizarre and pointless relationship with the family lawyer thrown in for good measure at brief and sporadic junctures.

One of the most frustrating aspects was the complete lack of basic research. The hospital in Bath is well-known as the Royal United Hospitals, or RUH for short. However, throughout the book, it's inexplicably referred to as "Bath United," a name it never goes by. This lack of attention to detail was an incredibly glaring and distracting error.

Moreover, the book meanders without direction or purpose, leaving readers feeling adrift. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the book lacks direction and purpose. The notion that the villain and protagonist recognise each other solely because they are both killers is not only absurd but also disappointingly shallow.

In conclusion, “The Nurse” had the potential for a great plot but suffered from poor execution. The promise of a deep and clever novel was left unfulfilled, making it a sad and disappointing read with an incredibly lackluster ending. This is a missed opportunity, to say the least.

[Chelsea Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable read and I was eager to see it to the end, but it was a little bit flatter than I was expecting.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, this book was brilliant. It was a great story about a young girl taking revenge on people who have wronged her in some way. But, what a way to go about it!!! I’m not giving anything away but, it’s a must read book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that sounds good, gets your attention with Jenna and then another. Then, nothing. Tedious repetitive descriptions of a person in a vegetative state. The last 5 pages a better, but not worth the time

[LerThriller.Andreia · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨Este livro começa de forma muito crua e brutal. Uma criança de 10 anos, assassina, é algo incomum e que é impactante para o leitor. Fez-me logo refletir na divergência de opiniões, nasce-se assassino, ou tornamo-nos num?
✨Adorei o rumo do livro, gosto de histórias chocantes como esta, pela frieza da personagem principal, excepto para com a sua mãe, mas para mim, gostava que o fim tivesse tido outro rumo, um rumo pela maldade e crueldade, que acho mais compatível com o fio condutor da histórias, mas não, foi um final "fofinho"...

[Sheree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insufferable characters and a paper thin plot. Straight up meeehhhhh, this was a struggle to finish.

[Hal the Faerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

That ending was so fucking underwhelming. Like Wdym she gets a satisfactory ending for her life? I suppose the twists and turns were good - but also really stupid at times. Carol trying killer the OG serial killer was so ridiculously hilarious, and honestly I wish she actually killed her. This didn’t read like a seat gripping thriller - it read like a normal boring book with a mundane life, and a hint of psychotic behaviour

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m just over 40% and struggling to see why this book is such a big deal.
Found it super interesting initially but it’s gotten so boring. Pretty much all telling and no showing either. Might trudge on with it but think I’ll DNF

[Amber Ruda · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could do a 3.5 I would, it was a good book for the most part but found myself loosing interest throughout, but did have other parts where you wanted to know what happens next

[JJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing book. A different type of serial killer!

[Xana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Acabar este livro é uma sensação agridoce... fico com a sensação que gosto de sofrer... 🙄
Que livro da tanga...

[Jennifer (Jaye) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Tense Read*

**3.5 Stars**

This started out so well for me then I added the audio and the narrator Rose Robinson did a great job.

Lissa McColl had what she thought were loving parents. All was well when her father was home and things changed when he had to travel for his work. He seemed to mean the world to her mother who just could not cope when he was away. Lissa had what she thought was unconventional looks which meant she was bullied at school for her over large mouth and nose. Lissa hated that feeling so she decided to do something about it…..

A few years later after the tragic news came that floored her mother which meant she was in put into a care home a nice one and she just stared into space continually and never spoke again. Lissa even though she was late teens stepped upto the plate. Then when her family solicitor makes a shocking revelation it meant that a situation developed that Lissa would take care of. All the way through I felt the tension until the end when she appears to meet her match which built and built.

As a nurse the term ‘do no harm’ may not of suited Lissa but it enabled her to watch and gain knowledge about the ones she despised…

Then the ending just fell a bit flat for me. I had decided that this would be a 4 star until the ending. Nevertheless it was still a good read and I had to finish it to see how it would end. In fact I went back and re-read the last few pages in case I missed something….

[Nathalie Bakelandt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uitgelezen maar vond het niet waaaw, weinig spanning, langdradig en einde ongeloofwaardig

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Já tinha matado antes, não era nada de mais."😬😱

Pois, a Lissa é uma enfermeira perigosa. Já era perigosa ainda antes de ser enfermeira.

Bem, não sei bem o que achei, no final, sobre este livro. Comecei com grandes expetativas, porque adoro livros protagonizados por profissionais da saúde. Conhecer a Lissa em criança foi interessante e levou-me a pensar que a história seguiria por um caminho que não seguiu.

Continuei a ler, aberta às possibilidades, pois até estava a seguir um bom caminho e que me surpreendeu.

E depois, já perto do fim, vem uma reviravolta bem engraçada - mas, assim como veio, também acabou, muito depressa, sem pormenores, muito fácil.

Não foi mau, não foi mesmo. Mas também não me arrebatou.

[Josephine Jarman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The front cover lead me to believe this was gonna be a serial killer nurse. The burb is well written and gives a good description of the overall plot..
There is good character development of lissa and at times as a reader you feel the story could go either way and this keeps you hooked. The introduction of Sarah feels a little flat . Her time in rhe overal story seems too short given the ending. This is where the story needed a bit more depth and colour. There was never an arch for her the dip reveal of some of her traits was just not enough for me. I needed more from her to enjoy the ending. I liked the story and enjoyed the ride a solid 4. Thank you net gallery and publisher for my arc

[Barbara Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read!

[Daniella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I wish there were more murders. Younger Lissa was much more interesting than older Lissa. I wish she got rid of her mom. I would’ve liked to see her life without that burden.

[Joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Indecisa entre as 2.5 e as 3 estrelas.
Este livro tinha tudo para ser incrível.
Mas a autora quis colocar tanta coisa numa só história que acabou por se perder, tornando tudo demasiado confuso.