The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief

by Marilee Dahlman

Nancy Norman's world collapses when a fire destroys everything she owns. The glamour-obsessed home care nurse faces an impossible choice - retire with nothing, or take one last night shift that could change everything. She takes the job.



Her assignment leads her to an eccentric billionaire's remote estate, where eco-activism hides darker secrets. But her quiet shift erupts into chaos when thieves storm the mansion, hunting for a legendary sapphire collection. Suddenly, Nancy is fighting for her life against trained criminals, high-tech traps, and the mansion's bizarre defenses.



Caught between loyalty and desperation, Nancy discovers an unexpected talent for deception. As she matches wits with the charming mastermind Stephen Sinclair, she realizes the biggest heist of the night might be her own transformation. In a house where nothing is what it seems, Nancy must decide who she is-and what she's willing to steal to survive. This glittering thriller delivers a night of crime, betrayal, and self-discovery where the real treasure might be finding yourself.

Genres: Thriller, Humor

328 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2026

About the author

Marilee grew up in Minneapolis and a small Iowa town. Now she writes about invisible outsiders searching for where they belong. Her work is inspired by the women in her family—tough, no-nonsense nurses and farmers who drive pickups, eat McDonald’s, and won’t be knocked over by a 40-mile-per-hour wind or anything else life throws their way. Her short stories have appeared in The Bitter Oleander, The Colored Lens, Cleaver, Molotov Cocktail, Mystery Weekly, Orca Literary Journal, and more. Marilee lives in Washington, DC, where she enjoys farmers’ markets and playing with her Persian cats.

Reviews

[Stacy]

ARC REVIEW

What do Dr. Goldenpaw, James Bond, and a bedazzler all have in common? That would be Nancy Norman, the queen of chaos.

Nancy is having a day that's gone from bad to worse - her house is on fire, her cat is MIA, and she's lost everything. So, what's a girl to do? Find more trouble, of course! This was laugh out loud funny and fast-paced.

The characters are all lovable, but Dr. Goldenpaw steals the show. If you're looking for a hilarious good time, check this one out, but don't forget your 007 knowledge!

Thanks to Book Sirens for sending me an advanced copy to read and review.

[Marcie Reads]

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗗𝗿. 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗽𝗮𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀. 😂🐈

I picked this up expecting a quirky mystery about a retired nurse, a jewel thief and a highly unusual AI. What I didn't expect was how quickly I’d become invested in the characters.

GHOST was a highlight, Dr. Goldenpaw completely won me over, and somehow a bedazzle-loving retiree, a powerful AI and a heroic cat all felt surprisingly genuine and endearing.

Funny, fast-paced and surprisingly heartfelt, this was an easy book to get lost in.

Thank you to Marilee Dahlman, Brother Mockingbird and NetGalley for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Lise]

Nancy's life is passing her by, with the best part of it being her cat. Though she's just retired, she accepts a well-paying one-night shift as a night nurse to a billionaire who appears to be close to death. And suddenly, Nancy's life has become very interesting.

I started reading this book with a pinch of scepticism. And, at first, the concept felt...well...rather absurd. Then the characters conspired against me, and I fell under their spell. And I began hoping for a series... (hint, hint).

Thank you to Mariless Dahlman and BookSirens for the opportunity to read this complimentary ebook. As always, my opinions are my own, honest and true.

[Lisa Leone-campbell]

The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief is a very funny, fast-paced story with quirky characters. Two who are very different people with very different personalities, values and lifestyles although they seem to have similar taste for 007 meet under very strange circumstances and must come together somehow to get out of a very messy and I mean that literally, situation. Who would have thought being a night nurse could almost kill you!

Nancy Norman is having a bad time. Her house exploded leaving her and her beloved cat Dr. GoldenPaws homeless. The good news was that her ex-husband's car was ruined. The bad news besides being left homeless with practically no money is that Dr. GoldenPaws was hurt but recovering.

As she moves into an apartment complex with her cat, Nancy, a nurse decides it's time to retire. But she, her cat and her glue gun (she loves to bejewel) realize quickly she's not really interested in pickleball and gossip. She envies her ex who is now living THEIR dream of traveling and enjoying life.

So, when she receives a call asking if she would like to work one night shift for an excentric billionaire who is in a coma she hesitates, but when the price goes up, she decides why not? She will have enough money to do a little of the traveling she dreams of. How hard could a job giving meds to a man in a coma be?

Well, unfortunately for Nancy the night turns into a nightmare. The compound is burglarized and the thieves seem to know what they are doing, looking for a stash of precious sapphires worth a great deal of money and trying to destroy the work empire of a man in a coma. Suddenly she is in for the fight of her life trying to get out alive with one of the robbers, (although he is pretty cute) and avoiding the other misfits who are it seems former business associates of the mansion owner.

As Nancy's fear turns into anger at the situation, she decides to go on the offensive and teach them all a few lessons. She's had a look at the caviar and champagne life, and she wants to get out alive!

The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief is a humorous cozy with a James Bond theme. I personally couldn't get enough of GHOST. You'll see! He needs his own backstory!

Thank you #BrotherMockingbird #MarileeDahlman #TheNightNurseandtheJewelTheif for the advanced copy.

[Helen the Bassist]

Just retired, recently single and even more recently homeless nurse Nancy dreams of Paris, and has regrets about saving for a future with her ex rather than seizing the moment. When she is offered the payday (pay night?) of a lifetime she feels France is one step closer but, although the actual job couldn't be easier, the location is...lets's be honest, all kinds of weird! It also happens to be the current resting place of several million dollars worth of sapphires, a sleeping billionaire, and some criminal evidence, all of which have brought together an unlikely trio for one multi-purpose heist during Nancy's first, and potentially only shift.

The first two thirds of TNN&TJT were really great, notwithstanding a massive expectation of suspension of disbelief. I identified with Nancy's love of bling and animals, and I thought the majority of the characters were extremely well developed. Francophile home assistant GHOST was great fun and has the best lines and I can envisage Geyser House on the big screen, although there will definitely need to be one of those 'no animals were actually harmed' disclaimers at the end.

Unfortunately, in the final third, author Marilee came up against a difficult challenge - writing fast paced action scenes with multiple characters - and I'm not sure it was fully successful, although this might have been in some part due to some slightly offputting verb selection. Sometimes it's OK just to have 'looked at' rather then 'Ogled'! Maybe too much input from the writers goup mentioned in the acknowledgements?

Overall, if you think a feisty, post-menopausal nurse trying out being a bond girl for size sounds like fun, it definitely is in this book!

A final thought: If this is going to work well in the UK then my advice is to replace 'fanny pack' with 'bumbag'. It was really distracting!

[Azin Arbab]

The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief was such a fun and engaging read. Even though this is not normally the genre I gravitate toward, I found myself completely pulled into the story and constantly wanting to know what would happen next. The suspense and anticipation throughout the book kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Nancy and Sinclair were definitely standout characters for me, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between them. I also loved the scientific elements woven into the story along with the many James Bond references — they gave the book a unique personality and made it feel both clever and entertaining.

What I appreciated most was how imaginative and energetic the story felt. There were moments where the pacing toward the end felt a little slower to me, but honestly part of that may have been because I was so eager to see how everything would unfold. Overall, this was a very enjoyable, creative, and memorable read, and I would definitely recommend it to readers looking for a quirky, suspenseful, and entertaining adventure.

[Sarah Hawthorn]

This book is so much fun. Nancy Norman is a really unlikely heroine with a bucketful of endearing quirks — a bedazzle-obsessed retired nurse who, longing for excitement in her life, allows herself be drawn into a world of sapphires, sabotage, and self-discovery. The premise sounds bonkers (and it is!), but it works.

The Arctic mansion setting is inventive, Nancy, the roguish jewel thief Sinclair and the other eccentric characters are a delight, and watching Nancy transform from a by-the-rules nurse to diamond-stealing badass takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey. Dr. GoldenPaw the Persian cat deserves his own spin-off.

Thanks to Brother Mockingbird for the ARC.

[Megan Bosarge]

Can a mystery be both cozy and dazzling? Marilee Dahlman’s The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief is proof that it can. When a recently displaced and newly retired nurse gets offered a one time night shift that could solve all of her money troubles, she unknowingly stumbles into a night of crime fighting and survival.

Dalhman’s writing glimmers with wit and immerses you in a unique setting—the lavish estate of a bedridden businessman which happens to be powered by a quirky and temperamental AI called GHOST. Even better, the protagonist is a jewel-obsessed senior citizen who just wants to make enough money to give up the work grind and go to Paris. She’s far from your typical mystery heroine, which is exactly why you will root for her.

Adorned with plenty of shiny bling and a one-eyed cat by her side, Nancy the night nurse embarks on a wild ride that’s as rich with humor and plot twists as it is gemstones.

[P.J.]

When Nancy's beloved cat wakes her up as fire ravages her neighborhood, she is able to alert the neighbors so everyone survived. Unfortunately, as she was saving some items, her cat escaped. He survived, but with some serious injuries that require frequent medication. Nancy moves into a more modest condo and continues with her planned retirement. The fire made her dreams of traveling unrealistic for now so when she gets an offer to be a home nurse for one night at triple pay, she accepts. The job is for a billionaire and his house is intruded by the two coworkers he turned in so that he wouldn't get caught and go to jail and the jewel thief they hired to steal his sapphires. Nancy's main goal is to get her cat and get out, but the house has other ideas.

I love a wacky character and this book is FULL of them! Nancy loves bling, despite not being able to afford the real thing and will bedazzle pretty much anything. She matches with the jewel thief on the senior dating app her friends downloaded for her at her retirement party. And the two have some adorable, Bond-themed, punny banter. Gnut, the billionaire, is pretty eccentric and has some interesting things in his home, including robotic birds protecting his jewels. The stealer of the show; however, is GHOST, the house's AI. She's snarky and hilarious. If you're looking for something fun and original, this is it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Brother Mockingbird, and Marilee Dahlman for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Diane Nagatomo]

“The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief” by Marilee Dahlman was such a fun read! Nancy Norman has always lived responsibly, meticulously planning ahead for when she could eventually retire from nursing. Fun could wait, she had always thought. However, her husband had decided he wanted fun NOW and left. Now alone and coming face-to-face with retirement after her home burned down, she believes she only has long, lonely days ahead. Thank goodness for her feline companion, Goldy, who saved her life by alerting her when the house was on fire.

But then she gets a onetime offer to be a night nurse in the home of a local environmental tech billionaire. The pay is so good she can’t refuse. Bringing Goldy with her (because he needs meds given at particular times) she heads to her patient (whoever that might be). Greeted by an intelligent and feisty AI named Ghost and a butler who is keen to take his night off, Helen thinks she’s in for a quiet evening in this weird home full of fish tanks and sea creatures, only to dispense her patient’s medicine and take his vitals. How wrong she was! Not only is her patient not what he seems to be, the house is under attack by a band of her boss’s enemies who not only want to expose him and his secrets, but to steal his jewels as well.

Helen turns out to be far more resourceful than she ever imagined herself to be, and it’s great fun watching her outwit the bad guys with the help of Goldy. A five-star read for sure!

[Scarlett]

3.75 ⭐️


After many mini heart attacks, Dr. Goldenpaw is safe and sound.

Speedos


The word speedos did show up a lot, but with a name like Gnut, well..


The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief was a fun read, at times. I did feel it dragged a little and the premise managed to get more and more ridiculous as it moved on. How the story would end was also predictable. Regardless, Nancy was a quirky 65-year-old retired nurse who desperately needed to believe in herself more. With an ex like Dave, I don't blame her lack of self-esteem.

Set in Minnesota, I could only imagine how an ice geyser house could be hidden off the shores of Lake Superior. A billionaire environmentalist is an oxymoron that is hilarious to think about. I can think of a particular billionaire that also pretended to care for the good of the world ... and ironically he is also now investing in AI.

Yes, there is an AI GHOST that adds to the ridiculousness of the situation Nancy finds herself in. It was one last job, but here we are!

Sinclair was funny, in that you know he thinks highly of himself and his skills. Elvira's name made me not take her serious at all. JT: CTE is in your future ... and heart failure from all the roids.


The best character in my opinion, Dr. Goldenpaw. Our Persian, orange hero!

[Joy Allington-Baum]

This is a fast paced pun-tastic read. Featuring multiple references to the James Bond stories and movies. Excellent villains and a very unexpected heroine.

The story centers around a retired nurse Nancy who had been asked to cover a night shift for a very wealthy environmentalist who is ill. She is in desperate need for the money as she had just retired after 42 years when her house burned down. She reluctantly took the job when offered triple the standard amount.

At her retirement party her friends sign her up for the so -Senior Love. Here she meets a fellow Bond enthusiast so things are looking up for her.

During her night shift at the very strange mansion all chaos occurs when 3 intruders enter the mansion. Her cat Mr. Golden Paws escapes his blinged up crate Nancy is draw to very sparkly things and bejewels every thing she sees.

The adventures that ensue are filled with puns, improbable scenarios and outcomes and conclude in a satisfactory way.

This book will appeal to cozy mystery readers especially those who like James Bond.

[Jess Howard]

This book was such a fun and unexpected read. What I thought would be a typical whodunit turned out to be an exciting journey of characters discovering their own strength and having new and exciting adventures. The contrasting and complementary leads had far more levels of depth than I was expecting, and everyone loves a non-traditional meet-cute. Bonus points for the cat!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sally A. Fitzgerald]

Fun Read

Being a retired nurse and cat mom, I really got into Nancy! Very fun read! Read in one day! Hörst!

[Mickey Dubrow]

In most thrillers, the 65-year-old retired nurse with a serious bedazzling habit and an adorable one-eyed cat would be the first victim to fall by the hands of ruthless killers. That’s not the case in The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief. Nancy Norman’s dreams of adventure and romance were always derailed by the realities of life. But when she accepts a one-night shift at the home of a rich and famous inventor, danger comes looking for her. Nancy faces surmounting challenges with common sense and determination. The villains could have been nothing more than two-dimensional cartoon characters, but Dahlman makes them so human, you almost feel sorry for them. And Dr. GoldenPaw could easily have his own spin-off series. Highly recommend this imaginative thriller.

[Michelle]

This book is all kinds of ridiculous and I am here for it! I was intrigued by the description and when I started I was a bit skeptical but I’m so glad I kept reading! I won’t ruin the plot for you but I will say this book will draw you into a fantastical story with the most unexpected twists and you will love it all. Just a fabulous read! I received an arc via BookSirens this is my honest review.

[Estelle Bouldin]

What begins as a devastating wildfire story quickly transforms into an engaging mystery-adventure filled with eccentric characters, unexpected twists, and plenty of humor.

Nancy Norman is a recently retired nurse whose life has been turned upside down. After losing her home in a wildfire, coping with a painful divorce, and desperately trying to help her beloved cat, Dr. GoldenPaw, recover from serious injuries, she finds herself pulled into a bizarre situation involving mysterious phone calls, a billionaire's mansion, and a job offer that seems too good to be true.

Nancy is practical, stubborn, compassionate, and unintentionally hilarious. Her obsession with James Bond, her love of bedazzling absolutely everything, and her determination to stay active and independent make her feel real. Watching her navigate retirement, loneliness, friendship, and the possibility of new adventures is every bit as compelling as the mystery itself.

And then there's Dr. GoldenPaw. Cat lovers, prepare yourselves. This brave, one-eyed feline steals every scene he's in. His bond with Nancy adds genuine emotional depth to the story and provides some of the novel's most touching moments.

The writing strikes a balance between cozy mystery, caper, and light suspense. Even after loss and heartbreak, Nancy refuses to give up on life, and that hopeful spirit shines throughout the story.

I'm waiting to see where Nancy, Dr. GoldenPaw, and the mystery lead next.

[Jackie Welcel]

Holy cow this was a wild ride! Nancy is struggling financially after a divorce, and a horrible disaster happened to her home. Nancy wants to retire young enough to enjoy life and travel, so when the offer to act as a night nurse one night for an incredible amount of money, she decides to take a chance and do it. that one night certainly changed her life. I won't give away the main plot I will just say that house was incredible, the surprises that occur with who the gentleman is she is hired to help, and the crazy details of the job just keep surprising. There were so many funny moments in the book too! Once again, I will say what a wild house! Nancy has a cat, Dr. Golden Paws, which she brings with her to work and adds to the panic in the night. The ending was fantastic, with a big surprise at the end. I hope this isn't the last of what we hear from Nancy Norman. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[January]

The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief by Marilee Dahlman (2026)
319-page Kindle Ebook

Genre: Mystery Thriller, Satire, Cozy Espionage

Movie Rating Equivalent: PG-13 for adult situations and language

Rating: ⭐️⭐️½👩‍⚕️🐈🔥🩺🌃👩‍💻💎

Featuring: Parts, 40+ Year Career Home Nurse, Cat, Minnesota, Sexagenarian, House Fires, Divorce, Displacement, Online Dating, James Bond, July, Smart House, Cat & Mouse Standoff, Locked Door, Multiple POVs, Billionaire, Lake Superior, Heist, Violence, Retirement, Discussion Questions, Author Links

Live Status Updates: 🔖Page 16 of 286 Chapter Three - This is a dud so far. the opening was so confusing I think I'm going to have to reread it.
🔖42 Chapter Eight - Okay, I did have to start over, but it wasn't that bad the second time. I think this might be a cozy mystery. It's about a 60-something home health nurse who I believe is about to take a job or she'll have to uncover a heist. It's okay.

Final Thoughts: ​I had no idea what to expect from The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief. I was drawn in by the interesting title, and I really liked the cover. The opening threw me off a bit since it took several chapters for the plot to truly reveal itself. I rarely read blurbs so taking my time with the opening was beneficial in this case—it allowed the narrative to head in that direction organically, whereas I might have gotten bored waiting for the payoff otherwise.
​At its core, the story follows Nancy, a 65-year-old, cat-loving home health nurse and recent divorcée who takes on one last job for triple pay in hopes of launching her into retirement. Naturally, things don't go as planned, but what I didn't realize going in was that the book is essentially a homage to Ian Fleming's James Bond series.
​Since I am not overly familiar with Ian Fleming's writing (and have never actually finished a James Bond movie), a lot of this probably comes down to a difference in personal taste. The narrative was quite busy, with Nancy constantly going back and forth with AI Smart House software, focusing on a cat that wasn't interested in her, and navigating a romantic subplot that felt a bit hard to buy into. It took a while to get through the cat-and-mouse portion of the plot, and the humor didn't quite hit the mark for me.
​Character-wise, Nancy reminded me of a cross between Hannah Swensen's mother and Finlay Donovan—just make them a devoted cat lover. If you enjoy Charlie's Angels, James Bond, the Hannah Swensen series, or the Finlay Donovan series, you might enjoy this blend. One element I really appreciated was a very interesting discussion topic the book brings up about whether people will become emotionally attached to their home AI software in the future.

​Recommend to others: Probably not, but if you enjoy cozy spy mashups, you'll likely hear high praise for this one from other readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Brother Mockingbird via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Songs for the Soundtrack: "Bejeweled" by Taylor Swift, "Material Girl" by Madonna, "Diamond Heart" by Lady Gaga, "Night Nurse" by Jamaican artist Gregory Isaacs, "James Bond Theme" by Monty Norman

Books and Authors Mentioned: Thunderball by Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins [based on] Original screenplay by Jack Whittingham [based on] Thunderball by Ian FlemingIan Fleming; John le Carré, Robert Ludlum, For Your Eyes Only by Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson [based on] "For Your Eyes Only" and "Risico" from the story collection For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming; Goldfinger by Ian Fleming, The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman, Casino Royale by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis [based on] Casino Royale by Ian Fleming; Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and David Seltzer (uncredited) [based on] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl; The Living Daylights by Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson [based on] "The Living Daylights" by Ian Fleming; Titanic by James Cameron

[Kimberly]

Everything burned down, her life reduced to ash and bad options, and instead of choosing safety she chose risk—honestly, I knew right then I was about to spiral right along with her. Marilee Dahlman’s The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief pulled me in like a locked door I absolutely should not open… and of course I did anyway.
Published by Brother Mockingbird—huge thank you to LibraryThing for the gifted copy I won.

This isn’t just a thriller—it’s a pressure cooker of desperation, identity, and the kind of choices that blur the line between survival and reinvention. Nancy Norman is the kind of character who feels almost too real at first—glamour-loving, a little self-absorbed, and clinging to the life she thought she deserved. But when everything is taken from her in one devastating moment, she doesn’t magically become brave… she becomes hungry. And that shift? It’s subtle, messy, and completely addictive to watch unfold.

What starts as one last overnight nursing job quickly mutates into something far more dangerous. The remote estate feels like its own character—isolated, eerie, filled with secrets that hum beneath the surface. And when the thieves break in looking for that legendary sapphire collection, the entire story flips into this high-stakes chess match where no one is who they seem, and every move matters.

Nancy navigating that chaos was everything. She’s not trained for this, she’s not fearless—but she adapts. Fast. There’s something almost intoxicating about watching her realize she’s capable of more than she ever gave herself credit for. Not in a “look at me, I’m a hero” way, but in a quiet, dangerous recalibration of who she’s willing to become to survive.

And then there’s Stephen Sinclair… which, listen, I have thoughts. He’s charming in that calculated, smooth way that makes you question your own judgment for trusting him even a little. Their dynamic is layered with tension—part alliance, part manipulation, part something neither of them wants to fully name. Every interaction between them felt like a negotiation wrapped in chemistry, and I ate it up.

“At some point, survival stops asking permission, and you either take what you need… or you lose everything.”

That line? Yeah. That’s the heartbeat of this entire book.

What I loved most is how this story plays with morality. There are no clean hands here. No easy answers. Just people making impossible choices in real time, and somehow you find yourself rooting for outcomes you’d normally side-eye. It’s thrilling, yes—but it’s also deeply human. It asks what we’re willing to risk when the life we built disappears overnight.

If you’re someone who loves fast-paced thrillers with a strong but flawed female lead, a touch of glam, morally gray tension, and a setting that feels like a trap you can’t escape—this is absolutely your next read. It’s the kind of book you pick up for the plot but stay for the transformation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So tell me… if everything you built disappeared tomorrow, would you rebuild… or would you finally become someone entirely new?

#TheNightNurseAndTheJewelThief #MarileeDahlman #ThrillerReads #BookReview #LibraryThing #GiftedBook #Bookstagram #CrimeThriller #HeistReads #StrongFemaleLead #MorallyGray #SuspenseReads #ReadersOfInstagram #BookishLife #2026Books

[J Kromrie]

Thanks to Brother Mockingbird and Netgalley for this eARC.

The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief is a sparkling, high‑energy thriller that thrives on personality, momentum, and a wonderfully off‑beat sense of danger. Marilee Dahlman takes a premise that could easily tilt grim—a burned‑out nurse on her final night shift in a billionaire’s bizarre mansion—and turns it into a caper that’s equal parts suspense, humor, and reinvention.

Nancy Norman is the kind of protagonist you don’t see often enough: older, bruised by life, and still defiantly vibrant. Dahlman writes her with warmth and bite. Nancy’s obsession with bedazzling isn’t a quirk—it’s a symbol of her refusal to fade, even after losing her home and everything in it. Her voice gives the novel its emotional grounding, and her resilience gives it its spark.

The billionaire’s estate is a playground of eccentricity—strange rooms, stranger security measures, and an atmosphere that feels one step removed from reality. Dahlman uses the setting as a stage for escalating chaos, letting Nancy stumble through its oddities with a mix of awe, irritation, and quick‑thinking improvisation. The mansion becomes a character, and a deeply entertaining one.

When a crew of thieves breaks in hunting for a legendary sapphire collection, the story kicks into a brisk, caper‑style rhythm. The danger is real, but the tone stays buoyant. Dahlman leans into clever twists, comedic beats, and the thrill of watching an underestimated woman outmaneuver people who think they’ve already won. The action is tight, inventive, and never gratuitous.

Stephen Sinclair, a jewel thief with movie‑star charisma, is Nancy’s unexpected foil. Their dynamic is playful, strategic, and threaded with mutual curiosity. As Nancy discovers her own knack for deception, the novel becomes not just a survival story but a tale of personal reinvention. She’s not simply escaping danger—she’s reclaiming agency.

Beneath the humor and chaos, Dahlman explores:
- Reinvention after loss
- The courage to step into a new identity
- The resilience of ordinary people in extraordinary situations
- How humor can coexist with danger without diminishing either

These themes give the novel emotional weight without slowing its pace.

The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief is a lively, character‑driven caper that blends suspense, comedy, and heart. Dahlman delivers a story that’s clever, sparkling, and unexpectedly empowering—perfect for readers who love thrillers with personality and heroines who refuse to be underestimated.

[Sarah]

What a wildly fun ride! Marilee Dahlman has written something genuinely fresh here. What starts as a simple one-night nursing shift for triple pay quickly spirals into the most gloriously chaotic night imaginable. When recently retired nurse Nancy takes a job caring for an eccentric billionaire climate change inventor in his remote, over-engineered Minnesota mansion, she expects easy money. What she gets instead is a home invasion, a heist, a flooding house full of robotic attack ducks, and a jewel thief who matches with her on a senior dating app — all while desperately trying to keep track of her one-eyed Persian cat.

The comedy is sharp and modern — anyone who has ever argued with their smart home device will absolutely lose it over GHOST, the mansion's AI operating system, who has developed an obsessive crush on a man named Claude after a voice command was hilariously misinterpreted. GHOST is equal parts infuriating and endearing, and some of the funniest moments in the book come from Nancy trying to negotiate with her like a temperamental teenager.

The James Bond references are cleverly woven throughout — from Rolex laser watches to Vesper martinis to underwater assault rifles — without ever feeling forced. And at the heart of it all is Nancy herself, a woman whose ex-husband craved adventure while she dutifully held everything together, only to discover — crawling through ceiling air ducts in a borrowed scuba suit while clutching a makeshift Speedo rope — that she was built for excitement all along. Plot driven, fast paced, and laugh out loud funny — pack this one for your next vacation and enjoy every page.

[Darla]

💎Did I want to read about a Minnesota night nurse battling it out with a band of jewel thieves? You betcha!

I saw my friend Stacy's thrilling 4-star review, noted the high average rating, and found it was still available for request on NetGalley.

My request was approved, I was ready to start a new read and opened this one up. Unfortunately I am an outlier in my opinion. Many others have absolutely loved it and there were some things I enjoyed:

😻Dr. Goldenpaw is Nancy's (the Night Nurse) cat. Despite a close call during a previous fire, this Persian cat seems to have plenty of lives left for the drama inside the billionaire's mansion.

👩‍⚕️Nancy Norman is sixty-five and feels a bit beat down by life. Her much anticipated retirement has left her feeling a bit unmoored. Perhaps one night of nursing a billionaire for triple pay will be the jump start she needs for that trip to Paris. Bonus: she loves to bedazzle!

🤵James Bond bits are woven throughout beginning with the cat's name, then quotes shared while flirting on a dating app, and a shaken martini at just the right time are just the beginning. If you love 007, this might be the book for you.

As noted above, my experience was a bit disappointing. The events through the night in this billionaire mansion on Lake Superior went way OTT. It felt like trying to survive the Titanic while saving my cat. So stressful!

While this wasn't a great match for me, I did appreciate the opportunity to try the ARC. Thank you to Brother Mockingbird and NetGalley for making it available in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Lucille Guarino]

Nancy Norman has always been a person of moral character, a nurse who has worked hard for forty-two years. Now sixty-five and retired, she takes stock of her life, finding it discouraging. Her husband has left her for a younger model. Her cat, Goldy, saved her by alerting her to a fire, but the fire wrecked her house. She has no children or family, and about the only thing that awaits her is a life of pickleball and Medicare. Offered a one-night nurse job for a billionaire, the promise of triple pay tempts her. After all, what’s one last night shift after retirement? She could more quickly save money for her dream trip to Paris.

Gnut Berdqvist’s claim to fame is a coolant device that he says will solve global warming. His mansion is near Lake Superior, where he has created a winter wonderland, even in August, with X-ray-like predator fish, aquariums, and everything in cool blue. Gnut's eccentric nature is even more puzzling than his arctic mansion, and Nancy finds it easier to form an alliance with his AI companion, GHOST.

As fate would have it, on the only night Nancy is present, a trio of criminals, one of whom is a jewel thief, are after Gnut, and will go to any length to destroy him and his mansion, where rare sapphires are kept. And suddenly, Nancy's monotonous life will change forever.

Fans of spy thrillers or action-packed mysteries with a caper story vibe will enjoy The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief and will surely cheer for Nancy, aka James Bond lady, as much as I did!

[Sublime Book Review]

Overall Rating = 4.5

Storyline & Concept = 4
Writing & Delivery = 4.5
Editorial = 5
Nancy Norman is a distinctly unconventional heroine. She loves to bedazzle everything in sight, is obsessed with her cat Dr. Goldenpaws, and is far more resourceful than anyone, including herself, realizes. After her cat is the unlikely hero in a fire that destroyed her home, Nancy decides to take on one last assignment as a night nurse to finance a trip to Paris. She finds herself at an eccentric billionaire’s isolated estate, packed with strange surprises, elaborate security systems, and a legendary sapphire collection, which happens to become the object of a trio of thieves.
This is a fast-paced and gripping cat-and-mouse thriller filled with twists, betrayals and shifting alliances. But what makes it stand out is the over-the-top quirkiness of the personalities. From Nancy to the billionaire to each of the three thieves, and even the cat, each character has been assigned exceptional qualities that make them stand out from the crowd. Filled with humor, some of it dark, much of it slapstick, this novel both entertains and intrigues as the reader follows Nancy’s relatable journey of reinvention and self-discovery, all while testing her moral boundaries. This would appeal to readers who need a dose of light-hearted adventures with unconventional characters and a setting that is a bizarre character in itself.
Sublime Line: “This fast-paced thriller sparkles with danger, deception, and unexpected heart.”

[Jann Alexander]

Tuck into your coziest chair to solve Marilee Dahlman’s high-stakes mystery, The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief, full of escalating near-misses from imaginative characters, with a futuristic plot that underscores the potential of AI run amok.

Take Nancy, a retired, newly-divorced nurse with a taste for bling, always a step behind her fire-scorched cat, who’s in desperate need of income. She’s primed to shed her cautious former life when the dashing Sir Steve Sinclair appears on her SeniorLOVE app, and they bond over—Bond. James Bond. Enter the secretive, environmentally-conscious billionaire, who’s in need of a nurse for one last night shift, living in high-tech mansion filled with an aquarium of exotic endangered creatures, and a roomful of stunning sapphires. Add in some dastardly highly-place employees, give the mansion’s AI its own personality, and what a potent brew Marilee Dahlman has mixed up in The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief.

Can Nancy resist the charms of the suspicious Sir Sinclair, and escape alive from a mansion that turns into an AI horrorscape—with her wayward cat, and a sapphire for her trouble, before the AI takes control? Can anyone be trusted? With wit and humor baked-in, Dahlman’s written a cozy mystery for the tech-obsessed.

[Janis Daly]

I opened The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief at the most opportune time when I needed a palate cleanser in my reading pile. So fun!!! Bond and bedazzling. Cats and catastrophes. Ecological dupes. A friendly AI home operating system. Senior dating apps. Antique diving suits and fanny packs. Harpoon and glue guns. As divergent as these items may seem, author Marilee Dahlman pulls them together to create a delightful book to entertain readers. Central to the story, we meet Nancy Norman, a recently retired and divorced night nurse. Through a series of interwoven circumstances, she finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a house invasion gone wrong—or right? Who is the thief and who is the victim? More importantly, who comes out on top in the end?

The level of absurdity reminded me to reset my expectations for reading and dive into pages of pure hilarity and enjoyment. I loved it. The ending wrapped with enough smiles and kitty purrs to make me think, I hope that The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief marks the start of a new life and series for Nancy “Domino”.

[Suzanne Groves]

Marilee Dahlman’s wickedly funny novel is a delightful romp, through and through. Imagine a decidedly unadventurous 65-year-old retired home health nurse, who knows everything about every James Bond movie ever made, unexpectedly getting the adventure of a lifetime: to become her own version of a Bond girl involved in a high-stakes jewelry heist. Yes, Nancy Norman, trying to make a “quick buck,” agrees to a single overnight care assignment at the home of a tech billionaire. Hilarity and danger simultaneously ensue as Nancy, Gnut (her “patient”), and Dr. GoldenPaw (Nancy’s cat) fight for their lives (and a small fortune) while GHOST, Gnut’s AI assistant, provides both snarky commentary, occasional help, and a nearly human desire for connection. Will her online match, Sir Stevie Sinclair (who happens to be a cat burglar extraordinaire) steal Nancy’s heart (or just jewelry)? GHOST knows, but you’ll just have to see!

A highly engaging read that will have you laughing out loud…very much recommend!

[Cam Torrens]

Marilee Dahlman's debut, The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief, is a gem of a cozy crime novel—sharp, humorous, and polished to a brilliant shine. What starts as an opportunity for a retired nurse to earn enough money for a dream trip to Paris quickly turns into a full-blown jewel heist. What I didn't expect was the homage to James Bond--trust me, Dr GoldenPaw the cat is just the tip of the iceberg--and the plethora of puns. In a book that could have worked with the jewel heist plot alone, Dahlman had me laughing out loud from one action scene to the next. Not just little "ha ha's" but the kind where my kids are asking what I'm reading!

With a jealous AI security system, translucent ice fish, Speedo ropes, and a weapon you usually find a Hobby Lobby, this is a cozy that busts all the boundaries of author imagination. Loved every minute of it. Highly recommend!

[Cindy]

I received this for free from Library Thing and the publisher. Thanks so much!

Nancy was really looking forward to retirement, but that was before she got divorced and her house burned down. Now she gets an offer for one night's work at a billionare's house. It sounds too good to be true.

It is. Thieves show up, intent on major destruction. Nancy is the only one standing in their way. Looks like this job won't be so easy after all.

I liked this story. Nancy and her cat are so much fun. I did think it was a little too long with a little too much water. I had a hard time following the action. But it was a fun book. Good for a light escape.