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Nightingale
Samantha Mathis relives unspeakable horror night after night. It leaves her to lie broken on cold concrete, drowning in her own blood until dawn lurches her awake to the knowledge her recurring nightmare will soon be her reality.
Samantha was only thirteen when her dark gift first surfaced; she dreamt about the murder of her classmate, Peter Foster. She hoped she’d never have to reveal her secret to anyone, but staring down at Peter’s broken body by the river’s edge, she knew she had to tell police chief George Mitchell. After being accused of Peter’s murder and barely escaping prosecution, Samantha prayed her prophetic nightmares would disappear forever.
Twenty years later, nightmares return to Samantha Mathis, Registered Nurse, and this time she’s the intended victim. As if watching herself being run down by a car every night isn’t horrifying enough, her dreams only provide a vague prelude to the night it will happen. Every nightmare brings her closer to her fate, but her subconscious refuses to give her the answers. When every clue to her would-be assailant leaves her with more questions, everyone she knows becomes suspect. She tells the Chief everything and prays he can help her piece the clues together before her killer hits the mark.
Samantha was only thirteen when her dark gift first surfaced; she dreamt about the murder of her classmate, Peter Foster. She hoped she’d never have to reveal her secret to anyone, but staring down at Peter’s broken body by the river’s edge, she knew she had to tell police chief George Mitchell. After being accused of Peter’s murder and barely escaping prosecution, Samantha prayed her prophetic nightmares would disappear forever.
Twenty years later, nightmares return to Samantha Mathis, Registered Nurse, and this time she’s the intended victim. As if watching herself being run down by a car every night isn’t horrifying enough, her dreams only provide a vague prelude to the night it will happen. Every nightmare brings her closer to her fate, but her subconscious refuses to give her the answers. When every clue to her would-be assailant leaves her with more questions, everyone she knows becomes suspect. She tells the Chief everything and prays he can help her piece the clues together before her killer hits the mark.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 2, 2016
6 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Niki Benton Smith
4 books13 followersI am a registered nurse by trade and a writer by choice. I am a lifelong survivor of the southern humidity with my husband, two children, and three dogs. The main character for both my debut novel, Nightingale, and the sequel, The Last Dance, is a sassy southern nurse. Samantha has a heart of gold, the vocabulary of a well educated sailor, and a gift she can't control...psychic premonitions. Come see what the small town of Crafton has in store...you won't be disappointed!
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 22, 2018
Excellent read
The storyline is amazing! I tried hard to guess what was about to happen, and I couldn’t. There were so many twists and turns! It definitely holds your attention! Cannot wait to read the next book!
The storyline is amazing! I tried hard to guess what was about to happen, and I couldn’t. There were so many twists and turns! It definitely holds your attention! Cannot wait to read the next book!
August 30, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars! ✨
I devoured this book👏🏻👏🏻 The ending….. or should I say THE LAST PAGE!!!!😱 jaw dropping! As soon as I finished this book I immediately started the 2nd book, The Last Dance.
The Nightingale started off super interesting & immediately had me hooked. I tried guessing who the killer was & ended up guessing wrong. Very unexpected in all the best ways!!!!!!! If you are looking for a bingy thriller, this is it!!
I devoured this book👏🏻👏🏻 The ending….. or should I say THE LAST PAGE!!!!😱 jaw dropping! As soon as I finished this book I immediately started the 2nd book, The Last Dance.
The Nightingale started off super interesting & immediately had me hooked. I tried guessing who the killer was & ended up guessing wrong. Very unexpected in all the best ways!!!!!!! If you are looking for a bingy thriller, this is it!!
February 10, 2025
Samatha Mathis had a gift to see things before it happens. She has to piece flashes and her dreams together. When she begins having visions of her own death she realizes she is in trouble. She keeps all her dreams and flashes in a notebook. Her ex-boyfriend returns to town years after cheating on her and she ends their engagement . Very good book and the end is unsuspected .
August 31, 2023
Nightingale by Niki Benton Smith - Author is a taut psychological thriller that dips its toe into the supernatural/paranormal/romantic thiller waters but never comes up soggy.
The story follows Samantha, a nurse, who has the unfortunate distinction of trying to solver her own murder before it happens. Samantha has a gift (or curse) to see things before they happen. The trick, though, is that she has to piece these flashes together from disparate "dreams" or visions that overcome her when she is awake. It's more of hindsight than foresight, as she rarely understands the vision and the images she tracks in a journal until after the event transpires.
When she begins having visions of her own death, she realizes that someone close to her may be the culprit.
Keeping track of all the clues becomes more confounding when her personal life is rife with drama that she just doesn't need at this moment. Her ex-boyfriend has returned to town, years after cheating on her and ending their future nuptials.
Additionally, her abusive ex-husband's presence lingers at the forefront after she put him in jail for a horrific attack.
Toss in a condescending and mean-spirited boss and a co-worker with ties to her past troubles with her ex boyfriend (who is now her boss), and you have a laundry list of possible potential characters who could be gunning for Samantha.
The dialogue is snappy and realistic. Characters talk crap to each other convincingly, and the sarcasm provides a much needed reprieve from the darker aspects of the novel.
At times, the romance-heavy "will they/won't they" narrative takes center-stage and pulls the reader from the more interesting parts of the story. At times many chapters pass as Sam and her ex-boyfriend go through the ringer of getting along, being into each other, detesting each other, arguing, getting along, reminiscing, and on and on. It's entertaining, but at times it feels like filler more than a means to push the story forward.
That said, there is not much fault to find in Nightingale. It is fast-paced, thrilling, and builds a genuine sense of dread and foreboding. The mystery ties up neatly at the end and no matter who you think the killer is, you will be wrong.
The story follows Samantha, a nurse, who has the unfortunate distinction of trying to solver her own murder before it happens. Samantha has a gift (or curse) to see things before they happen. The trick, though, is that she has to piece these flashes together from disparate "dreams" or visions that overcome her when she is awake. It's more of hindsight than foresight, as she rarely understands the vision and the images she tracks in a journal until after the event transpires.
When she begins having visions of her own death, she realizes that someone close to her may be the culprit.
Keeping track of all the clues becomes more confounding when her personal life is rife with drama that she just doesn't need at this moment. Her ex-boyfriend has returned to town, years after cheating on her and ending their future nuptials.
Additionally, her abusive ex-husband's presence lingers at the forefront after she put him in jail for a horrific attack.
Toss in a condescending and mean-spirited boss and a co-worker with ties to her past troubles with her ex boyfriend (who is now her boss), and you have a laundry list of possible potential characters who could be gunning for Samantha.
The dialogue is snappy and realistic. Characters talk crap to each other convincingly, and the sarcasm provides a much needed reprieve from the darker aspects of the novel.
At times, the romance-heavy "will they/won't they" narrative takes center-stage and pulls the reader from the more interesting parts of the story. At times many chapters pass as Sam and her ex-boyfriend go through the ringer of getting along, being into each other, detesting each other, arguing, getting along, reminiscing, and on and on. It's entertaining, but at times it feels like filler more than a means to push the story forward.
That said, there is not much fault to find in Nightingale. It is fast-paced, thrilling, and builds a genuine sense of dread and foreboding. The mystery ties up neatly at the end and no matter who you think the killer is, you will be wrong.
July 2, 2023
I enjoyed reading Niki Benton Smith - Author trilogy series. There were many twist that I didn't see coming. It is a fast paced thriller filled with suspense and paranormal. The characters were well developed. I will need to start book 2 to find out what happens with the characters in the book. The author writing style grabs you from the very beginning. I didn't want it to end.
April 6, 2018
This book was excellent! It had suspense, romance, murder/mystery all rolled into one!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews