The Nurse's Secret by Liz Lawler
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller. Suspense
Read: 28th October 2022
Audio links:
Published: 31st October 2022
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Loving wife. Caring nurse. Liar.
You trust her with your life… She has a deadly secret.
In hospital, lives begin and end every day.
The doctors and nurses work round the clock to keep their patients breathing, yet death is part of their routine.
When the police arrive in the brightly lit corridors, asking for pretty, young, Nurse Shaw, staff and patients start talking.
The say Sarah Shaw’s husband has been murdered. They’d only been married for a few short months.
The police want to know where Sarah was that night. And why the medicine went missing from the hospital a few days before.
As William Shaw’s complicated past unravels it’s clear that Sarah has secrets of her own. But as she delivers pills in paper cups with a stiff smile and shaking hands, her patients want to know, is she a killer, or is her life in danger too?
An addictive psychological thriller that will have you glued to the pages until the final shocking twist. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, Shari Lapena and Clare Mackintosh.
MY THOUGHTS:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Liz Lawler's tense psychological thriller THE NURSE'S SECRET.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. Not only is it a psychological thriller but it also features a procedural side to it making it something of a crime thriller as well. They inclusion of both aspects complements the entire story perfectly as we, the reader, try to unravel the tangle of secrets going on and just who is keeping what from who. I wasn't surprised by the who as they were my number one suspect pretty much the whole way through. But that didn't ruin it for me because I enjoyed everything else about it as well.
The prologue opens with a scene that is enough to grab your attention as you wonder just where it will lead us. It was also a heart rendering moment that someone could be so callous as to let someone lay there helpless until they took their last breath.
And then we meet Sarah, a ward sister who, whilst helping laying out a recently deceased patient, tragically learns the fate of her newlywed husband. She had been worried about him when he didn't answer his phone or the landline and so she called the police. A bit of an overreaction, maybe? It seems not because when the police answered the call for a welfare check on the said husband, William Shaw, discovered him in the bedroom shot through the mouth. Suicide? Unless he hid the gun after the event, it seems not.
Sarah is speechless. More than that, she appears to be in shock because she sheds not a tear. Is that normal for a new wife? Shouldn't she be distressed at his untimely death? Or will that come later when the reality sets in as to what has actually happened and just three months after their wedding, she now finds herself a widow?
Charlie is a veteran police sergeant who is pleased with the return of DI Nick Anderson who fled to London a year ago without a word. Now he is back and heading up the investigation into William's murder. When Charlie broke the news to the man's wife at the hospital where she works, he didn't envision her turning up to the house and barging her way in. Sarah took one look at her husband and screamed. Is this the emotion they have been waiting for coming through?
And then there is Kathleen, Sarah's colleague, who takes the younger woman under her wing and into her home where she proceeds to mother her. She continually reminded Sarah that she had them now (her and hubby Joe) to take care of her and not to worry about a thing. She never had to return to that home and she had a home with them for as long as she liked. Sarah had no clothes of her own, not even the uniform she'd been wearing as she'd stepped into a crime scene and had to hand over what she'd been wearing. So Kathleen happily gave her some clothes to wear...all inappropriately too small for her but Kathleen seemed not to notice. Sarah has no idea why Kathleen suddenly saw it as her mission to take care of her as the women had never been friends nor did they know anything about each other. But now that she was living there it seemed Kathleen wanted her to stay. It all seemed a bit creepy to me.
Soon the police were knocking every day looking to Sarah for answers about her husband and who might want him dead. Enquiries lead them to the school in which he taught as well as to the hospital where Sarah worked.
But little did any of them know that every one of them were hiding a secret. Sarah, Kathleen, Nick and Charlie. But what were their secrets and how did they affect what had happened? Nick's was a secret to all but the reader as we learnt that he and Sarah had once been involved for several years and she was the reason he fled to London a year ago. But how will that affect the way he conducts this investigation? Surely it's a conflict of interest and he should recuse himself? And Charlie? We are drip fed enough information to work out what his secret is though we don't learn till nearer the end. That leaves Sarah and Kathleen. So what are their secrets and what have they to do with William's murder? If anything?
THE NURSE'S SECRET is packed full of secrets, lies and deception to keep you turning the pages until the very end. It is compelling reading even if most of the characters are unlikeable. I did like Nick and Charlie and felt for them both. Sarah felt very detached so it was hard ro get a read on her or feel anything for her. Kathleen was an overbearing presence that blew hot and cold. There are a handful of others that added to the story as well - both likeable and not.
The plot itself is a little complex and busy but easy enough to follow. Many have their own backstories and agenda as we try to figure out what. I enjoyed this thriller more than I had anticipated and I liked the ending somewhat which was a combination of happy and sad...and somewhat bittersweet.
Overall, an enjoyable read that moves at an even pace and keeps you guessing throughout.
I would like to thank #LizLawler, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNursesSecret in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Liz has three children and lives in Bath with her husband. She originates from Chatham, Kent, but has lived in Somerset for a number of years now. She is part of a large family, and has eleven brothers and sisters who grew up sharing anything from socks to a chair at the table.
Liz has always had a love for books from a very early age, but found her passion for writing at a later stage in life and has been unable to put the pen down since. She is signed to Bookouture.com for her next two books, and her books have been translated in over 12 languages.
She loves books and all things bookish! If you have time, say hello to her on Twitter or on her Facebook page.
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