This is a new author to me so no preconceived ideas. Lissa is a tragic figure - bullied at school which leads to serious consequences and left to look after her mother when her father dies ( revealing family secrets in the process). I don’t know why the book is tilted The Nurse - yes that’s her job but it didn’t indicate anything substantial about her or her behaviour. The last fifty pages wraps everything up very neatly. I will read more of this author for comparison. Maybe it was the story that didn’t really excite me.
Thanks to NetGalley for a prepublication ebook

This is a fast read.
I didn’t think it was bad but it didn’t have the twists and turns I was expecting. I wanted a little more from the book. It felt flat to me.
It’s an easy and fast read though so if you were in a reading slump this could be a good one

Innovative and matter of fact, this mystery moves quickly. At times, the story is unbelievable. The characters are not likable but it is evident this is a character driven novel. Fiction that reads like true crime. This talented author has written a page turner. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author.

All Lissa McColl wants as a child, is to be loved. She is a plain child, bullied at school, and she thinks her parents love each other far more than they love her.
She finds her own way of dealing with the hardships in her life, makes her plans and carries them out, which includes her doing very bad things.
As an adult, when she becomes a nurse, she feels valued for the first time in her life, and people respect her. She knows she is a good nurse, but she dislikes many of the people she has to deal with, they can be selfish and rude. In her job, she is able to get close to people, find out their secrets, sometimes with deadly results.
Valerie Keogh is one of my favourite authors, I have read most of her books. This one does not disappoint, I loved the ending, and did not see it coming. Lots of twists and turns in the plot, it is a real page turner, I did not want to put it down. If there were more than 5 stars, I'd give them all.

The Nurse by Valerie Keogh.
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...
I really enjoyed this book. Little slow to start with. I don't know how I felt about lissa at the start but by the end I did like her. Carol I didn't trust from the beginning. I did like Theo in the end too. 5*.

An excellent twisty psychological thriller. I read this book in a day, and could not put it down. I am a massive fan of Valerie Keogh all her books are excellent and this one didn't disappoint.

Lissa is an unfortunate looking child, and has issues at home. A father who is away most of the time, and when he is home, her parents spend most of time just the two of them. Then when her father goes away her mother gets neglectful then overbearing. To make life worse for Lisa she is bullied at school so at the age of 10, takes care of her bully in a horrifying manner.
That is not the end of her killing, just the beginning. We follow Lissa to adulthood where she is now a nurse are the people Lissa cares for safe??

This was a fabulous thriller with some great characters which you can’t help but like. I highly recommend this thriller to everyone who likes a dark twisty book with a ending which I didn’t not expect.

Lissa McColl.
A nurse who hates her job, that has it's advantages, she can do very bad things, she can get close to them, she can find out secrets, she can kill again.
After he father's death and shocking finds, her mother is admitted into care, and Lissa has to work hard to pay for it all and is not left with much to live on.
What a story with Lissa and her wicked thoughts leaving you hanging for what she will do next.
This book sends you haywire with thoughts big time.
Very dark very well accomplished, very gripping and outstanding,
And does she stop? well yes maybe for the moment.
I grew to like Lissa as I read her story her life is one big struggle, that makes this a good curl up cosy read.
I loved it.

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

The Nurse is an adult fiction mystery/thriller by author Valerie Keogh.

Lissa has had some challenges in her life. She was bullied as a child and has been overlooked and unappreciated in her career as a nurse. She has done some very bad things to survive.

The Nurse follows Lisa’s life from when she was a ten year old child to her adulthood. She has been in survival mode almost her entire life. The things Lissa has done are morally wrong but justifiable in her mind.

The character of Lissa was very complex. One one hand you are rooting for her, on the other she is a despicable person. I went back and forth on which one she was.

The story is fast moving, with short chapters that keep you wanting more. There are lots of twists and turns to keep you reading into the night.

The Nurse will be available on July 21, 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for this ARC to review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Valerie Keogh for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I devoured this fantastic book in ONE day! I read the very first sentence of this book and I thought "Perfect! Right up my alley!". I was so happy for the rest of the day because of it!
I loved this story so much. I loved reading about Lissa's bullying (and how she dealt with it) and her family dynamic, both explained why she is the way she is. The remaining characters were all mysterious with interesting backgrounds. Even the places Lissa lived and where she went were captivating.

Keogh has the ability to write relatable characters that do bad things for right or understandable reasons. She is a magician in that way as a writer.

The Nurse is a Masterpiece.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.
This book was awesome and blew me away.
It had serial killing, secrets, deceit, lies and was about a Nurse which I enjoy.
This book had it all, I thought I had it figured out but I did not lol
I loved the short chapters and I loved the main character, I felt she was relatable.
It had twists and turns that you did not see coming.
This is my first title by this author but will be reading more in the future and I recommend her to everyone wanting to read an awesome thriller

Thanks again
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Valerie Keogh is one of my go to authors and when I heard her latest book was available, I requested it straight away, Lissa is neglected by her parents but she’s a deep complex character that had me torn between feeling sorry for her and fascinated by her logic. The book is gripping and I must say the ending took me by surprise but it was perfect. Definitely another five star read.

Here's the message of this psychological mystery- Be Very Careful when you go to a facility, hospital or have a home nurse! You just never, ever know what may occur!
At the young age of ten, Lissa knows she has to get rid of the bully in her school. This girl is nothing but trouble.
And so.. Lissa does! Never getting caught in the murder, but living her life with "eyes" following her.

Fast forward after her tragic childhood:
Lissa is now a nurse.
It's not her "calling", but a need to make sure she has money for her Mother's care and a job.
What she realizes following her difficult childhood is that killing is not so hard, she may do it again!

This is a crazy, intense story, I read quickly.
The ending is a total shock and I definitely enjoyed this novel! If you like drama and psychological suspense, then this is just for you!
Thank you to @Netgalley and to @Boldwood Books for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review. Excellent!

Starts off with a bang.. then...
Serial killer or not?
Great book that had a twist in it that I didnt even think of. Bravo for keeping me in suspense. I definitely thought the landord was creepy too.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Sometimes as soon as you start a book you know your going to love it, well this was definitely one of those!

The main character had such a rotten start to life and really it never got much better.

The things she did.....well wow that's one way to cope with bad people.

Loved every twist and turn and devoured within one day.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Lissa is an unfortunate looking child, and has issues at home. A father who is away most of the time, and when he is home, her parents immerse themselves in each other, ignoring Lissa.
She is bullied at school, and, at the age of 10, takes care of her bully in a horrifying manner.
That is not the end of her killing, she removes people from her life permanently!
After her father's death, Lissa's mother is so grief stricken, she has to be placed into a care home.
Lissa becomes a nurse, but doesn't miss an opportunity to get things her way.

An excellent twisty psychological thriller. I read this book in a day, and could not put it down. Definitely makes one think of whom one can trust!

Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwoodbooks for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

1st. Let's talk about the beginning line! WAY TO COME OUT THE GATE, Valerie! As soon as I read it I started to binge read this book! The first seven chapters were highly unexpected. Then the chapters before part 2 continued to give so many cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. I was having that anxiety you get when you're in a really good book and you need to know what's coming up next. Part 2 comes up and it gets even crazier. So I loved the first 75% of the book. I really felt for the FMC. To experience what she had is so emotional and you can see where it messed her up in life.

The 25% I didn't like: I felt like it was a rushed ending. This book could have really been a banger of it would have not ended so quickly with the landlord. That was just weird. That plot could have been a part three, marinated, and developed really well. The disconnect and rush to kill off the FMC by the second FMC was a disappointment. I would have liked to see a little cat and mouse play going on. That would have been a real psychological thriller.

Overall, I rate this book 3.5 stars because 75% was great and I have recommend this book to others, but the last 25% takes away that 1/2 star.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for giving me access to the drc for review.

I've been a fan of Valerie Keogh since the first book I've read from hers and this one didn't disappoint.

She's had a difficult life since her young age with the lack of affection and the neglect from her parents. All that concluded in a couple murders. But unlike what I thought the book would end up with, I ended up liking her. She's so dedicated to her mother regardless of what a crappy mother she has been.
Midway through the book, I thought I had it figured out but the twist at the end !!!
I loved the ending too, it was unexpected to say the least. Thank you, Valerie Keogh for another amazing book ! I can't wait to read all your future books.

Keogh is a literary powerhouse, I’m not sure how she produces such memorable storylines so quickly but she does.
Lissa is one of her more likable characters, a tragic figure who resorts to the most despicable of acts out of a sense of desperation. We see some of Keogh’s most memorable work in the way Lissa’s emotional tangle with her mother is presented.