Book Review for Death of a Flying Nightingale by Laura Jensen Walker
This book is listed under the genres of Historical Fiction and it’s a Nightingale Mystery #1.
What I Enjoyed:
• The historical setting
• The historical influences (mentioned in the Author’s Note)
• The Nightingales
• The characters
I enjoyed the characters Mauve, Betty, and Albert. Etta’s backstory was tragic. The Author’s Note at the end of the book is very helpful for understanding the historical background and why certain things happen in the book. If you want to appreciate the book more, the author’s note is a must read.
I also did enjoy one of the romances (there are many in this book). One of them was sweet and kept me reading on.
What I didn’t enjoy:
There’s no mystery to solve or be solved by a sleuth (-1.0 star):
I took off 1 star because this book isn’t a good mystery. There are three deaths and the characters wonder: who did it and why? But if you’re expecting sleuthing, clues, a list of suspects in a traditional sense, that doesn’t happen in this book. At the end of the book there is a confession. None of the characters actually finds out who did it. Throughout most of the book, you may be left wondering: does anyone even care about the deaths? After the first Nightingale is discovered dead, the story skips over it and moves on to romance until about midway through the last half of the book.
The Romances:
I’m personally not a romance genre reader. However, I did enjoy the romance between Albert and Betty. Their relationship is sweet even if it mostly occurs through letters.
However, I wasn’t expecting this book to jump from character to character often from one paragraph to another. And it also jumps from romance story to another romance story.
No Character Arc (-0.5star):
Because this book jumps from character to character and romance to romance, there was no character arc. No overarching themes. No lessons learned from the characters. The Nightingales are heroic by virtue of being brave nurses, but they don’t evolve in any way. They are brave from the beginning until the end with no growth as people. Same goes for the other characters in the novel. Even after they learn who did the murders it doesn’t change anything and everyone moves on with their lives.
The Boring Points (-0.5 star):
The lack of story structure, character development, jumping from character to character and romance to romance, and then anecdotes from the war made this story difficult to finish. At many points, I thought I would DNF this book because I kept wondering, why should I continue?
The Strange Religious Commentary (-0.5 star) :
As a Catholic myself, I’m not sure how to feel about how many times Catholicism, religion is mentioned in this book. The commentary is strange, misappropriated, and borderline offensive at points. The word “Catholic” is mentioned 5 times, “Jesus” is mentioned 2 + 4 times (misspelled), “religious”, “religion” 5 times, “prayer” 10 times, “sin”, “mortal sin” 4 times, “crucifix”, “crucifixion” 3 times. I should add that the relationship between Albert and Betty was completely wholesome. I mention this because they express their faith in a good way. Other parts of the novel seem critical of Catholic teaching in regard to chastity until marriage, teaching on life & hell (see CCC 2280 – 2283) “we should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.” I found the story of the crucifix offensive, but in the author’s note it’s mentioned to be based on a true story.
I gave this book a 2.5 but I’ll round up to 3.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. #DeathofaFlyingNightingale #NetGalley

Part history, part fiction this book celebrates the women who flew with the RAF in World War II. They accompanied the wounded back from battle to send them off to hospitals for recovery and returning home. The women in this book represent the actual women who served. A good read, filled with history and humanity. I enjoyed learning about these unsung heroes. The interaction of characters were real and believable.

Death of a Flying Nightingale is an enjoyable read of World War II historical fiction. When I was a kid I used to go to garage sales/rummage sales and look through the old books. I bought and read a couple about Cherry Ames she was a flight nurse during the war during one of the books. This book was similar to that one except with a the allusion of spice. Sex is talked about but it is more fade to black. The mystery of the death of the Nightingale(s) though is not the centerpiece of the story. From the title and description you think you are solving a mystery. Oh, they are scared there is evil lurking out there wanting to kill Nightingales, and they talk about it, but if the person didn't confess to two of his friends what happened, it would not have been solved so that was a bit disappointing. In addition, it was too long. Thank you to Net Galley #netgalley and Level Best Books for my advance reader copy.

Death of a Flying Nightingale
Death of a Flying Nightingale is far from a traditional mystery, although there are three deaths of air ambulance nursing orderlies stationed at combination air stripes/field hospitals in England. It was from these rural facilities that Douglas Dakota transport planes flew medical supplies, food and munitions to France, Belgium and the Netherlands and returned each carrying up to 24 wounded from battles starting with D-Day and lasting until after the end of the war in Europe.
As usual the role of military women in the forefront of war has long been downplayed or remained unknown. What Laura Jensen Walker has done in this primarily historical novel is to pay homage to the young woman of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force who served as Flying Nightingales aboard air evac flights. These gals were not nurses, but volunteers given 6 weeks of training for duty caring for the physical and emotional needs of the wounded on flights over the channel to an area of southern England north of Portsmith and west of Oxford. Although the return trips were humanitarian missions, the outbound trips were not and therefore more subject to enemy fire.
Told from the points of view of three nursing orderlies from different backgrounds, the storyline covers all aspects of their professional and personal lives during their service. The clever use of letters to and from back home added significantly to understanding what unique positions these women found themselves in between their normal prewar lives and the stresses of their military lives.
Meticulously researched, Ms. Walker has done an excellent job of putting the reader into the minds and hearts of these women whose contributions to the war effort and the survival of thousands of wounded and later on also POWs, is much in need of recognition.
For fans of WWII novels, especially those set in England or those which cover little known subjects, I recommend this book and look forward to another in what may be a series.
Thank you to the author, the publisher Level Best Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

Historical mystery

Before reading this book, I was aware of the WAAFs but not of the Flying Nightingales. They were a group of women who flew along won missions to retrieve injured military personnel, and nurse them both on their way to base and after arrival.

This story had a bit of mystery included, someone has been killing Nightingales but no one knew who. Eventually the secret comes out, along with some other hidden details. Relationships aren’t always what they seem, even back in a time when privacy existed. I don’t feel that I liked this book as much as some other similar stories, but it seems to have been well researched and interesting, so if you’re interested in learning about the Nightingales, give this book a read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Every time I read a story the centers around the courageous women that embarked on dangerous journey's to support their fellow soldiers, it genuinely thrills me to learn their stories. I was extremely impressed with this novel and since I had never heard of the Flying Nightingales, it was such a wonderful learning experience. The author did such a stellar job researching these women and utilizing both the real-life women who were Flying Nightingales and their journals and stories as the basis for this book and it was an incredible journey. There were beautiful love stories woven into the tragedy of war and I absolutely loved learning about these heroes and what their lives looked like after the war. The bonds that were forged along the way were impactful.

A great historical fiction book, especially if you like multiple POVs in a book. I had not heard of the flying nightingales before, so this was a great insight into the contribution of these women during WWII.

Even though much of this story was very sad and horrific; the mystery, the "who done it", kept me going when all I wanted to do was sit and cry. Like all historical fiction books, I used this book to guide to discover more about World War Two.

If you have not read much about the Flying Nightingales this story is a great beginning. The author takes the reader into the lives of the brave women and men that flew on Dakotas. Their job was to bring back injured soldiers that need extensive care and surgeries. They kept them breathing. They dressed their wounds. They kept them calm as they doled out tea and comfort.

The story centers on a hut of ladies as they work and live together. There are numerous personalities and the gals come from a wide range of demographics. All those different women created lots and lots of drama. I always enjoy being a fly on the wall, but these gals were super entertaining.

The Flying Nightingales not only had to deal with the dangers of war but be wary of someone trying to kill them. Not much is known. Those in command aren't saying much. Don't go out alone just doesn't seem enough. I had my suspicions. Some of the characters had their own ideas.

I thought I had the mystery solved. I was wrong. The characters were wrong. The ending left me speechless. I was in shock. Truths silence me.

And the I read the epilogue. I closed the book in tears, wanting to learn as much as can about these brave dedicated war heroes.

Interesting read, different angle of many WW2 stories but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I always enjoy the WW2 setting but adding a mystery gave it a very differen type of read.

I always enjoy WW2 novels. This one was a little different in there was a mystery to solve as well as the war going on. I really enjoyed it..I loved all the characters, especially Etta!

Historical Fiction Mystery set in England 1944 featuring three very different women serving as WWII air ambulance nurses as they turn sleuth after a fellow nursing orderly dies mysteriously.

1/5 stars: This is the first entry in Jensen Walker's Nightingale Mystery series which is a Historical Fiction Mystery set in 1944 England featuring three very different women, an Irishwoman; a streetwise Londoner and a farm girl, serving as WWII air ambulance nurses as they team up to uncover the truth behind a fellow nursing orderly's mysterious death. I will say the mystery doesn't really get cooking until about 40%. This is more a historical fiction novel with a bit of a murder mystery plot but as I enjoyed the characters and subject matter I kept reading. Told in multiple POV, Jensen Walker's character work's nicely done; the characters are well-rounded and incredibly likable. Be warned, Jensen Walker touches on some very tough and sensitive topics, so take care and the CWs. Even though, I liked learning about this group of overlooked female WWII heroes and I could tell Jensen Walker did a lot of research I hated the reveal at 88% which lead me to DNF the book. Very disappointing.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

4.5 gladly rounded up to 5.

Death of a Flying Nightingale is the best of two worlds: historical fiction and murder mystery.

Although I knew of the existence of the Flying Nightingales is was very interesting to read and learn more about this courageous group of women who served as air ambulance nurses as the wounded were evacuated to safety during WW2

The mystery of who murdered one was the icing on the cake and cranked up the tension.

Mauve, Betty and Etta are three stand out Nightingales that the story revolves around.

I cheered them all on , I cried with them all, I worried about them but most of all I admired their strength, determination and tenacity.

Laura Jensen Walker writes a very well written and researched book on the Flying Nightingales that is so atmospheric I felt I was on the flights with them.

Please take time to read the author's note at the end as they add so much to the book and were really appreciated.

Thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for the privilege of reading and reviewing this wonderful book.

I started this book in the afternoon thinking I’d read just a bit of it and then couldn’t stop until I finished it. More historical fiction than mystery, I was excited to learn more about these amazing women in WWII flying wounded soldiers out of battlefields. Each Nightingale had their own storyline which was done well with the mystery being part of the book but not the main focus. Each woman had their own past to deal with and needed to confront their own insecurities or trauma to do their job efficiently. I can say that I laughed out loud a couple of times and cried too. I wrote down the books the Author mentioned and now want to read more about these amazing women who were forgotten for so many years! Great book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

During the post-D-Day era of World War 2, a group of brave women helped evacuate wounded Allied soldiers across the English Channel to British hospitals. They were known as Flying Nightingales, and this is a fictional account of their heroic efforts. Filled with interesting historic details and anecdotes adapted from true stories, this book is perfect for fans of World War 2 historical fiction. The notes at the end of the book are especially interesting, offering facts that formed the basis for the story.

What an amazing story based on the lives of real heroes!
The first time that I had heard of women accompanying flights to nurse soldiers was a book by Soraya Lane about the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron. I remember thinking that for someone who devours any book set during WW2, how had I not heard of these medics before?
When I read this book, not only did it contain stories from a group I had never heard of but they were my countrymen too. I devoured it like I would toast with Betty's mum's jam!

The 3 female leads had strong distinguishable characters and were extremely likable. I followed their stories hoping for their happy endings and feeling every high and low right along with them. I enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters and feel like everyone had endings that I would want for them. The Sister is one character that I feel didn't get the consequences that I thought her indiscretions would and should give her.

The story flowed so well and didn't get slow or dull in any section. It was very well written and I feel the author had done a tremendous amount of research in preparation for such a seamlessly written book. I'm not quite sure that the title is the right fit for the story as it refers to a singular Nightingale. Maybe Death of THE Flying Nightingales would be more accurate, and if I'm honest, more of a draw. The fact that this is the start of a series is very exciting. Maybe the next books will be based at different bases to the Down Ampney crew.

I appreciate any book that highlights heroic actions or people. Especially so, when so little is published about them already. Reading the authors note at the end and hearing how so much of it was based on true memoirs from the Nightingales, made me feel closer and more appreciative of these brave women. I loved the little Easter Eggs that were included. It makes the characters even more real when they act through history that we know is real. I am very interested in exploring what else Laura Jensen Walker has written.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a chance to read a copy. All opinions expressed are my own. This has been reviewed on Goodreads, Storygraph and will be on Amazon.

Unfortunately, I could not get far into this due to content I was personally uncomfortable with. I won’t say any more than that.

Irish, WW2, PTSD, nursing-care, exhausting, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-romance, historical-setting, history-and-culture, engrossing, murders, local-law-enforcement, military-law*****

After D-Day there were thousands of wounded soldiers needing flight transport back to England for more restorative care and the Flying Nightingales were there to provide care. They were all called orderlies (now trained practical nurses of either gender). This was as strenuous and exhausting calling then as now. One night the group of Nightingales on their way to a dance came upon one of their own strangled and left at the side of the road. This is where the mystery is added to the personal stories of the young women and it is very well done. The characters are so well done and engaging that it is easy to identify with them and the varied branches of the tale held my interest strongly. I await the next one!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Level Best Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles via NetGalley. Thank you!
#NightingaleMysteryBk1of3 Available Sep 10, 2024

Slightly mixed feelings about this book. The romances were all very sweet, including one which I wasn't really expecting to actually play out as it did (without wishing to give spoilers, I was fully bracing myself for disappointment, and ended up doing a happy cry instead.The cast of characters were also mostly strongly characterised, and I enjoyed 'getting to know' them all.

The stories of the nursing orderlies' work was an interesting (and apparently based in a decent bit of research although I'm sure there was some embellishment as there always will be in historical fiction) look into the types of things that went on. But there was a bit of a disjointed feel to it, there were some 'subplots' that ran through the book (the romances, the deaths of the three women, and so on) but there didn't really feel like there was much of an overarching plot, just a series of vignettes of their life in the last year of the war.

The mystery element (which I rather assumed would be the central plot, with one or more of the main characters involved in investigation, given the title makes it sound like a murder mystery) felt very underdone - someone dies, nothing much happens about it, everyone gets on with things, someone else dies, rinse, repeat. If I had been looking primarily for a murder mystery (rather than being someone who enjoys general historical fiction set in this time period) I would have been rather let down, although as it's barely even a subplot, I suppose it doesn't matter too much that the mystery part isn't much of one?

Additionally, there are a number of Americanisms ('scooch over', 'cold-cocked') which as a modern English reader I understand well enough, but which don't really feel fitting to British/Irish characters in this time period (I can't imagine my grandmother saying 'jerk' or 'your hair's gotten mussed'), and there's also a moment where the Irish character finds a fridge in a rural cottage she's staying in and is entirely blasé about it - I am not 100% certain how common they were in 1940s Ireland, but as far as I can find out, only about 2% of homes in Britain had a fridge at that time, so I'd expect, well, no fridge, but if there was a fridge, I'd expect her to be a bit impressed or surprised at least! (My understanding is that closer to 50% of US homes at that time had fridges, so I would guess the author simply has a different cultural context on that and it didn't occur to her that people in Britain and Ireland might not have been so used to seeing them! Which is fair enough, but still)

And yet, in spite of all that complaining I just did I'm glad I read this book, and the author's note at the end was a nice overview of the research she did. Plus, who doesn't love a book with an Audrey Hepburn easter egg?

The amazing and sad story of a group of ‘Flying Nightingales’, what we’d call EMTs during WWII, and their journey through the war. The mystery was more a side to the romances, but that didn’t make this story any less wonderful.

This book was so interesting! A Flying Nightingale was a nursing orderly in WWII. It was an aspect of the war effort that was new to me. It continues to amaze me that the war effort was so all-consuming, it is something that I can’t truly fathom since I haven’t been through one. Besides the historical fiction, there is a mystery to be solved in this one, and I think the ending is satisfying. I will definitely read this author again.