by Jon Talton
Cheryl Beth Wilson is an elite nurse at Cincinnati Memorial Hospital who finds a doctor brutally murdered in a secluded office. Wilson had been having an affair with the doctor's husband, a surgeon, and this makes her a "person of interest" to the police, if not at outright suspect. But someone other than the cops is watching Cheryl Beth.
The killing comes as former homicide detective Will Borders is just hours out of surgery. But as his stretcher is wheeled past the crime scene, he knows this is no random act of violence. Instead, it has all the marks of a serial killer case he supposedly solved years before.
Rebuked by his former partner and unable even to walk, Borders starts to investigate. He teams up with Cheryl Beth, who is desperate to clear her name. But as the city teeters on the edge of violence and a killer grows closer, the two are running out of time to unlock the secrets of the murder and the brooding, old hospital.
"Talton's authentic depiction of hospital life lends heft, as do his searing descriptions of Borders's physical pain and mental anguish during recovery." - Publishers Weekly.
"Starred Review. Talton ... demonstrates his versatility in depicting the little-known world of the hospital pain nurse. A strong series launch" - Library Journal.
"Nicely done. Though she's a pain nurse, Cheryl Beth is a pleasure." - Kirkus Reviews.
"Unfortunately, a clunky plot overladen with coincidences mars this effort; if it spins off into a series, though, it bears watching." - Booklist.
This information about The Pain Nurse was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
The Pain Nurse begins a new series by the author of the award-winning David Mapstone series.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.