The Nurse's Secret

The Second Life of Mirielle West's critically acclaimed author returns with an unsettling and captivating novel. Based on the little-known history of the nation's first nursing program, the story follows a young, prickly woman who attempts to flee the grim streets of the city in the 1880s and avoids detection by tricking her way into Bellevue Hospital's nursing program. However, she is pursued by a string of murders as she attempts to enter the program.

Bellevue is the nation's first nursing school, founded on the ideals of Florence Nightingale. Bellevue values discipline, knowledge, and moral integrity, and only young ladies of excellent breeding need apply. Previously, nurses were thought to be stupid and inept. Una initially objects to her prim peers and the physicians' incessant orders. However, she has been exposed to the horrors of illness and injuries on the wards due to her existence on the streets, and she is gradually gaining respect for herself and friendships.

Una is ready to lose her footing as her suspicions about a patient's death threaten to expose her. She will have to decide between following her instinct to protect herself and disclosing her identity to rescue others.

With the help of her medical knowledge, Amanda Skenandore writes a gripping narrative that follows the development of contemporary nursing through the eyes of an interesting and vibrant heroine, while also delving into the graphic reality of nineteenth-century medicine.

Just as she finds her footing, Una's suspicions about a patient's death put her at risk of exposure, and will force her to choose between her instinct for self-preservation, and exposing her identity in order to save others.

With the help of her medical knowledge, Amanda Skenandore writes a gripping narrative that traces the development of contemporary nursing through the eyes of an interesting and vibrant heroine, while also delving into the graphic reality of nineteenth-century medicine.