J.A. Corrigan – The Nurse

‘The Nurse’ by J.A Corrigan is among the best of the psychological thrillers that I have read in a while. The author has smashed it out of the park for me. Quite a fresh plot and so gripping throughout.

We meet Rose, a hard-working nurse, loving wife and a merciless killer, well, that’s what she admits to. Theo, a down on his luck author and ex-journalist, thinks there is more to Rose’s story. He decides to visit her in prison to begin to write her true story.

On his first visit, Rose tells him she knew the victim. This is only his first surprise. As time goes on it seems Rose is allowing him to learn the terrible things that have happened to her in the past. Theo becomes more convinced as time goes by that Rose is innocent… is he trying to free an innocent woman or a cold-blooded murderer?

The first few pages of this book drew me into it immediately. There really was no putting this book down unless I absolutely had to. The story was told by flipping back and forth from the last to the present. I enjoyed this form of storytelling as both past and present are as important as each other. I felt the time Rose and Theo spent together. The conversations and seeing the connection between them grow before our eyes in that grim and dark place. As we see Theo strangely falling for Rose, almost like she hypnotises him and he really believes she is innocent, as the reader sits and wonders if she is or not. As all of Rose’s past is brought into the light and everything is woven together this is a story that will tear you in two.

‘The Nurse’ is a story that will tear you apart piece by piece as the heartbreaking, and equally as compulsive, story slowly unravels and keeps you sat there reading until there is no more story to read. A psychological thriller that will linger in your head after you have read it.

Thanks to Emma of Damp Pebbles and Canelo for the copy of the book.