The Nurse's Secret

Written by Amanda Skenandore

Narrated by Vanessa Johansson

In the slums of 1880s New York, Una Kelly has grown up to be a rough-and-tumble grifter, able to filch a pocketbook in five seconds flat. But when another con-woman pins her for a murder she didn't commit, Una is forced to flee. Running from the police, Una lies her way into an unlikely refuge: the nursing school at Bellevue Hospital.

Based on Florence Nightingale's nursing principles, Bellevue is the first school of its kind in the country. Where once nurses were assumed to be ignorant and unskilled, Bellevue prizes discipline, intellect, and moral character, and only young women of good breeding need apply. At first, Una balks at her prim classmates and the doctors' endless commands. Yet life on the streets has prepared her for the horrors of injury and disease found on the wards, and she slowly gains friendship and self-respect.

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Jun 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781696607353

Amanda Skenandore

Amanda Skenandore is a historical fiction writer and registered nurse. Her first novel, Between Earth and Sky, won the American Library Association’s Reading List Award for Best Historical Fiction. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Readers can visit her website at www.amandaskenandore.com.

Reviews for The Nurse's Secret

[Betty Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written historical novel that deals with social stratification in the 1800’s New York. Deals with extreme poverty. Also touches on the structure of the medical establishment at that time. Well researched.

[Shirlaten · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think this was my first Amanda Skenandore book. I stayed with it, but I expect more from a novel. I have to like the premise, storyline or characters to enjoy a novel. I’m seldom wowed by great storytelling or deep, insightful characters.

This book has none of that. The story was all over the place. The situations were shallow and unbelievable, and the main character lacked self-awareness or any other redeeming quality. It offered nothing relatable and little to hope for except that she might succeed in the nursing program. In my view, she didn’t.

The book fails to charm. A narrator with a sweet, melodious voice could have partly redeemed the book, but it lacked that, too.

Sure, go for it. But don’t expect to be wowed.

[Karen Chandler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has a great storyline and a twist at the end. The characters are interesting and some likeable with a touch of reality woven in. I am glad I chose to read this book.