Dead Girl Walking follows ER nurse Jessie Novak who treats patient Ann Hart after she has been shot by an unknown assailant alongside her husband. Jessie helps with the police investigation into Ann's shooting and starts receiving bouquets of the same flowers that were found in Ann's hair when she was brought into the ER.

When I read the summary of this book I was immediately dubious (although curious) about the premise of the ER nurse getting involved in a police investigation. On one hand it is different from the norm of following the police or forensics through a case but there is also the issue of would it even make sense coming from the point of view of the nurse. My conclusion - no it does not. It just felt forced. The entire way through this book I kept thinking why on earth would this nurse be getting this involved? A link is created to forensics that I believe will continue in the series to try and bridge this gap but I felt like it was an unusual set up just created to make the nurse role fit better.

Jessie is a pretty irritating character overall and I can't say I warmed to her over time. She was apparently so clever and valuable as an employee that she was wanted by the ER department, ICU and forensics and yet she missed things that were completely obvious to anyone with a single brain cell (though nobody in this book seemed particularly sharp!). She spent half her time trying to decide who she fancied and why instead of anything of use. She was completely dismissive of the police and their ability to solve the crime and couldn't understand why they didn't follow her random theories. The police discussed the case with her in far too much detail to be realistic - she is a nurse, not a detective and they would not share details about the case with her.
None of the other characters were particularly strong or memorable in any way either. I should mention there was a love triangle but this was nothing more than cringeworthy.

I can forgive bland characters if the plot is on point. It was not. I figured out almost everything with little difficulty. The direction this was going to take was obvious and instead of suspense waiting for the characters to figure things out it was just frustrating watching them fail to see what was right in front of them.

Overall this was a very simplistic novel that tried using a new viewpoint to spice things up and I wasn't a fan of the end result.

This book is the first instalment in the Jessie Novak series written by Roberta Gately, set in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Married couple Rob and Ann Hart are out and about when a man approaches them and shoots, hitting Rob in his side and Ann in the head, but when the emergency dispatcher asks Rob to check whether or not Ann's breathing, there's no answer and the line goes dead with a click. Meanwhile, Emergency Room Triage Nurse Jessie Novak is just about to clock off when the paramedics radio to inform Boston City Hospital of their ETA. Jessie quickly assembles the trauma team and the surgeon on duty, and later, when she goes to leave the trauma area, police, reporters and others are blocking the corridor. Jessie's friend, Detective Sam Dallas is in charge of the investigation.

Dead Girl Walking was a compelling read and I was soon wholly absorbed in the storyline. Being an ER Nurse gave Jessie a bit of an edge and she was a little different to your average protagonist. I liked Jessie's intelligence, astuteness and keen sense of observation. This novel for me was primarily a police procedural with a sharp amateur sleuth at its heart, whose job provided a great vantage point to oversee anyone admitted with injuries that might give cause for suspicion. This novel was a wicked and exciting thriller where no one could be trusted, with dangerous situations crossing boundaries between Jessie’s working and personal life. It was so good and I can't wait for book two!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

The story started with the bang and a 911 call about a husband and wife being shot. They were both brought to the ER to be treated under the capable hands of Nurse Jessie.

I was so happy this was not a typical police procedural but a cool, level-headed investigation done by Jessie. My first book by author Roberta Gately, I loved Jessie’s intelligence and keen sense of observation. Her instincts were in the right place. I too was frustrated when cop Sam refused to see the obvious. I was quite speechless when he disregarded everything.

Jessie’s love life was in the forefront when she got involved with another cop, in spite of being attracted to Sam. I was quite unsure about this triangle. I kept hoping the book would turn to investigation as every character told me superlative things about her.

Midway down the book, Jessie’s smugness got to me along with her irascible temper which emerged for no reason. It was duplicitous of her when as a nurse, she couldn’t reveal confidential information, but wanted Sam to reveal all minute details of the investigation. I wished the author had dedicated the book more to crime thriller rather than a love triangle and kept the main character focused.

The perp was obvious, and the road to achieve justice was straight. The book was entertaining in most parts. Hoping that book two would keep the prose sharper and twist-ier, if there is such a word.

The premise of this book sounds quite interesting and appealing especially since i am a nurse and know pretty much what our heroine has to deal with in her daily job activity. It was nice to read her pov in the story and even better that it's the first book in the series so i could get into her head more and know what are the reasons her actions speak up for. 
The story starts quite confusing for me and had a very hard time to get into it actually because i was confused of who is who and what their relationship is , but after the first half i started to get a hang of it and to understand a bit more where is this story going. There are many moments when the story adds moments that i thought unnecessary unfortunately and that i couldn't quite overlooked.
It's well written and suspenseful and i'm sure many readers will enjoy it but it wasn't a favourite for me.

This is the first book in a new series by Roberta Gately and it’s a great start. 
Jesse is an ER nurse and has seen most things but when a husband and wife get rushed in after being shot, it’s all hands to the deck. 
The man’s political role makes the shooting front page news so the pressure is on to find the person responsible.
Jesse has her thoughts on the crime and helps the police with their investigation which is a great help to them. 
It seemed odd at first for a crime thriller to have the main character work as an ER nurse, but it works.
I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next in this series. 
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

First, I want to thank Roberta Gately, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review. 

Instantly I got sucked into the fast paced, intense, graphic and frantic beginning of Roberta Gately’s latest read Dead Girl Walking. It was the best of both worlds with criminal investigation and medical drama. The book reminded me of one of the ER crossover shows with the Investigative team. 

This book is in loving memory of Roberta’s cherished brother Jim Gately, an adored husband, father, brother, uncle and friend. Gone too soon. Forever Missed. Forever Loved. 

The graphic designer created the coolest and most unique cover to this book. It grabbed my attention and made me wonder what the book was about. 

Boston was a great destination for this book. It is one of my favorite places to visit.

Roberta seemed so passionate about the special connection to Jesse. You could feel it in what she wrote. 

I absolutely loved how Roberta took her knowledge of all things medical and incorporated them into the book. Plus, she educated me on a few things I didn’t know.  For those of who watch those prime time ER shows and investigative forensic shows we thank you! 

Jan Hart’s storyline was one shock after the other to total heartbreak. The investigation made for a suspenseful read. 

Mr. Hart creeped me out big time though. 

One thing that made me smile is Jesse was compared to an Angel by a local newspaper. Right now with everything going on in the world today more healthcare and mental workers need to hear that.

Dead Girl Walking is the first instalment in the Emergency Room Triage Nurse Jessie Novak series, set in Boston, Massachusetts. Married couple thirty-two-year-old Rob and twenty-eight-year-old Ann Hart had, according to Rob, been out celebrating that night when a man had approached them, pointed his gun and robbed them before shooting mayor's aide and Harvard alumni Rob in the flank and Ann in the head in an alley next to the theatre on Warrenton Street, but when the dispatcher asks him to check whether she's breathing there's no answer and the line goes dead. Meanwhile, it's the end of another long and arduous shift for Jessie Novak when just as she was getting ready to clock off and wind down over at Foley's bar, the paramedics, who attended the shooting, radio to inform Boston City Hospital that they are en-route. Jessie quickly assembles the trauma team and on-duty surgeon Neil Doherty. The next time she opens the door to leave one of the trauma rooms where Ann is being treated, she is met with a sea of police, reporters and random people blocking the corridor. Detective Sam Dallas is one of those and is in charge of the investigation.

Jessie goes to check on Rob Hart and finds there is something strange about the way he is acting. But, as Jessie knows all too well, people have different reactions to trauma, so whether this is suspicious or not remains to be seen. This is a pacy, compelling and original read and while it took a little longer than I would've liked to get into it I was soon absorbed in the storyline. Being an ER Nurse our protagonist is a little different to the norm and is in quite an unusual role. I would say that this is most aptly described as a cross between a police procedural and a crime thriller with an amateur sleuth at its centre, whose job actually positions her well to see if any of those admitted with injuries could be of a suspicious nature. Her spider senses were certainly tingling when she met the Harts. She astute, authoritative when necessary and seems to have an insatiable appetite for police employees. This is a sinister thriller where no one can be trusted and the dangerous situation is about to cross from Jessie’s working life into her personal world. Perhaps it would be prudent to stop digging but that just isn't her style...

Dead girl walking the first book in the series by Roberta Gately- another new author for me. 
Loved it!  I’m a huge fan of crime thriller books and happy to add this to one of my favourite reads of the year.  
Jesse an ER nurse has a very busy night when two people - husband and wife - get rushed in after being shot.  The husband an up and coming political hotshot makes the shooting front page news.  Jesse has her thoughts on the crime and whilst working her already stressful and high paced job helps the police with questioning and her views to help solve the crime. 
I loved that our main character was an ER nurse and that we get the story from her perspective and not so much from the normal police detective side.  The glimpse we get into the busy hospital environment was good to read also.
I did find some of Jesse’s personal choices questionable but no one is perfect.  The interaction between herself and her elderly neighbour I found endearing and hope to read more between the two further in the series.  I feel that this book is very nicely set up for the future books and there is plenty more that I want to read about Jesse.  
I will note that I did guess who the culprit was and who I thought was involved but I thoroughly enjoyed reading how it all came about.

WoW......... And what a "Breath of Fresh air" this New author was for me! 
Everyone loves a new author and when Roberta Gately's new book called Dead Girl Walking. I had to find some me time and open my kindle and start to read it. Oh, Boy, I was not disappointed!!! It was Brilliant! and I was hooked from the very first page! 

“911. What’s your emergency?”
“He came for her. She’s been shot,” says a desperate voice, as footsteps echo down an alley. “She’s dying.”
“Oh no, oh no, he’s coming back. Please, come quickly––” And then a click, and the drone of a dial tone.

What a book! This is the first book in the Jessie Novak series and I loved it. You will find it's a roller coaster read and will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat. Just what you need for a new author.

I am so Looking forward reading more from Roberta Gately in the future.

I highly recommend this book.

Big Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jessie works as an ER nurse. One of the mayor's staff is shot in the leg, his wife in the head. 
From the beginning,  Jessie is convinced Rob Hart had something to do with the shooting. 
Predictable.  Skimmed to finish.

A thriller with an ER nurse as the main character, Dead Girl Walking was a fun, fresh take on a murder mystery. Although there were times I got annoyed with Jessie — mainly due to the repetition of some character flaws/quirks (I cannot count the number of times that it was emphasized that Jessie always falls for the “wrong type of guy”) — the plot was fairly quick and the story engaging. I especially loved the tidbits about working in the ER and the relationships between the nurses & doctors & admin. I did find myself getting annoyed, too, with Jessie’s interactions with the lead detective — she seemed to get irrationally angry at him, oddly frequently. I did guess the whodunnit — there were red herrings but not a lot and never ones that were fully believable — but the story as to why, as well as the action leading up to an arrest, was enjoyable. The ending was slightly meh due to a mini cliffhanger, though. 

All in all — I’m glad I read it! And I can definitely see myself continuing to read this series as Gately writes further Jessie Novak novels.

Wow what a fantastic book. First time author for me. Loved the way the authors writes. This was an edge of the seat thriller for. It had a lot of twists and turns which made this book great.  Thank net gallery for letting me read this great book.

Dead Girl Walking is the first book in a series, a fact that is nicely established through the path the main character goes through in the book.
However, I don't find myself very interested in continuing reading this series. Despite keeping me interested in finding out who had done what, I didn't find this book to be a great thriller.
Not only were the mysteries pretty easy to guess (not every plot twist has to be the most surprising, but I feel like any reader could guess what had happened here), it also included many tropes that I personally do not enjoy. 
Even though it had relevance to the resolution of the mystery, I feel like too much time was spent on who the MC dated or who she might fancy as well. Yet the resolution was very rushed. I much rather spend time learning about the murder than reading about Jessie's love life. Also, this MC was a genius on the eyes of experts of their fields because she noticed things they didn't (and those weren't tricky things to guess) but then proceeded to make the stupidest choices, which put her in danger.
It's obviously just book 1 in a series, so hopefully, those "mistakes" can be fixed in future entries.

A new author I have been wowed by! As a debut with Bookouture, this was one hell of a phenomenal novel! 

The first thing I loved about it was the point of view from a hospital worker. I’m used to a crime thriller being from the lead detectors point of view so this was the first series that I’ve read from this point of view and I was pleasantly surprised. 

It’s different, fresh and certainly not something I’ve read before. I can see other authors would follow suit. There’s been books with hospital emergency nurse as a main character but the work aspect was the backstory. This though was at the forefront and made up the basis of the main storyline! 

Being a fan of Casualty, Greys Anatomy and similar tv dramas, I knew this would be a huge hit for me. Seeing an author break the normal boundaries is brave and in this case a great choice of being a little different. 

Whether your a thriller lover like me,  or like a mystery, this novel really does pack a punch. A riveting storyline follows the story of a husband and wife who were shot. Thereafter the plot thickens and several people become suspects. The suspense installed the pace in this novel and was so intriguing and that I didn’t want to stop reading and I had to reluctantly force myself to put it down. After I’d finished work I picked it straight back up and finished it the same day. 

I really can’t form words to express how great this book was! The novel has been set up to continue the lives of some of those main characters. I’m certainly looking forward to learning more about them and seeing where the author will take this series. I can see plenty of potential and can’t wait to absorb myself into each instalment of Jessie Novak life in this series. 

Well done to Roberta Gatley, you have a new fan!

I have always been such a huge fan of Bookouture authors the stories they publish always seem to deliver exactly what you are promised, and this one is no different. 

What I loved most about this book was following Jessie through her daily grind as a nurse. I found that this gave the book a very unique edge for me. Reading about the patients being admitted and the daily tasks if a medical professional created a medical drama show to play through me head as I was reading. 

I felt like I was on a fast momentum swing most of the way through this book as I just couldnt make up my mind with where the author was going yo take us as the pages kept turning. 

I had my suspicions about what was going to happen but because of the way the book was written and how well you were drip fed information, my heart was racing, the tension building and the excitement exploding. 

I read this book in a day, reluctantly putting it down when real life got in the way. I absolutely loved the writing style of this story and cannot wait to be reunited with Jessie Novak in her next adventure.

I was a little unsure about how I would feel about a thriller coming from the view point of someone other than the lead detective as I’m used to. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the way this all played out.

One night in Jessie Novak’s life ends up turning her life completely upside down. From the first time she laid eyes on her patient, she knew something was wrong but I don’t think anyone could guess just how wrong things really were. Unfortunately for Jessie, the problems don’t remain only in her professional life. Instead they quickly pour into her personal life and leaves Jessie (and the reader) wondering if she can trust anyone at all.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the fact that it was a crime thriller from the nurses perspective. Great descriptions of the various events. I had it solved from about halfway. My only fault is that it was a few chapters too long. I would definitely recommend it.

This is the first book with Jessie Novak as the main character.   It was a good start but will be interested to know what will happen in book two.   Usually the main character in a crime novel is a police officer or victim, with this Jessie is an emergency nurse.
Jessie is on duty when Ann Hart and her husband are brought in after being shot.   How is Ann critically injured when her husband sent? Jessie seems to think it’s because her husband was involved with the shooting.  Detective Sam Dallas is on the receiving end of all Jessie’s theories but isn’t sur she’s on the right track.
I liked how the story progressed and ended.  I will be interested to I know up book two to see where the characters go next.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#DeadGirlWalking #NetGalley

This was an interesting book and it read well, it just wasn’t for me.....................................

I expected a lot from this book, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It’s not a bad book, not at all, but I had it pretty much all figured out after the first few chapters. Then I can’t give a book more than three stars. The writing is good, and it was a fairly quick read. I’d like to get to know the protagonist better, but I’d like to have more suspense and guessing going on that this book had. I like the idea of having an ER nurse as the lead character. Not many of them out there. Extra points for that!