Start of a new series with an interesting mix of characters. I look forward to seeing how Jessie develops in the next one.

A young couple is brought to Boston City Hospital after they are shot in an alley while out celebrating. Nurse Jessie is the first on the scene and cannot help but notice the husband does not appear worried about the wife. He is allowed to stay in the hospital long after he's ready and she learns what a true jerk he is and begins to question if he's not the one who shot his wife.
This book was only okay, not suspenseful by my standards. Jessie was more concerned which police officer she was going to hook up with and how her makeup looked. Where she was smart, she also appeared high maintenance and it drove me nuts. I lost count the number of times she "touched up her makeup", how does she have time for that? When her apartment starts getting broken into and all the sudden her work schedule disappears, she just shrugs it off and says "Well I don't need it anyway". Where she is smart in some areas, she's completely stupid in others.
The reader knew throughout the entire book who was to blame, that was obvious. I wish I could have enjoyed this more, but I didn't. Thank you NetGalley for another book for my honest review.

Jessie Novak is an ER nurse and the story is told though her. I like the idea of a thriller being told, not through a policeman’s prospective but through a nurse that maybe could teach the detectives a thing or two!! I read that there will be a Jessie Novak No.2 book - so hope I can read this..... I need to know what she is up to next!!

Thanks to #bookouture & #netgalley for letting me read this in advance.

#deadgirlwalking #Robertagately

Publish date - 24th November 2020

Great characters! This new heroine is fantastic!

I loved seeing an ER nurse as the main character, and I thought she was well constructed and authentic. I generally don't like a "torn between two guys" storyline, but this one was written pretty well, was mostly believable and wasn't overly dramatic. Both of the male characters, as well as most of the secondary characters, were fleshed out enough to be interesting but not so much that the details felt unnecessary, which can be a hard line to walk, especially if you're setting up for future books in the series. Well done there.

The plot was interesting. The storyline took you for an interesting ride, thought the end was ultimately very predictable. The thing I struggled with was that an ER nurse bound by HIPPA laws and a Detective bound by the restrictions of an ongoing investigation is a pretty unbelievable team. Gately seemed to address this by throwing "I couldn't tell you, that would be a HIPPA violation" and then heavily implying something, or "Keep that under your hat, this is an ongoing investigation" in there when the characters were sharing information.. I *might* have believed that his unlikely professional pair might have shared information at night if an ER nurse had been married to a Detective for years... but it all just seemed very unlikely with a pair that's just casually dating (or not? still unsure)..

I did like that the corner invited Jessie to work in the morgue/with the PD, but the call from Jessie's boss was, again, just a little unbelievable "Hi Jessie, yes you can split your time between here and there and keep all your benefits and schedule and overtime and it'll all be great! Good luck!". Jessie working part time for the PD is a good idea in theory but it still doesn't solve the privacy issue.

All that being said, I truly liked Jessie & Sam and the writing was compelling so I do hope she finds some way to help Jessie evolve into a forensic nurse or a CSU employee or something so that her nursing experience is helpful with examining wounds and corroborating evidence rather than having her input be a privacy violation concerning a specific case.

Always a new take on the detective story: this is a new one, having a triage ER nurse suddenly begin to investigate crimes.
When a pretty woman arrives essentially DOA and the supposedly distraught husband is being weird, Jesse's suspicions are raised.
The combination of medicine and crime is a newish one and has fun qualities.
As this is the first of a series, hopefully her crime busting will become more refined over time.

Dead Girl Walking by Roberta Gately is the first book in her Jessie Novak series. As an ER nurse, Jessie Novak is both observer and participant. She’s a smart new female protagonist, even though she’s not the usual cop/former cop or private investigator. I warmed to her personality as the story and her background details evolved. The story is well-written and the plot is engaging. Some of the elements are predictable, but I still enjoyed this mystery and will read any future installments to follow Jessie’s development.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

"Something was wrong here, very wrong."

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a great crime series. With Dead Girl Walking I've added yet another to my ever-growing list.

ER nurse Jessie Novak finds herself embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse after becoming determined to bring a killer to justice. She is sure she knows who brutally attacked Ann Hart, but the police don't agree. So she sets out to find the evidence herself, putting her own life in danger. Can she find the proof and expose the killer before they can silence her?

"And that was what she liked best about the ER. It was a metaphor for life; unpredictable, unexpected, both deadly boring and wildly exciting, and you could have all of that in one shift."

Reading this was like watching a mash-up of ER and Rizzoli & Isles. It is a riveting start to a new series and I flew through this book in just a few hours. The author knows how to keep the reader on the edge of their seat and is full of heart-stopping tension. Jessie's job as an ER nurse only adds to this, the chaos leaping from the page. It is obvious from the detail in these scenes that the author has experience of working in that environment and this added to the authentic feel of the story.

For any series to be successful, it's characters have to be believable, interesting and memorable. The author has given the reader just that with the creation of Jessie and Detective Sam Dallas. Jessie is easy to like and get behind. I quickly felt invested in her life and was rooting for her to bring the killer to justice. The dynamic between her and Sam is entertaining and they have the perfect amount of chemistry and tension to make a great crime duo. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author has in store for them in book two.

A captivating start to a new crime series, this taut, twisty and suspenseful book is one you'll find hard to put down. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written thriller or mystery.

This is the first in a new series that adds a new take on the police procedural genre,a nurse who works in the ER and finds herself unable to resist investigating the murder of one of her patients. It's a fascinating blend of Diagnosis Murder, ER and the brilliant Code Black which were three of my favourite television series. I suppose, in retrospect, doctors and nurses are a bit like detectives because they have to follow the clues that enable them to diagnose and treat their patients. I love a drama that is set in a hospital so I really enjoyed the scenes that were set in the ER, the fast and frenetic atmosphere as the doctors and nurses worked their healing magic on their patients. And the author's descriptions of the sombre and peaceful atmosphere of the ICU were so realistic (which is not surprising considering the Author is also a nurse) that they brought back memories of the time that our daughter spent in the ICU when she was younger. The only sound being the noise of the machines and equipment that were vital for the survival of the patient.

I had mixed feelings about the main character Jessie, I had no doubt that she loved her job and genuinely cared about her patients and I loved her interactions with her elderly neighbour Rufus. She did have some realistic character traits and there was some likeable aspects to her character but i really didn't like how she was fancied by almost every male character she encountered during the story. I'm not sure wether the police would really ask a nurse about what her opinion was on a active investigation but this is the world of fiction and what do I know,I'm just a lowly reader and blogger. I also had mixed feelings about Detective Sam, he seemed like a likeable character but it did get frustrating when he constantly dismissed Jessie's fears and opinions especially considering he was the one that originally drew her into the case in the first place. The secondary characters were a mixed bag of vivid, realistic individuals from the staff who worked in the hospital, the homeless man who sleeps in the hospital, Jesse's kindly neighbour Rufus to Patrick who was the proprietor of the shop near were Jessie lived where she got her newspaper and muffin.

This is a fantastic start to what looks like is going to be a brilliant series. I loved the hospital scenes and the thriller elements of the story but the plot contained a bit too much romance for this reader's liking. The book does end on a cliff hanger that paced the way for book 2 and I look forward to reading what the reader has got planned for Jessie's next adventure

Dead Girl Walking by Roberta Gately is the beginning of a brand new series in which an E.R Nurse Jessie Novak is our main character. I found this idea alone a refreshing one, to have an E.R nurse involved in a crime thriller, in a way it almost made a cross-genre, a medical crime thriller!
The story hit the ground running with a couple being shot as Jessie is about to clock off from her shift in Triage. The call comes in and Jessie gets everything together for their arrival at E.R. The couple are of high media attention so as she is leaving, she finds the corridors blocked by all manner of people, police and reporters mainly. The pressure is on for the police to find who did it straight away.Jessie's friend Detective Sam Dallas is at the head of the team.
As I said, a refreshing change to see an E.R Nurse involved in investigating a crime. Jessie is an intelligent and sharp woman who goes about her daily job and also helps where she can with the police. The fact she works in the E.R allows her to keep an eye on people being admitted and what they come in for. That extra dimension in the investigation is a clever twist in the tale really. An excellently paced read with an interesting protaganist that I can see has the potential to add many adventures to this series.
One thing I also noticed when I picked up the book to read. The dedication is to her brother and I don't know why but it stayed with me throughout the book. Roberta has put her everything in this story and I think I felt that with the dedication.
Thank you to Bookouture, Roberta Gately and NetGalley for my copy of the book to write my review for Dead Girl Walking.

Thank you to bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via netgalley. This book is the first of a new series following Jessie Novak. Jessie is an ER nurse who becomes involved in helping to solve the shooting of Ann Hart.

This book was very interesting as it was a crime novel where the lead character was not a detective or even a police officer. This gave a very different POV. I love a good medical drama. I watch Greys Anatomy, The resident. Chicago Med, New Amsterdam, The Good Doctor. I’ll stop there because I could be here for days naming them all. Suffice to say I really enjoyed the ER aspect of this book.

I really liked Jessie. She has some guts and grit about her and I can’t wait to see more of her. She did at times have a bit of naivety about her, to the point where I wanted to shout don’t do that or don’t go there but I’m sure she’ll soon lose that.

This is probably not one of those crime thrillers that will give you a big shock ending but I really enjoyed following the clues.

I also enjoyed Jessie’s relationship with Rufus. He seems such a sweet old man. I think their friendship will be really good for the pair of them.

I’m very excited about where this series is going to go.

An Emergency Room nurse, Jessie Novak, plays detective in this crime thriller.

When a young couple is attacked, shot, and left for dead in an alley, they are brought to Boston City Hospital by ambulance. Jessie is on duty and finds the wife, Ann Hart, barely alive and the husband with a less serious wound. For some reason, she can't get the crime out of her mind and is quite suspicious about the event. Meanwhile, she's harassed by a reporter and is involved with two local cops who share many investigative details about their investigation with her. NO SPOILERS.

I confess I picked this up solely because I have also worked as an ER nurse. I'm always interested in medical thrillers and thought that this first in a new series might hit the spot for me. Unfortunately, I found it all fairly ludicrous and my ability to take the necessary leaps to credulity was strained to the max level. I simply could not stand the main character, Jessie, nor could I even remotely imagine the level of her involvement in a crime such as this as an ER nurse. The other main irritation I developed was with Jessie's romantic entanglements. Overall, I did not find this gripping or suspenseful -- it all just seemed silly to me. I doubt I'll be interested in another installment featuring this character.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for providing a copy of this e-book ARC for me to read and review.

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.