The Nurse's Secret: A Thrilling Historical Novel of the Dark Side of Gilded Age New York City by Amanda Skenandore

In Amanda Skenandore's gripping new novel, readers are transported to the gritty streets of 1880s New York, where a young female grifter named Una evades the police by conning her way into Bellevue Hospital's pioneering nursing school. Based on the real-life story of America's first nursing school, Bellevue is a place where discipline, intellect, and moral character are prized, and only young women of good breeding are accepted.

At first, Una struggles to fit in with her prim classmates and the endless commands of the doctors. However, her 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 begins to find her footing, Una's suspicions about a patient's death put her at risk of exposure, forcing her to choose between self-preservation and exposing her true identity to save others.

Amanda Skenandore's meticulous research and medical expertise bring the world of nineteenth-century nursing to life, exploring the evolution of modern nursing through the eyes of a dynamic and intriguing heroine. With its vividly drawn setting, spellbinding story, and characters that leap off the pages, "The Second Life of Mirielle West" is historical fiction at its finest.

Praise for Amanda Skenandore's "The Second Life of Mirielle West" has been widespread, with Publishers Weekly calling it a "superior historical" and praising the author's diligent research and empathetic depiction of those subjected to forced medical isolation. With "The Second Life of Mirielle West," Skenandore has established herself as a talented and insightful voice in historical fiction, and readers can expect more of the same in her latest novel, "Bellevue."