No Cure for the Dead

In 1853, when Florence Nightingale becomes the new superintendent at the Establishment for Gentlewomen During Temporary Illness in London, she's appalled at the hospital conditions and the quality of nurses employed there. During her first week, she finds one of the nurses hanging in the library. The police call it suicide, but Florence decides to investigate further. When she's pushed down the stairs, and a ten-year-old errand boy has an accident, she knows she's scared someone. After another death occurs, Florence realizes her entire career and current employment hinge on her ability to unmask a murderer. This first book in a new character-based historical mystery series delves into the personal and professional life of a brave woman who left a privileged life to help others. The story is well researched and richly detailed in describing the hospitals of the time and Nightingale's plans for reform.