A good nurse may question a doctor if a surgery seems unnecessary. A good doctor may revisit the records before proceeding. Nurse Jan Peters doesn’t think the angioplasty is necessary for Gwendolyn Cartwright. The test results showed only a small blockage. She approaches the doctor. He is arrogant and proceeds with the operation. Gwendolyn bleeds out; she barely survives the surgery and is moved into the ICU. Gwendolyn is a rising country-blues singer.

Community Health Care Int’l bought out Nashville Mercy. It’s big news and Nashville Herald editor Ed Miller, sends journalist Kate Katelinson to interview Bradley Wickham, a hospital executive, for the paper. Mistakenly, Jan Peters, Kate’s roommate from college, thinks Kate is there about Gwendolyn Cartwright. She speaks out of turn. Kate begins to investigate. The ‘powers that be’ contact the editor. He tries to pull the plug on Kate’s snooping. She continues to investigate on her own. Bradley and Kate become interested in each other. He appears to be helping her, but … can she trust him?

Nashville Mercy is a debut novel for M. Maitland DeLand, and the first in the Kate Katelinson series. The mystery was intriguing. As Kate was wondering who she could trust, I found myself asking the same question. Kate is a good lead character and once she’s onto something, she won’t let go … even if it means her job. The cover actually threw me; the hat makes her appear more like an equestrian. I rated the novel at 3.5 out of 5. ( )