Jon Talton's David Mapstone mystery series set in Phoenix is one of my favorites, and when I heard that his newest book was something different set in Ohio, I knew I would be giving it a try. I certainly wasn't disappointed. Good writing is good writing, and I like seeing an author branch out a bit and try something different.

One of the first things to impress me in The Pain Nurse is the inside look Talton gives us of the bureaucratic and political machinations within a hospital, and Cheryl Beth Wilson is the type of nurse we wish we could all have: she's a true advocate for her patients and thinks nothing of standing up to a doctor she believes is causing patients needless pain. Talton also seemed to know that I've always felt hospitals to be creepy places because during the scenes in the oldest, unused parts of the building, I was jumping at every little noise as I read. Killer on the loose? Old dark hospital basement? The faint glow of an EXIT sign far down a corridor? Yikes-- almost too much atmosphere for me!

The teaming of two very lonely people-- Will and Cheryl Beth-- add emotional depth to the story. Will has basically been abandoned and forced to stay in the hospital. He has little to do outside of his physical therapy and waiting until it's time to take more pain medication, so it's natural that he would want to conduct his own investigation into the murder. Will's struggle to adjust and to relearn basic skills is one of the strengths of the book. It's also interesting to watch Will and Cheryl Beth become closer as they put clues together in order to bring a killer to justice.

Even though the conclusion seemed a bit over the top, I still enjoyed reading The Pain Nurse, and I'm looking forward to reading another "Cincinnati Casebook." ( )

suspenseful until the end. Cheryl Beth is the pain nurse where Det. Will just had a tumor removed from his spine. Someone is killed and the mystery begins. This was a quick read that kept my attention...definitely one I would recommend. ( )