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Morte de Uma Enfermeira
The Navy brass is satisfied when a yeoman, the prime suspect in the murder of beautiful, dedicated Navy nurse, dies, but Lieutenant Chuck Masters disagrees. Reissue.
223 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1955
22 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Richard Marsten
20 books4 followersBorn and raised as Salvatore Lombino in New York City.
Legally changed name to his pseudonym Evan Hunter.
Best known by his pseudonym Ed McBain.
Legally changed name to his pseudonym Evan Hunter.
Best known by his pseudonym Ed McBain.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 10, 2019
COUNTDOWN: Mid-20th Century North American Crime
BOOK 206 (of 250)
In the author's introduction, he states that a friend of "the then-editor-in-chief at Pocket Books, In., [said] that any title with the word 'nurse' in it automatically sold 50 percent more copies." But McBain goes on to say that that single word did not appreciably boost sales. That might be true, but here on goodreads there are numerous books with this same exact title, including one by M.C. Beaton.
HOOK - 3 stars: The opening paragraph of the novel is as follows:
>>>"He sat on the port side of the ship, just outside the radar shack and the ladder leading up to the bridge. He sat on an ammunition box, and he rested one hand on the 20-millimeter antiaircraft gun, which was uncovered now because the ship had visitors.<<<
The first page goes on to describe the ship, and on page 2 we learn that the guy sitting on an ammunition box is waiting for a girl. I like the implication that there could be explosions (as he is sitting on an ammunition box) of passion for the girl. And in 8 pages a nurse is dead.
PACE - 2: During the first half of the book, there is just enough talk of the ship, a base, a hospital, etc., to ensure we understand where the action is taking place. But during the second half, the author gets bogged down in the switch of a ship to a 'picket' ship, which "scouts ahead of the task force...It forms an airtight screen through the use of radar." I found that interesting, but the author goes on with picket ship exercises to either 1) slow the story to increase the tension or 2) increase word count for the publisher. In my opinion, the word count increase simply decreases the tension/suspense.
PLOT - 2: In a fit of passion, a nurse is strangled in the radar room. And a few people know too much. Sub-standard fare for this genre.
CAST - 2: If you love ships, then maybe you'll remember her, the 'Sykes'. McBain has done his research (but there is no such ship named Sykes, McBain notes). But no people are developed enough to get a hold on their personalities. Once I closed the book, I couldn't type a single name. But I will say that a second nurse, praised by all in the book as very smart, competent, and professional (and she'd been the roommate of the dead nurse), decides for some reason to spend a night away from base, alone with a man she thinks is a killer. So she goes about getting naked...just plain ridiculous.
ATMOSPHERE - 3: McBain/Marsten seems to know a bit about ships and officer levels and communications circa 1955. Solid job in this area, but I never felt like I was on the ship, I didn't feel any suspense, just a sense of an early book by a young author. For McBain super-fans only.
SUMMARY - 2.4 stars overall. McBain's novels usually do make for easy reads, but this early novel is especially weak given the crime fiction being written (Highsmith's "Ripley", Chandler peaking, Spillane's Hammer series, Ross Macdonald hitting his stride, Elmore Leonard entering the crime scene also) in the mid-1950s.
BOOK 206 (of 250)
In the author's introduction, he states that a friend of "the then-editor-in-chief at Pocket Books, In., [said] that any title with the word 'nurse' in it automatically sold 50 percent more copies." But McBain goes on to say that that single word did not appreciably boost sales. That might be true, but here on goodreads there are numerous books with this same exact title, including one by M.C. Beaton.
HOOK - 3 stars: The opening paragraph of the novel is as follows:
>>>"He sat on the port side of the ship, just outside the radar shack and the ladder leading up to the bridge. He sat on an ammunition box, and he rested one hand on the 20-millimeter antiaircraft gun, which was uncovered now because the ship had visitors.<<<
The first page goes on to describe the ship, and on page 2 we learn that the guy sitting on an ammunition box is waiting for a girl. I like the implication that there could be explosions (as he is sitting on an ammunition box) of passion for the girl. And in 8 pages a nurse is dead.
PACE - 2: During the first half of the book, there is just enough talk of the ship, a base, a hospital, etc., to ensure we understand where the action is taking place. But during the second half, the author gets bogged down in the switch of a ship to a 'picket' ship, which "scouts ahead of the task force...It forms an airtight screen through the use of radar." I found that interesting, but the author goes on with picket ship exercises to either 1) slow the story to increase the tension or 2) increase word count for the publisher. In my opinion, the word count increase simply decreases the tension/suspense.
PLOT - 2: In a fit of passion, a nurse is strangled in the radar room. And a few people know too much. Sub-standard fare for this genre.
CAST - 2: If you love ships, then maybe you'll remember her, the 'Sykes'. McBain has done his research (but there is no such ship named Sykes, McBain notes). But no people are developed enough to get a hold on their personalities. Once I closed the book, I couldn't type a single name. But I will say that a second nurse, praised by all in the book as very smart, competent, and professional (and she'd been the roommate of the dead nurse), decides for some reason to spend a night away from base, alone with a man she thinks is a killer. So she goes about getting naked...just plain ridiculous.
ATMOSPHERE - 3: McBain/Marsten seems to know a bit about ships and officer levels and communications circa 1955. Solid job in this area, but I never felt like I was on the ship, I didn't feel any suspense, just a sense of an early book by a young author. For McBain super-fans only.
SUMMARY - 2.4 stars overall. McBain's novels usually do make for easy reads, but this early novel is especially weak given the crime fiction being written (Highsmith's "Ripley", Chandler peaking, Spillane's Hammer series, Ross Macdonald hitting his stride, Elmore Leonard entering the crime scene also) in the mid-1950s.
November 12, 2016
A 1955 Ed McBain, full of 50s slang and tough talk and cringy sexism. But the main problem was the plot. The set-up is okay and he is careful to keep you guessing but by the end you have to believe that not one, not two, but three people taunt a murderer about revealing his crimes. While unprotected from him, of course. Because that's what you would do. Sigh.
April 5, 2023
3,8- se nao tivesse tanto sexismo e fosse mais realista 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 plot mid 4 estrelas pq sou humilde e gostei mas nao e nadademais nao recomendo
June 22, 2018
This book, like _Even the Wicked_ was one of Evan Hunters crime books from his OTHER pseudonym than Ed McBain, which were later re-issued as McBain books when those were at the height of their popularity. The Marsten books are more murder/thrillers than police procedurals and are also more "men's adventure" stories with the gorgeous women falling for our heroes within moments of arrival only to be put into jeopardy or under suspicion later.
Given that, this is fine. It's not great, it's not bad, but it is a look at 1950's culture, especially as regards to women. There are several scenes written from the POV of the heroine and Hunter/McBain/Marsten can do a good job showing how awkward and uncomfortable the casual sexism of the navy (and world) were at the time, but there's also all to much "and then she thought about the curve of her breasts" nonsense in the "I contemplated how my boobs bobbed boobishly" vein that men all too often include for their female characters. (Why do the men never contemplate how their bodies move when they walk? Weird, that.)
If you find this sitting on a shelf and you already like Hunter's style, go ahead. I wouldn't chase it down.
Given that, this is fine. It's not great, it's not bad, but it is a look at 1950's culture, especially as regards to women. There are several scenes written from the POV of the heroine and Hunter/McBain/Marsten can do a good job showing how awkward and uncomfortable the casual sexism of the navy (and world) were at the time, but there's also all to much "and then she thought about the curve of her breasts" nonsense in the "I contemplated how my boobs bobbed boobishly" vein that men all too often include for their female characters. (Why do the men never contemplate how their bodies move when they walk? Weird, that.)
If you find this sitting on a shelf and you already like Hunter's style, go ahead. I wouldn't chase it down.
August 17, 2009
I pulled this off my Dad's bookshelf. Great mystery writer. Not a crazy plot but a simple who done it done well. Perhaps the very end got a bit contrived, even hokey. But on the whole, quite enjoyable, read in a day fare.
April 14, 2014
I liked this book. It was a nice change from the 87th Precinct stories.
January 7, 2015
More Navy than medical, but an early Ed McBain thriller in which the narration changes between a few different characters against a fairly realistic backdrop, I suppose, of Navy life.
March 1, 2017
I found this book in a book sale.....it is autographed! I really liked the story but the ending was a bit corny. Still, great find in the bin.
December 17, 2021
I picked this book because I wanted to read Ed McBain again and found this old one published under another name.
Spoilers ahead:
The plot style is quite interesting. A sailor has a romance with a nurse he met while at a navy hospital. They have a fling but the nurse doesn't want to continue since she's an officer and doesn't want to break the no fraternizing rule. When the nurse goes on a visit to the ship he murders her. We see this scene but we don't know who the sailor is.
When the body is found the FBI and the captain of the ship starts an investigation. They narrow it down to 3 sailors by cross checking the dates of when the nurse was on duty and which sailors were at the hospital thereby determining how the sailor could have met the nurse.
We switch POVs and see 2 of the 3 sailors meeting on board. One of them (Schaefer) accuses the killer and the killer promptly knocks him out and throws him overboard killing him. We the readers now can rule out Schaefer as the killer but still don't know the identity of the killer.
Meanwhile the FBI and the captain pushes the theory that Schaefer murdered the nurse and committed suicide due to remorse and close the case for selfish reasons. However the communication officer Chuck Masters doesn't feel that Schaefer is the killer but is ordered to accept it.
So far I like the plot because it isn't anything I've seen before. However I don't like the style of writing. It's very 50's style and is very clipped and short of emotion. It reads like what TV crime shows were like in the 50's. It also feels unsophisticated and unrealistic. Maybe people did act and talk like that in the 50's.
I wonder at how the author would finish the story but the writing put me off. I lost interest at the 72% mark and dnf'd it. I tried, started and stopped again several times but just didn't feel enough interest to finish the book.
Spoilers ahead:
The plot style is quite interesting. A sailor has a romance with a nurse he met while at a navy hospital. They have a fling but the nurse doesn't want to continue since she's an officer and doesn't want to break the no fraternizing rule. When the nurse goes on a visit to the ship he murders her. We see this scene but we don't know who the sailor is.
When the body is found the FBI and the captain of the ship starts an investigation. They narrow it down to 3 sailors by cross checking the dates of when the nurse was on duty and which sailors were at the hospital thereby determining how the sailor could have met the nurse.
We switch POVs and see 2 of the 3 sailors meeting on board. One of them (Schaefer) accuses the killer and the killer promptly knocks him out and throws him overboard killing him. We the readers now can rule out Schaefer as the killer but still don't know the identity of the killer.
Meanwhile the FBI and the captain pushes the theory that Schaefer murdered the nurse and committed suicide due to remorse and close the case for selfish reasons. However the communication officer Chuck Masters doesn't feel that Schaefer is the killer but is ordered to accept it.
So far I like the plot because it isn't anything I've seen before. However I don't like the style of writing. It's very 50's style and is very clipped and short of emotion. It reads like what TV crime shows were like in the 50's. It also feels unsophisticated and unrealistic. Maybe people did act and talk like that in the 50's.
I wonder at how the author would finish the story but the writing put me off. I lost interest at the 72% mark and dnf'd it. I tried, started and stopped again several times but just didn't feel enough interest to finish the book.
November 27, 2024
I am a long-time fan of Ed McBain, but only recently came across this very early work of his. Death of a Nurse shows that the author already had considerable skill at the start of his career. I’m not sure if this was his very first book, but it was certainly one of his earliest. An indication of that is that it originally came out under his other pseudonym, Richard Marsten. It was only re-released as an Ed McBain book some fifteen years later when the work by that pseudonym became popular. I will say first off that because it was written in the mid-1950s, there is a dated quality to the story, but that had no distracting effect for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed Death of a Nurse. McBain beautifully drew me into the drama and tension of this disturbing tale. It is crisply told, with no extraneous detail or overdrawn descriptions. At only 184 pages, there is just enough information to enable me to visualize the scenes and the characters. The result is I could concentrate on the plot. And what a plot it is. The book is a mystery, unlike the police procedurals McBain would later become famous for. Someone killed a nurse in a fit of rage when she disappointed him romantically. The challenge is to figure out who did it and then to catch him before he murders another nurse.
Early on, I knew the mind of the killer, watched his actions, and rooted for his capture, but I never knew which of the three possible suspects he was. The book is packed full of page-turning action. There is a simplicity to the writing style, a straight-forward presentation of scenes, and the pacing is great so all these aspects pulled me into the story and made me want to keep reading as the tension built. I will not put spoilers in this review, but there is a great climactic ending that is believable and satisfying.
Despite the fact that it takes place in the post-World War II 1950s, Death of a Nurse is a very enjoyable mystery and well worth reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed Death of a Nurse. McBain beautifully drew me into the drama and tension of this disturbing tale. It is crisply told, with no extraneous detail or overdrawn descriptions. At only 184 pages, there is just enough information to enable me to visualize the scenes and the characters. The result is I could concentrate on the plot. And what a plot it is. The book is a mystery, unlike the police procedurals McBain would later become famous for. Someone killed a nurse in a fit of rage when she disappointed him romantically. The challenge is to figure out who did it and then to catch him before he murders another nurse.
Early on, I knew the mind of the killer, watched his actions, and rooted for his capture, but I never knew which of the three possible suspects he was. The book is packed full of page-turning action. There is a simplicity to the writing style, a straight-forward presentation of scenes, and the pacing is great so all these aspects pulled me into the story and made me want to keep reading as the tension built. I will not put spoilers in this review, but there is a great climactic ending that is believable and satisfying.
Despite the fact that it takes place in the post-World War II 1950s, Death of a Nurse is a very enjoyable mystery and well worth reading.
July 14, 2021
I've liked Evan Hunter writing as Ed McBain for decades now so imagine how pleased I was about recently discovering Hunter's work writing as Richard Marsten. So far, I've gobbled up Marsten's books Runaway Black, Vanishing Ladies, and Even the Wicked, and I think Murder in the Navy aka Death of a Nurse might be my favorite of the bunch so far. It's the closest to McBain's 87th precinct series in style and form but the climax is more thriller than murder mystery, which gets no complaints out of me. I believe Hunter/McBain/Marsten/etc. was at his best when he was writing suspense stories. Nobody could touch him when he was galloping towards a grand finale and it's no accident that Hitchcock hired him to write movies. My only hesitation for recommending this book to anyone would be the sexism predictable of the era in which it was written. Other than that, I'd say the book's just about a perfect piece of entertainment.
July 21, 2022
A bit disappointing. Not what I was expecting from my first McBain. Possibly because the murder does not happen in the mean city streets, but on a U.S. Navy ship anchored off the Virginia coast. Tracking down the killer of a beautiful nurse does not seem too arduous, despite the best efforts of the authorities to ditch the case once they have found a fall guy. Its entertaining enough, but it felt like an episode of a TV cop show - one hour and it is all wrapped up and a new story ready for next week.
December 23, 2024
Richard Marsten is the name Evan Hunter aka Ed McCain used as author of this early book. A murder on a navy ship occurs and we can hear the thoughts of the murderer as he gets away with it. The dialog is excellent, I felt like I knew the characters. I've read many books by this author and it was interesting to read such an early book of his.
November 16, 2023
Mostly of historical interest, especially the male-female relationships as described in detective novels of 70 years ago. Ex: a lovely nurse falls for a naval officer who tells her to smile more. :-)
October 16, 2025
My 90th Ed McBain book
April 5, 2022
"A man should be quiet in the morning. A man should come to terms with life again slowly. He shouldn't tumble around until life slapped him right in the face like a wet mackerel".
February 12, 2025
A good thriller. Not an 87th Precinct story. One set around the navy. A nurse is murdered on the destroyer Sykes. Masters an officer suspects three men. One of them is the murderer. Two more deaths follow. Apparently suicides. Masters starts seeing a nurse called Jean the murdered nurses roommate.
The author sometimes talks from the murderers perspective and he tries to seduce Jean when he is in the hospital pretending to be sick. In the end Masters rushes to Wilmington to save Jean from her own stupidity. I mean who would go away for a night of passion with someone she suspects murdered her friend!
The author sometimes talks from the murderers perspective and he tries to seduce Jean when he is in the hospital pretending to be sick. In the end Masters rushes to Wilmington to save Jean from her own stupidity. I mean who would go away for a night of passion with someone she suspects murdered her friend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2008
well written, easy to read
September 12, 2014
Old timey Ed McBain.
July 7, 2018
Written in 1955, not very good but would have made an average TV episode in an anthology series of the time.
March 26, 2024
Originally published under a pseudonym, this is not one of McBain's finest. Probably should be 2.5 but I liked some of the navy stuff.
March 31, 2017
Good light hearted read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews