Literary and historical debut novel about hard drinking nurse in eighteenth century infirmary! Upmarket cross between Casualty and Eastenders ! The clap, alcohol and amputations!

Chester, 1756: Mary Helsall must take the first
job she’s offered – that of a nurse. She soon
longs to escape the hospital’s stench and the
surgeon’s lechery as much as she wants to escape her own past.

Mary finds consolation in rotgut gin and an
affinity with porter Anthony. But then, a patient reveals he is aware of her connection to the notorious Gaol, her infatuation with a
thief-taker, and her entanglement with a smuggling gang.

From the gin shop to the operating theatre, and the stormy seashore to the prison dungeons, Mary seeks hope of an independent future. Ultimately, she must decide whether addiction is a fair price to pay for love.