Chris Bridges – Judefire33

She’s not there to save her friend.

She’s there to silence her.

When nurse Laura arrives at her old best friend’s death bed, it’s not out of compassion – it’s out of fear. Her enigmatic friend Sadie is dying, and with her last breath, she might destroy everything.

Sixteen years ago, tragedy tore their group of nursing students apart. And Laura has spent every moment since then ensuring the truth never sees the light of day.

But as Sadie fades, the past refuses to stay buried. And Laura is about to learn: The dying don’t always go quietly.

And some confessions are worth killing for.

My Review –

Many thanks to Avon Books for my early copy of The Death Bed by Chris Bridges.

This is Chris Bridges second novel and it’s a dark, intense and thrilling read.

The book starts slowly and builds in momentum throughout, with a tense undercurrent. Laura a nurse is complelled to go and care for her old best friend, Sadie who is dying. But it’s not out of care and compassion, it’s out of fear because Laura is afraid that Sadie can reveal something that can destroy her world.

Told from a dual timeline, this book sizzles with secrets and lies. And Di I mention it’s dark oh so dark! I personally found some of the medical/hospital descriptions a bit triggering for me but it didn’t take the enjoyment out of the book. There’s twists galore and the end is quite magnificent and will have you up all night reading!

An excellent novel from an author that’s found his genre! 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chris Bridges is an alumni of the 2022 London Writers Award. He previously wrote a weekly column for an LGBTQ+ lifestyle website and was a theatre reviewer for various sites. As a former NHS nurse with a hidden disability, he likes to feature the untold stories of sick, dying, and disabled people in his work and smash the trope of the passive disabled character with a background role. His first novel Sick to Death is a twisty psychological thriller. When not writing, he can be found reading compulsively or walking his uptight poodle, Frida Kahlo.

You can connect with Chris Bridges on INSTAGRAM.

You can buy The Death Bed HERE

Meet Emma. Emma is sick.

She can’t work because of a neurological condition, so is stuck in her family’s tiny council house.

Emma is sick of being told to ‘get over it’.

Her stepfather, her doctors, strangers – everyone has an opinion.

Emma is sick of being the other woman.

Her boyfriend Adam is perfect: he’s got a great job and an amazing home. His wife Celeste is the problem.

Emma is sick of being underestimated.

All she needed was a target. And now she has Celeste…

Emma is sick. Just not in the way you thought.

My Review –

Thanks to Avon Books for so kindly sending me a copy of Sick To Death to read and review.

Well, Sick To Death is an absolutely fantastic page turner of a thriller, with twists that I just didn’t see coming!

Told from several points of view, we meet Emma Miller in hospital having tests for a neurological disease that she knows she has, but like many of us with a chronic illness, gets dismissed by a Doctor again as they cannot find anything to diagnose what it is, although she has various symptoms that affect her severely. What then transpires after a chance meeting with a Doctor, Adam, outside the hospital is a love story like no other, it’s dark, it’s twisted and its brilliant!

I loved Emma’s character, she is obsessed with birds and regularly quotes facts about bird species, she has an 8-year-old daughter, she lives in a crowded home with her Mum, her daughter, her stepfather and stepsister, when I say lives, it’s more like survives! She is intelligent and fiesty and resiliant and loving, I just instantly warmed to her!

The rest of the cast of characters are written with much aplomb and attention to the human condition – Adam, her perfect looking boyfriend, Celeste, Adam’s perfect Wife, Peter, her odious stepfather, Becky, the failed actress step sister and Bobby, Celeste’s magnificent brother! You always know when a writer is a people watcher when they can write such different characters that make you have strong feelings for them ( when you start reading, you will know what I mean!)

Sick to Death is a really clever and brilliant novel. It’s pacey and doesn’t get bogged down at all. It will have you turning the pages late into the night and gasping at the shocking twists and depths that our characters will go to! I just loved it and was sad to have finished it!

It’s a thriller that will hit you in the heart but also make you angry! I love it when books give you visceral feelings! I’m pretty sure this will be a best seller, and my rating is a huge 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! This is one of 2025’s must-reads!