My life was supposed to be different.
Glittering diamonds. Dangerous gentlemen. Throw in a Dassault Falcon private jet and a French villa, spritz it all with Dior perfume, and then I’d have the life I’d always wanted.
The life I’ve got: I’m a divorced and nearly-retired home care nurse living in Minneapolis. Today? I’m in my Volvo headed to Costco for toilet paper, bulk nuts and a rotisserie chicken. Maybe Michaels for some bedazzling supplies, you betcha. Then I’ll head home for a nasty call with the insurance company. Yeah, my suburban house burned down six weeks ago, a night I call Fire Night. My normal life has been downgraded into smaller, and more frugal, normal life.
Hold on…my stalker Claude is calling. No idea who he is or what he wants. But ever since Fire Night, this strange French guy keeps calling. He could be a scammer, and I’m not the type of 65-year-old who falls for scams. Ignore.
My dang Volvo isn’t even red. It’s white, the safest color for a car.
Errands. A stroll down my favorite sequin aisle at the craft store. Switching on my radar detector and battling traffic on I-94 as people cruise out of the city to enjoy the summer lake life. Screech! I slam on the brakes as a convertible cuts me off. I’m fine. But I’d opened the chicken container to sneak a bite and now there’s meat grease spilled on the upholstery.
One hour and many paper towels later I’m finally home to my cat, Dr. GoldenPaw.
The whole time, this muggy Minnesota day, something scrapes at my soul like a sapphire stuck under the skin. I can’t shake it, this feeling that my life had an adventurous road, and I missed that turn while I was busy paying bills on time.
I’m pragmatic and capable. My fingertips itch for sparkle and my heart craves perilous passion. But if I could leap into a new life, would I?
“Would I, Goldy?”
My orange Persian, wearing his debonair bedazzled eye patch, investigates the chicken on the kitchen counter. I distract him with a few kitty treats. I resist sending my ex-husband a text letting him know I’m only three days away from retirement.
Claude’s calling again! My thumb hovers on the Ignore button. My muscles ice over like I’m standing tippytoes on the edge of a cliff. Maybe it’s a call leading to adventure. Or maybe it’s a classic scam of someone claiming I’ve won a foreign lottery, and they just need my social security number…
“Well, Goldy, whatcha think? Time to confront the mystery man?”
THE NIGHT NURSE AND THE JEWEL THIEF
Genre: Heist Caper
Release: April 2026
Format: Print, Digital
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Brother Mockingbird
Nancy Norman’s world collapses when a fire destroys everything she owns. The glamour-obsessed home care nurse faces an impossible choice: retire with nothing-or take one last night shift that could change everything. She takes the job.
Her assignment leads her to an eccentric billionaire’s remote estate, where eco-activism hides darker secrets. But her quiet shift erupts into chaos when thieves storm the mansion, hunting for a legendary sapphire collection. Suddenly, Nancy is fighting for her life against trained criminals, high-tech traps, and the mansion’s bizarre defenses.
Caught between loyalty and desperation, Nancy discovers an unexpected talent for deception. As she matches wits with the charming mastermind Stephen Sinclair, she realizes the biggest heist of the night might be her own transformation. In a house where nothing is what it seems, Nancy must decide who she is-and what she’s willing to steal to survive. This glittering thriller delivers a night of crime, betrayal, and self-discovery where the real treasure might be finding yourself.
Meet the author
Marilee was raised in a Midwest town hit hard by a changing 90s economy. Now she’s compelled to write about forgotten places and invisible outsiders searching for where they belong. Most of all, she’s inspired by the women in her family: no-nonsense farmers and nurses who drive pickups, eat at McDonald’s and don’t get knocked over by a 40-mile hour wind or anything else that life hurls at them.