First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, John Nicholl, and Boldwood Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Always eager to explore the writing of John Nicholl, which is full of exciting twists, I gladly reached for this ARC. After an odd admission by another about a murder five years ago, a well-known surgeon who has been in jail is released. The authorities are baffled as to how and why this new man has admitted being involved, but it is when a woman with some history of mental illness goes missing that suspicions arise. Has the surgeon gone back to his old ways? John Nicholl impresses once more with this piece.

Professor Aiken is popular surgeon who loves the feel of having life in his hands. He knows the power that brings, but also the fragility. When Professor Aiken is arrested for murdering a girl, he is flummoxed, vowing his innocence. It falls on deaf ears and After conviction, he is locked away for years.

When a woman enters the West Wales police dispatch and says her husband is the actual killer, no one can believe it. Professor Aiken is released after new evidence emerges. As Profesor Aiken vows his innocence once more, he has other plans to fill his time, something that he has been waiting five years to finish. He soon targets a young woman with some mental health issues, capturing her for his own experimentation. She eluded his scalpel before, but he won’t let her get away again.

Enter DI Kesey and her newly promoted DC Nicholl. They have been following the case of the missing woman and all evidence points to the professor. While they want to make an arrest, or at least probe more, the higher-ups, still stinging from the false imprisonment, want nothing to do with it. DI Kesey and DC Nicholl will have to act fast and ensure they capture the suspect, while risking things blowing up amongst their superiors. Nicholl offers a great thriller that reads swiftly.

John Nicholl has long been an author who has impressed me with his writing, be it a series or standalone. With this novel, Nicholl develops a strong narrative that he uses throughout to forge a captivating piece full of action. He multiple perspectives adds another depth to the already-strong piece. Great characters emerge and develop, perfect for those readers who have read much of Nicholl’s work and will recognise some names. Plot points provide eager aspects that had me reading chapter upon chapter, if only to get answers as the surprises mounted. Another great piece by John Nicholl that I could read with ease.

Kudos, Mr. Nicholl, for a thriller that packed a punch.

What a thrill of a ride on this book..all the characters were spot on and I even loved the full an. Creepy, but I loved every minute of this one.

Thanks to the author the publisher and Netgalley for a early release of this book.

This was a great, pacy read full of twists and turns. When a wrongly imprisoned surgeon is released, the fun starts! I really enjoyed this thriller.

The Surgeon is an extremely disturbing novel about a surgeon wrongly convicted of a murder he did not commit. Unfortunately, I found that there was not a likable character in the book (with the exception of Ray who only appears toward the end) and the attitude of the police captain was reprehensible as was the entire plot of vengeance by a mentally disturbed person. Although I did not enjoy reading this book, I thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books from the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

I love johns books and read most of them so was excited to read the surgeon and I devoured it in less than a day! I was immediately hooked. A fast paced, effortlessly quick read where the pages just turned themselves and I was engaged throughout, mission accomplished. Whirlwind of a thriller! I loved it. This author has a knack for writing the perfect thriller and delivering it at the perfect pacing. Top marks!

Alexander Aitkin, The Surgeon, is found guilty of a murder he didn't commit. When the real murderer is caught, he is released. What nobody knows is that whilst imprisoned, he has devised his own perfect plan to make the people he holds responsible pay. Whilst he didn't commit that particular murder, he has got away with 4 murders that nobody is aware of.

This is a new author to me, and I really enjoyed the style of writing and the story. The story is written from the points of view of the individual characters in each chapter. I often don't enjoy that, but I thought this was well written and flowed well. The story was very dark and had some shocking moments, so this is not a book for the faint-hearted.

My only criticism was I felt it ended very quickly. I thought it had scope to go into more detail, especially with the female DC who seemed to disappear too soon in the story. It was, however, a very enjoyable read, and I shall look out for more books by this author.

I feel like this unfortunately didn’t live up to the hype. Too much back and forth between characters and really difficult to get into.

The Surgeon was a tense psychological thriller about a respected surgeon who found himself accused of murdering a young woman. Though he knew he didn’t inflict the fatal injuries, he still felt the sting of loss while he was trying to save her in the operating room. When the true killer was revealed and he was cleared of the charges, his name was restored—but his conscience was not. What no one realized, it was not the detective who arrested him, the celebrity influencer, or the survivor of a similar attack—it was during his time in prison, the surgeon had been quietly planning his revenge.

I thoroughly enjoyed John Nicholl’s dark, direct, and fast-paced writing style, which places a strong emphasis on psychological tension and quickly draws readers into the minds of his characters—especially those with morally complex or sinister motives. His prose is accessible yet infused with gritty realism.

There were definite strengths as well as drawbacks. I appreciated the brisk, addictive pace, with short, tightly plotted chapters that kept the tension high. Nicholl delivered plenty of twists and psychological depth, adding authenticity to the criminal and procedural elements while keeping me fully engaged. Conversely, some scenes were quite graphic and unsettling, and the cast leaned toward morally dark characters, making it harder to form an emotional connection. While the suspense remained strong, a few familiar thriller tropes and the rapid pacing occasionally limited deeper character and thematic development. Even so, I was fully immersed in this riveting psychological thriller.

Altogether, I’m glad to have discovered John Nicholl and look forward to reading more of his dark, twisted thrillers.

So grateful to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in return for my review.

A real gory,deliciously dark psychological read,told from every character perspective, it adds real depth to the story and keeps you completely hooked.
The main protagonist is a deeply disturbed and devious individual,gruesome and disturbing in places,and so creepily written that you can't help but keep turning the pages.
It was great to catch up with some familiar faces from previous books, and it added extra enjoyment as a long-time fan of this authors work.
John Nicholl is a master at building tension and his delivered once again with THE SURGEON.
The only question is, will we meet him again in the future🤔
Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the Arc.

I was lucky to be asked to read this on Netgallery as its not published till later in the year. this is my first book by this author John Nicholl and I really enjoyed it. The storyline have you holding your breathe afew times and you get to know the characters the way the book has been written. im now going to look into more of John's books. thank you again for asking me to read it.

Alexander Aitken, a surgeon and convicted murderer who did not commit the crime, although he is not entirely innocent. When it is finally proven that his imprisonment was a mistake, he emerges with a perfect plan in mind.
He has spent his days thinking about taking revenge on all those who wronged him, especially the DI who locked him up and the victim who escaped him.
The book is difficult at first because it presents the points of view of each and every one of the characters, jumping from one to another.
Once you get used to it, you get a complete picture of what is going on in the minds of each of the characters, which makes the pace a little slow.
Considering everything the surgeon had planned, I found the ending a little rushed.
Overall, it is an entertaining psychological thriller that is a quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Surgeon by John Nicholl due to be published October 19, 2025.

When an eminent surgeon is arrested for murder, he knows he didn’t do it. But, after he is released, his fun is just beginning…revenge!

What a wild ride – a little gory at times, but – WOW! I read this in two days – could hardly put it down. If you want a real psychological thriller – this is it!
#NetGalley #JohnNicholl #TheSurgeon #BoldwoodBooks

What a dark and tense story of revenge that went between compulsive and wanting to leave it aside, the compulsive part won, . This is my first time reading anything by this author so I don't know if his other books are as chilling but don't start this unless you can keep reading as it will grip you from the second or third chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this arc.

3.5 stars

This book instantly had me hooked with the opening chapter. The surgeon character in this was terrifying, the way the book was wrote was amazing at making you actually scared of this man.

I really really enjoyed the story until the last 10%ish. I found the ending really rushed & I felt a bit underwhelmed with how it all ended. But overall I did enjoy it & I want to read more by John Nicholl.

A very good idea but not well delivered. An eminent surgeon is convicted of a murder that he didn't commit. But he has actually killed, and when he is eventually freed seeks revenge on everyone involved in his case.

The novel is told from multiple points of view and with enormous detail. In places it reads more like a series of musings from the various characters, as they think through what has happened and what might happen next. The pace is slow for a large portion of the book and the excellent premise feels rather wasted. Too many of the voices feel very similar and little is left to the reader's imagination.

The Surgeon by John Nicholl. A surgeon has been in jail for the last 5 years, imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. But just because he didn’t do it, doesn’t mean he’s innocent of other things. When he is found not guilty, he is released and he plans his revenge. This one didn’t quite hit the spot for me, I didn’t like the number of points of view, it felt disjointed and wasn’t smooth to read. I wonder how someone so obviously unhinged flies under the radar in the medical community!! It just felt pretty unbelievable and extreme. Having said that, it was a quick easy read, good for when you don’t feel like diving deep into a heavy book.
Thankyou to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the advance ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I was swept up in the salacious story and didn’t want to tear my eyes away until the conclusion! The pacing of this book was absolutely spot on, the story worked so well and enough to get you forming theories.

A fast page-turner with a good plot I can’t wait to read next book by this author! WOW! Just WOW! The unexpected twists and turns were perfect. This book had a bit of everything I was glued to my Kindle!

I’d highly recommend this book a solid 5 stars and it’s definitely a must read when it comes out!

When an eminent surgeon is arrested and found guilty of murder, it seems like a slam dunk case. He was found with the body of a young woman in a park, covered in her blood - but with no murder weapon.

Five years into his sentence, the real murderer comes forward and he is freed - but he has had the time to make plans, and those plans should strike fear into the hearts of anyone who put him in prison. He knows right where to strike - and plans on making those who wronged him pay.

This is a solidly good book - each chapter is told from the first person perspective of the different characters, including witnesses and the killer himself. I did find myself predicting a fair few of the story beats though, and for that reason it is a 4* book.