Valerie Keogh has made an amazing career change from nursing scrubs to a life full of suspense, mystery, and psychological thrills. She has written more than twenty novels, has a loyal global fan base, and has signed contracts with some of the best independent publishers. She is now one of the most prolific voices in modern crime fiction.
Life and Schooling as a Child
Valerie was one of nine children who grew up in a busy Dublin home. Her first loves were telling stories and going on adventures. After becoming a registered nurse and working on the wards for many years, she went back to school as an adult student and got a BA in English and then an MA in American Literature from University College Dublin. Her dual background in healthcare and literature would later help her make her characters and plots feel real and deep.
Going from Part-Time to Full-Time Writing
Valerie had been writing for a long time, and she had even self-published eight crime novels and a psychological thriller. But her career changed in March 2018. That month, she signed a two-book deal with Bookouture, and Secrets Between Us was the first book she released with the imprint. Not long after, she quit nursing altogether to focus on her first love: writing full-time.
A lot of books in the bibliography
Valerie’s books include a number of series that are connected to each other and stand-alone books that are full of moral ambiguity and domestic suspense:
Standalone Psychological Thrillers (2018–2025)
Secrets Between Us (2018); The Housewife (2019); The Three Women (2020); The Perfect Life (2020); The Deadly Truth (2020); The Little Lies (2021); The Lies He Told (2021); The Couple in the Photograph (2021); A Taste of Deceit (2022); The Lodger (2022); The Widow (2022); The Trophy Wife (2023); The Librarian (2023); The Nurse (2023); The Lawyer (2023); The Housekeeper (2023); The Mistress (2024); The Mother (2024); The Wives (2024); with The Bookseller and The Writer slated for 2025.
Dublin Murder Mysteries (2019–2021)
No Simple Death; No Obvious Cause; No Past Forgiven; No Memory Lost; No Crime Forgotten; No Easy Answer.
Hudson & Connolly Series (2014–2017)
Deadly Sleep; Twisted Power; Bitter Business; Wicked Secret.
Style of writing and themes
Keogh’s unique mix of medical knowledge and literary style creates tight stories where trust breaks down on every page. Her main characters often have to deal with hidden traumas, moral quandaries, and the secrets that people keep behind closed doors. Readers love her characters because they make them feel things, her plot twists are always surprising, and she has an amazing sense of place, from the backstreets of Dublin to the hallways of British care homes.
Personal Thoughts and Ideas
Valerie lives in Wiltshire, which is just outside Bath, and she balances her writing life with her love of adventure. She used to travel all over the world, and she once took the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing. She loves Venice, India, and Cape Town. Even though she travels all over the world, she still says she’s a coward at heart. For example, she clung to her mule during a Grand Canyon ride and screamed through a roller coaster in Hong Kong. eyes shut tight. She loves Star Trek and is a devoted “pet mom” to a cat named Fatty Arbuckle when she’s not working.
Accomplishments and the Community
Valerie has gotten more than 149,000 ratings on Goodreads since she stopped being a nurse. Some of her best-known books are The Mother (4.13 avg) and The Lodger (4.10 avg). Her rise from self-published author to international bestseller shows how dedicated she is to her craft and the lively, helpful community she’s found among other writers and readers.
What Comes Next?
Valerie is still going strong, even though she is under contract with Bookouture and Bloodhound Books. She has two more standalone thrillers planned for 2025 and is thinking about branching out into other genres (yes, she is thinking about science fiction!). Her fans can expect more high-stakes drama and psychological intrigue.
