The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness and Murder

(Paperback, Main)

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After his December 2003 arrest, registered nurse Charlie Cullen was quickly dubbed 'The Angel ofDeath' by the media. But Cullen was no mercy killer, nor was he a simple monster. He was afavourite son, husband, beloved father, best friend, and celebrated caregiver. Implicated in thedeaths of as many as 300 patients, he was also perhaps the most prolific serial killer in Americanhistory. Cullen's murderous career in the world's most trusted profession spanned sixteen yearsand nine hospitals across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Investigative journalist Charles Graeber's portrait of Cullen depicts a surprisingly intelligent andcomplicated young man whose promising career was overwhelmed by his compulsion to kill, andwhose shy demeanor masked a twisted interior life hidden even to his family and friends. Were itnot for the hardboiled, unrelenting work of two former Newark homicide detectives racing to puttogether the pieces of Cullen's professional past, and a fellow nurse willing to put everything atrisk, including her job and the safety of her children, there's no telling how many more lives couldhave been lost.

In the tradition of In Cold Blood, The Good Nurse does more than chronicle Cullen's deadly careerand the breathless efforts to stop him; it paints an incredibly vivid portrait of madness and offersan urgent, terrifying tale of murder, friendship and betrayal.

Reviews

'Charles Cullen is thought to be responsible for the deaths of as many as 400 patients during his career as a nurse... His crimes are outlined in The Good Nurse, an absorbing tale that's simultaneously terrifying and barely credible.... A standout true-crime book, one that doubles as both a thrilling horror story and a cautionary tale' - Boston Globe

'The most terrifying book published this year. It is also one of the most thoughtful... The Good Nurse is gripping, sad, suspenseful, rhythmic and beautifully documented (the endnotes to this book are impressive).' - Kirkus Reviews

'Graeber doesn't pull punches... A deeply unsettling addition to the true crime genre.' - Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Charles Graeber is an award winning journalist and contributor to numerous publications including Wired, GQ, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Vogue and the New York Times. Born in Iowa, he now lives in Nantucket, MA and Brooklyn, New York.