Book: The Good Nurse

 Book: The Good Nurse

Author: Charles Graeber

Pages: 434

This is my 66th read for the year

This is the true story of Charles Cullen.  Charles was a nurse that from 2003-2006 killed up to 400 people before he was caught.  Brought to trial for the around 40 people the prosecuter could confirm he killed, Charles in now serving multiple life sentences for his crimes.  He was a nurse in the Pennsylvania Lehigh Valley area and NJ hospitals - working in 9 different hospitals before he was caught.  His method was injecting either digoxin or insulin into patients directly or in their IV bags.  He targeted patients of all ages - young and old.

This was a really good book.  It is well written and well researched.  It is shocking to me that it took so long for Charles to be caught.  That the hospitals he worked for never put it together.  That even when he was fired or let go from a job he was able to get another one and start over.  I am a nurse, and I have worked with the Pyxis machines that are mentioned in this book where Charles was pulling medication.  Those things have incredible records.  And a lot of time they are monitored by two nurses to open or there might be a camera in the med room.  IT is incredible to me that none of those things caught this guy let alone the fact that he would kill several people on one unit within a matter of months and they didn't piece it together.  

Anyway - this was a great page turner if you are into true crime. 

Stars: 5