Cover of The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber

KODAMA / TRUE CRIME 2026

Biography · True Crime · Serial Killers · Investigation

The Good Nurse

Name: The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder
ISBN: 9781455574131

by Charles Graeber

A gripping and meticulously researched account of Charlie Cullen, a registered nurse responsible for the deaths of potentially hundreds of hospital patients across New Jersey and Pennsylvania over sixteen years.

An institutional failure behind a silent killer.

When Charlie Cullen was arrested in December 2003, he was regarded as a quiet, dedicated caregiver. In reality, he had spent sixteen years secretly administering lethal doses of medications like digoxin and insulin to unsuspecting patients across nine hospitals.

Based on exclusive prison interviews, police records, and wiretaps, Charles Graeber reveals not only Cullen's dark psychology, but also how hospital administrations repeatedly failed to report suspicions out of fear of liability and reputational damage.

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“

He wasn't an angel of mercy; he was a silent predator empowered by institutional silence.

KODAMA / EDITORIAL NOTE

The author JOURNALIST

Charles Graeber

Charles Graeber is an award-winning investigative journalist and writer whose work has appeared in Wired, The New York Times, GQ, and The New Yorker.

Spent over six years uncovering Cullen's case, becoming the only journalist to gain direct access and conduct extensive interviews with Cullen in prison, as well as working closely with whistleblower Amy Loughren.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A master of investigative storytelling who exposed one of healthcare's greatest scandals.

Key themes in the investigation.

The Courage of Amy Loughren.

How a fellow night-shift nurse risked her career and safety by wearing a wire to obtain Cullen's confession.

Corporate Hospital Bureaucracy.

Exposing how healthcare facilities passed Cullen along with neutral references rather than investigating mysterious deaths.

Medication Tracking Flaws.

Uncovering how Pyxis automated dispensing cabinets were exploited without triggering immediate alarms.

Relentless Detectives.

The persistent work of detectives Tim Braun and Danny Baldwin in cracking a case facing systemic resistance.

Screen adaptations

Bringing the story to cinema.

Graeber's book became the foundation for major cinematic and documentary projects.

2022

The Good Nurse (Netflix Film)

Feature film directed by Tobias Lindholm, starring Oscar winners Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren and Eddie Redmayne as Charlie Cullen.

2022

Capturing the Killer Nurse (Documentary)

Companion documentary featuring audio recordings of Cullen, interviews with investigators, and direct testimony from Amy Loughren.

Watch

Author discussion & investigation.

Author Charles Graeber sits down to discuss the six-year investigation behind writing The Good Nurse.

030 / ARCHIVE INTERVIEW The Story Behind "The Good Nurse" · Charles Graeber Discussion

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Legacy

A watershed moment in healthcare accountability.

The Good Nurse transcends typical true crime, operating as a vital critique of institutional silence, leading to significant legal reforms in how medical misconduct is reported across hospitals.

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