The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber (2013) 364.152 G

 

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber (2013) 364.152 G

Over his 16-year period, nurse Charles Cullen is believed to have killed over 400 hospital patients. His nursing career began at a burn ward where Charles worked hard, was always available, and was likable enough. As Charles moved between various hospitals and states he would immediately start patients. Sadly, it was not a case of mercy killings; most of the victims were not that ill.

During Charles’ career, hospital personnel had their suspicions about the deaths, but no one wanted to bring unwanted attention to their hospitals. The murders seemed innocent enough; people had heart attacks and sugar imbalance issues all the time. Death in a hospital was not that unusual. Finally, an admin officer took it into her own hands to start an investigation. Once she began looking into the issue, other hospitals began to question the sudden deaths that had happened there while Charles was employed. Others wondered how the hospital’s leadership could have just looked the other way.

Soon Charles became a suspect, but no evidence could be found. It took one brave nurse who had once been Charles’ friend to uncover the truth. She began to wear a wire and tape phone conversations with Charles in hopes he would finally confess to these crimes. Charles is finally arrested but only convicted of 29 of the 40 deaths to which he confessed.

This book is both sad and disturbing. How was this killer able to kill for so long? I hated this story and loved it all the same.

3.81 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Rust and Stardust by T. Greenwood (2014)

 

This novel is based on actual events. In the late 1940’s a young girl who is desperate to be in the cool girl click is given an initiation challenge. Florence (Sally) Horner is tasked to steal an item before being permitted to join the click. As she gathers her courage to do the deed, a man is watching her. When Sally slips the stolen notebook into her coat this man approaches her. His name is Frank, and he tells Sally he is an FBI agent and has witnessed the thief. Frank agrees to look the other way if Sally agrees to check in with him and keep it a secret. Sally readily agrees.

The next day Frank shows up again and tells Sally she must go to Atlantic City with him to face a judge but she must not tell her mother. Sally tells her mother she has been invited to go on vacation with her friend and her family. Sally’s mother is leery but relived that Sally has a friend and agrees to let her go. After several weeks Sally’s mom is getting worried even though Sally is regularly communicating. As the truth slowly comes out all seems lost.

It turns out Frank is a recently released convict who had been convicted of kidnapping and child molestation. As the police rush to Atlantic City to stop Frank he and Sally have fled to Baltimore. There they stay with a friend who believes Sally is Frank’s daughter. Strangely enough Frank still allows Sally to send home messages to tell her mother she is safe. It is while they are in Baltimore that Sally learns Frank is not an FBI agent; instead, he leads Sally to believe he is her long-lost father.

As the police again close in on them, the couple flee to Texas. While living in Texas, Sally confides in a friend that she has been kidnapped and sexually abused by Frank. Suddenly they are on the move again, this time to California. It is here that Sally is finally able to escape the almost 2-year ordeal.

I would like to be able to say things get better for Sally once she is home but that is not the case. Sally is no longer the 11-year-old she was when she left home; she is now 13 and grown far beyond her chronological age. Sadly, what happened to her over that two-year period does not compare to how her story ends.

I strongly recommend this book but please take the time to read the book before searching Google for information on Sally Horner.

4.13 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 on Amazon

We Thought We Knew You: A Terrifying True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Deception, and Murder by M. William Phelps (2020)

 

Mary Yoder is a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister doctor and friend. One minute she is living her best life and the next she contracts a mysterious illness which lands her in the hospital where she suddenly dies. Mary’s family, overwhelmed with grief, insists on an autopsy. The results leave them all confused and reeling. Mary had no enemies and was loved by all. Who could poison her? No one can believe Mary would take her own life.

The investigation focuses on Mary’s husband; the spouse always being the first suspect. When that proves to be a dead end, family members begin to lose faith. Then anonymous evidence pointing to the son Adam begins turning up but that seems to perfect. Why would Adam have cooperated so fully from the very beginning? The police then begin to look at Adam’s girlfriend Katie. But why would Katie want to kill someone who had been like another mother to her? The reason will astound you.

This book drove me crazy trying to figure out why people try so hard to hurt others and why hurting someone innocent would make anyone feel better.

4.12 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

Non-Fiction, True Crime

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Doctor Dealer: A Doctor High on Greed, A Biker Gang High on Opioids, and the Woman Who Paid the Ultimate Price by George Anastasia and Ralph Cipriano (2020) 364.1523 A

 

This book is about endocrinologist James Kaufman, who couldn’t be satisfied with the extraordinary life he led. He had a thriving practice, the perfect house, the best cars, and an amazingly beautiful wife, April. It was the kind of life most people only dream of having.

On a warm spring morning James is at work when he gets a sudden feeling that something is wrong with his wife. James calls the handyman who is scheduled to come to the house that morning and asks him to check on April. Moments later James receives a return call - the handyman has found April dead in the bedroom. James rushes home and when the police arrive, he appears to be a grieving husband. Yet looks can be deceiving and it is soon evident that something else is happening here. April’s daughter from a previous marriage instantly suspects her stepfather is responsible for her mother’s death. Only there is no concrete evidence. It will take a few years for the truth to come out.

That perfect husband and life were lies. James was later linked to embezzlement, biker gangs, and a drug ring which would lead to the truth of what really happened to April. While some justice will be served eventually, the real culprit would take his own life. This story tells how the truth does come out and shows just how far James went to keep his wealth and secrets away from his wife.

I found this book interesting and informative.

3.34 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 on Amazon

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (1993) BIO K

 

This is the memoir of Susanna Kaysen. In the 1960’s Susanna is admitted into a psychiatric hospital with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder after attempting to commit suicide by overdose. A psychiatrist Susanna had never seen before has suggested she needs a rest. What was supposed to be a couple of weeks turns out to be a 2-year stay. In her book Susanna discusses how she is treated and what the keepers/staff and other patients are like. She also addresses how all of them were able to help her cope with her depression.

I enjoyed reading about the struggles and successes that an emotionally unstable person deals with in their life. I think that many people struggle with emotional disorders and need a pat on the back. This book is that pat.

3.90 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

Open Season (Joe Pickett # 1) by C.J. Box (2001)

 

Joe Pickett is the new game warden in a small Wyoming town. Joe is far from popular as he can’t be bribed and refuses to look the other way. One chilly morning as he is listening to his two daughters talking, he hears the oldest talking about the monster she saw in the backyard. At her insistence Joe decides to investigate. The dead body he finds in the woodpile starts a series of events that will cause Joe to reevaluate his life and the people in it. This death will be followed by others which leaves Joe with more questions than answers. At stake is an endangered species and the future of an oil pipeline being built in the area.

This is my first C.J. Box novel and I liked it. Many of the patrons have been urging me to read the Joe Pickett series and now I am urging you. If you have not picked up one of these books, please do so. There are currently 21 books in the series, many of which are available at EPL, so it will be while before you run out of reading options.

3.94 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

 

 

Piranesi exists in a world of never ending rooms, hallways and ancient statues filling it with classical period ambiance. The only individual besides Piranesi, in this world, he simply refers to as the other. However, this may not be the case. Something else exists in the world Piranesi resides in, and it’s about to change his whole perception of existence. At the onset of this book, it may seem like a dream world where little makes since, and nothing is clear. However, as the reader dives into this book the mystery surrounding the world is revealed. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a short fantasy book incorporating another world, with a sense of mythology.

Goodreads 4.31 out of 5, Amazon 4.5 out of 5

Man of War (Eric Steele #1) by Sean Parnell (2018)

 

In his fiction debut, the author introduces the reader to Eric Steele, a former Special Forces operative, now a member of an elite clandestine operation assigned to a US intelligence unit known simply as the "Program." It’s members, known as Alphas, work solely for the President of the United States, handling situations that cannot be dealt with through normal channels.

When a hostile force attacks a military convoy and steals a nuclear weapon, everyone who should be in the know are blindsided. Steele, who is stationed in the Middle East, is sent to clean up the mess. The hostile leader turns out to be a rogue Alpha and Eric’s former mentor and he leads Steele through the Middle East, Europe, and Africa before things come to a head in Washington, DC.

Parnell’s writing style is both informative and captivating while building the reader’s curiosity and suspense. Chapters shift between character viewpoints—one chapter may be told from Steele’s perspective, while the next is from the Vice President’s or the Director of the CIA or some other character. The suspense builds as the reader tries to find the connecting thread.

The author, Sean Parnell, is a retired Army captain and is well acquainted with the military and how special forces operators walk, talk, and handle themselves on and off the battlefield. He uses military acronyms throughout the book which are always explained but can get confusing if you don’t have a military background or a particular interest in military weapons.

Currently there are three books in the Eric Steels series (all can be found at EPL) and the fourth one is to be published in September. A personal storyline carries through the series, but it is not necessary to read them in order as each book is a complete mission.

3.96 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon