Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Good Nurse | 2013 | Charles Graeber | Buy |
| 2 | The Breakthrough | 2018 | Charles Graeber | Buy |
Charles Graeber’s two nonfiction books cover very different subjects but share his talent for turning complex reporting into compelling narratives. The Good Nurse (2013) is a true crime book about Charles Cullen, a hospital nurse who poisoned patients across multiple hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania over 16 years. Graeber reconstructs the investigation that finally stopped Cullen, focusing on the two detectives and the fellow nurse who risked everything to help catch him. The book was adapted into a 2022 Netflix film.
The Breakthrough (2018) moves into science writing, telling the decades-long story of cancer immunotherapy. Graeber follows the researchers who believed the immune system could be trained to attack cancer cells, often working against skepticism from the medical establishment. The book explains the science in clear, accessible language while telling the human stories behind the research.