Essay Questions

Why was Charles Cullen never stopped until his final employer?

Despite the fact that Charles Cullen's behavior and murders were uncovered on more than one occasion in more than one hospital, Cullen was never stopped from killing people until his final employer. Because of a broken legal system, it was made virtually impossible for them to tell other hospitals about Cullen's behavior. Not only that, until his last stop at a hospital, Cullen did not stay at each hospital long enough for them to complete an investigation into the mysterious deaths.

Describe Charles Cullen's behavior throughout his life in public and out of public.

On the outside, Charles Cullen was a deeply committed man, a doting husband and father, and a brilliant nurse. Beneath the surface, however, Cullen was an evil man. Not only did he abuse and murder animals in his home (which caused his wife to leave him), Cullen murdered more than four hundred patients. This made him the most prolific serial killer in the history of the world (more than Germany's Niels Hogel, who is estimated to have killed 300 people).

How did author Charles Graeber research his book?

The research process for Charles Graeber's The Good Nurse took place over the course of nearly a decade. In an effort to be fair to all of the parties involved, Graeber first spent a tremendous amount of time with Charles Cullen himself, interviewing him in prison over the course of many years. Not only that, Graeber got his hands on all of the information involved in the case and interviewed everyone else he was able to.