Friday, August 23, 2013

Best Book of the Year So Far: Claiborne Smith


Claiborne Smith is the features editor at Kirkus Reviews so when he says something is good, I usually listen.  I just happened to be at BookPeople when he emailed me his pick of the year so I walked over to the true crime section and purchased it on the spot. High praise for Claiborne? Nah, mostly I love true crime.

Here is Claiborne’s pick for best book of the year (so far)
 
Charles Graeber’s The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder is the most terrifying book published this year. It is also one of the most thoughtful. The Good Nurse is the nonfiction account of the many murders committed by Charles Cullen (even though Cullen eventually confessed and helped the police identify his victims, he killed so many people that it is difficult to know exactly how many he murdered, although experts say the number is approximately 400, which makes him the most prolific serial killer in American history). The Good Nurse is gripping, sad, suspenseful, rhythmic and beautifully documented (the endnotes to this book are impressive).

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