The Nurse follows the true crime story of trial in Denmark. In the early hours of the morning in March 2015 the police received a call from a hospital. A nurse suspected a fellow nurse of intentionally killing patients. Several witnesses soon come forward to say they suspected the same thing.

We follow the case right from the beginning, with the witnesses talking about the suspicions. We then follow the night prior to the phone call to the police, during which 4 patients went into cardiac arrest despite showing no signs that this was going to happen. After following the night bit by bit we then move onto the aftermath and the trial.

I absolutely adore a true crime book. This book was definitely on the non-fiction side of this, and it didn't feel sensationalised in any way. I think for some this could be a bit off putting, as it almost felt like reading reports. However I enjoyed this element. Once I've got to the end of a true crime novel I also love to go and research the case further.

If you enjoy thoroughly researched true crime that isn't about being sensationalist but rather aimed to see what we can learn from a tragic event, then you will thoroughly enjoy this.

The Nurse by Kristian Corfixen is an account of a criminal case in which a Danish nurse was charged with murdering patients under her care while working in a small hospital in an economically and socially disadvantaged area of the country. Though the deaths occurred in 2015 and the nurse in question was quickly arrested , the case remains controversial because of the lack of evidence tying her directly to the crimes in question. The author is careful to take a balanced approach to the story and takes the reader through the events of that fateful night and the trial , pointing out both the strengths and weaknesses of the prosecution and defence cases. Sources used include interviews with those involved, court documents and transcripts, police and autopsy reports. The story is not sensationalised, and the book occasionally had me scratching my head because of the decisions made by some of the accused co-workers while also wondering what I would do if I was in their shoes. Some readers may find the writing style a little dry , but I did not mind this.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This was a well written and researched true crime read. It was a gripping and suspenseful account of a nurse in Denmark who is suspected of deliberately killing patients. Corfixen does an excellent job of creating a sense of tension and drama, I felt as though I was right there trying to get to the bottom of all of the deaths that occurred whilst this nurse was on duty. The author provides a detailed and fascinating look at the evidence-gathering process. The Nurse is an addictive read that had me hooked until the very end. It was also fascinating to read how the Nurse has tried to defend herself since being convicted. #thenurse #kristiancorfixen #netgalley #truecrime #goodreads #thestorygraph #litsy #amazonaustralia #bookqueen #bookstagram #tea_sipping_bookworm

Christina Aistrup Hansen was a nurse at the Nykobing Falster Hospital in Denmark, where she is believed to have attempted to kill at least 4 patients, and possibly many more. I thought the author's decision to tell this story from a neutral perspective on whether or not Christina actually committed the crimes strange, but I think it worked in the end as the contrast between what she has believed to have done and what the police and prosecutors were able to concretely prove made this a particularly interesting case. It covers both the medical true crime aspects, but also the court case in great detail. It was an interesting read about a true crime case from Denmark that I knew nothing about.

Medical Ward M130 treats the hospital’s most seriously ill patients. On that ward, Cristina Aistrup Hansen is the lead nurse. Cristina gained a reputation as a take charge person and was often portrayed as the Nurse Nightingale of that floor. However, statistics would prove othewise.

In 2010, Cristina would complete her first year working in Ward M130. That year, 87 patients were declared dead. An unusually high number. In 2011, a startling 95 patients were declared dead. As the death toll climbed, Cristina’s colleagues became increasingly wary of the sinister statistics, which lead to Cristina being accused of poisoning her patients in 2012.

Though only three deaths and an attempted murder were linked to Cristina, speculation was that there were dozens more. But there wasn’t enough evidence to link the dozens of more deaths to Cristina. Even the four that were linked were circumstantial. But with the evidence on hand, Cristina was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of three people and the attempted murder on one person.

Cristina appealed and based on updated evidence, Cristina’s sentence got reduced to 12 years with credit for time served. Cristina is slated for parole in March 2023.

The Nurse is a mild true crime novel as it doesn’t contain a lot of gory details. There’s a lot of facts and figures that can get overwhelming, but I found it interesting. Some of the terminology can be a speed bump in the reading flow, but there are footnotes and references to help along the way.

I enjoyed the bulk of the novel and found Corfixen’s details highly interesting. Added to her details is the fact that Corfixen manages to include the updates on Cristina’s appeal and parole status. What didn’t appeal to me is the tangential narrative about Health Care Serial Killers. It didn’t add much and I just found it a distraction to the true crime story at hand.

Overall, The Nurse is an engaging read if you enjoy the true crime genre. It would be interesting to learn what other true crime novels Corfixen has in store for us. Four stars.

I received a digital copy of the book from Podium Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Unreadable. This is written like a text book--zero entertainment quality. It was so dry and I got so bored and didn't care what happened.

I admit I picked this up on the heels of another true crime novel about an "Angel of Death" nurse. I think a bit of the book got lost in translation and I had trouble following it. I think the author presents a very dry, disinterested view of the case where she does not take sides. She stated in the prologue she wanted to do this and I think she was extremely successful. However, in terms of readability, as I said I am coming off another book written in a different style and this one didn't hold a candle to that one.

Not sure why, but this book did not hold my attention at all. I love true crime, and work in the medical field, so thought for sure this would be a book I’d rave about. Wish I knew why it didn’t hold my attention.

Really well researched and with plenty of detail, this book is an excellent true crime account. It takes the reader through the cases step by step, allowing them to engage in the discovery and investigation process while also presenting the human aspect of victims, witnesses and perpetrator. The author provides enough local context to allow people unfamiliar with Denmark to contextualise the case, too.