An interesting read about Washington State's first serial killer, Linda Hazzard, aka "the starvation doctor. The book was a little slow, but all in all satisfied my addiction for true crime and sent me down a rabbit hole looking into the so called Dr's horrid past.

If you like true crime then you should give this a try. The writing is something I was not use to; but the story was fascinating. I like the intrigue.

Plot info: picture it 1911 two wealthy British heiresses, Claire and Dora Williamson, came to a sanitorium in the forests of the Pacific Northwest to undergo the revolutionary “fasting treatment” of Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard. They were wasn’t not expecting what they went through. It was supposed to be a holiday for the two sisters. But within a month of arriving at what the locals called Starvation Heights, the women were emaciated shadows of their former selves, waiting for death.

Gregg Olsen always gives you immense insight into the story that just sends shivers up my spine. Great true story.

I knew this book looked familiar! I requested this book on NetGalley because I'm obsessed with true crime, and it sounded interesting and the story vaguely familiar. Going back in my archives, I'm realizing I read this book almost 20 years ago. I owned a physical copy and enjoyed it so much that I lent it to a friend (who never returned it!) Rereading it, my memory kicked in and I felt the same now as I did back then. Super interesting story about sisters and a sadistic 'wellness' program they attend. The first half of the book, detailing the ordeal itself, was more interesting than the latter half. However, overall, Gregg Olsen's story telling is great and hooks the reader. This reminder of his writing has made me more excited about reading his newest release: If You Tell.

💭Thoughts:
Wow! This is a very disturbing story. Prior to reading this book I was unfamiliar with who Dr. Linda Hazzard was. When I read the synopsis and learned Dr. Hazzard was a fasting doctor I had to learn more.

The first third of the book was really interesting learning about two of Dr. Hazard’s patients Claire and Dora Williamson and the techniques that were used in their fasting plan. The doctor’s methods included having her patient’s fast for as long as forty days to cure them of an assortment of ailments. As one can imagine, fasting for forty days leads to an untimely death for many of her patients.

The part I started to lose interest in was about the legal preceding for Dr. Hazzard as she faced potential murder charges in the death of some of her patients. It seemed redundant and really slowed the pace of the book. I would have rather learned more about Dr. Hazzard and her motivations and life before she became a doctor.

Overall, It’s a fascinating story and one I won’t soon forget. I recommend for those interested in true crime and the medical profession.

I do not read a large amount of non-fiction, but this was overall a good book. It was a little bit slow moving for me, but other than that, it was fine.

This book is a non-fiction, true crime masterpiece and Gregg Olsen tells this true story in a way that makes you as a reader want to read more and more surrounding this case.

Sometimes, I find true crime books can be a bit too long. A little bit too repetitive. But this wasn't like that at all. Every chapter told me something new and honestly, the end beggars belief.

This case is one that is highly disturbing yet riveting and unusual. Were the two sisters too naive? Or was the Doctor a sinister quack intent on taking the wealthy for all she could?

If you enjoy historical, true crime, non-fiction then this is a book for you; you won't regret the decision to venture into the darkness that is Starvation Heights.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read a few other works by this author, but couldn't get into this one, I found it too slow and disjointed.

Starvation Heights
by Gregg Olsen
4 stars

Olsen has done it again. He has written a remarkably detailed book showcasing the horrors of Dr Linda Hazzard and her many crimes/murders. Prior to this book, I had not heard of this "Doctor" nor the horror of her "treatments".
Olsen has done a very deep dive into this womans life, her crimes and those of her patients. This is not a book I will soon forget.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review, from Netgalley and the publisher.

Possible spoilers

I'm not sure what's more shocking about this, that a so called doctor can starve a patient, or the willingness and sheer force of will of that patient to comply.

The first third of the book was definitely more interesting for me, seeing these rich, yet clueless women walk right into the trap , a cure all, when there wasn't that much to cure.
The treatment is shocking and barbaric, and the fact it happened again and again was scandalous.
At times the book repeats itself, and I found the trial a little slower paced.
An interesting read of a case I'd never even heard about.