The story of 'Dr' Hazzard and her patients is gripping and so unusual. It was difficult to read about their ordeals, but it is essential to do so.

Well written and engaging, this story of manipulation, cruelty and frankly, torture is likely to stay with me.

(Posted to goodreads)

Grab a glass of wine and buckle up.. this one is a doozy.

If you’re like me, you might have heard a podcast about Dr. Hazzard, the woman who starved her patients to death and stole from them. There’s a huge difference in hearing a thirty minute podcast and the excruciating detail laid out in this book. If you’re into dark true crime, this is the book for you!

This is once again told in Gregg Olsen’s signature factual but compelling prose; told so seamlessly it almost seems like fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy ahead of this book’s re-release. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is well written and so interesting, but at 37% I gave up because it just dragged on and on. There was much empty information that could've been cut from the book to make it more engaging. I hate to rate it low, but maybe true crime isn't for me.

In 1911, British heiresses Claire and Dora Williamson decide to undergo the "fasting treatment" under the supervision of Dr. Linda Hazzard - but everything is not quite as it seems, and the sisters soon find themselves trapped in nightmarish circumstances.

Between a new job, NaNoWriMo, and an impending move, I've done very little reading this past November. So I figured a nice way to get back on the wagon would be to break out this true crime tale of a very bizarre crime.

I was already acquainted with Linda Hazzard and Starvation Heights through the podcast Stuff You Missed In History Class, but the episode was short enough and the listening so long ago that much of what presented in this book was quite new to me.

The story is such a strange and sensational one that it makes for a fascinating read in itself. But Olsen's writing, with its deft character sketches and its rampant tension, goes a long way toward making it eerie as well.

The first half of the book deals with how Claire and Dora fall under the spell of Hazzard and plunge straight into physical and mental deterioration, which of course ends in tragedy. The second half deals with the efforts to persecute Hazzard, including some truly strange backstory and a dramatic trial. Despite the fairly complex sequence of events and the number of deaths, I found the story fairly easy to keep track of.

However, I wished we got more backstory about Linda Hazzard and how she came to the place in which she ended up. Was everything about scamming people out of money, or did some of it have to do with a thirst for recognition? Did she really believe in her fasting cure, and to what extent? Until she pops up in relation to Samuel Hazzard in Chicago, information seems quite thin on the ground. I wish we had understood her better, considering she's the main villain of this whole story.

Starvation Heights Review!!

Thank you so much Thread Books and Netgalley for this gifted copy, in exchange for an honest review! Starvation Heights comes out 19 January 2023!

I read If You Tell a couple of years back and really enjoyed that true crime, so I figured I’d give this one a try as well! I’m actually kind of surprised I have never heard of this lady and her starving sanitarium before. This book was messed up. 😬 Starvation Heights was a 3.5/5 ⭐️ for me!! I have never read a true crime where the killer starves their patients. And the crazy thing about this one was at first the patients were willing participants of the treatment!! While this was just a completely shocking read, it was also pretty slow, which is the reason for the 3.5/5 stars. I do recommend if you are looking for a unique true crime!

Definitely dark and disturbing, unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I got through 50% and couldn’t read anymore. Even though this is true crime it was slow going for me and drawn out. I’m sure this book will be great for someone, just not for me!

This book was one of the most disturbing books I have ever read! I had a hard time, because it was so sad and horrible. Those poor people. The book was well written and I would give it 5 stars for that, but to recommend it to people is hard. This was not a book for light reading. I will be haunted by it for years!

Gregg Olsen is absolutely brilliant writer. He is an auto buy for me and was thrilled to read/review this book. It was very well written and interesting. I can not wait for more.

If you have not read anything by this author I highly recommend. His true crime writing is fantastic. As well as his fiction.

Thanks for allowing me to read this ARC!

It's so hard to believe but you know it's true. I enjoyed being shocked with this book. How could it happen and no one did anything until it was too late. It's so disturbing to continue reading but yet I couldn't put it down. How could 2 very well to do sisters become so gullible. And to find out so many more did it too. Gregg Olsen did a super job on writing. I will go back and read some more of his books.

I’m sorry to say I was not a fan of this book, far too long and winding while all the while going nowhere. The happenings at Starvation Heights are detailed in the initial fifth of this book while the remaining long and arduous chapters talk about a court case that is straight forward and wearisome. There are no surprises or twists, little in the way of excitement or intrigue. This book was a page turner if only to get it finished so I could move on to something else.

This really could be an interesting story but I only made it 40% of the way thru before I had to give up.

The story is based off of sisters that go see a "fasting specialist" and the circumstances around the doctors sanitarium.

I love Gregg Olsen but this book was not for me. There was alot of information added into this book that I think could have veen left out to keep my attention. Some things that were brought up didn't make sense to the story. I'm sure it would have come together if I had been able to stay with it but I couldn't.

This is a historical fiction novel about the "doctor" who established a sanitarium that basically starved young women many who where wealthy to death. This book isn't for everyone. But it does bring to life a part of US history that it overlooked in novel formant.

I would give Starvation Heights by Gregg Olsen a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. It is a story of a women serial killer in the time before the term was coined and makes you question whether or not you can trust your “doctor.” The book is a fascinating take on natural health and fasting plans that have been circulating around the world and the us for decades as well as a bit of unknown American history set in the beautiful pacific northwest Gregg Olsen spins a tale of intrigue, deceit, greed and mystery at “Starvation Heights.” It is a must read for any true crime or history buff.

Olsen writes about some of the most disturbing crimes and this story about a woman who claims she can cure people through fasting was fascinating, creepy, and even shocking at times. The way people just blindly followed her instructions was cult-like.

I googled all sorts of things after finishing this one because I wanted pictures about the doctor and the victims. So bizarre, but such a great read.

Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest is a gripping true story about Claire and Dora Williamson, and the sinister "doctor" Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard (not a doctor) and her unorthodox fasting technique that she claimed could heal anything that ails you. She had disturbing techniques- fasting (starving), hours long enemas, and vigorous massages. The locals called it Starvation Heights, as they knew about the fasting and the emaciated 'patients' of Dr. Hazzard.

Gregg Olsen brings the horrors of this case of medical murder to life. A woman who is licensed by the state of Washington as a fasting specialist who preyed on the wealthy looking for cures for their illnesses. How she stole their belongings and in their weakened states signed everything over to her and her husband. Even when charged and during her court case, she stood proud, arrogant, and only showed anxiety when things looked dire for her.

Dora and Claire were not her first victims nor her last. This is a harrowing tale of one in power and how she mistreated and deceived those who trusted her. I found this true story to be fascinating. Dore and Claire were interested in/fans of alternative medicine. There were those who claimed Dr. Hazzard healed them, there were those she killed. I was fascinated by those who didn't feel what she was doing was wrong and how others still came to her to be cured after what she was doing became known.

Fascinating and gripping, this was another riveting book by Olsen.

Dark, Disturbing True Crime…
A dark and disturbing tale indeed as this author explores the intricacies of another true crime in usual carefully constructed fashion. The tale of Doctor Linda Burfield Hazzard and her never before encountered fasting treatment drew the wealthy from far and wide to the sanitarium known as Starvation Heights. When two well off British ladies arrive for their treatments, shocking and distressing events are all too soon about to unfold. A detailed and informative account of a chilling and mind blowing crime.

I really struggled reading this, it was a non fiction book but was written as a story? I don't understamd how the 'conversation' were written in when the author wouldn't have known what they were? I think it was probably a really good book for someone out there, but as with American Mother, this one is just not for me.

In this true story a haunting saga of medical murder set in an era of steamships and gaslights Gregg Olsen reveals one of the most unusual and disturbing criminal cases in American history.
In 1911 two wealthy British heiresses, Claire and Dora Williamson, arrived at a sanitorium in the forests of the Pacific Northwest to undergo the revolutionary "fasting treatment" of Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard. 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 underwent brutal treatments and were emaciated shadows of their former selves.
Claire and Dora were not the first victims of Linda Hazzard, a quack doctor of extraordinary evil and greed. But as their jewelry disappeared and forged bank drafts began transferring their wealth to Hazzard's accounts, the sisters came to learn that Hazzard would stop at nothing short of murder to achieve her ambitions.
Really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank you NetGalley and Thread Books
I just reviewed Starvation Heights by Gregg Olsen. #StarvationHeights #NetGalley

Unfortunately I really struggled with this book. It’s based on a true story but it’s written like fiction. I really struggled because I wanted to know the facts and details about what happened, but I feel like I’m reading a story. I’m sure people will like this book, but unfortunately it’s just not for me.

I absolutely loved this! It was so disturbing and fascinating, and shocking because it was true! As someone with chronic health issues I am fed all kinds of information and when you are grasping at straws, desperate for something to fix you, I can definitely see why some of those people were drawn to Dr. Linda Hazzard. Her solution to any ailment was fasting and she took it to the extreme.

In 1911 two wealthy, British women Claire and Dora Williamson eagerly arrived at the compound of Dr. Linda Hazzard in the forest of Olalla, Washington to begin Dr. Hazzard’s unique fasting treatment.

It was supposed to be a vacation for the sisters however, within a few months at what became known as “Starvation Heights”, the sisters became emaciated and subjected to brutal, evasive procedures.

Dr.Linda Hazzard’s methods were severely questioned and the doctors would become known as a convicted serial killer.

Starvation Heights is available January 19,2023.

Thank you to netgalley and threadbooks for this arc in exchange for my honest review.