Wow what a chilling read.

This book was so thorough and written in a way that it was gripping the whole time. Despite being on the longer side, there was so much detail and research that went into this book and as a reader you can tell.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and Gregg Olsen for the audio ARC of this book.

After reading If You Tell by the same author, I couldn’t resist this one, and wanted to see how it would be as an audiobook. Stacey Glemboski was a fantastic narrator, keeping my attention hooked throughout the story, even though it was a bit long. This is a disturbing and horrifying true story that took place just over 100 years ago, and while some of it feels too bizarre to be real, it actually did happen.

As someone with a chronic illness, I know all too well the frustration of feeling as though traditional medicine can’t help or provide relief. People who suffer long enough without a break, those who have been dismissed by medical doctors, or have experienced harmful side effects from medications may feel drawn to holistic practitioners in search of relief. And in 1911, when so much of what we know and have available to us wasn’t around, natural medicine and holistic practitioners were probably so much more common and appealing than doctors and newfangled medications. So it’s easy to see how people may have fallen prey to this “fasting treatment.” In addition, the fact that Linda Burfield Hazzard was able to portray herself as a “doctor” when she wasn’t a medical doctor at all would lend credence to her treatment.

The Williamson sisters arrived in Olalla, Washington in search of treatment for their vague health concerns. Despite seeming to be in good health, they were convinced that there was something wrong with them that no one was able to fully identify and treat successfully. Naturally, Hazzard’s “fasting treatment” seemed to be exactly what they were looking for—a panacea for just about any ailment under the sun. They immediately submitted to her treatment, which involved (obviously) fasting and only consuming minuscule amounts of soups and juices, hours long enemas, and pummeling to release poisons from their bodies. It doesn’t sound too different from juice cleanses and colonics. Except they didn’t quite get the results they were hoping for, when one of the sisters died from starvation, and the other was rescued on the brink of death by a family friend.

This is where the story got really interesting. The family wasn’t satisfied with the explanation Hazzard gave for Claire’s death, and there were plenty of discrepancies that they noticed. One of these was the disappearance of the valuables that the women arrived with, as well as the way Claire bequeathed money to the sanitorium. Once they did some digging, they got a lawyer involved and brought charges against Hazzard.

There’s a lot of attention paid to the court case, and it was really interesting not only to see the brilliance of the prosecutor in manipulating even the most difficult witnesses, but also how differently the court system worked back then. The outcome of the case was never easy to predict, swinging back and forth, and I was on the edge of my seat to find out what was going to happen. Hazzard’s manipulative tactics were highlighted throughout the case, as was her reach. I especially liked how the court case was broken up by relevant snippets and background, letting us know more about the different people involved. I was particularly intrigued by Hazzard’s backstory, in hopes of learning what caused her to become the way she turned out.

However, we never fully learn what allowed her to maintain an almost hypnotic hold over the people in her orbit. Even after Dora’s friend arrives to rescue her from the brink of death, she was conflicted about leaving Starvation Heights (as it had come to be called), despite stating that she wanted to leave just the day before. Her change of mind came after having a discussion with Hazzard, but we never learn what occurred to spark that change. It felt like everyone around Hazzard was compelled somehow to follow her orders, even when they knew it wasn’t the right or healthy thing to do. I would have loved to learn more about that, and how she managed to maintain such tight control.

Overall, this was a horrifying and yet simultaneously fascinating read that was like a car crash that I couldn’t look away from. Despite being terrified that this was able to actually happen, I was completely drawn to the story and unable to stop reading it. The way it was written was captivating and I flew through the story. It’s another great true crime story written by Olsen, and I’ll be looking forward to reading through his backlist until the next one comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thread for the audiobook version of this book. Everything I write is of my own thoughts feelings and opinions. I am in no way affiliated with or comensated in any way for my revivews.

I am giving this book a five star just on the fact that this is a tragically stunning book on true accounts of a woman doctor and I loosely say doctor as she didn't have much formal training. Her beliefs was any and all ailments of the body can and will be treated by starvation. She would lure mainly rich persons from other countries- she would starve them to the point of delirium then she would write up official forms for them sign they would be signing over basically their life all their money and guardianship. She would feed these individual watered down vegetable water or broth she would sometimes give a few small peas or the like.

I just can not fathom the horrors these people went through. How many people she actually killed nobody will ever know.

Greg Olsen has a real talent for getting right into the heart if the true crime stories he writes about. Starvation Heights is truly disturbing. It tells the story of a crazed doctor without qualifications. Hazzard is a quack with dreams and has developed a so called cure for illness which involves starving the patient, beating them brutally and administering brutal enemas. It’s truly horrific. This book follows the tale of two English sisters, wealthy and very blinkered, who agree to take her ‘cure’. It’s harrowing and I found it difficult to understand why they allowed themselves to be so badly abused.

Worse is that there are neighbours who seem to know what’s going on, but turn a blind eye.

The narration throughout is excellent. The detail and the back stories of those involved as the story progresses makes compelling listening. Some of the detail is graphic and over many decades, I think this is one of the most unsettling true crime tales I’ve read. But it’s a story which deserves to be told; we never know when there’s a monster in our midst and Olsen is not glorifying anything that happened. The court room section is detailed and again, takes the listener right into the nub if the story. It seems the research is meticulous and I like the way
Olsen writes. Very understated. A must for any true crime fan.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley

Best selling author Gregg Olsen does it again with this true crime story of a “doctor” in the early 1900’s who kills a number of patients with her lethal fasting cure. She is a proponent of this pseudo-scientific form of therapy that claims that fasting will rid the body of toxins that are making it ill. This quackery was supposed to work for almost any type of ailment. The treatments consisted of feeding patients a few swallows of a weakened vegetable broth each day, brutal colonic enemas that might last for over an hour and vigorously massaging the body. These massages often involved beating the body with hands and fists. With little sustenance patients were still encouraged to exercise and at times people saw them crawling outside totally exhausted.

While there were patients who claimed they were healed by the doctor, many others died at the sanatorium in rural Washington. This book tells the story of two wealthy English women who were mild hypochondriacs and were always looking for the next “fad cure”. After reading a book published by the doctor, Dora and Claire Williamson decide to move to Washington and give the treatment a try. They followed her therapy yet never got healthy. While they were ill she managed to steal their jewelry and gain access to their money. This was a practice that she and her husband managed to do with a number of her wealthy patients.

One sister ends up dying and the other managed to escape weighing less than 70 pounds.
The book tells the story of their stay at the sanatorium as well as the trial when the pseudo-doctor is being charged with murder. It’s almost unfathomable how long the fake doctor manages to practice her horrendous methods before she is charged. It’s also quite unbelievable that the town calls the place Starvation Heights and they see this craziness going on but they seem to ignore it.

I really enjoyed the book as I love a good true crime story. I would have loved to know a little more of the “doctor’s” backstory. The narrator did an excellent job as well.
I appreciate Net Galley giving me the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.


I’ve posted reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and several Facebook groups.

@greggolsen has written another truly disturbing true crime book, with this one focusing on the Dr. who starved her patients in the early 1900s. I bounced between the e-book and audiobook for this one. This true crime story is not one that I was aware of and is well researched.

Thank you @threadbooks and @netgalley for allowing me to read and listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

A really interesting story about “Dr” Linda Hazard and her health retreat that turned out to be deadly for some. This story is really interesting, but the author’s telling of it isn’t my favorite. There were also a lot of metaphors that I felt were either unnecessary or weird.

Starvation Heights🌲
By Gregg Olsen📖

Audio Review🎧

This is my 4th book by the author and I have never been disappointed. True crime lovers this one is for you. The unbelievable true story of how a “doctor” starves her patients to death. I was definitely shocked and disturbed by a lot of this story. It was so good I couldn’t stop listening to it! The most insane part of the whole thing is that some people actually sided with the doctor who continued to kill people through her fasting methods. Really enjoyed the book and the author has a real knack for telling a story.

True crime🕵🏻
History📚
Starvation🩻

4 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wanted to like this book. I just couldn’t get into it. It’s about two rich sisters that encounter a quack and fall for the scheme. The story really brings to mind many of the current fad diets of modern times.

Gregg Olsen always does such a great job with his books and this one is no exception. I was honestly surprised at how much information and detail that was presented from this time period. Such an interesting and tragic story.

As usual Gregg Olsen tells a true crime story like a novel. I was fascinated by the story here and appreciated the deep dive into the lives of the victims. While I did crave for some more intel into "Dr."Hazzard's motivations, this was a fascinating read. Most of Olsen's books are narrated by a different narrator but I ended up really enjoying Stacey Glemboski's narration on this one.

Thank you Bookouture Audio for the ALC of this one.