In 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. 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. They were not the first victims of Linda Hazzard, a quack doctor of extraordinary evil and greed who would stop at nothing short of murder to achieve her ambitions. As their jewelry disappeared and forged bank drafts began transferring their wealth to Hazzard’s accounts, Dora Williamson sent a last desperate plea to a friend in Australia, begging her to save them from the brutal treatments and lonely isolation of Starvation Heights.
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.
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A great story, very haunting, would recommend
Non-fictional account of a fake doctor and her “spa” she used to take advantage of rich ppl looking for cures and health improvements; disturbing and very real though lengthy, I read it all in one sitting.
One of my favorite Gregg Olsen books. It is fascinating how people look for what they think they want in life and are willing to follow anyone who says they can deliver it. This really needs to be a movie. Highly recommended.
Incredible story of a couple of complete con artists and those they hurt.
It’s an interesting read, not a “tell-everyone-you-know-to-read-it” kind of book but worthwhile. What I found most disturbing was how willing people were to allow horrible “treatments” to be conducted on them in the hopes of better help. I’ve got to believe this tendency still exists today. Yikes!
It was shocking to hear how such charlatans could abuse others.
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.
I first became aware of this case when watching a TV show that I can’t remember the name of, no matter how many times I’ve googled it, in which Gregg Olsen spoke of the …
What a sick woman did to others! Starving in the name of health!
It is incredible the trust people put in others to the point of death. I often wonder when we just toss our common sense aside and put all our trust in one person. Sometimes following not only leads you to the cliff’s edge but also pushes you over.
True story that is hard to believe!
Starvation Heights is non-fiction and is the true story of “Dr.” Linda Burfield Hazzard and her fasting cure for all kinds of diseases. The action takes place in the northwest part of the U.S.A. on a remote island where Dr. Hazzard starves people to death with her “cure”. This takes place in the early 20th century when strange cures were all the …
Just overwhelmed with what women were perceived as.
Amazing story, there were crooks way back when. Very interesting.
Very interesting read on a true story
True story, well researched. It would be hard to make this stuff up!
This book was very interesting. I had a difficult time putting it down. Highly recommended. The last part seems to drag though.
This was an interesting story. Unbelievable that this person held a medical license from the State of Washington although she did not graduate from medical school. She starved her patients to death and stole their assets and got away with it for the most part. Well researched, you will like it if you are interested in medical history and serial …
This book was very interesting,but at the same time very sad for what these people had to suffer from!
Very intriguing. Hard to believe this is a true story.
A fascinating look at a manipulative “doctor” and how she managed to starve patients to death and get away with it until someone cared enough and got curious enough to discover what was happening. Disturbing and sad, this is also a picture of how societal norms can cause people to do things secretly that can cause them serious harm from which they …