Susan's Reviews > Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice

In 1910, two wealthy young Englishwomen, called Miss Claire and Miss Dorothea Williamson, travelling in America, saw an advertisement in a Seattle daily newspaper and wrote off for a book titled, “Fasting for the Cure of Disease.” Although wealthy, the two sisters were orphaned and without any definite sense of purpose. In other words, they had both too much money and too much time on their hands. They had taken health cures before, but were afraid that relatives would mock them if they suggested they were interested in the work of Dr Linda Hazzard; who had plans to open a sanatorium in Olalla, Washington State. Her belief was that almost every ailment were caused by dietary factors and could be cured by fasting. With both Claire and Dora having a feeling that they were unwell and no sense of well-being, the two hugged the idea of a new cure as a delicious secret between them. Letters were exchanged and Dr Hazzard declared they would be perfect for the cure. Without letting their relatives know, Miss Clare and Miss Williamson set off to visit Dr Hazzard. Her clinic was not yet ready, but it would soon be known by locals as “Starvation Heights.”

This is an excellent historical true crime book. The beginning deals with the case of the Williamson sisters; which I have to say, unfolds like a thriller. As the two sisters head off, full of naïve optimism, you just wish you could do something to stop them. This is also a story of great bravery when the girls former nurse, believing something is wrong, goes against all the instincts of a servant of that time to take matters into her own hands and travels halfway around the world to discover what is going on. When the authorities become involved, Linda Hazzard has to defend her methods in a court case.

The author really does a wonderful job of telling this story with great detail. There will always be the gullible and the naïve and there will always be those who intend to exploit them. Even now, Dr Hazzard’s methods are shocking and, the beginning of the book, is often quite upsetting. However, there were those who defended her staunchly. She was, it has to be said, a woman who seems more suited to this, modern age, than the early 1900’s. You can almost imagine her setting up a web page and drawing even more people into her net than she managed with newspaper advertisements. She was seen by many as loud and bossy. When she divorced, she left her two children with her mother and went off to follow her dream of having her own clinic. Viewed with suspicion, her lack of ‘normal’ female delicacy saw her viewed askance, and possibly this lack of femininity went against her. However, read this fascinating book and make up your own mind about her guilt. I have never read anything by this author before, but I was very impressed. If you enjoy true crime, then this is certainly an excellent read.