Very interesting true story.

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Take two naive wealthy British sisters, a fanatical self-proclaimed doctor, set the story in the back woods of Washington state in 1911, and you have the ingredients of a pretty good historical novel. Turn all of these into a true account of greed and gullibility and you have a fascinating tale that is unbelievably horrid.

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Fascinating psychological study of the victims and the perpertrator

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I just don't get it. I can't stick to a diet for over 48 hours, and that is also the limit to my fasting. And that long only if I am doing a juice fast. How did these folks survive with months of WILLING fasting? Oh, well, I guess that is the point here...they usually didn't. Try to imagine a full-sized adult weighing 50 pounds! A good read.

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Very good story and great presentation of the information.

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I'm a longtime fan of Gregg Olsen's true crime writing, and this is no doubt my favorite of his books. I know the area as we visit the Seattle area often. I started reading, knowing it was true crime, my favorite genre, but was disillusioned for a very brief moment when I discovered how long ago the events occurred. I am incredibly happy, though, that I continued to read. A fascinating tale of two sisters who believed in all things natural, health-wise. But when their paths crossed with a fanatic, greedy and evil practitioner, their lives were very short-lived. If you love true crime, you will love this book. Wish I could give it more than 5 stars.

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Starvation Heights is a well documented and engaging historical narrative of Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard's exploits as an osteopathic woman physician in the early 20th century.
She started her practice of purging the body of illness through starvation which resulted in the death of many of her patients. Her dominant personality and charismatic charms allowed her to win many converts to her controversial treatments. For her efforts she rewarded herself by having her patients make her the beneficiary of their estates.

The author, Gregg Olson, was inspired to write this story after moving to the site of her Sanitorium in Puget Sound. Using court documents, letters, and archival documents from sources in New Zealand, Great Britain, and Washington, Mr. Olson weaved a narrative which read like a contemporary expose on graft, duplicity, and murder. Situated in the formative days of Washington state, the reader is exposed to the politics, people, and country of the that time.

An exciting read in which a true tale can be as suspenseful as a fictional murder mystery.

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I love Gregg Olsen books, but this one did not hook me in, once the sister died it went downhill fast for me and couldn't keep me interested.

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The true story of an American doctor and the murder of a British heiress.

In 1911, two wealthy British heiresses came to a sanatorium near Seattle to undergo the revolutionary fasting treatment of Linda Burfield Hazzard. Within a month, they were emaciated and groaning with pain.

A haunting saga of medical murder, one of the most unusual and disturbing criminal cases in history.

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