Review by Booklist Review
While Bushman and Givens may have been inspired to research an unsolved murder case because of their love of the television show Twin Peaks, what follows is much less a comparison between Laura Palmer and Hazel Drew than a deep dive into historical documents piecing together what happened in upstate New York in 1908. After she is found dead floating in a pond and an autopsy reveals that she was likely murdered, the investigation into Hazel Drew's homicide yields continual revelations and contradictions about her life. Her family and friends seem to be completely unaware of Hazel's many admirers, and DA Jarvis O'Brien turns up possible links to wild sex parties and high-ranking area politicians. Red herrings abound--a cantankerous uncle, a deceptive aunt, a young farmhand obsessed with Hazel--yet the authors claim they have found the killer, and while their conclusion may be less than satisfying to some, the story is fascinating and the added historical details add depth. Those interested in true crime, especially of an archival nature, will relish this.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Who killed 20-year-old Hazel Drew and left her bludgeoned corpse in an Upstate New York pond in 1908? In this taut true crime page-turner, Bushman (Conversations with Mark Frost: Twin Peaks, Hill Street Blues, and the Education of a Writer) and Givens vividly revisit the murder, which inspired the cult TV series Twin Peaks. The eccentric individuals linked to the crime include Drew's reclusive uncle, William Taylor, who owned a farm near Teal's Pond and seemed oddly indifferent to his niece's fate, and her aunt, Minnie Taylor, the victim's closest confidant, who was reluctant to share information with investigators. Jarvis O'Brien, the DA who supervised the investigation, uncovered secrets about Drew, a servant who suddenly left her job without an obvious reason days before her body was found. O'Brien's inquiries revealed possible links between the killing and rumored "wild sex parties and young women held captive against their will at a camp" near the pond, as well as evidence implicating some influential local politicians. The authors effectively summarize five years of research, utilizing a range of sources, and paint a convincing picture of events that make readers feel like they're experiencing developments in real time. While their solution to the crime may not persuade everyone, this account will hold appeal beyond David Lynch fans. (Jan.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A pop-culture writer and podcaster attempt to solve a 120-year-old cold-case murder in upstate New York. Bushman and Givens are in thrall to David Lynch's Twin Peaks, about which Bushman has written and Givens has devoted a podcast. On the TV show, a woman named Laura Palmer turns up dead, and it's up to investigators and curious townies to examine a barrel of red herrings before hazarding a provisional truth. So it is with the case of Hazel Drew, "beautiful, blonde, and connected to a number of powerful men," whose dreadfully swollen body was recovered from a pond not far from Troy, New York, in 1908. The real-life gruesomeness is classic Lynch territory, though more reminiscent of his film Blue Velvet than of the relatively civilized series. Investigators in the Drew case hazarded any number of guesses, many of which concerned the young woman's character. Though from a hardscrabble background, with an alcoholic, chronically unemployed father, she had some money and nice things, and the conclusion was that she must have come by them by illicit means. The authors paint a detailed portrait of a police force--indeed, a whole city--riven by petty politics and undermined by corruption. They are also hopelessly bound to Twin Peaks. "Sand Lake, we found out, has twin peaks of its own: Perigo Hill, in the northeast corner of the town, and Oak Hill, near the center, each rising to an elevation of nine hundred feet," they write, a point that contributes nothing to the tale. The looping narrative is dogged by other annoyances, including the authors' habit of peppering the narrative with far too many rhetorical questions: "Where was Hazel going when she left Union Station on Monday, July 6? Where did she spend Monday night and Tuesday morning?" Their proposed solution stands up to reason, but by the time they arrive at it, readers could be forgiven for abandoning the chase. A so-so murder mystery best left for fans of Twin Peaks. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
