Poisoned Palms: The Murder of Mrs. Jane Lathrop Stanford

by Dorothea Buckingham

Set in 1905 at The Palms Hotel in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Poisoned Palms tells the story of the death of Mrs. Jane Lathrop Stanford, the Mother of Stanford University. Was the claim of death by natural causes a cover-up? The page-turning story weaves the startling true facts of this infamous mystery into a gripping tale of fiction that will keep you guessing until the end.

Genres: True Crime

366 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 15, 2005

Reviews

[Cheryl Ernst]

This book reads like a true crime work, but it is the fictionalized story of a mysterious death. That may be lost by readers who skip over the "Facts of the Case" addendum following the Epilogue. This impression is enforced by descriptions of settings so detailed that they sometimes seems more a testament to the authorʻs research than her wish to advance the story line.
Still, it shares many truths — about the family, the university, criminal process and the post-overthrow world of Hawaii, where the "mother of Stanford University" died suddenly of symptoms that suspiciously mirrored poisoning — and features well-drawn characters and believable dialogue, which is what one wants of a novel.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fictional version of the death and subsequent investigation into the death of Mrs. Leland Stanford in Hawaii. Well written and the characters are fleshed out and given depth.

[Colleen Connors McCallion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I probably enjoyed this book more than the average person because in my personal connection to Stanford University, but if you like a quick mystery novel - based on a true story - this is a good read. I visited her grave site on campus when I finished the book. It is stil a mystery who poisoned Jane Stanford and for what reasons {cue creepy music}.

[Terri Obrien · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a "fictional" account of an event and then at the end the "facts" are disclosed. Interesting to Hawaii history buffs, maybe, but not well enough written to really hold my interest. Felt that I "plodded" through it just to finish it.