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Murder at Teal's Pond: Hazel Drew and the Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks
A brilliantly researched reinvestigation into the nearly forgotten century-old murder that inspired one of the most seductive mysteries in the history of television and film.
In 1908, Hazel Drew was found floating in a pond in Sand Lake, New York, beaten to death. The unsolved murder inspired rumors, speculation, ghost stories, and, almost a century later, the phenomenon of Twin Peaks. Who killed Hazel Drew? Like Laura Palmer, she was a paradox of personalities—a young, beautiful puzzle with secrets. Perhaps the even trickier question is, Who was Hazel Drew?
Seeking escape from her poor country roots, Hazel found work as a domestic servant in the notoriously corrupt metropolis of Troy, New York. Fate derailed her plans for reinvention. But the investigation that followed her brutal murder was fraught with red herrings, wild-goose chases, and unreliable witnesses. Did officials really follow the leads? Or did they bury them to protect the guilty?
The likely answer is revealed in an absorbing true mystery that’s ingeniously reconstructed and every bit as haunting as the cultural obsession it inspired.
In 1908, Hazel Drew was found floating in a pond in Sand Lake, New York, beaten to death. The unsolved murder inspired rumors, speculation, ghost stories, and, almost a century later, the phenomenon of Twin Peaks. Who killed Hazel Drew? Like Laura Palmer, she was a paradox of personalities—a young, beautiful puzzle with secrets. Perhaps the even trickier question is, Who was Hazel Drew?
Seeking escape from her poor country roots, Hazel found work as a domestic servant in the notoriously corrupt metropolis of Troy, New York. Fate derailed her plans for reinvention. But the investigation that followed her brutal murder was fraught with red herrings, wild-goose chases, and unreliable witnesses. Did officials really follow the leads? Or did they bury them to protect the guilty?
The likely answer is revealed in an absorbing true mystery that’s ingeniously reconstructed and every bit as haunting as the cultural obsession it inspired.
364 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 490 reviews
December 15, 2021
A Boring True Crime Book
This book involves the early 1900s murder of a young woman named Hazel Drew in New York State. It is touted as the inspiration for Twin Peaks, but I don’t see it. The book, while interesting, is overly repetitive and has no clear or apparent links to Twin Peaks. Finally, the authors have no proof of their conclusions, just speculation.
This book involves the early 1900s murder of a young woman named Hazel Drew in New York State. It is touted as the inspiration for Twin Peaks, but I don’t see it. The book, while interesting, is overly repetitive and has no clear or apparent links to Twin Peaks. Finally, the authors have no proof of their conclusions, just speculation.
December 20, 2021
Interesting enough…
This was a good read around an unsolved murder, probably about 75 pages too long and somewhat repetitive.
Lesson learned, “The power held by political entities has warped over time to include even the national governments and courts.
This was a good read around an unsolved murder, probably about 75 pages too long and somewhat repetitive.
Lesson learned, “The power held by political entities has warped over time to include even the national governments and courts.
December 4, 2021
Couldn’t finish reading this book. Yikes!
April 4, 2022
4.5 stars
I did not realize it at the time, but I was reading 3 separate books having to do with a murder and a trial - all at the same time! Reading them was easy - but now trying to review them it is a bit harder.
Of the three books I believe that I liked this one the best. It was the hardest one to read - the one that took the longest - and the one, of two, non-fiction that I enjoyed. This is the book that the TV series Twin Peaks was based on.
The main character was Hazel Drew, murdered in 1908. Her murder was never solved, but this book took a stab at who they believed was responsible. There were 78 people pertinent to this story. Going in to the book you have to just let go of trying to keep people straight and leave it to the authors to keep you on track. The introduction gives you a sentence or two about each of the 78 people involved. The book ends with an epilogue accounting for 22 of the people involved in the life and murder of Hazel Drew.
This is not a book you can fly through. There are parts that are repeated over and over, but clues lay everywhere. Many men in the Republican party at that time were in the position to be considered for the murder, but were never even considered. Cover ups and political corruption was rampart in this story. As I said, the murder of Hazel Drew was never solved. Her only claim to fame was the 1980's recreation TV series, Twin Peaks.
I did not realize it at the time, but I was reading 3 separate books having to do with a murder and a trial - all at the same time! Reading them was easy - but now trying to review them it is a bit harder.
Of the three books I believe that I liked this one the best. It was the hardest one to read - the one that took the longest - and the one, of two, non-fiction that I enjoyed. This is the book that the TV series Twin Peaks was based on.
The main character was Hazel Drew, murdered in 1908. Her murder was never solved, but this book took a stab at who they believed was responsible. There were 78 people pertinent to this story. Going in to the book you have to just let go of trying to keep people straight and leave it to the authors to keep you on track. The introduction gives you a sentence or two about each of the 78 people involved. The book ends with an epilogue accounting for 22 of the people involved in the life and murder of Hazel Drew.
This is not a book you can fly through. There are parts that are repeated over and over, but clues lay everywhere. Many men in the Republican party at that time were in the position to be considered for the murder, but were never even considered. Cover ups and political corruption was rampart in this story. As I said, the murder of Hazel Drew was never solved. Her only claim to fame was the 1980's recreation TV series, Twin Peaks.
December 5, 2021
An Amazon First Read this month, "Murder at Teal's Pond: Hazel Drew and the Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks" is an incredibly well researched account of 1908 murder of 20-year-old Hazel Drew, a murder that is said to have inspired the Laura Palmer story thread in "Twin Peaks."
Fans of historical true crime stories with revel in the detail provided by David Bushman and Mark T. Givens as they explored the world in which Drew, a domestic worker with no obvious controversy about her at the time, actually lived and the key players in her community and in her family. The historical depth provided here gives tremendous weight to the effort to finally solve this mystery, though I struggled quite often with the way the story is presented and elements of the literary structure in "Murder at Teal's Pond." Seldom, if ever, did I feel truly immersed in the story even as I found the actual facts fascinating.
I must confess that I'm not particularly a fan of revealing all the key players up front, though I do understand it given how many different players are involved here. However, front-loading facts just feels like a less literary approach to storytelling.
Do the authors actually solve the mystery? They certainly do put forth a great argument that will intrigue crime buffs and "Twin Peaks" fans. Is it required to be an actual "Twin Peaks" fan to appreciate the story here? Of course not, though the authors refer to the show multiple times and that will make multiple parts of the book less satisfying.
Overall, this is a solid, mid-range true crime story for me that satisfies more from a historical perspective than a literary one. I was fascinated by the story. I simply wish it had been presented more engaging manner.
Fans of historical true crime stories with revel in the detail provided by David Bushman and Mark T. Givens as they explored the world in which Drew, a domestic worker with no obvious controversy about her at the time, actually lived and the key players in her community and in her family. The historical depth provided here gives tremendous weight to the effort to finally solve this mystery, though I struggled quite often with the way the story is presented and elements of the literary structure in "Murder at Teal's Pond." Seldom, if ever, did I feel truly immersed in the story even as I found the actual facts fascinating.
I must confess that I'm not particularly a fan of revealing all the key players up front, though I do understand it given how many different players are involved here. However, front-loading facts just feels like a less literary approach to storytelling.
Do the authors actually solve the mystery? They certainly do put forth a great argument that will intrigue crime buffs and "Twin Peaks" fans. Is it required to be an actual "Twin Peaks" fan to appreciate the story here? Of course not, though the authors refer to the show multiple times and that will make multiple parts of the book less satisfying.
Overall, this is a solid, mid-range true crime story for me that satisfies more from a historical perspective than a literary one. I was fascinated by the story. I simply wish it had been presented more engaging manner.
December 21, 2021
Hash and re-hash.
I found this book to be dull and boring. The same material is gone over several times. I do not recommend this book. Too many unanswered questions about the main character, Hazel Drew. Was she a "good" girl who flirted? Was she perhaps a black mailer who collected cash from her victims, this supposition is not mentioned in the book but I think it might explain the nice wardrobe and the many trips she took. In the end I didn't care.
I found this book to be dull and boring. The same material is gone over several times. I do not recommend this book. Too many unanswered questions about the main character, Hazel Drew. Was she a "good" girl who flirted? Was she perhaps a black mailer who collected cash from her victims, this supposition is not mentioned in the book but I think it might explain the nice wardrobe and the many trips she took. In the end I didn't care.
December 9, 2021
Who Killed Laura Palmer... er, That is Hazel Drew...
3 1/2 stars. This true story relates the mystery of the murder of 20 year old Hazel Irene Drew, a crime which inspired the off-beat drama series TWIN PEAKS in the 1990s...
I am only going to give you the facts of her murder but be forewarned...
They aren't pretty...
In 1918, in the small upstate NY town of Taborton, population roughly 8,000, 2 drunk Russian immigrants were stumbling home on Taborton Road...
... the main route in and out of town goes through a lonely stretch of woods believed to be haunted...
... under a full moon, with a hint of winter in the air, the 2 drunk friends approached Teal's Pond...
They sobered up fast...
... and ran home believing they'd seen a ghost. 10 years earlier the body of Hazel Drew was found floating in the pond...
The townsfolk believe Hazel's ghost lingers in the woods looking for justice...
A fortune teller had warned Hazel that, before the year was up, she would die a sudden death...
On July 6, 1908, at sunset, Hazel walked through the woods... everyone from town feared the woods at night but...
... Hazel wasn't afraid
At 9:30 the next morning, her lifeless body was seen lazily floating facedown on Teal's Pond...
The sight was gruesome: Her face in a frozen rictus, eyes bulging from the sockets and resting on her cheeks, tongue swollen and hanging 2 inches from her mouth...
... her bloated and blackened body appeared to have been in the water several days...
... a pink ribbon was wrapped tightly around and embedded in her swollen neck...
Thus begins a tale of murder as old as time itself... who killed Hazel Drew and who was Hazel Drew?...
I like a good true crime mystery and this one had many theories and suspects. For the better part, it was interesting until it began circling itself a little too much for my liking and became very repetitive.
Also, the overwhelming amount of facts presented became somewhat tiresome; I sure didn't care about the day-to-day minutiae about everyone in town and elsewhere.
Another downer for me was that the case was still unsolved by book's end. If I had known the crime was unsolved I wouldn't have bothered with it.
That said, it was a good read with great pictures and it prompted me to buy the TWIN PEAKS series which really did have some similarities to the events and people in this book... I like the series much better!
3 1/2 stars. This true story relates the mystery of the murder of 20 year old Hazel Irene Drew, a crime which inspired the off-beat drama series TWIN PEAKS in the 1990s...
I am only going to give you the facts of her murder but be forewarned...
They aren't pretty...
In 1918, in the small upstate NY town of Taborton, population roughly 8,000, 2 drunk Russian immigrants were stumbling home on Taborton Road...
... the main route in and out of town goes through a lonely stretch of woods believed to be haunted...
... under a full moon, with a hint of winter in the air, the 2 drunk friends approached Teal's Pond...
They sobered up fast...
... and ran home believing they'd seen a ghost. 10 years earlier the body of Hazel Drew was found floating in the pond...
The townsfolk believe Hazel's ghost lingers in the woods looking for justice...
A fortune teller had warned Hazel that, before the year was up, she would die a sudden death...
On July 6, 1908, at sunset, Hazel walked through the woods... everyone from town feared the woods at night but...
... Hazel wasn't afraid
At 9:30 the next morning, her lifeless body was seen lazily floating facedown on Teal's Pond...
The sight was gruesome: Her face in a frozen rictus, eyes bulging from the sockets and resting on her cheeks, tongue swollen and hanging 2 inches from her mouth...
... her bloated and blackened body appeared to have been in the water several days...
... a pink ribbon was wrapped tightly around and embedded in her swollen neck...
Thus begins a tale of murder as old as time itself... who killed Hazel Drew and who was Hazel Drew?...
I like a good true crime mystery and this one had many theories and suspects. For the better part, it was interesting until it began circling itself a little too much for my liking and became very repetitive.
Also, the overwhelming amount of facts presented became somewhat tiresome; I sure didn't care about the day-to-day minutiae about everyone in town and elsewhere.
Another downer for me was that the case was still unsolved by book's end. If I had known the crime was unsolved I wouldn't have bothered with it.
That said, it was a good read with great pictures and it prompted me to buy the TWIN PEAKS series which really did have some similarities to the events and people in this book... I like the series much better!
April 2, 2022
⭐⭐⭐.5 -- Love the cover!
This was certainly an intriguing read. I think this is the first time I have read a "creative nonfiction" book. 🤔 Basically, this is about a century-old murder of Hazel Drew that inspired Twin Peaks (still one of the best shows ever. 🙌🏻) Three-fourths of this book was very good. You could tell it was well researched. It held my interest (even if there were way too many people to keep track of and it got repetitive). However, I found the last quarter to drag on. I really didn't care at that point what happened in the future to practically every character mentioned. It definitely could have been trimmed up a bit! That said, it was still an interesting read and gets a solid thumbs up from your truly.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
This was certainly an intriguing read. I think this is the first time I have read a "creative nonfiction" book. 🤔 Basically, this is about a century-old murder of Hazel Drew that inspired Twin Peaks (still one of the best shows ever. 🙌🏻) Three-fourths of this book was very good. You could tell it was well researched. It held my interest (even if there were way too many people to keep track of and it got repetitive). However, I found the last quarter to drag on. I really didn't care at that point what happened in the future to practically every character mentioned. It definitely could have been trimmed up a bit! That said, it was still an interesting read and gets a solid thumbs up from your truly.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
December 28, 2021
Made myself finish this
This was the most boring book I believe that I have ever read in my life. I kept thinking it would eventually get better but it never happened. I am sorry that this just wasn't anything like I had expected. Having never watched Twin Peaks, I really had no idea what to expect but I kept thinking the mystery would be solved so I pushed myself forward until I finished. What a waste of my time and money!
This was the most boring book I believe that I have ever read in my life. I kept thinking it would eventually get better but it never happened. I am sorry that this just wasn't anything like I had expected. Having never watched Twin Peaks, I really had no idea what to expect but I kept thinking the mystery would be solved so I pushed myself forward until I finished. What a waste of my time and money!
December 22, 2021
Honestly, if I could have given the book zero stars, I would have. The authors managed to take a true life mystery that spawned a series into the most Boring Book Ever. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
March 29, 2022
I remember watching the first creepy and offbeat season of Twin Peaks, so, I was intrigued by this book that describes the real life case that inspired the show. In 1908 near Troy, New York State, twenty-year old Hazel Drew was found in Teal Pond, days after someone had killed her.
An investigation ensued, with interviews with her parents, relatives, friends, and former employers, for whom she had worked as a maid for three, separate, prominent, Republican families.
There were things that never quite lined up and, questions remained about Hazel’s life. More digging into her background surfaced contradictory pictures of the young woman: 1) quiet, well-mannered, liked to read, and not interested in parties and the like. And 2) a lively, personable, spirited, travel-loving woman who attracted the attention of several men, as discovered by numerous letters she had received from them.
The press latched onto the case (the blonde Hazel was seen as a beauty), and wrote numerous stories about her, her family, the investigators’ progress, or lack thereof, and anything the press could make up or inflate about the case.
Little progress was made in the investigation, except for exposing the fact that her family was very close-lipped about her, even considering the secrets coming out about her two personas, her sudden quitting of her job in Troy, the gaps investigators found in her travels the last few days of her life, and the numerous, sometimes contradictory, sometimes false, eyewitness accounts of her last few hours. No resolution was ever found to this case.
The authors do a great job giving us a picture of the social and actual landscape of this part of New York State, Hazel’s family, and the mindset of the period, and how the investigation was marred from the outset by poor procedures, and likely political interference at some point.
From the discovery of her body floating in Teal Pond, to the authors’ proposed reveal of the perpetrator, I was entertained and frankly, horrified by the numerous instances of incompetence, and intrigued by conflicting statements, not entirely forthcoming witnesses, frenzied and often completely false stories by journalists, and the too-close relationship between the investigators and the Republican Party, with public fears of political interference and suppression of facts.
The authors’ proposed resolution to the case was interesting, based as it was on five years of research, and seems plausible. Interestingly, while reading, I had wondered how the investigators could have so easily missed or dismissed a few odd occurrences the last evening of Hazel’s life.
The story certainly held my interest, except for some of the descriptions of the political landscape of the area, as this was pretty dry, but otherwise, the authors kept me reading to the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my review.
An investigation ensued, with interviews with her parents, relatives, friends, and former employers, for whom she had worked as a maid for three, separate, prominent, Republican families.
There were things that never quite lined up and, questions remained about Hazel’s life. More digging into her background surfaced contradictory pictures of the young woman: 1) quiet, well-mannered, liked to read, and not interested in parties and the like. And 2) a lively, personable, spirited, travel-loving woman who attracted the attention of several men, as discovered by numerous letters she had received from them.
The press latched onto the case (the blonde Hazel was seen as a beauty), and wrote numerous stories about her, her family, the investigators’ progress, or lack thereof, and anything the press could make up or inflate about the case.
Little progress was made in the investigation, except for exposing the fact that her family was very close-lipped about her, even considering the secrets coming out about her two personas, her sudden quitting of her job in Troy, the gaps investigators found in her travels the last few days of her life, and the numerous, sometimes contradictory, sometimes false, eyewitness accounts of her last few hours. No resolution was ever found to this case.
The authors do a great job giving us a picture of the social and actual landscape of this part of New York State, Hazel’s family, and the mindset of the period, and how the investigation was marred from the outset by poor procedures, and likely political interference at some point.
From the discovery of her body floating in Teal Pond, to the authors’ proposed reveal of the perpetrator, I was entertained and frankly, horrified by the numerous instances of incompetence, and intrigued by conflicting statements, not entirely forthcoming witnesses, frenzied and often completely false stories by journalists, and the too-close relationship between the investigators and the Republican Party, with public fears of political interference and suppression of facts.
The authors’ proposed resolution to the case was interesting, based as it was on five years of research, and seems plausible. Interestingly, while reading, I had wondered how the investigators could have so easily missed or dismissed a few odd occurrences the last evening of Hazel’s life.
The story certainly held my interest, except for some of the descriptions of the political landscape of the area, as this was pretty dry, but otherwise, the authors kept me reading to the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my review.
December 12, 2021
Glad I picked this one!
This book delivered everything it promised it would be and more. Really enjoyed it and would love to read more.
This book delivered everything it promised it would be and more. Really enjoyed it and would love to read more.
December 8, 2021
Don't waste your time
The point of this book, if there really is one, could have been made in a quarter of the number of pages, probably less. I love to read, but this book has turned me off of reading for a while.
The point of this book, if there really is one, could have been made in a quarter of the number of pages, probably less. I love to read, but this book has turned me off of reading for a while.
December 20, 2021
A thorough investigation
Clearly a lot of research went into the book and this is all retold to the reader with objectivity allowing us to make our own judgements with the authors theory being told at the end
Clearly a lot of research went into the book and this is all retold to the reader with objectivity allowing us to make our own judgements with the authors theory being told at the end
December 21, 2021
The story of Hazel Drew’s failed murder investigation is a tale of politics, sexism, and the yellow press. Although her death occurred in 1908, the story reverberated through the years and became the influence for the contemporary TV series Twin Peaks (which I never saw, but maybe now I’ll check it out). I thought the authors’ 5-years of research pretty conclusively identified the likely murderers, who were pretty much protected at the time by the Republican party machine. Newspapers at the time ran their own parallel investigations of sensational crimes, at times interfering with officials and at times colluding with them.
A couple memorable extracts: “The people who controlled the narrative contemporaneously—chiefly investigators and reporters—were men, the story was filtered through the male gaze, absorbing whatever qualities or shortcomings these unreliable narrators assigned to her: woman as defined by male obsession.” And: “Republicans wanted a mayoral candidate who was ‘subservient, one who would obey commands. The organization wants obedience.’” Some things never change.
A couple memorable extracts: “The people who controlled the narrative contemporaneously—chiefly investigators and reporters—were men, the story was filtered through the male gaze, absorbing whatever qualities or shortcomings these unreliable narrators assigned to her: woman as defined by male obsession.” And: “Republicans wanted a mayoral candidate who was ‘subservient, one who would obey commands. The organization wants obedience.’” Some things never change.
January 2, 2022
Literary painting of a historic tragedy.
The time and research put into this book is astounding. Authors, Bushman and Givens take us back in time and paint a clear picture of 1900s rural New York, the people and the culture which surrounded and shaped Hazel Drew. Descriptions of personalities and witness accounts, as well as witness's peculiarities, allow the reader to engage in their own investigation and behavioral analysis along the way.
I was often longing for the forensic science and investigative methids of today. Hazel was a young girl with enthusiasm and ambition, I believe, just trying to improve herself and perhaps reinvent her life. She should have had that chance. Hazel must be remembered and honored as a way to bring some peace to her spirit.
I would have trimmed down some of the backstory for a few people who were not primary to events.
I would recommend this book.
The time and research put into this book is astounding. Authors, Bushman and Givens take us back in time and paint a clear picture of 1900s rural New York, the people and the culture which surrounded and shaped Hazel Drew. Descriptions of personalities and witness accounts, as well as witness's peculiarities, allow the reader to engage in their own investigation and behavioral analysis along the way.
I was often longing for the forensic science and investigative methids of today. Hazel was a young girl with enthusiasm and ambition, I believe, just trying to improve herself and perhaps reinvent her life. She should have had that chance. Hazel must be remembered and honored as a way to bring some peace to her spirit.
I would have trimmed down some of the backstory for a few people who were not primary to events.
I would recommend this book.
December 21, 2021
Interesting read
Well researched and well written. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to put together a 113 year old puzzle, especially when some of the crucial pieces are missing. Based upon the evidence still at their disposal, I think the authors make a credible case for the solution of the mystery surrounding Hazel Drew's murder. Their investigation highlights just how different life was in some respects one hundred years ago and, at the same time, how much remains the same.
Well researched and well written. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to put together a 113 year old puzzle, especially when some of the crucial pieces are missing. Based upon the evidence still at their disposal, I think the authors make a credible case for the solution of the mystery surrounding Hazel Drew's murder. Their investigation highlights just how different life was in some respects one hundred years ago and, at the same time, how much remains the same.
May 28, 2022
Read: May 2022
Rating: DNF at 26%
I was never a fan of Twin Peaks so it was the true crime aspect of this Amazon first reads that appealed to me. However, it seemed as though the authors did not have a lot to go on in terms of direct evidence, as there was a lot of filler and dramatization of the events surrounding Hazel Drew's murder. Unfortunately, I couldn't get interested in the book and did not finish it.
Rating: DNF at 26%
I was never a fan of Twin Peaks so it was the true crime aspect of this Amazon first reads that appealed to me. However, it seemed as though the authors did not have a lot to go on in terms of direct evidence, as there was a lot of filler and dramatization of the events surrounding Hazel Drew's murder. Unfortunately, I couldn't get interested in the book and did not finish it.
June 20, 2023
In the Author's Note, following the story, the authors labeled this as "creative non-fiction", and it certainly read closer to a fiction book because of its writing style. This made it enjoyable and incredibly interesting. The numerous characters seemed to walk from the pages.
January 23, 2022
Interesting story, but too long and full of repetitive details.
August 27, 2024
CW: murder, violence, description of injuries, medical content (autopsy), (minor) antisemitism
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Well, I have to admit this was a bit disappointing. I found a lot of the information to be disorganize or repetitive and I think there would have been a benefit to discussing Twin Peaks further in the epilogue, rather than recapping the lives of people tangentially related to the case.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Well, I have to admit this was a bit disappointing. I found a lot of the information to be disorganize or repetitive and I think there would have been a benefit to discussing Twin Peaks further in the epilogue, rather than recapping the lives of people tangentially related to the case.
January 11, 2022
As a fan of the Twin Peaks series I was intrigued when this came up on my Amazon First Reads list. The authors attempt to solve the murder of Hazel Drew, a beautiful 20 year country girl from Troy NY who dreamed of better things and was found floating in Teal's Pond in 1908.
The authors devote way too much time describing the complete backstory of every person even remotely involved with the investigation. Most people in the end had nothing to do with the crime, add nothing to the story and are for the most part uninteresting.
Not at all what I was hoping for. The authors summation of what "might have happened" during the last 5 pages of the book is uninspiring. By that point I didn't care anymore...
The authors devote way too much time describing the complete backstory of every person even remotely involved with the investigation. Most people in the end had nothing to do with the crime, add nothing to the story and are for the most part uninteresting.
Not at all what I was hoping for. The authors summation of what "might have happened" during the last 5 pages of the book is uninspiring. By that point I didn't care anymore...
December 8, 2021
First of all I am a real fan of true crime, and especially historical true crime. Alternately, I could care less about the Twin Peaks connection. I found this book to be an interesting reconstruction of a little known murder. Where it fell down, and got 4 stars rather than 5, was in the construction of the narrative. The author often digressed to explain things like the history of newspaper photographs or to give background on a character whose importance to the story had not yet been established. I found myself skimming through those passages and wondering if I would finish the book. I think an editor could have improved the story line.
March 13, 2022
I was really excited about reading this book, being a true-crime aficionado. It follows the “re-investigation” of a century-old murder that was supposed to be the inspiration behind the now-famous TV series Twin Peaks. While the book is interesting in parts, it is also sadly repetitive and a bit matter of fact. Moreover, the findings aren’t always conclusive, and thus one wonders what’s the point of it all. Still, that is not to say that the book isn’t worth reading. But only if you like true crime or have some affiliation with the area, it is set in.
January 16, 2022
Murder at Teal’s Pond relates the true story of the early 1900’s unsolved murder of Hazel Drew. The book sorts and sifts through a mound of evidence and sets it all against the back drop of early 20th century party politics and the social morays of the day. The narrator sounds like Sergeant Joe Friday relating, “just the facts mam.” It’s often clinical, dry, and repetitious, but never boring. It’s not all a data dump though. The book makes assumptions about where the evidence leads and what was left undone in this century old investigation, leaving the reader with the wish that no investigation were left undone, no murder left unsolved.
January 17, 2022
Interesting!
Looking at an unsolved murder from 1908, it's amazing how much evidence is still around to sift through. This book is very interesting. Each character is complex. Everything is questionable. It's all intriguing. Loved it.
Looking at an unsolved murder from 1908, it's amazing how much evidence is still around to sift through. This book is very interesting. Each character is complex. Everything is questionable. It's all intriguing. Loved it.
March 19, 2023
3.5 stars
March 14, 2022
It was a struggle to finish this one …
December 5, 2021
Very interesting
This book delves into a century old cold case that has many still stumped. The contrast in technology and detailed records that is available now is a huge chasm from then. I, for one, do not believe that political influence had a part in the investigation.
This book delves into a century old cold case that has many still stumped. The contrast in technology and detailed records that is available now is a huge chasm from then. I, for one, do not believe that political influence had a part in the investigation.
December 18, 2021
Truth or Fiction?
We will never know what Happened to Hazel Drew. The facts are hard to discern but the authors do come about to some rather convincing arguments as to who killed Hazel Drew but do not explain where Hazel got the money to travel as she did or purchase the many fine clothes she had. Hazel lives and dies as a woman of mystery which is very apropo to a writer of the TV hit Twin Peaks. The book seems to be an exhaustive study of Hazel and especially the area in which she lived her very short life. Much of the book examines in great detail. life in and around Troy New York at the turn of the 20th century. I found some of this detail to be unnecessary but does indicate how thorough the authors were. All in all this is a quick read. If you were a follower of Twin Peaks you can see the influence this story has on the TV series.
We will never know what Happened to Hazel Drew. The facts are hard to discern but the authors do come about to some rather convincing arguments as to who killed Hazel Drew but do not explain where Hazel got the money to travel as she did or purchase the many fine clothes she had. Hazel lives and dies as a woman of mystery which is very apropo to a writer of the TV hit Twin Peaks. The book seems to be an exhaustive study of Hazel and especially the area in which she lived her very short life. Much of the book examines in great detail. life in and around Troy New York at the turn of the 20th century. I found some of this detail to be unnecessary but does indicate how thorough the authors were. All in all this is a quick read. If you were a follower of Twin Peaks you can see the influence this story has on the TV series.
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