Book Review - David Bushman and Mark T. Givens's Murder at Teal's Pond
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: December 28th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 335 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy
Hazel Drew wasn't found wrapped in plastic. She was found floating in a pond in Sand Lake, New York, on July 7th, 1908 by a group of campers. She had been beaten to death. But there was never a verdict of murder, there was one of suicide. Which suited everyone with something to hide just fine. She lived in Troy, New York, only fourteen miles from where her body was found, and that is where her death was hushed up. The town was staunchly Republican and the politics of the town were mired in corruption. As was the police. They had no interest in discovering what really happened to Hazel Drew. Instead they barely investigated at all, listening to unreliable witnesses, going after red herrings, and a wild goose or two. They never worked diligently to follow up promising leads instead focusing on impugning the reputation of Hazel herself. The victim blaming wasn't hard, she had an unsavory past and it is quite possible she was blackmailing the wealthy of Troy. But does that mean her murder should be hushed up? Yes it does. Because the truth is dangerous, as was the spectacle her death caused, with newspapers rushing reporters to the scene. And murder in a small town means one thing, that that small town isn't as it appears. Troy wanted to be viewed as the perfect American town. But underneath they were anything but. And Hazel got in their way, Hazel knew their secrets. Because in the end that is what so many murders come down to. Who are you endangering by continuing to live? Hazel was dangerous to someone. Perhaps someone powerful. Therefore her case was hushed up and forgotten about. Though stories still persisted. Urban legends and ghost stories. Mark Frost spent summers near Teal's Pond and his grandmother would tell him stories about the unsolved murder of the beautiful young girl. An idea planted in his head long ago that would evolve into the murder of Laura Palmer that had America transfixed. While Laura got her justice isn't it about time Hazel got hers?
I picked up this book for one reason and one reason only, it's supposed connection to Twin Peaks. I honestly can say I think this was all a marketing ploy by the writers. Sure, they somehow got Mark Frost to write a forward, but throughout that forward he's saying how he really didn't use Hazel Drew's murder for inspiration at all. Um... So... Why do the forward then? Your grandmother told you an urban legend once and it kind of stuck? I mean, I do think that Frost was inspired by this case, I just think it's connection is tenuous and was used to sell a very boring and inconclusive true crime book. Also, having someone who is a legit writer write your forward and then following it up with amateurish and repetitive writing, that's not a good look. The thing is, this book does a good job of setting up the time period. You get an indepth look at the history of Troy and how it was indicative of small town America at the turn of the last century. But that's all it does. Instead of writing the story chronologically they decided to go thematically. OK, that's a choice. I'm not saying it's the right one but it is one. I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara took a similar approach. But you know what she did so she wouldn't confuse her readers? She had an actual timeline of the investigation right at the front of the book. You know, where it would have been nice to actually have a map as well... As for "solving" the case? Can drawing a valid conclusion without actually supporting it with any new evidence be called solving it? You have a fine line to thread when writing true crime, especially when dealing with cold cases. You actually have to give the reader something to justify their time and energy. Going back to Michelle McNamara, her work literally caught The Golden State Killer. Sure, the investigation was heading in the right direction and pieces were being put in place, but without her, without her pushing, without her constantly keeping the focus on those cases would it have been solved? Well, I can't honestly say, but I think she is what might have been the missing piece. Her dedication. Her resolve. Here we don't get anything from the authors. At the very least we should have felt a connection to Hazel. The authors say at the very end that this book was about Hazel. It wasn't. It was about powerful white men doing what they've always done, removing roadblocks in their way. Either find the killer and present them to the cold light of day or shine a light on the life that was lost. In other words, don't do this.
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