Hazel was a Good Girl

Solving the Murder that Inspired Twin Peaks

Jerry C. Drake

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Paperback

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English

Clash Books
17 September 2025

True crime; History of the Americas; Local history

The tragic and mysterious death of Hazel Drew that inspired the cult hit TV show Twin Peaks, is finally solved by Dr. Jerry C. Drake.

The legend of Hazel Drew spread through stories of her ghost haunting the woods where her body was found. It was a hot summer day in July 1908 when the body of a young woman was found floating in a mill pond in Upstate New York. Hazel Irene Drew was murdered. Her death captured headlines across the nation and around the world, but after a whirlwind investigation lasting less than thirty days, the District Attorney abruptly closed the case.

Set against the backdrop of the Gilded Age, with clippings and photographs from local Troy and Albany newspapers from 1908, Dr. Jerry C. Drake parses out the facts from the legend through back alleys and dark mountain forests, in pursuit of Hazel Drew's killer, in this engaging, historical investigation of a tragic American story.

With firsthand accounts from locals dreaming of clues, tabloid journalists, railroad Robber Barons and political bosses, psychic investigators, and even a mysterious hypnotist, the tabloid sensation is debunked and the real woman is finally revealed. This is the definitive story of Hazel Drew, whose ghost can finally rest, knowing that her killer has been exposed.

By: Jerry C. Drake
Imprint: Clash Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 215mm, Width: 139mm,
ISBN: 9781960988591
ISBN 10: 196098859X
Pages: 268
Publication Date: 17 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Dr. Jerry C. Drake is a career civil servant, former professor of history, all-around amateur detective, and sometimes writer and poet, with a wide-ranging educational background to include degrees in anthropology, United States history, and adult education. This is his first foray into writing true crime after being drawn into the mysterious death of Hazel Irene Drew, the real-life inspiration for the character Laura Palmer, from the pop culture phenomenon Twin Peaks. His short stories have appeared in two CLASH anthologies including Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath.