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Drake
Jerry C. Drake PhD
Dr. Jerry C. Drake is a career civil servant, former professor of history, all-around amateur detective, with a wide-ranging educational background to include degrees in anthropology and United States history. This is his first foray into true crime. His short stories have appeared in CLASH Books anthologies; Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath and Walk Hand In Hand Into Extinction: Stories Inspired by True Detective.
Books
About Hazel was a Good Girl
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.
Praise
"4 Books to Read if You Love Twin Peaks." —The Lineup
“Hazel Was a Good Girl aims to restore Hazel’s good name, to show the young woman behind the myth, to portray her as distinct from Laura Palmer, her dead-blonde Twin Peaks doppelganger.” —New York Post
“Jerry Drake's Hazel was a Good Girl adds new speculation to the Rensselaer County murder that inspired the Twin Peaks TV series.” —Albany Times Union
“In his investigation, he scoured local newspaper cuttings, examined contemporary photographs, and reviewed the various theories presented to the cops. He identified what he believed were key shortcomings in the original investigation, claiming that Hazel was the victim not just of misrepresentation by a scandal-hungry press, but also of a cover-up by powerful men at that time.” —Daily Mail
"Hazel was a Good Girl is a haunting and exhilarating journey into the heart of darkness of a time and place that will shake you to your core." —S.A. Cosby author of All The Sinners Bleed
Product Details
Hazel was a Good Girl
By Jerry C. Drake
ISBN-10 : 196098859X
ISBN-13 : 978-1960988591
Published by CLASH Books–June 10, 2025