About the Book

Book: The Purple Nightgown
Author: A.D. Lawrence

Series: True Colors, Book 10
Genre: Christian Historical Suspense
Release Date: March 1, 2021

Pages: 250

Marvel at true but forgotten history when patients check into Linda Hazzard’s Washington state spa in 1912 and soon become victim of her twisted greed.
Book 10 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Heiress Stella Burke is plagued by insincere suitors and nonstop headaches. Exhausting all other medical aides for her migraines, Stella reads Fasting for the Cure of Disease by Linda Hazzard and determines to go to the spa the author runs. Stella’s chauffer and long-time friend, Henry Clayton, is reluctant to leave her at the spa. Something doesn’t feel right to him, still Stella submits herself into Linda Hazzard’s care. Stella soon learns the spa has a dark side and Linda a mean streak. But when Stella has had enough, all ways to leave are suddenly blocked. Will Stella become a walking skeleton like many of the other patients or succumb to a worse fate?

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My Thoughts

I am so excited to talk about another book in the True Colors series! This is the fifth book in the series I have read and it did not disappoint. In case you are wondering True Colors is a series of Historical Romance and True American Crime. The books do not have to be read in a certain order as they are all based on different crime events in history. In this one we are introduced to Linda Hazzard who ran a "clinical spa" in Washington State in 1912.

Our fictional main characters are Stella and Henry. Stella has recently lost her father and is set to inherit her father's company once she turns of age. Her uncle is in charge of the company and doesn't let her have a say on how it is run or listen to any of her ideas. He believes she should be a dutiful wife and is constantly trying to set her up. He is a real jerk. Stella also suffers from what I would consider chronic migraines. She wants relief but cannot find it anywhere until she starts reading a book by Linda Hazzard about her amazing spa. Henry is her childhood friend and is her chauffer. He is in love with her but can't truly express his feelings for her due to his standing in society.

Stella decides to go to the spa and while there she quickly finds out that things are not what they seemed. Strange things start happening. She sees deaths and people disappearing. She clings to God and the hope that Henry will come to her rescue. I was shocked that Linda Hazzard got away with so much for such a long period of time.

I really enjoyed this story and it was my first by A.D. Lawrence. You can tell she enjoys writing this genre and she did some great research for it. I will definitely be adding her to my to-be-read authors list!

My Rating: 4 Stars/ Great engaging story

I received this book from the author. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

About the Author

A.D. Lawrence makes her home in Northeastern Nebraska. She has been passionate about writing and true crime for years, and her two obsessions melded into the goal of authorship. She is an active member of the ACFW, writes a true crime blog, won the 2019 Crown Award and was a 2019 First Impressions finalist.

More from A.D. Lawrence

Times have changed. And like so many things, health retreats have experienced their own metamorphosis. Sure, they’ve always catered to people with both spare money and time, but aside from similar clientele, the face of the health spa is nothing like its early 20th century sister.

If you could afford a getaway to a modern-day health spa like The Golden Door, you’d be treated to the luxury of rest. Yoga on the beach. Deep tissue massages. A much-needed break from technology and life’s constant pressures. Mental well-being is valued almost as highly as physical health, and the two are thought to be connected. After days or weeks of pampering, you would return home relaxed, recharged, and ready to dip back into the hustle of the real world.

In 1911, during the time of The Purple Nightgown, the medical community took a diametrically different approach to health. Weight equaled health.The prevailing assumption was that any ailments were directly connected to weight. Thus, ‘fat camps’ grew in popularity. Men and women checked into sanatoriums where the aides put them through grueling exercise regimes and provided them with just enough food to sustain life. No coddling. Not many of us would subject ourselves to the treatments early health spas required.

In this era of already extreme health measures, Linda Hazzard made her mark in Washington State. Obsessed with fasting, she ran her patients through an unfathomable course of ‘diet and exercise’ that proved the undoing of many. She did give massages though, which you’ll learn more about when you read The Purple Nightgown.

Although it’s fun to long for a simpler time while reading historical books and watching shows like Little House on the Prairie, there are some modern ways of thinking and advances in human comfort I’d rather not give up. One of those is the vastly superior spa experience we have today. Somehow, a facial with soothing background music sounds much more appealing than running mile after mile every day with nothing to look forward to but a glass of orange juice or a bowl of canned tomato broth.

Hot stone massage anyone?