Deborah Holt Larkin, "A Lovely Girl: The Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of California's Most Notorious Killer" (Pegasus Crime, 2022)
In\xa0A Lovely Girl: The Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of California's Most Notorious Killer\xa0(Pegasus Crime, 2022), Deborah Larkin tells the incredible story of a 1958 murder that ended with the last woman to ever be executed in California\u2014a murder so twisted it seems ripped from a Greek tragedy. Larkin was only ten years old when the quiet calm of her California suburb was shattered. Thirty miles north, on a quiet November night in Santa Barbara, a pregnant nurse named Olga Duncan disappeared from her apartment. The mystery deepens when it is discovered that Olga\u2019s mother in-law\u2014a deeply manipulative and deceptive woman\u2014had been doing everything in her power to separate Olga and her son, Frank, prior to Olga\u2019s disappearance. From a forged annulment to multiple attempts to hire people to \u201cget rid\u201d of Olga, to a faked excoriation case, Elizabeth seemed psychopathically attached to her son. Yet she denied having anything to do with Olga\u2019s disappearance with a smile. But when Olga\u2019s brutally beaten body is found in a shallow grave, apparently buried alive, a young DA makes it his mission to see that Elizabeth Duncan is brought to justice. Adding a wrinkle to his efforts is the fact that Frank\u2014himself a defense attorney\u2014maintained his mother\u2019s innocent to the end. How does a young girl process such a crime along with the fear and disbelieve that rocked an entire community? Decades later, Larkin is determined to revisit the case and bring the story of Olga herself to light. Long overshadowed by the sensationalism and scandal of Elizabeth and Frank,\xa0A Lovely Girl\xa0seeks to reveal Olga as a woman in full. Someone who was more than the twisted family that would ultimately ensnare her.\xa0\nRebekah Buchanan\xa0is a Professor of English and Director of English Education at Western Illinois University. Her research focuses on feminism, activism, and literacy practices in youth culture, specifically through zines and music.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law