Publication Date: October 4, 2022
The incredible story of a 1958 murder that ended with the last woman to ever be executed in California—a murder so twisted it seems ripped from a Greek tragedy.
Deborah 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’s mother in-law—a deeply manipulative and deceptive woman—had been doing everything in her power to separate Olga and her son, Frank, prior to Olga’s disappearance.
From a forged annulment to multiple attempts to hire people to “get rid” of Olga, to a faked extortion case, Elizabeth seemed psychopathically attached to her son. Yet she denied having anything to do with Olga’s disappearance with a smile.
But when Olga’s 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—himself a defense attorney—maintained his mother’s innocence to the end.
How does a young girl process such a crime along with the fear and disbelief 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, A Lovely Girl seeks to reveal Olga as a woman in full. Someone who was more than the twisted family that would ultimately ensnare her.
As we follow the heart-pounding drama of the case through Larkin’s young eyes—her father was the court reporter—A Lovely Girl is by turns page-turning yet poignant, and makes the reader reexamine how we handle fear, how we regard mental illness, and how we understand family as we carve our own path in a dangerous world.
When a young, pregnant nurse doesn’t show up for her shift at the hospital, her friends immediately alert the police. What unravels is a story fit for the silver screen but is a true and heartbreaking tale of jealousy and deceit.
A Lovely Girl by Deborah Holt Larkin tells the true story of Olga Duncan and those that bring her killers to justice.
Olga was a nurse in California in the 1950s. Married and expecting her first child, her whole life is ahead of her. But that is taken away in a moment. Suspicion is immediate after she goes missing, and no friends or family know where she has gone.
Her husband, Frank, seems less concerned. He reveals he only spends a small fraction of his time with Olga; the rest is spent staying with his mother, an overbearing and emotional woman.
Detectives Thompson and Hansen dig deeper into Olga’s life and relationship with her new mother-in-law, and just when all seems lost, human error and greed crack their case wide open.
Throughout this compelling story, we also get glimpses into Larkin’s own life at the time and how this case influenced her in ways she never imagined.
I am a huge fan of true crime, especially those who can bring the victim to light and humanize them. This book was great for that. It didn’t just humanize Olga but all those involved. As the story unfolded, you felt like you were in the room with everyone. Even as a true crime junkie, I was unfamiliar with this story and couldn’t put this book down. The writing was done so well, reading almost like fiction to bring a new depth to the narrative.
I wish the photos, which were an amazing addition to see the faces of all those involved, had been moved from the beginning of the story to near the end so that the reader wasn’t spoiling themselves on how the story would unfold.
My biggest hurdle with this book was the personal stories of the author. I believe this would have been compelling and interesting if this had been a memoir. In fact, reading the epilogue and learning more about the author’s later life, I would be very interested in her story. However, being intertwined with this tale took away from Olga’s story and lessened the impact of what Olga went through. I wanted to continue to learn more about how the police would uncover the truth, but having that interrupted with stories of an eleventh birthday party did become difficult. It may have worked better had the author relayed this from her father’s perspective and how that impacted his coverage as a journalist on the case. This way, she could honor her father’s memory while not taking away from the heavier story.
A Lovely Girl is a true crime story seemingly lost to time. With twists and turns and incredible storytelling, this is a book you will pick up and not set down.
Deborah Larkin holds a bachelor’s degree in American History and Literature from the University of California at Davis, and she studied creative writing at the University of California at San Diego. She has a master’s degree in the Education of Exceptional Children from San Francisco State University. She has spent more than three decades teaching students with special needs before becoming an elementary school principal.
