Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell

By: Jack Olsen

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Award winner! With a new introduction by best-selling true-crime author Ron Franscell.

For twenty-five years, the trusted family doctor in a small Wyoming town had been raping and molesting the women and children who most relied on him. Mostly Mormons, the naive victims sometimes realized on their wedding nights the truth about what had happened in Dr. Story's office.

In riveting detail, veteran crime writer Jack Olsen tells the searing story of a small group of courageous women who decided to bring a doctor to justice--and unearthed a legacy of pain and anger that would divide their families, their neighbors, and an entire town.

©2014 Jack Olsen (P)2015 Evan Olsen, Su Olsen

Critic reviews

"This masterful book by the author of Son, as much a searching sociological study as a true-crime narrative, tells what happened in Lovell when these happenings came to light: the community lost its bearings and the doctor was convicted of rape." ( Publishers Weekly)

This story is so, so disturbing; how can this be?

The doctor was a sociopath, rapist and sadist who couldn't have stumbled into a better position; replacing the only doctor in a small, rural, heavily Mormon town. The sexual innocence of the Mormon women and their total obeisance to men gave him 25 years to indulge his sick urges with Mormon women, girls, and babies.
Jack Olsen's account is detailed and spellbinding from beginning to end. When, finally, a legal investigation is begun, the problems seem insurmountable. Sex is a taboo subject for Mormon women. Doc the sociopath has charmed many in the town.
There is another disturbing dimension, that the doctor is not Mormon, and heads his own Christian church in town. An ugly anti-Mormon tone starts to dominate the case, and the victims are shunned and blamed as Doc faces the justice system.
The spectre of religious hatreds tearing a community apart, while abused women are blamed for causing all the trouble and the littlest victims of a truly evil child molester are ignored, is so confusing, so upsetting...and this happened in the 1980's! It sounds like another century, but it's not! It's just hard to believe, and the recording is hard to turn off. Excellent investigative reporting, and excellent, unemotional 'just-the-facts-ma'am' narration that suits this True Crime story.

Well researched story of incredibly arrogant md

Would you listen to Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell again? Why?

This is such a disturbing story of how an arrogant doctor could prey on the innocence of so many women even when confronted with the facts. Jack Olson really delves into the characters, and we discover the innocence of the LDS women who are somewhat ripe for the scheming of such a devious character.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I listened to Kevin Pierce narrate "Son", another Jack Olson story of a disturbed and criminal man who preyed on women. He does a nice jib of telling the story without adding drama where there doesn't need to be any, and making the facts sound more factual than sensational.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The most extreme reactions I had was anger and contempt. How could this educated, religiously moral man be so contemptuous of a group of females as to rape them without conscious? He was the father of daughters. He put himself and his family on a pedestal, and he never tried to apologize to the many women he had wronged because he seemed to think they deserved it, after all, he was a good man, a church leader, a valued member of the community.. His wife and daughters could never accept that this rapist was the same man they knew, and he was able to hide it so that some of the women he showed such contempt for actually defended him before the truth all came out. . He was totally in denial through it all, never admitting his role as a rapist. I felt terrible for the women in his life that couldn't accept the facts.

Holy Cow!

What made the experience of listening to Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell the most enjoyable?

This is my first Jack Olsen book and I loved it. He was meticulous in his research. Heart rending story! I liked his writing so much I just bought his Give a Boy a Gun and I am looking forward to another great book

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Dr. John Story - what a narcissistic little man! How does someone take advantage of innocent women over and over again?!?!

What does Kevin Pierce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I've read that Kevin Pierce was boring to listen to so the only reason I did was because I really wanted to listen to this book but I was pleasantly surprised. I actually really enjoyed him. I thought he kept the story moving and I felt his sympathy in his words.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

That I grew up not too far from there in the 70's and had no idea this had happened. I am LDS and while I consider myself relatively well read, I was truly shocked how misunderstood our religion still is. I mean, I knew what was thought many, many years ago but was amazed that people still think of us as narrow-minded women who can't think for ourselves and need a man to tell us what to do and how to live. It's not a criticism of other's opinions, just a surprise.

Any additional comments?

This is a tough book to listen to because it is horribly tragic but I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like detail and meticulous research, then this is a story I think you will enjoy.

Leaves the listener wondering at the end

Any additional comments?

A sad story either way. The destruction of the lives of so many people. Would this happen in today's more informed world?

Surprising good!

What did you love best about Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell?

How real this story could be - that any small town America could experience this!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

You trust him with your life.

Any additional comments?

Good narration, surprisingly good listen!

edge story. narrator is dry and ruins story

the narrator can make or break a story for me. I know this story has an edge. I like that. but the narrator pushes you over it and if I were driving I wouldn't hit the brakes. we suffered through. story ends weird. Doc story is the real story.

Waaay Too Long!

I have mixed emotions about this book. It seemed to include too many details, and could have been more interesting if it was more condensed. Every character's every thought seemed to be recorded. Part of the problem was the narrator. The book was read more like a documentary than a story. It was so full of different characters, all with the same voice, that it was hard to keep them apart. In the epilogue, as updates were given on many of them, I only recognized a few of them. Overall, I would suggest this might be a book that is better read than heard.

Horrifying Account of Abuse of Power and Trust

A book of horrifying true stories of the abuse of power and trust and two brave sisters united in an effort to alert the Wyoming Board of Medical Examiners to this abuse of position and power.

Sensitivity is used in dealing with the religious angles, neither side is painted as a good or bad side. In the end, I knew who the bad guy was, it had nothing to do with religion.

Why did he do it?

What amazed me most about this book is the objective presentation by Jack Olsen. He didn't pile on but gave Dr. Story's story a full hearing. In fact, Story supporters might have more page time in the book than his accusers. At any rate, the treatment of his heinous crimes were given the "innocent until proven guilty treatment". One wonders how many victims he actually had in this unsophisticated and largely Mormon community. I shouldn't point fingers at the Mormons as Dr. Story's non-Mormon congregation was equally naive. It was the perfect setup for a sociopath. Doctor in a small, rural town filled with girls and women who have no sex education and a great trust in the Christian doc who was the pillar of his church and apparently a good husband and father. And yet...

Olsen is one of the consummate true crime writers and tells this tale of woe as it develops from crime to trial to prison with some discussion of the aftermath for both victims and perp and their supporters. It seems preposterous that so many women could be raped or molested during pelvic exams for so many years without doing something about it. Had I been a juror I'm certain I would have voted "guilty."

Less satisfying is the lack of explanation for Story's motivation. He never fesses up; never admits his crimes. In fact, he denies that he is guilty. So we are left with speculating on various theories: a little guy complex, a hatred of women, a hatred of minorities and Mormons. We can be certain he was guilty but can never be certain as to why.

It was a crime that tore a community to pieces.

Strong Narration Makes the Book Great

I loved this book. The narration of Kevin Pierce is so flawless that the book goes up a level. The story is obviously horrific, but I still got a feeling of strength from the women in the end.