Rating:  Summary: Insightful! Could not put this book down! Review: As a law enforcement officer I followed this case in the credible papers and television news. I never read the tabloids. When I heard an unbiased and credible book was going to be released I knew I would have to read it. This book is exactly that. The author provides many insights into the crime as well as the political power plays in the DA's Office and Boulder Police. The author sets forth the facts and lets the reader decide who is guilty. I admit I believed Patsy Ramsey is guilty of this murder before I read the book and still do after reading it. Patsy Ramsey, like O.J. Simpson, is sitting back laughing at their respective DA's Offices and local Police Departments. The reader will too. It is hard to believe that grown, professional individuals acted this way. If anything, this book insures that DA Alex Hunter and the Boulder Police Department, except for a handful of detectives, will live in incompetent infamy along with the Simpson jury. The book does have moments of repetition that could have been avoided. Other than that flaw, this is a very well researched and written book on the JBR murder investigation.
Rating:  Summary: EXCEPTIONAL READING AND REPORTNG Review: Having just revisited this site after the announcemnt that no charges will be filed by the Grand Jury, I thought comment was required. I had originally read this book several months ago, and was totally perplexed at the the level of detail and insight. At completion, I came to the same conclusion. No Grand Jury would ever indict either of the parents or the MYSTERIOUS Intruder. READ this book and find out why... In over 600 pages, the author weaves an intriging (although sometimes tangled and hard to follow) tale of power, struggle and inability to reolve one of the great crime stories of our time. Reader TIP: Copy the reference list at the end to have available at all times, the flipping drove me nuts... JonBenet is gone, but the echo of her death will linger long in this pages. Enjoy the read, Honor the girl, Pray it never happens to you...
Rating:  Summary: Compelling reading Review: The JonBenet case fascinated me, though, but I was reluctant to follow the sensationalist bandwagon. Schiller's book, however, provided me with what I thought to be a very objective presentation of this bizarre case. Yes, at times it seems as if it were patched together as he was writing it and yes, it sometimes didn't appear to have any direction, and yes, there are a lot of characters to keep track of (but there is a glossary of names in the appendix), and yes, it does shift restlessly between the information about the murder and the conflict between the DA and the police. But those stylistic devices in themselves mirror the haphazard, almost chaotic investigation, the animosity amongst the people involved, and the constantly changing perspectives of the media, the people of Boulder, and the primary and secondary players in this drama. Those readers who want sensationalism should read the tabloids. Those who want objective reporting should read Schiller's book.
Rating:  Summary: excellent reading--very informitive---best seller Review: A WONDERFUL BUY!!! THIS BOOK CLEARED UP ALOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS FROM THE TABLIODS. I REALLY LIKED THE REAL INTERVIEWS FROM THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW THE RAMSEYS PERSONALLY. A BEST SELLER!!
Rating:  Summary: Never thought I'd finish.... Review: I usually read a book in a few days, but it took me a month to read this one. I did get some good information from Mr. Schiller's book, but I probably could have gotten that little bit from some website in about 30 minutes. It is too full of confusing information that was lost in too many words. Would have been better at half the pages...
Rating:  Summary: Too many words.....too little information Review: This book contains 600 pages with about 200 pages worth of content and information. In other words, the author had very little to say, but he appears to enjoy filling up pages with words. There aren't any big revelations in this book related to the JBR case. The only mystery to me is why Mr. Schiller felt the need to subject the reader to endless reams of useless information. Having said all that, this is the first time I've read anything written by this author. And having skimmed the last 350 pages of his essay (trying to discover anything worth the time and effort to read--which I failed to do), I can honestly say that I will not invest any more of my time reading any of his past (or future) offerings. Save your money on this one....go to your local branch of the public library and check this one out on loan.
Rating:  Summary: This Book Made Me Finally Think! Review: I have family, with young ones, from Boulder. They left here one day after Christmas, none of us had watched the news, and they came home to the "Jon Benet Ramsey"-media extravaganza. I've been to visit them often. Boulder is a beautiful town. Mostly kind people, from the short time I've ever spent there, they are much friendlier than you would think. This book gave me so much information that I was denied. But, I wouldn't care being denied anything, if it served a purpose. To help catch a killer. What I learned in this book is that Detective Scott Thomas of the Boulder Police Dept. had a problem with keeping vital information secret. This book taught me that you should look at every side, no matter what, and maybe there is no answer. At least not now. And it taught me to remember, everyone, is innocent until proven guilty. This Author worked hard. Give him his dues. Excellent reading - stayed up late!
Rating:  Summary: It clears up a lot of mis-conceptions. Review: I have paid little attention to the media hype related to Jon-Benet's death. I initially thought because of the "public's reaction" to her murder, that there must be substantial evidence pointing to the parents' involvement in her death. It is because of this reaction that I decided to read Mr. Schiller's book. Yes, there is a lot of information to read in this book. A lot of background has been done on persons involved in the case: witnesses, suspects, law enforcement, journalists, etc. But all this background plays an important part in understanding why this is such a difficult case. What surprised me is all the supposed "overwhelming" evidence doesn't really point to anyone at this time. I feel the Boulder City Police Dept., media and general public rushed to a conclusion they are now unwilling to give up on, despite what the actual evidence is. This case may never bring about an arrest. I don't have any "gut feelings" about who may have did this horrible thing, but it is clear by Mr. Schiller's book that many facts about the case do not satisfactorily explain the scenarios concocted. We should be careful about ruining people's lives and reputations on supposition. It would be better to have this case unresolved than to ruin someone who may be innocent.
Rating:  Summary: Very Confusing Review: There were too many details in this book. I was given no insight to the case when reading this book (I couldn't finish it). I found myself unable to concentrate as too many facts were presented all at once.
Rating:  Summary: Boring. Confusing. Extraneous details. No revelations. Review: Having just read Jeffrey Toobin's book about the OJ Simpson case, I was looking forward to an enlightening book about the JonBinet Ramsey case. The book jacket promised big revelations. I ploughed through countless chapters. There were long quotes from people who I didn't have an idea who they were and why they were quoted. There were countless newspaper articles and other boring stuff about the police and the DA's office. I wanted the author to make the Ramseys "real" to me. I wanted to know what they were like. Nothing in the book gave me a sense that these people could actually beat and strangle their daughter to death. I am left with confusion about the murder and, moreover, confusion about the reason for this book.I didn't learn anything new.
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