Perfect Murder Perfect Town

Rating:
Summary: Informative for a non-American
Review: I found this book to be extremely informative. Living in Australia, I was not 'subjected' to the media flood and frenzy of information pertaining to the murder of JonBenet. However, it was a crime that both appalled and intrigued me. Schiller's book enabled me to obtain an unbiased and detailed account of what took place - beginning on that fateful night. A good read.

Rating:
Summary: A very slow moving nothing new and boring book
Review: This book has nothing new to tell us. The author spent a lot of time telling us the same old story.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: If you're a reader of typical true-crime books and require a format with a beginning, middle, and end in order to be satisfied, you may be disappointed by PMPT. But if you are an armchair detective who loves to have access to tons of details that allow you to draw your own conclusions, you should love it as much as I did. Many complain that it is just a rehash of information that was already known. I don't agree. Tucked into these pages you'll meet characters who have not made the news and you'll discover new details about those who have. The book's format is primarily chronological which may, to some, appear to be poor organization. I think it's perfect organization. This volume is a collection of historical artifacts related to the crime and to the town (at least the part of the town that is connected to the investigation of the crime and/or its political makeup). Do not expect to be given a point of view of by the authors. That is not their purpose. They merely offer information and leave it to you to decide if it's pertinent. In that way, the book is like an investigation. Investigators must collect all manner of information and sort through it to get to what they believe has some bearing on the crime. Schiller and Brennan provide you with that opportunity -- via interviews with, and facts about, a vast array of characters and background information on the environment in which the Ramsey murder was committed. Some of the material may not be of interest to you (all of it interested me), but it's easy enough to skip ahead to what does interest you. The text is divided up into somewhat brief narrative nuggets, each of which deals with a specific interview or piece of information or event. As you begin each nugget you will quickly see if this is an area that excites your interest. My only complaints: no pictures, no index, and I wish I'd known that a floor plan of the house and a descriptive list of characters was waiting at the back of the book. I would have liked to have used the floor plan and character list as I read, but did not know either was there until I reached the end of the book. A list of errata and corrections created by the publisher and an index to the book created by readers are available online (visit Mrs. Brady's site to get the links). If you're just now starting the book, search out these valuable resources and keep them at your side as you read.

Rating:
Summary: Too long, poorly organized
Review: I am a determined type and almost always finish every book I read, but I couldn't bring myself to finish this one. Schiller throws in every tidbit of information that is even remotely connected to the case and does a poor job of orangizing it. There are parts that are interesting, but I ended up skipping large sections that just got too boring. Don't waste your money on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Would have been great, but too many facts!
Review: Not facts about the murder, there didn't seem to be enough of those, but facts about the personal and business lives of the various detectives, investigators, DAs, etc. WHO CARES? Readers buy this book to learn more about the JonBenet Ramsey murder, not about the officials involved. Were it not for all these mundane trivialities, which kept me confused throughout, the book would have been terrific. I got the feeling the author felt he had to fill some pages. Still, no one could read the book and NOT form an opinion, and the facts of the murder were presented in a clear, unbiased manner. It's totally obvious that the author is attempting to remain unbiased, and that must have been difficult given the facts presented. The Boulder Police are a joke, and the DA can't keep his own facts straight. This is a shame, because if it were not for these unprofessional individuals, maybe JonBenet would have had her justice by now. I tried to remain unbiased as well, and couldn't do it. Let the facts speak for themselves. Would the murderer have replaced the pen he/she used to write the ransom note back in the little cup by the telephone if he/she were a stranger? If you woke up to find a ransom note and called 911, would you then answer the door with all of your make-up on and fully dressed? These are just a couple of the many questions the reader is left with at the end of this story. My prayers and thoughts will now stay with JonBenet, with the fervent wish that her killer(s) be brought to justice soon.

Rating:
Summary: to slow, rehash of old news
Review: This is the one of the dullest book I have read in long time. Slow to start and doesn't get any better. I would not recomend this book to anyone. Just a cash in on a subject of interest to the public.

Rating:
Summary: Schiller's info is amazing, yet too honest and sad
Review: From the moment I picked up this book, I would get angry when I had to put it down. There is so much information in here and I never realized how badly the investigation was hurt by the politics/pissing contests of the da/police involved. Schiller keeps his personal opinions to himself, he obviously wants to see justice for the killer of this girl. But anyone who reads this can read between the lines...Patsey Ramsey is not what she appears to be. It's so hard to figure out. It's a true whodunnit. I just like the fact that the information is so well laid out and researched and really easy to follow. I think Schiller needs to follow this one to the end though, and it just isn't over yet. I'll be waiting.

Rating:
Summary: Packed w/ material but needed editing and organization.
Review: It's hard for me to recall much I read other than material which caught my interest and frustration with the book's layout.The book meanders all over the proverbial map without going anywhere--he tries to include all, remain objective, and ends up being a poor read.

Rating:
Summary: Mostly boring, difficult to read.
Review: The politics of Boulder do not interest me, nor do the lives of the investigators involved in the murder case. Trying to separate the numerous detectives, lawyers, politicians, friends, relatives, neighbors, etc., and the countinous infighting among the characters was very frustrating. It started with unanswered questions and ended with more unanswered questions and more speculations about the case.

Rating:
Summary: Too Much In-House Fighting, Not Enough Case
Review: Like Schiller's book "American Tragedy" which was about the O.J. Simpson case, the first 1/3 of this book was hard to put down until it stopped talking about the actual case. The book went into a long (and eventually boring) story about the politics and backstabbing within the Boulder police department and the fighting between the Boulder police and the D.A.'s office. Many names were mentioned, and despite the fact that in the back of the book Schiller has a complete listing of who all the people are, it got tiring to keep looking them up, and like "American Tragedy" I gave up and skipped to the end where the case picks up again.

Schiller is an excellent writer, he just needs an editor.