Lawrence Schiller

In Perfect Murder, Perfect Town, Lawrence Schiller thoroughly recreates every aspect of the complex case of the death of JonBenét Ramsey. A brilliant portrait of an inscrutable family thrust under the spotlight of public suspicion and an affluent, tranquil city torn apart by a crime it couldn't handle, Perfect Murder, Perfect Town uncovers the mysteries that have bewildered the nation. Why were the Ramseys, the targets of the investigation, able to control the direction of the police inquiry? Can the key to the murder be found in the pen and writing pad used for the ransom note? Was it possible for an intruder to have killed JonBenét?

The Uncensored Story of the JonBenet Murder and the Grand Jury's Search for the Truth

Perfect Murder, Perfect Town

Cena

This book is often recommended to people new to the JBR case, because, like JFK, conspiracies and suspects abound, but here, mostly, are the known facts of the case as of 1999. The grand jury had not made any recommendations as of the time of publication. 

This book is less focused on the crime itself; the Ramseys occasionally appear as inscrutable antagonists, but the focus is on a) the divisions between the Boulder PD and the DAs (Alex Hunter) office, and b) the use of the media by the various parties, and the effect of the media on public opinion about the case.

JBR herself is mostly missing as a real person - she’s a symbol of the investigatory divide, a totem of justification for many questionable actions on the part of everyone involved. Politics, face-saving, and weak leadership from the officials; stonewalling, obscurantism, and facade-preservation on the part of the Ramseys.

Two other books:

JonBenet: Inside the JonBenet Ramsey Investigation, by Steve Thomas. Thomas was a BPD detective originally assigned to the case. Argues one of the Ramseys (Patsy) did it.

Foreign Faction, by James Kolar. Kolar was a DAs investigator in the early 2000s for DA Mary Lacy. This has the most detailed case information.

I already have Foreign Faction, so I suppose I’ll read it one day out of curiosity. In the meantime, ugh. It’s very clear that this case was horribly mismanaged from day one, by all of them - the BPD, the DA, and the Ramseys, and consequently, it’s very unlikely anyone will ever be held accountable for JBR’s murder.

Perfect Murder, Perfect Town The Uncensored Story of the JonBenet Murder and the Grand Jury's Search for the Truth

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