Fourth Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Judgment Ridge by Dick Lehr & Mitchell Zuckoff Genre: Non-Fiction

Judgment Ridge shows the truth behind the Dartmouth murders. It re-examines the murder and gives every piece of evidence and clue in detail, so you can learn how the real detectives caught the murders. It goes in depth to tell you the background information of the two boys Robert Tulloch and Jim Parker who murdered Half and Susanne Zantop. It tells about Half and Susanne’s careers, friends, families, and past experiences before their deaths and shows how Robert and Jim got to the point of murder.

“Spellbinding…. [Reveals] the story behind the headlines…. Multifaceted and richly believable.” - Denver Post

Judgment Ridge films the life of Robert and Jim and it tells the story of how they met and became best friends, the best of friends that they were actually like brothers and were inseparable. It told everyone’s views on the friends and how nobody saw it coming. It also told about the Zantop’s lives as Dartmouth professors and their promising lives.

This book was similar to other mystery books that I have read and it shows the points leading up to the murder, the murder, and the days after. Unlike those books Judgment Ridge goes more in depth and goes the extra step to give the details. Plus unlike any other this book was actually true. The authors do a good job of writing the book and adding in all the details so you get the complete story.

“ Townspeople learned two weeks after the families were interviewed that two combat knives were found in Robert’s room, and that the blood detected on the foot-long knives matched Susanne’s DNA.” (269)

I enjoyed reading all about the murders and how it happened. I myself was thinking about becoming a detective when I am older and it was neat to see how they solve crimes. Also my dad is a police officer so I learned a little more about what he does and now the stories that he tells me I will be able to better connect to. This book made me want to further more my experience, as a detective and I really loved reading it.