Judgment Ridge: The True Story Behind the Dartmouth Murders

Very well written, compelling look into the minds and actions of two teen murders with insight into how one person can manipulate another.

I have long been an afficianado of true crime and have read many of the best -- and of course, some real groaners. This book, however, is one of the very best I have come across. I literally could not put it down. I give it my highest recommendation. The editing is as good as the writing, by the way. No repetition, careless observations, hanging questions, annoying trivialities, psychobabble or irksome misuse of "which" and "that." Although it's real page-turner, the authors, award-winning investgative journalists at the Boston Globe, do not sensationalize or otherwise cheapen this heartbreaking story of one of the most brutal murders in the recent history of the state of New Hampshire. The victims, two decent and well-loved Dartmouth professors, come vividly to life. Great thought also is given to the cryptic psychopathologies of the two "nice" young men who destroyed dozens of lives in their pursuit of sensation. For this the authors draw on articulate experts in the field who answer many obvious questions, although there are others that must, by their very nature, remain unanswered. They build their narrative slowly, piece by inevitable piece, so that when they arrive at their devastating conclusions, we cannot help but share them, despite the implications they carry about our own children and communities. Thank you, gentlemen, for a stunning and thought-provoking work of journalism. It has remained with me for many months and still makes me shudder.

I couldn't put this book down. This is an incredibly well-researched book about the Dartmouth murders which delves equally into the lives and minds of the murderers, the victims, and the town that sprung them. What's also fascinating is that through the confession of one of the murderers, we have an exact description of what took place before, during, and after the heinous crime. The book comes up short only in a lack of explanation for one of the murderer's willing participation in it. Many people are under the spell of someone, but would they follow them to participate in a brutal murder? That being said, the book is a must read!

This is the best true crime book I have ever read. It tells the compelling but horrifying story of the murder of Half and Suzanne Zantop, two Dartmouth College professors, by two teenagers from the rural town of Chelsea, Vermont. Contrary to a previous reviewer, I did not find the book too detailed. There is a lot of detail, but this is necessary for the authors to tell the story properly. The details about the killers, Jim Parker and Robert Tulloch, and their lives in Chelsea before the killing are necessary to the understanding of these two. Neither were the "loner / loser" type that one thinks of in connectionn with teenagers who kill. Both had good friends in Chelsae, took part in extra-curricular activities in school and were intelligent. Granted, Tulloch's parents are a little strange, but not so strange as to explain his behavior. It is exactly in all the detail the authors provide that we see the transformation of these two reasonably normal acting kids into killers. This is a great strength of the book. In the end it is clear that Tulloch was a psychopath who manipulated Parker, a "follower" into going along with his criminal activities. The authors use of detail allows the reader to watch as Tulloch gets more and more out of control. Nor do I think the authors show any sympathy for either killer. They simply describe the relationship between them as it was. And, as it was, Parker certainly comes off the more sympathetic of the two. Another strength of the book is that it is happily free of the psychobabble sometimes found in true crime books. The authors are also able to paint a very poignant picture of the Zantops. These were kind, wonderful people. In their acknowledgments section, the authors say "Getting to know the Zantops postumously made us wish we had known them in life." I can't imagine anyone reading this book not feeling the same way. Another reason I found the book so compelling is a personal one: Hanover, NH, the home of Dartmouth College, is my home town. I was born and raised there and my dad was a Dartmouth professor. So I know the town and the area very well. In fact, when I was in high school, I loved going over into Vermont and driving along the unpaved back roads just to see beauty of the forest. I never knew the Zantops but many of the names of other Dartmouth faculty and administrators are familiar. And on their way along East Wheelock Street in Hanover to the Zantop's house the day of the killing, Tulloch and Parker passed within 100 or so yards of my own home in Hanover.

The authors have done a thorough job of researching the circumstances which led to the murder of the Zantoff's. I read this book with the hope of arriving at some kind of understanding as to why this murder happened. It is impossible to fathom precisely the confluence of circumstances that led to this terrible crime, but Judgement Ridge provides the reader with some measure of insight into the reason why this aweful thing happened. Why did this murder occur? Several circumstances had to intersect: two boys with complementary personality disorders; two sets of laissez-faire parents; a neglectful school system; and a 'boys-will-be-boys' community attitude. This is a cautionary story, and it is not emotionally easy to read. But it is very well constructed and will help those of us who are still dumbfounded by the horror of this crime.

Dick Lehr and Mitchell Zuckoff have written an outstanding book that explores not only the who and how, but most importantly the why behind the murders of two college professors. The pacing and detail are excellent and the authors did extensive research, including interviewing many of the towns people, teachers and friends of the two teenage boys who committed these crimes. In the end you'll understand the motivation behind the murder, but no one will ever be able to explain how two such wonderful people could be the "random" victims of such a horrible crime.