Judgment Ridge - by Dick Lehr & Mitchell Zuckoff (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A riveting investigation of the brutal murders of two Dartmouth professors -- a book that, like In Cold Blood, reveals the chilling reality behind a murder that captivated the nation.

On a cold night in January 2001, the idyllic community of Dartmouth College was shattered by the discovery that two of its most beloved professors had been hacked to death in their own home. Investigators searched helplessly for clues linking the victims, Half and Susanne Zantop, to their murderer or murderers. A few weeks later, across the river, in the town of Chelsea, Vermont, police cars were spotted in front of the house of high school senior Robert Tulloch. The police had come to question Tulloch and his best friend, Jim Parker. Soon, the town discovered the incomprehensible reality that Tulloch and Parker, two of Chelsea's brightest and most popular sons, were now fugitives, wanted for the murders of Half and Susanne Zantop.

Authors Mitchell Zuckoff and Dick Lehr provide a vivid explication of a murder that captivated the nation, as well as dramatic revelations about the forces that turned two popular teenagers into killers. Judgement Ridge conveys a deep appreciation for the lives (and the devastating loss) of Half and Susanne Zantop, while also providing a clear portrait of the killers, their families, and their community--and, perhaps, a warning to any parent about what evil may lurk in the hearts of boys.

From the Back Cover

A riveting investigation of the brutal murders of two Dartmouth professors -- a book that, like In Cold Blood, reveals the chilling reality behind a murder that captivated the nation.

On a cold night in January 2001, the idyllic community of Dartmouth College was shattered by the discovery that two of its most beloved professors had been hacked to death in their own home. Investigators searched helplessly for clues linking the victims, Half and Susanne Zantop, to their murderer or murderers. A few weeks later, across the river, in the town of Chelsea, Vermont, police cars were spotted in front of the house of high school senior Robert Tulloch. The police had come to question Tulloch and his best friend, Jim Parker. Soon, the town discovered the incomprehensible reality that Tulloch and Parker, two of Chelsea's brightest and most popular sons, were now fugitives, wanted for the murders of Half and Susanne Zantop.

Authors Mitchell Zuckoff and Dick Lehr provide a vivid explication of a murder that captivated the nation, as well as dramatic revelations about the forces that turned two popular teenagers into killers. Judgement Ridge conveys a deep appreciation for the lives (and the devastating loss) of Half and Susanne Zantop, while also providing a clear portrait of the killers, their families, and their community -and, perhaps, a warning to any parent about what evil may lurk in the hearts of boys.

Review Quotes

"Judgment Ridge is a tragic and fascinating story of two boys and their profoundly disturbing friendship. If you wonder how "bored" boys can become violent boys, if you worry about the vacuum in which American boys are being raised today, you will find this beautifully written book a compelling read." - Michael Thompson, co-author of RAISING CAIN: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys

"I was spellbound by this brilliantly reported and intricately plotted account of the Dartmouth murders. The collision of good and evil in a small New England town is scary and heartbreaking." - Dominick Dunne

"A chilling and revealing look at a crime that fueled concerns about adolescents and violence in a post-Columbine environment." - Booklist

"A harrowing account...[that] reveals two of the more chilling characters in recent nonfiction." - Washington Post Book World

"A tour de force of reporting...a gripping narrative." - Worcester Telegram and Gazette

"A sensational news story....irresistably absorbing." - Publishers Weekly

"A sorrowful tale of teenagers drawn to murder, artfully structured....the crime seems at once unspeakable and inescapable." - Kirkus Reviews

"A chilling story of toxic friendship and psychopathic amorality." - Library Journal

"Similar to ... In Cold Blood ... a nuanced portrait of a serial killer as a young man." - Maxim

"Spellbinding ... [reveals] the story behind the headlines....Multifaceted and richly believable." - Denver Post

"One of the best books of the year." - Boston Globe

"In the tradition of Compulsion, In Cold Blood and The Executioner's Song, Judgment Ridge has the tragic inevitability of a great novel...I cannot remember when I read a book that was at once so compelling and so harrowing." - Madeleine Blais, author of In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle

"A masterpiece of investigative reporting that provides sophisticated, bone-chilling insights into the "Dartmouth Murders" and the inner workings of the minds of two seemingly 'normal' teenage boys." - William S. Pollack, author of Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood

"Irresistible...It pulls you in." - Hartford Courant

"Join[s] Truman Capote's classic, In Cold Blood, as one of the standards in crime writing." - Boston Globe

"Zuckoff and Lehr...examine in fascinating detail the ordinariness of the boys' grudges--typical high school controversies about the student council and the debate team--and how, in Tulloch's mind, the idea of random killing became an obsession." - The New Yorker

"A suspenseful and chilling story." - Ft. Pierce (FL) Tribune