Customer Reviews

Dead Center: The Shocking True Story of a Murder on Snipe Mountain

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My husband and I both enjoyed reading this book. Having been to the Uncompahgre Plateau several times, and having lived and worked in the same area that the main characters in the book lived and worked, it brought the entire story to life for us. We remember when it happened, although we knew none of the characters in the book. It is very well written, easy to follow, and although detailed about firearms, Mr. Daniels wrote an easy book to read. I highly recommend the book.

This book gave me insight to the details of a killer's mind. Janice is someone who could walk amongst us on any given day yet her greed made her take that extra step into evil that most of us are able to resist. The description of the gathering of evidence and of putting a case together so that Janice would not get away with this murder is presented in an organized and exciting way. I highly recommend this book to everyone from those unfamiliar with the investigation and court system to the trial lawyers.

There have been stories like this before, but they are very rare, and incredible when told. It is the tale of a black widow murderess who kills her husband for financial gain. Often stories of this ilk rise to national consciousness because it's so astonishing when a woman kills in such a cold-blooded manner. Usually the MO is poison, but not so for Janice Dodson the central character in this murder. She shot her husband on Snipe Mountain in the Colorado wilderness with a high powered hunting rifle, dead center in the chest.

What makes this story so intriguing is the perspective from which it is told. The author is the prosecutor of this case, and he recounts in great detail the complete investigation and subsequent trial. The reader gets a sense of the incredible amount of work and dedication it took from law enforcement and the DA's office to bring this case to trial. That it even came to trial is remarkable, and a true testament to the dogged determination shown by the author and others over a five year period.

All in all, a fascinating narrative of an incredible story and a great read.

Dead Center is a well paced and descriptively vivid and evocative tale of murder on the high plateau. The reader is drawn into the ambiguities of a capital case. Of particular fascination is the ability of the prosecution on behalf of the People to win a first degree murder conviction without a murder weapon and also without specifying whether or not the defendant acted as the principal (pulled the trigger) or as a complicitor. The Colorado Court of Appeals has affirmed the verdict in a case that was extremely difficult to prove.

This book is a great read. You really get the feeling of the hard work and long hours put into investigations, even if arrests are sometimes a bit slow in coming (at least in the minds of us outsiders). I definitely recommend Dead Center.

I think Hollywood should consider making a movie based on this book. Fascinating.