Death of a Little Princess : The Tragic Story of the Murder of JonBenet Ramsey [Mass Market Paperback]

Carlton Smith (Author)

Book Description

Series: St. Martin's True Crime Library | Publication Date: September 15, 1997

A Fairy Tale Beginning

Six-year-old beauty JonBenet Ramsey was a dream child--smart, talented and blessed. Her mother, a former Miss America contestant, had entered her in every child beauty pageant possible. Wearing lipstick, heavy makeup, and provocative costumes that cost thousands of dollars, with her hair bleached and teased, JonBenet flirtatiously paraded down runways, exuding a sophistication beyond her years.

A Nightmare Ending

But that dazzling future of crows and titles was brutally cut short the day after Christmas when her mother discovered a random note on the stairs of their luxurious Boulder, Colorado home. Hours later JonBenet's distraught father, millionaire businessman John Ramsey, found his beloved daughter's lifeless body, gagged and strangled in a windowless room in the basement of their million-dollar mansion.

An Unspeakable Crime

As detectives worked to uncover what happened Christmas night in the darkened mansion, the nation grieved for the innocent little girl whose life was cruelly snuffed out.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When Carlton Smith completed this book in May 1997, the mysterious beating/strangulation murder of 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey had not been solved, which placed, of course, an inherent limitation on what could be said about the case. Nonetheless, Death of a Little Princess is a well-written and readable summary, including a succinct portrait of the Ramsey family and computer business; the key events in the investigation; profiles of Boulder, Colorado, Police Chief Tom Koby and District Attorney Alex Hunter; a chronological account of the media reaction to the murder itself and to the topic of child beauty pageants; and details on the developing feud between the Ramsey "dream team" and the separate groups of the police department and the district attorney's office. Even those who've been following the case closely will be interested in the results of ex-FBI criminal profiler Robert Ressler's consultation on the case, reported in an interview with the author.

About the Author

New York Times bestselling true-crime writer Carlton Smith delves deep into the shadowy events surrounding the mysterious murder and uncovers fascinating details of the high-level investigation to bring her killer to justice.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 291 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312964331
• ISBN-13: 978-0312964337
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #965,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A shoddy and hasty effort, June 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Death of a Little Princess : The Tragic Story of the Murder of JonBenet Ramsey (Mass Market Paperback)

Carlton Smith and St. Martin's Press had this book printed and ready less than nine months after the death of JonBenét Ramsey, the six-year-old beauty pageant contestant who was found dead inside her parents' Boulder, Colorado, home on the morning after Christmas, 1996. It should therefore come as little surprise, then, that the book is of truly abysmal quality. From the second page, Smith makes it very clear that Patsy Ramsey, the child's mother, is entirely innocent of the crimes--despite the fact that the police seem to consider her a suspect. Yet nowhere in the book does Smith do anything to support his repeated claims that she is innocent. Smith also makes it clear that John Ramsey, JonBenét's father, is innocent and offers no evidence for this claim, either.

What is probably to be expected from such a hastily published book is the utter lack of information that is contained. Though Smith does provide some background on the various people in the drama, the majority of the book seems to be devoted to repeating newspaper accounts and press conferences. Smith does offer editorial comments along the way, condemning feminists, for example, or the media (of which he fails to realize he is a member). But Smith's insight is at times egregiously misguided as, for example, when he states that the "murder" of a six-year-old child would not have generated such nationwide interest a generation ago (p. 167). Apparently, Smith is unaware of the Lindbergh kidnaping, to cite but a single example of a well-publicized murder case involving a child.

Finally, "Death of a Little Princess" is factually wrong in spots. Smith states as fact, for example, that the "ransom note" demanded the ransom to be paid entirely in $100 bills. The truth (as anyone who has seen a photo of the note can say) is different. While this fact may not be of the greatest significance, it is indicative of the shoddy product that this book is, the result of a race to publish, a sacrifice of accuracy! for time.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Easy read; little content, January 17, 1999

By 

Pat Brown "Criminal Profiler" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Little Princess : The Tragic Story of the Murder of JonBenet Ramsey (Mass Market Paperback)

Smith rather whipped this book out without much research on the matter. There is a good interview with Robert Ressler, however, that is quite useful. His take on the homicide is fairly reasonable and his thinking-out-loud style can acquaint readers with some of the methods of crime scene reconstruction. Pat Brown, Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange of Washington DC and Vicinity

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars waste of time, January 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Death of a Little Princess : The Tragic Story of the Murder of JonBenet Ramsey (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is more about the press and the police than it is about JonBenet Ramsey