Customer Reviews

Who Will Speak For JonBenet? A New Investigator Reads Between the Lines

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This astonishing new method of criminal profiling will hook you from the first page. I was skeptical at first because Dr. Hodges dwelled a little to long on criticising the authorities for not giving him kudos and a medal for his work. But hang in there, it gets better--much better. The incisive analysis of the Ransom Note, word by word, paragraph by paragraph, is the most thorough and insightful delineation I've ever read. The good Doctor also analyses in depth 3 drawings made by brother Burke. I was impressed too with the compassion shown in the open letter to John and Patsy--if they dare to read it, they just might be persuaded. All in all, a brilliant work that may actually result in the solution of a heartbreaking case.

By necessity, Dr. Hodges repeats much of the rivetting research he first revealed in his first book on the Ramsey murder, A MOTHER GONE BAD, but here he and his learned colleagues go much further. Not only do they explore the hidden messages from the child killer(s) contained in the rambling "ransom note" found at the scene, they also expertly analyze subsequent statements by the Ramsey parents--all of which point to their sadly shared guilt. After making an amazingly strong case against the Ramseys, damning them with their own words no less, Dr. Hodges then takes aim at both the media and the would-be prosecutors, for their inability and/or unwillingness to accept this convincing psycholinguistic analysis as evidence suitable for a court of law. According to recent news reports (mid-July 2000) the parents--John and Patsy Ramsey--soon will schedule another of their rare meetings with Boulder Police in an effort to solve the Dec. 25, 1996 strangulation slaying of their six-year-old beauty queen daughter. Such a sitdown should be as good a time as any for the authorities to confont these prime suspects with the subliminal messages which Hodges and others have unearthed, including multiple references to Patsy's struggle with cancer and John's financial and professional guilt-trips. Dr. Hodges maintains that all human beings possess a "Deeper Intelligence" which comes to the fore regardless of efforts to suppress it. In this manner, he maintains that Patsy especially, as the author of the alleged ransom note, "brilliantly" tells the entire story of that awful Christmas night in Colorado four years ago. Anyone who still thinks the Ramseys are innocent owes it to themselves, to JonBenet, and to the very concepts of Truth and Justice, to hear Hodges out. As the good doctor himself advises the Ramseys in an "open letter" in this new book, "The Truth will set you free."

Hodges' latest book about the murder of JonBenet Ramsey is impressive to say the least. His analysis of the killers' communications is meticulous and thought-provoking. His ability to solve crimes by reading a subject's deeper intelligence is fascinating and will, hopefully, become common crime-solving practice.

I look forward to reading more from Dr. Hodges.

Dr. Hodges has struck a raw nerve with this book. People with a dread of the unconscious will call it pure hogwash. People somewhat more comfortable with the language of the unconscious mind, and how it revealed itself in the evidence cited, will be most intrigued.

The reader must bear in mind that the deeper aspects of our information processing are outside of conscious awareness, but very powerfully, through symbolization and disguise, make their perceptions known.

This book has two messages. One, who killed Jon Benet. Two, how much people dread unconscious meaning.

If you pick it up, you will either be riveted or exasperated.

An absolute Must Read for anyone seeking the humbling shelter of insight into this heartwrenching story. Dr. Hodges' uses an investagative technique known as Profile Decdoding; a method uncovering a deeper (hidden), highly communicative intelligence at work within our human psyche.

Throughout the pages of this book I was fasinated with how this unaware-of-itself Intellect functions as an intimate 'self-operative'. It represents hidden intelligence at work in our psyche through using ingeniously designed coded messages.

Dr. Hodges is to be praised and congratulated for breaking through barriers of obsolete cultural mindsets controlling all aspects of this murder. Mindsets that were instrumental in hiding the political, social and religious deceptions that governed this case, and thus, fully contributed to a shockingly weakened and neglected investigation.

He dares to interpret latent thought-patterns he found throughout the ransom note. Dr. Hodges brilliantly translates this lengthy ransom letter in terms anyone can understand, and in doing so exposes the heart, soul and deeper motivations of John and Patsy Ramsey.

This book thoroughly explains more than just the who, when, why, and how of this tragic murder and coverup. A MUST READ!

This astonishing new method of criminal profiling will hook you from the first page. I was skeptical at first because Dr. Hodges dwelled a little to long on criticising the authorities for not giving him kudos and a medal for his work. But hang in there, it gets better--much better. The incisive analysis of the Ransom Note, word by word, paragraph by paragraph, is the most thorough and insightful delineation I've ever read. The good Doctor also analyses in depth 3 drawings made by brother Burke. I was impressed too with the compassion shown in the open letter to John and Patsy--if they dare to read it, they just might be persuaded. All in all, a brilliant work that may actually result in the solution of a heartbreaking case.

In his second book about the Ramsey case, Hodges hits the mark. (As he did in the first.) But his psychoanalytical approach is most likely believable only to those who have a natural proclivity to view the human psyche in the manner he does.

Much of what he says will seem like a stretch; like reaching and even projecting. In the end, though, he nails the truth: Things are indeed as he says they are. The Ramsey case is as he indicates. It's just that we live in a world where the left brain dominates, and the higher, subliminal messages of the right brain are dismissed or missed altogether.

As a psychiatrist who also practices defense law, I read books such as this to add any information which will be helpful to my clients. Dr. Hodges is undoubtedly fascinated with the use of psycholinguistics as a tool for attorneys to use in the presentation of a case. However, this book, as it has been written, will prove most useful to attorneys as an on-going review of the writer's own subconscious communications.

He is angry at those who have failed to use his previous book: Mother Gone Bad (which this book essentially repeats) as well as himself as an in-court expert on this subject. The rage that he unconsciously displays is more of a valid educational tool for lawyers than is the overt message of the book which is most redundant of the previous one.

Psycholinguistics is gaining recognition by the legal profession. And it is obvious that this writer does understand what subconscious communication can do to help a case in trial. What he seems not to comprehend is that his own anger at not having been appreciated as he wished has spoken out when he obviously did not intend for it to do so. Most unfortunate is the fact that his attacks on those who are prosecutors, police, investigators, even television commentators, has made him as a witness in this particular case, fairly useless.

His bias has tainted what would have been an excellent presentation of a topic which should be made understandable to those who can use the information effectively. As this book is written, however, it would cause any practicing attorney to have great apprehension about using this particular writer as an expert. This is unfortunate because too few lawyers understand the use of psycholinguistics. It would have been far more helpful had the writer been able to maintain his own objectivity.

In the future, perhaps he will go on to present an objective study which this book fails to do. Then, perhaps he will become of value to the cause of justice. But failing to do that will prevent his usefullness or his future books from being considered as serious contributions to the field.

This book is basically a rehash of Mother Gone Bad by the same author. Here he expands on the groundwork previously laid in his first book and spicing things up a bit using "new" information especially such derived from the parents' book Death Of Innocence. As it is, I lost track of the author's line of reasoning, as he did not really substanciate how the "hidden meaning" emerges from what has been written.

It makes for an interesting read but if you want information on the case that is more believable and understandable I recommend that you read some of the other books written on this subject, especially Perfect Murder Perfect Town and Steven Thomas's JonBenet: Inside The Ramsey Murder Investigation.

As the never-ending drama of this murder drags on and on in the press, it seems to me a pity that such brilliant analysis as this book offers seems doomed to be ignored by the authorities. Dr. Hodges really appears to be on to something by his assessment of the ransom note's every word and sentence. Too bad the Boulder police seem determined to maintain that this case is unsolveable. Using Dr. Hodges' techniques, as outlined in this book, it would seem quite obvious that at least an indictment ought to be brought and a trial attempted. Regretfully, the authorities' attitude seems to be, "Don't confuse me w/ the facts--my mind is already made up."