Lou and JonBenét Audiobook By John Wesley Anderson cover art

Lou and JonBenét

A Legendary Lawman’s Quest to Solve a Child Beauty Queen’s Murder

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Lou and JonBenét

By: John Wesley Anderson
Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
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About this listen

On Christmas Night 1996, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. A ransom note was found, but it was hours before her father, John, found her body in the basement. She had been strangled with a garrote and her skull was fractured. The media sensationalized the tragic death of the "child beauty queen" and public speculation and rumors ran rampant. What followed was one of the most notorious unsolved murder investigations in American history.

Boulder police fixated on JonBenet's parents as suspects. Needing investigative help, the Boulder DA brought in legendary homicide detective Lou Smit. However, he was soon disenchanted with law enforcement's obsession with the Ramsey family as the primary suspects, excluding other possibilities. Smit resigned but continued to work on his own time, and at his own expense, determined to find justice for JonBenet. He determined the Ramsey family was not involved in her death but died in 2010 before he could identify the killer. Along with a handful of retired detectives, Smit's lifelong friend and colleague, John Anderson, and Smit's family continue to pursue justice based on his work. In Lou and JonBenet, Anderson tells the story of Smit's investigation and why the Smit family team now believes that the killer can be identified.

Contains mature themes.

©2023 John Wesley Anderson (P)2023 Tantor
Murder
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What listeners say about Lou and JonBenét

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Very Informative

The author seems very knowledgeable and passionate about this case. I hope one day the case is finally solved

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting

When this case first broke it has been one that has held my attention for years. This added another layer to understanding what happened.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lou's dedication to the victims and what an outstanding man he was.

This was very well written and narrated. Great overview of the JonBenet Ramsey case and Lou's dedication to the victims of crimes using his 30+ years of experience and knowledge to see beyond the short sightedness of the Boulder police department and his life long dedication to find justice for a child murder victim and her family.
Appreciate the author's insight and involvement in trying to get this case solved by the only means available: DNA evidence and dedication, passion and resolve to bring justice to JonBenet and the family and bring some closure and peace to them and right one of the most horrible cases of mis-justice in our country's history. Thank you! Let's all keep pushing to get this case solved!

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Must read

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved all the personal stories you shared. What an honor to your friend. I think with all the new developments in DNA science and with your determination along with the rest of your team this case can and will be solved. JonBenet, Lou, Patsy, Dave and many others will be cheering from heaven when that day comes!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Plodding book that reads more of a biography of Lou and the author, and overview of Lou's case

this book isn't a terrible book but it contains many long winded descriptions of the authors career that come off as somewhat braggadocios. there are a number of interesting details regarding Lou's career in the book, but most of the information would only appeal to those who are very interested in Lou's career rather than a reader looking for new and exciting information on the case.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Good but biased

If you are a fan of the JonBenet murder books, I recommend you add this one to your reading list. The author is highly credentialed. He is also a former colleague and close friend of the lead detective in the case, Lou Smit.
What I did not like about the book is that it is highly biased in favor of the intruder theory.
The author comes across with a kind of hero worship for Detective Smit, which is excessive and unnatural in my opinion.
Detective Smit was by all accounts, a great detective. However it’s worth noting that this case has been studied by experts with equal or arguably more training and expertise than detective Smit, who do NOT subscribe to the intruder theory that the author is presenting in this highly biased account.
The author’s biggest argument is the DNA - and it’s a strong argument, considering the DNA found under JonBenet‘s fingernails did not belong to a member of the household.
But DNA by itself is not the end of the story. DNA can be inconclusive and can even be a misleading “red herring” in some instances.
Objective readers will consider the mountain of circumstantial evidence which strongly points to the murderer as someone in the family.
No matter how a clever defense attorney attempts to spin or explain the parent’s behavior immediately after the death and discovery of the child, it’s undeniable and shocking that these parents went to such extreme lengths to prevent the police and the FBI from getting to the bottom of what occurred in this case.
For example, the attorneys for the parents refused the FBI’s request to polygraph them. The author then goes on to emphasize repeatedly that the parents both passed polygraphs that were administered by a “private” polygraph expert.
He also emphasizes that a handwriting expert stated that Patsy Ramsey was not the author of the ransom note. He makes no mention of the fact that MANY highly credentialed hand-writing analysts and linguistic experts found opposite conclusions.
Finally, I believe he wrongly concludes that an intruder brought a Taser with him and used it on the victim. Numerous Taser experts disagreed with Smit. The theory that an intruder would use a Taser on a victim, apparently to silence or render them unconscious is highly doubtful, even far-fetched. A taser is not a knock-out tool or a tranquilizer. If you’ve ever been hit by a taser, you would know that is very painful. Many, if not most recipients are going to scream bloody murder after being hit.
Besides, it would be much more effective simply to silence a six year old by putting one’s hand over their mouth or inserting something in it, temporarily in order to silence them. After activating a taser, the intruder would have no idea what the victim’s reaction would be. He would risk alerting everyone in the household!
That said, in my opinion, the book is worth listening to because it presents the theory of Lou Smit, and based on his experience alone, it’s worthy of consideration.
I note that a grand jury also listened to Detective Smit’s presentation of his case for 2 hours. In the end, the jurors still were persuaded to indict the parents.
If there is anyone, including the author, who contradicts what I’ve said, I would invite them to offer their counter-arguments. Likewise, if anyone agrees or corroborates my observations, I’d like to hear their thoughts as well.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Wish I’d known Lou…

As in any law enforcement writing, a lot of ego-driven platitudes exists. Unfortunately because our LE community always seems to have to let everyone know that “they’re not just stupid cops”. That’s sad because, as this story proves, one does not need degrees to figure things out.
It doesn’t matter who ones believes killed Jon Benet Ramsey. What matters is that we find who did. This book reminds us of that fact and reminds us of how out-of-control, ego driven government officials (i.e., Boulder Colorado Police, DAs office, etc.,) can and do get in the way of justice. Almost 30 years has gone by and the technology exists to solve this crime…shame and damnation on those who stand in the way…

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The EVIDENCE!!!

There is so much the general public was/is not aware of about this case. JWA does an amazing job breaking down LS’s evidentiary points. I wish the BPD would make an effort to conduct an unbiased cold case investigation.
Call in the CBI if needed- this case is solvable. It’s about time some one/some law enforcement agency in Boulder listen, with open ears and not closed minds.

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Not really about the case

more than half the book is a biography of lou. Not much on the boulder case. there is some what was there was interesting

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50% into an eight hour book

Nothing so far about the JonBenet case…lots about other crimes, the author’s career, what a great guy Lou Smit is, but absolutely Nothing about the case advertised. Perhaps something will be said about it but I have list my patience. I want a refund.

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