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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
“Death on Ocean Boulevard, Inside the Coronado Mansion Case” is the “real-life” saga of the unique circumstances surrounding the hanging death of Rebecca Zahau in Coronado California. There were actually two tragedies in 2011 in the Spreckels Mansion, one a few days prior to the sensational death of Rebecca. How could these two unimaginable events happen? Were they independent events or were they sequentially causal with some unthinkable connection. Author Caitlin Rother knew from the start that this case would be of interest to the public, so Rother conducted extensive research and tracked the case in detail as it unfolded. The case made headlines across the nation and created enormous media frenzy. More than half a dozen news outlets and documentaries featured this controversial and hotly debated mystery. There were five possibilities in Rebecca’s death; it was not natural or accidental, and no one wanted to say “‘undetermined.” That left homicide or suicide, and everyone wanted to be very sure which one it was.
Right from the start, circumstantial evidence, unreliable statements, and overlooked details clouded the already murky waters of Rebecca’s case. Someone was dishonest, or perhaps everyone was. There were a lot of people involved, so Rother systematically introduces them to readers and provides detailed information on their backgrounds and relationships to others; readers get to know them well. Most are not consistent in their recollections of these tragic events, and many have secrets to protect.
“Death on Ocean Boulevard” is a comprehensive look at a disturbing and complicated series of events. This is not a mystery-thriller book that can be quickly wrapped up on the last page. The case itself lingered over multiple years, cost millions in legal fees, racked up uncountable hours of law enforcement time, and caused unimaginable grief for those left behind.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Thank you Goodreads and Citadel Press for the digital copy I won!
The deaths of Max Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau will probably forever be a mystery, but Rother shed more light on the case. What I most appreciated about the writing of this book was just how unbiased it is. That's not an easy feat. Her incredible journalistic qualities just shine through and make you see things from every perspective and let you decide what you think. No verdicts, no opinions, no biases, just facts and information gained. Exactly what I want!
If you're a true crime buff, I highly recommend this one. There are no answers, but it does have information that I hadn't been previously aware of. Rothers personal experience of someone close to her committing suicide gives her some intersting insight there as well. This is an extremely sad case regardless.
The deaths of Max Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau will probably forever be a mystery, but Rother shed more light on the case. What I most appreciated about the writing of this book was just how unbiased it is. That's not an easy feat. Her incredible journalistic qualities just shine through and make you see things from every perspective and let you decide what you think. No verdicts, no opinions, no biases, just facts and information gained. Exactly what I want!
If you're a true crime buff, I highly recommend this one. There are no answers, but it does have information that I hadn't been previously aware of. Rothers personal experience of someone close to her committing suicide gives her some intersting insight there as well. This is an extremely sad case regardless.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
Like practically every millennial woman, I love True Crime. Whenever I’m out for a walk on the trails near our neighborhood, the sun shining through the trees, quiet, no one else around, I stop and think - “Am I gonna get Datelined right now?” And yes, I use Dateline as a verb.
Ann Rule, Michelle McNamara, James Renner, a slew of others. I will read, listen, and watch ALL of the things that have to do with True Crime. I read Helter Skelter in middle school. The Black Dahlia, Son of Sam, The Golden State Killer, Ted Bundy, the Yogurt Shop Murders in Austin, TX, which literally still boggles my mind to this day.
I don’t dabble too much into recent crime stories, besides the big ones like Laci Peterson or Chris Watts, the not-so-perfect father, so I didn’t really know much about the Rebecca Zahau case. I buddy read this one with @pazthebookaholic who has seen the Dateline episode of this case, and who told me that some information she thinks she definitely remembers from the episode, so if you have watched it, a lot of this book will seem a bit repetitive.
This book is absolutely dense with information. Rother does an amazing job of researching and interviewing key witnesses nine years after the fact of Rebecca being found dead in the Coronado Mansion.
My issue with the book was, all of this information was written in a way that I could not engage with. It felt clinical and dry. I wasn’t spooked, I didn’t feel creeped out, or like someone was watching me through my windows. I didn’t feel anything. This was just the facts.
Usually, when reading True Crime the author gives us something, some personal connection that ties it all together. At one point, Rother does try to connect with Rebecca’s case by offering a personal story, but it comes in the last quarter of the book, and mostly mentioned in passing and I just thought, damn, that was a missed opportunity.
It’s a highly informative book, especially if you have zero knowledge of this truly bizarre case. Unfortunately, it was just missing a little extra spark of something for me.
Thank you @netgalley & @kensingtonbooks for the eARC. This is out April 27th.
Ann Rule, Michelle McNamara, James Renner, a slew of others. I will read, listen, and watch ALL of the things that have to do with True Crime. I read Helter Skelter in middle school. The Black Dahlia, Son of Sam, The Golden State Killer, Ted Bundy, the Yogurt Shop Murders in Austin, TX, which literally still boggles my mind to this day.
I don’t dabble too much into recent crime stories, besides the big ones like Laci Peterson or Chris Watts, the not-so-perfect father, so I didn’t really know much about the Rebecca Zahau case. I buddy read this one with @pazthebookaholic who has seen the Dateline episode of this case, and who told me that some information she thinks she definitely remembers from the episode, so if you have watched it, a lot of this book will seem a bit repetitive.
This book is absolutely dense with information. Rother does an amazing job of researching and interviewing key witnesses nine years after the fact of Rebecca being found dead in the Coronado Mansion.
My issue with the book was, all of this information was written in a way that I could not engage with. It felt clinical and dry. I wasn’t spooked, I didn’t feel creeped out, or like someone was watching me through my windows. I didn’t feel anything. This was just the facts.
Usually, when reading True Crime the author gives us something, some personal connection that ties it all together. At one point, Rother does try to connect with Rebecca’s case by offering a personal story, but it comes in the last quarter of the book, and mostly mentioned in passing and I just thought, damn, that was a missed opportunity.
It’s a highly informative book, especially if you have zero knowledge of this truly bizarre case. Unfortunately, it was just missing a little extra spark of something for me.
Thank you @netgalley & @kensingtonbooks for the eARC. This is out April 27th.