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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I have pondered on this specific case for a long time, and how dissatisfied I was by the investigation and acceptance of suicide by those involved, therefore my interest in this book was not debatable.
This book was not a disappointment, and provided new context I had not found through shows on this case. It’s laid out well, and easily digestible even for readers not user to true crime and analytical writing. It can do with increased editing, to not interrupt the fluidity of the writing.
Overall, this is the first book I’ve read about the case. I wasn’t too satisfied, but I think that’s reflective of the case itself and not the book. I would suggest this to anyone interested in true crime.
This book was not a disappointment, and provided new context I had not found through shows on this case. It’s laid out well, and easily digestible even for readers not user to true crime and analytical writing. It can do with increased editing, to not interrupt the fluidity of the writing.
Overall, this is the first book I’ve read about the case. I wasn’t too satisfied, but I think that’s reflective of the case itself and not the book. I would suggest this to anyone interested in true crime.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
I find it difficult to give a "rating" to a book about real-life events that involve the death(s) of human beings. So I won't. I will say that while Rebecca definitely had some issues, I DO NOT think Rebecca committed suicide. Her injuries don't line up with a hanging. She was murdered, but by who? The case is still unsolved, and I hope the truth is uncovered, but I don't think I have enough information to make a definitive accusation of guilt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
medium-paced
So many details are just wrong. Coronado doesn't have a trauma center and is not in fact an island.
Horribly written! Wowza- who edited this? After page 10 I knew this was a no go for me - written as if extracted vet baton from reports - weirdly inconsistent and/or unexplained relationships - sentences don’t tie to each other - a real mess
What happened to Rebecca Zahau in July 2011? How did she end up dead, bound, gagged, and hanging naked from the balcony of the Spreckels Mansion in San Diego and why? In Death on Ocean Boulevard (DoOB), Caitlin Rother takes us through the events from the sad tragedy of 6YO Max Shacknai (which preceded Rebecca’s murder by 2 days) right up to the Zahau family’s continued fight for justice and answers in their daughter’s death.
The investigation was a mess literally from day one, and until a new sheriff is elected, there’s no chance it will be reopened. Rother’s book shines light on several details that were not revealed in the media but overall there’s not much new here. Only the Zahau family is willing to discuss the elephant in the room: if a young Asian woman in a relationship with a rich white man, old enough to be her father, ends up dead, how much attention is the case going to get and to whose advantage?
The media certainly paid attention: that aspect of it was a full-on circus. I’m not saying Jonah Shacknai killed Rebecca. But there were many procedural errors in the handling of evidence, all to the benefit of Rebecca’s killer. One thing is certain: there is plenty of suffering and sadness to go around in this case, from the Shacknai family who lost their young son Max to the Zahaus who are just as stricken over what happened to their daughter.
For comprehension and clarity, every true crime book needs a Chronology of events, a list of characters and titles, an Index, and perhaps Notes to expand on facts presented in the book. These items are missing from DoOB and I’m subtracting 1-1/2 stars for that. No doubt the publisher wanted to release the book in time to mark the 10-year anniversary or didn’t want to pay for these things, but it’s a disservice to the reader. There were multiple court cases, various players with the same surnames, and a lot of back and forth in this story. Readers need all the help we can get to follow along.
As someone who remembers when this was in the news, I want to see the case solved and justice served for Rebecca Zahau and her family. Any time I hear something or see something that reminds me of this case, I think "there is NO WAY that girl killed herself. No way." I don't know who did do it, but she did not do this to herself.
3.5 stars.
The investigation was a mess literally from day one, and until a new sheriff is elected, there’s no chance it will be reopened. Rother’s book shines light on several details that were not revealed in the media but overall there’s not much new here. Only the Zahau family is willing to discuss the elephant in the room: if a young Asian woman in a relationship with a rich white man, old enough to be her father, ends up dead, how much attention is the case going to get and to whose advantage?
The media certainly paid attention: that aspect of it was a full-on circus. I’m not saying Jonah Shacknai killed Rebecca. But there were many procedural errors in the handling of evidence, all to the benefit of Rebecca’s killer. One thing is certain: there is plenty of suffering and sadness to go around in this case, from the Shacknai family who lost their young son Max to the Zahaus who are just as stricken over what happened to their daughter.
For comprehension and clarity, every true crime book needs a Chronology of events, a list of characters and titles, an Index, and perhaps Notes to expand on facts presented in the book. These items are missing from DoOB and I’m subtracting 1-1/2 stars for that. No doubt the publisher wanted to release the book in time to mark the 10-year anniversary or didn’t want to pay for these things, but it’s a disservice to the reader. There were multiple court cases, various players with the same surnames, and a lot of back and forth in this story. Readers need all the help we can get to follow along.
As someone who remembers when this was in the news, I want to see the case solved and justice served for Rebecca Zahau and her family. Any time I hear something or see something that reminds me of this case, I think "there is NO WAY that girl killed herself. No way." I don't know who did do it, but she did not do this to herself.
3.5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC they so kindly provided me ♥️
I really enjoyed the authors writing style. You could feel that they spent a lot of time putting this book together. Nothing makes for better True Crime than having an author who is passionate about their work. I’m very interested in reading more of Rother’s books very soon.
If I had any complaints, they would be that the story felt kind of disorganized at times. I often found myself searching backwards to figure out who was talking. I also found the formatting to be a little off-putting. Hopefully, these are both things that will be fixed in the finished copy. (Which I’ll definitely be adding to my collection 🥰)
I think it’s crazy how unreliable a lot of attorneys and family members were. It seems like they’re all just desperate to be relevant. Not like anyone actually cared about finding the truth. Even at the end of everything , I’m still not 100% convinced of who did it 🤣
I found Rother’s compilation of the facts to be very well informed and well put together. I would recommend this book to true crime fans, especially those who don’t know much about this particular case. Happy reading!
I really enjoyed the authors writing style. You could feel that they spent a lot of time putting this book together. Nothing makes for better True Crime than having an author who is passionate about their work. I’m very interested in reading more of Rother’s books very soon.
If I had any complaints, they would be that the story felt kind of disorganized at times. I often found myself searching backwards to figure out who was talking. I also found the formatting to be a little off-putting. Hopefully, these are both things that will be fixed in the finished copy. (Which I’ll definitely be adding to my collection 🥰)
I think it’s crazy how unreliable a lot of attorneys and family members were. It seems like they’re all just desperate to be relevant. Not like anyone actually cared about finding the truth. Even at the end of everything , I’m still not 100% convinced of who did it 🤣
I found Rother’s compilation of the facts to be very well informed and well put together. I would recommend this book to true crime fans, especially those who don’t know much about this particular case. Happy reading!
I’m so mad. This book was fine-ish but than 75% of the way in, it was like a switch flipped. The author was just making awful statements. Blech