Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother - Available

Death on Ocean Boulevard

Inside the Coronado Mansion Case

by Caitlin Rother
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Read a sample Read a sample
1 of 1 copy available

"[This] is one of the great crime mysteries of modern times. It took an author of Caitlin Rother's caliber to bring it into sharp focus. A riveting read." —Gregg Olsen, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"I got a girl, hung herself in the guest house."
The call came on the morning of July 13, 2011, from the historic Spreckels Mansion, a lavish beachfront property in Coronado, California, owned by pharmaceutical tycoon and multimillionaire Jonah Shacknai. When authorities arrived, they found the naked body of Jonah's girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau, gagged, her ankles tied and her wrists bound behind her. Jonah's brother, Adam, claimed to have found Rebecca hanging by a rope from the second-floor balcony. On a bedroom door in black paint were the cryptic words:

SHE SAVED HIM CAN YOU SAVE HER.

Was this scrawled message a suicide note or a killer's taunt? Rebecca's death came two days after Jonah's six-year-old son, Max, took a devastating fall while in Rebecca's care. Authorities deemed Rebecca's death a suicide resulting from her guilt. But who would stage either a suicide ora murder in such a bizarre, elaborate way?

Award-winning investigative journalist Caitlin Rother weaves stunning new details into a personal yet objective examination of the sensational case. She explores its many layers—including the civil suit in which a jury found Adam Shacknai responsible for Rebecca's death, and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department bombshell decision to reconfirm its original findings. As compelling as it is troubling, this controversial real-life mystery is a classic American tragedy that evokes the same haunting fascination as the JonBenet Ramsey and O.J. Simpson cases.
"Rother's meticulous journalism shines through in this authoritative account of the Rebecca Zahau death incident. If you think you know this case, think again. And read this book." —Katherine Ramsland, professor of forensic psychology and author of The Psychology of Death Investigations

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 27, 2021

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780806540900

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780806540900
      • File size: 2047 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Booklist

      May 1, 2021
      Dual tragedies took place in July 2011 at the Spreckels Mansion, one of the most historic locations in Coronado, California, a resort enclave on San Diego Bay. Over a two-day period, pharmaceutical industry titan Jonah Shacknai lost his six-year-old son, Max, in a tragic accident and his paramour, Rebecca Zahaus, in an apparent suicide. The two events appeared connected, but how and why? Was Max's death caused by negligence or a previously undiagnosed medical condition? Rebecca's death by hanging was so bizarrely staged, the absence of second-party involvement seemed improbable. As with any case in which wealth and notoriety are factors, the deaths aroused intense scrutiny and invited the involvement of a coterie of lawyers and media figures who challenged the official findings. While a civil case was adjudicated, criminal charges went unfiled and Rebecca's death remains a tantalizing mystery. Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative journalist Rother's vast research catalogs the numerous, extensive, and conflicting inquiries into both deaths, focusing on an intriguing cast of characters with competing motivations.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      May 14, 2021

      Rother (Lost Girls) chronicles the confusing, dramatic twists and turns in the 2011 death of Rebecca Zahau, who was found hanging from a balcony in her boyfriend's mansion in Coronado, CA. Circumstances surrounding the death were odd, Rother writes. Two days earlier, Max Shacknai, the six-year-old son of Zahau's boyfriend (Medicis Pharmaceutical CEO Jonah Shacknai), had fallen down a staircase, and several days later he died of his injuries. And though Zahau was found nude, bound and gagged, her death was ruled a suicide; her mother, Pari Zahau, eventually brought a successful wrongful death lawsuit against Jonah Shacknai's brother, Adam, who police had briefly investigated in Zahau's death. The Shacknai family had a variety of theories about Max and Zahau's deaths, including one posited by Jonah Shacknai that hitmen were trying to get to him, and that the crime was covered up. Readers will quickly understand why this case was featured on more than seven television documentaries. Other bizarre details include a sexual harassment suit against Jonah Shacknai by multiple former employees, a medium who conducted an energy reading on Rebecca Zahau's bed at the request of a curious private investigator, and threatening emails that Rother received from Adam Shacknai. Deftly weaving together all these plot points, Rother's narrative is well written and empathetic. VERDICT An absorbing chronicle of a bizarre story, this is the perfect addition for true crime sections.--Amelia Osterud, Milwaukee P.L.

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading