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A review by cedrics_mom
Death on Ocean Boulevard: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case by Caitlin Rother
3.0
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.