At Any Cost

A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice

By: Rebecca Rosenberg, Selim Algar

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

At Any Cost unravels the twisted story of Rod Covlin, whose unrepentant greed drove him to an unspeakable act of murder and betrayal that rocked New York City.

Wealthy, beautiful, and brilliant, Shele Danishefsky had fulfillment at her fingertips. Having conquered Wall Street, she was eager to build a family with her much younger husband, promising Ivy League graduate Rod Covlin. But when his hidden vices surfaced, marital harmony gave way to a merciless divorce. Rod had long depended on Shele's income to fund his tastes for high stakes backgammon and infidelity--and she finally vowed to sever him from her will. In late December 2009, Shele made an appointment with her lawyer to block him from her millions. She would never make it to that meeting.

Two days later, on New Year’s Eve, Shele was found dead in the bathtub of her Upper West Side apartment. Police ruled it an accident, and Shele’s deeply Orthodox Jewish family quickly buried her without an autopsy on religious grounds. Rod had a clear path to his ex-wife's fortune, but suspicions about her death lingered. As the two families warred over custody of Shele’s children—and their inheritance— Rod concocted a series of increasingly demented schemes, even plotting to kill his own parents, to secure the treasure. And as investigators closed in, Rod committed a final, desperate act to frame his own daughter for her mother’s death.

Journalists Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar reconstruct the ten years that passed between the day Shele was found dead and the day her killer faced justice in this riveting account of how one man’s irrepressible greed devolved into obsession, manipulation, and murder.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Couldn’t Stop Listening

One of the best true crime stories I’ve ever heard. Narrated perfectly. I highly recommend this book for any true crime fan.

Horrifying

I’m always amazed at our cruelty Rod was evil. I don’t think his daughter wrote the letter .

Good story, narration could use revamping.

The overall story, while heartbreaking, was good. Thorough. Narration wasn't my favorite but palpable. Something about the tone made her sound bored with the reading.

A Great Book...BUT

It was a great murder book, that shows you once again, money talks when it comes to Justice in this country.
A low life husband commits premeditated murder, and does away with his wife, who predicted her own demise.
The commentator was fair, and being kind with that rating.
Why an author just does not get several friends to play characters in the books they write, I will never know. This book gives you one commentator playing everyone's role, and I disdain that with authors at this level. The husband should be out within five years. Only in America.

Good listen

The story keeps you interested from beginning to end… this guy is a piece of work!