Death on Ocean Boulevard

Inside the Coronado Mansion Case

By: Caitlin Rother

Narrated by: Rachel Perry

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 or a 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. 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.

©2021 Caitlin Rother (P)2021 Tantor

Where do I begin?

There were so many reasons I disliked this book but to name a few:
The narrator sounded like she was reading a children's book. She was way too happy for such grim reading.
The story was disjointed and just plain boring. I'm an avid true crime reader but this book was just awful.
Will be returning.

Death On Ocean Boulevard

I was very interested in this book because, as a San Diego resident, have been hearing about this case from day one and was glad this book came out and provides the explanations of the procedural aspects of CSIs and other investigators, and I believe is well researched. I hope this story helps bring out the reality of this terrible incident.

Spreckels Mansion

Interesting as my Granddaughter & I had stayed there in early 2000 while visiting del Coronado hotel…they had no room available so they sent us to the Mansion across

Awful narration

Narrator is terrible but such a good story once you get over the narration fault

intriguing story

The story was very informative & kept you on your toes throughout. very disturbing that the killer was never discovered or if it was truly suicide.

Here there be monsters.

The most generous reading of this book is as a cautionary tale to other armchair detectives (however self-aggrandized into "journalists" who can't seem to find their way to a legitimate press pass over a course of years). If you go into this sort of thing with a preconceived personal identification with a deceased person you never knew in life and didn't possess the resources to get to know after their death, your objectivity plummets to nil, followed swiftly, sharply, and fatally by your credibility. You end up doing desperate, silly things like citing Dr Phil's tv show and Websleuths forum comments as though they are valid sources. You cite your Google search results page as conclusive research into the lack of prevalence of actual research by actual academics. You confuse name-dropping with legitimacy. And boy, do you hawk your other *cough* work products, for sale at any disreputable bookseller. You flail around like a drowning person in the wake of a prosecutorial (misconduct) showboat, grabbing at the ankles of anyone you've seen on tv to save you. You embrace misogyny and cultural stereotypes like old friends when they suit your purpose. You fail. Quite badly.

Don't go down this road, kids.

Excellent book.

Very detailed story. Easy to read & understand. Reader was excellent. A really good book.