“[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 Jon Benet 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
About the author
New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co‑authored 15 books. She worked as an investigative reporter at daily newspapers for 19 years before deciding to write books full- time‑. Her work has been published in Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union Tribune‑, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Daily Beast. As a TV and radio crime commentator, she has appeared on more than 250 shows, many of which air internationally, including 20/20, People Magazine Investigates, Crime Watch Daily, Australia’s World News, Nancy Grace, and Snapped, as well as Netflix, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, HLN, Reelz, Oxygen, E!, and A&E. Rother also works as a writing-research coach and consultant, enjoys ocean swimming, and plays keyboards and sings in a band. Please visit her website at caitlinrother.com.
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