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“[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

Newly updated, the true story of a retired couple, a coldblooded killer, and the controversial aftermath: “A gripping read.” —Aphrodite Jones, host of True Crime for Investigation Discovery Network Tom and Jackie Hawks loved their life in retirement, sailing on their yacht, the Well Deserved. But when the birth of a new grandson called them back to Arizona, they put the boat up for sale. Skylar Deleon and his pregnant wife, Jennifer, showed up as prospective buyers, with their baby in a stroller, and the Hawkses thought they had a deal. Soon after, however, the older couple disappeared—and the Deleons promptly tried to access the Hawkses’s bank accounts. As police investigated, they not found not only a third homicide victim with ties to Skylar, but an unusual motive: Skylar had wanted gender reassignment surgery for years. By killing the Hawkses and plundering their assets, the Deleons planned to clear their $100,000 in debts and still have money for the already-scheduled surgery. Now, in this updated edition, which includes extensive new material, New York Times–bestselling author Caitlin Rother presents new developments in the case. Skylar, who was sentenced to death row for the three murders, transitioned via hormones while living in the San Quentin psych unit. Recently, she legally changed her name and gender, apparently a strategic step to obtain taxpayer-subsidized gender confirmation surgery and transfer to a women’s prison. Combined with Governor Gavin Newsom’s moratorium on executions, this only adds insult to injury for the victims’ families, who want Skylar to receive the ultimate punishment for her crimes. “Well researched and a quick, engrossing read, this should be popular with true crime readers, especially the Ann Rule crowd.” —Library Journal

Now updated with shocking details about the identity of Wayne Adam Ford’s first victim – revealed 25 years after her death – the brand new edition of a true crime classic from New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother delves into the disturbing mind and brutal crimes of the Humboldt County serial killer now on Death Row. “I hurt some people.” With these words, a tearful man hinted at a deadly crime, leading investigators to uncover a horrifying saga of abuse, tragedy, and serial murder . . . When Wayne Adam Ford walked into the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office in November 1998 with a woman's body part in his jacket pocket, the 36-year-old truck driver wasn’t a suspect in any crime. After a lengthy investigation spanning four California counties and a sensational trial, he was convicted of the torture and murder of four women. His first victim, whom he dismembered, would remain unidentified for 25 years. While serving honorably in the Marine Corps, Ford had learned life-saving techniques that gave him structure and purpose. But a severe head injury worsened pre-existing emotional problems, rendering him unable to suppress his dark sexual impulses. Knowing he would kill again, he enlisted his brother’s help to turn himself in. Award-winning investigative journalist Caitlin Rother drew on previously sealed testimony and interviewed key players in the case, including Ford's brother and father, to write this intimate and psychologically resonant narrative. Extensively updated with the inside details of how Ford’s first victim was recently identified through DNA testing and forensic genealogy, this classic true crime story continues to haunt us.

“Rother is the next Ann Rule.” —Gregg Olsen Chelsea King was a popular high school senior, an outstanding achiever determined to make a difference. Fourteen-year-old Amber Dubois loved books and poured her heart into the animals she cared for. Treasured by all who knew them, both girls disappeared in San Diego County, just eight miles and one year apart. The families’ anguish galvanized the community and captivated the media. A desperate search led authorities to John Albert Gardner, a brutal predator, convicted sex offender hiding in plain sight—and a complex man whose own mother, a psychiatric nursing professional, failed to see the signs of trouble. Ultimately, Gardner shared a prison unit with Charles Manson. In 2010, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Chelsea's Law: anyone convicted of certain sex offenses against a child in California would get life in prison without parole. Based on Pulitzer-nominated author Caitlin Rother’s exclusive access, Lost Girls is an incisive, heartbreaking true-life thriller that strikes at our deepest fears. “A a cautionary tale and a horror story, done superbly.” —Los Angeles Times “A terrifying portrait of a man who was sweet and cuddly one day and a crazed killer the next.” —San Diego Reader “Gripping . . . chilling . . . a must-read.” —Sue Russell “Boldly dissects how a boy with psychological problems formed into a man indifferent to his monstrous acts.” —Katherine Ramsland “Caitlin Rother stirs up the lethal stew of family dysfunction, mental illness, substance abuse and deadly psychopathology. . . . Frank and riveting.” —Diane Fanning Includes dramatic photos

A twisting, deeply engrossing investigation into the many lingering questions surrounding the sudden disappearance of the McStays, a family of four who vanished from their suburban San Diego home without a trace – until their skeletal remains were found in the Mojave Desert nearly four years later – from New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother. On February 15, 2010, Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and their two young sons were reported missing from their new home in San Diego County. They left eggs and fruit rotting on the counter. Their Dodge truck sat in the driveway. Their dogs were abandoned outside without food. But investigators found no blood, signs of a struggle, or clues to their whereabouts. Did the family take an unannounced vacation? Were they running away from personal problems? Or were they victims of foul play? Nearly four years later, a motorcyclist found the McStays’ remains in and around two shallow graves, one hundred miles away in the Mojave Desert. Their skulls showed signs of blunt-force trauma, likely due to the sledgehammer buried with them. Authorities focused on Charles "Chase" Merritt, a close friend and subcontractor for Joseph’s company. Despite a lack of physical evidence, scenarios that defied logic, and numerous unanswered questions, prosecutors convinced a jury of Merritt’s guilt. After an emotional sentencing hearing, the judge imposed the death penalty. But did another possible suspect, who was ignored by investigators and ducked a subpoena to testify, get away with murder? In this twisting, deeply researched true-crime mystery, New York Times bestselling investigative journalist Caitlin Rother hunts for answers to reveal the truth behind a heinous crime that became a nation’s obsession, with a controversial trial in its wake, and lingering questions of justice.

New York Times–bestselling author: A California cop plunges into the gritty secrets of a wealthy enclave in this psychologically complex crime thriller. Tired of working undercover narcotics, police detective Ken Goode wants a transfer to homicide. After the Camus-reading surfer finds the body of a beautiful woman in an alley, he is assigned to head a team of relief detectives with the hopes of proving he is homicide-worthy. As Goode explores the underbelly of the affluent coastal enclave of La Jolla, California, and its hipster neighbor, Pacific Beach, he clashes with the patrons and employees of a neighborhood bar: real estate agents and beauty school students who have possible ties to an escort service and a drug ring—and keep turning up dead. The untimely disappearance of Goode’s sister proves a worrisome distraction as he chases suspects and a dogged cub reporter chases him. This intricately layered crime thriller revolves around a cast of characters who use addictions to try to fill the empty spaces within themselves—whether their drug of choice is sex, alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes, or in Goode’s case, caffeine and damaged women. “Rother is a keen architect of the most important part of storytelling: character.” —Michael Connelly “A strong debut from a perceptive and unflinching writer.” —T. Jefferson Parker

Even the most avid true crime fans will be shocked by the story of Marcus Wesson of Fresno, California, the worst mass-murderer in the city’s history. But the horrors he inflicted upon his family are nothing compared to the strength of the survivors, and one brave reporter who risked everything to help them. Originally published as Where Hope Begins For decades, the family of Marcus Wesson—his wife, Elizabeth, and seventeen children—lived sequestered in a social and emotional prison, enduring his tyrannical reign of physical, sexual, and mental abuse. Then came the terrible day when a family confrontation erupted into a harrowing standoff: with police and SWAT teams descending on a small blue house in central Fresno, Marcus Wesson murdered nine of his children. Television reporter Alysia Sofios got the first tip about Wesson’s arrest and was witness to every twist and turn of the horrific case through to Wesson’s trial. Risking her job and her life to offer friendship and support to the traumatized family members—scarred by memories and guilt, reviled for having the Wesson name—Sofios chronicles the case that shocked the nation, and gives voice to their astounding stories of survival. This is a stunning account of healing from one man’s unimaginable acts, and how each, in time, learned to break free from a deadly devotion.

New York Times bestselling USA series Florida, Georgia, South Carolina Welcome to Florida, the Sunshine state with a darker side than most. The mecca for wealthy retirees to enjoy their younger girlfriends, yachts and marble-floored mansions, where recreational drugs, sex and booze flow like the warm water that hugs the coast. Where teenage girls and their boyfriends kill their parents in the name of love, and women shoot their boyfriends then claim self-defense. New York Times bestselling crime authors Caitlin Rother and Gregg Olsen join to release this compilation of murder cases from the vacation destination that is home to Disney World and miles of beaches, yet also has more killers on its death row than any other state but California. This compilation pairs two sets of cases with similar circumstances but very different outcomes. In the first story, a former flight attendant murders her multimillionaire boyfriend of eighteen years, using a gun, a knife, a hammer (and possibly poisoned his gin as well), claiming he was abusive for years and put a loaded gun to her head. In the second story, a woman with a history of violent, drug-addicted boyfriends kills her latest lover after only a few weeks together, alleging that he forced a gun into her mouth in a drug-induced rage. In the third story, a 15-year-old girl falls in love and wants to have a baby with a boyfriend who is four years older. Her mother, who wants to end the relationship, ends up dead after being stabbed, choked, and injected with a syringe loaded with bleach. Finally, a 16-year-old girl and her 20-year-old boyfriend conspire to fatally bludgeon her disapproving father with a baseball bat. Welcome to Georgia, where the all-mighty dollar trumps mercy and lawfulness on an all-too-regular basis. Where hit men can be hired for small sums and lovers can be manipulated into killing innocent people, all out of greed. One of the nation's bestselling crime writers, Caitlin Rother has put together this astonishingly good look at some of the Peach State's most fascinating crime stories in this volume of the New York Times bestselling series, Notorious USA. In the first story, the socialite wife of a multimillionaire is fatally shot by a flower delivery man on the day of a key divorce hearing. After sending authorities on a global fugitive hunt, the man responsible is brought back to face justice twenty years later, wearing only one sandal on his gout-ridden feet. In the second, a crooked businessman trying to go straight is shot in his driveway by a hit man wearing a ski mask and camouflage gear-one in a nationwide series of contract-for-hire murders, advertised in the classified-ad pages of Soldier of Fortune magazine. And finally, a Gulf War veteran and father of three is kidnapped, beaten and stabbed by the lover of his on-and-off-again wife, who wants to collect life insurance benefits and pay off her house. The lover makes a deal for a life sentence and a chance at parole, while the wife gets the death penalty. She becomes the second woman ever to be executed in Georgia, even after the Pope, other faith-based advocates and two of her children fight for her clemency, citing her dramatic repentance and rehabilitation through religion. South Carolina, where racial strife and righteous, heavily-armed indignation leads to murder. New York Times best-selling author Caitlin Rother brings listeners a compilation of crime stories from this former Confederate state: the first woman in South Carolina to go to the electric chair after a vengeful feud over a dead calf turned fatal; the state's most prolific serial killer who managed to kill a fellow prisoner while on death row; and the young white man accused of trying to incite a race war by fatally shooting nine African-Americans during Bible study in a historic church.

"Hunting Charles Manson the best true crime book you will ever read....Lock your doors, keep the night lights on, and read this book." - Linda Fairstein, New York Times bestselling crime novelist In the late summer of 1969, the nation was transfixed by a series of gruesome murders in the hills of Los Angeles. Newspapers and television programs detailed the brutal slayings of a beautiful actress--twenty six years old and eight months pregnant with her first child--as well as a hair stylist, an heiress, a businessman, and other victims. The City of Angels was plunged into a nightmare of fear and dread. In the weeks and months that followed, law enforcement faced intense pressure to solve crimes that seemed to have no connection. Finally, after months of dead-ends, false leads, and near-misses, Charles Manson and members of his "family" were arrested. The bewildering trials that followed once again captured the nation and forever secured Manson as a byword for the evil that men do. Drawing upon deep archival research and exclusive personal interviews--including unique access to Manson Family parole hearings--former federal prosecutor and Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl has written a propulsive, page-turning historical thriller of the crimes and manhunt that mesmerized the nation. And in the process, she reveals how the social and political context that gave rise to Manson is eerily similar to our own.

The haunting and inspiring true story of a California reporter who adopts the family of abuse victims she’s covering—risking her job, and possibly her life. On March 12, 2004, Marcus Wesson murdered nine of his seventeen children. To date, it is the worst mass murder in Fresno, California’s history. None of the children was allowed to go to school, go on a date, ride a bike, or play with friends. They lived in a social and emotional prison of their father’s creation, a prison that included decades-long physical, sexual, and mental abuse. After being assigned to investigate the murders, FOX News reporter Alysia Sofios covered all aspects of the trial and conducted in-depth interviews with the remaining members of the Wesson family, quickly learning that the surviving female family members had nowhere to go and no one to help them. Torn between her journalistic objectivity and her personal desire to help these women, Sofios risked her job by taking them into her home and helping integrate them into society. Here, for the first time, Wesson’s wife and six of his surviving children tell their brutally honest account of what it was like growing up in the Wesson household and how they survived this life-altering ordeal. Powerful, riveting, and truly a remarkable story, Into the Sun is a unique and intimate look at the resilience of the human spirit.