I wasn’t sure what to expect on this one, but I came away more than pleased with the result. Once I got into the basic story that makes up this case, I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down. I stayed up all night inhaling this incredible story of a murder in New York of a mother of two. This is so worth the time to read, I’m still absorbing the ending. It’s books like this that I read true crime for. Written well, and sharing the entire experience from start to finish with so much amazing detail. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, authors Rebecca Rosenberg; Selim Algar, and the publisher.

A totally absorbing well written case of a mother of two murdered in her Manhattan apartment..A story of a lovely successful woman whose life is destroyed by one man and the torture she and her family suffered at his hands.The authors due an excellent job taking us step by step through the victims life and the horrific facts of this case.#netgalley #st.martins books

This is a Non-Fiction True Crime book. This Non-Fiction book pulled me into the story for the beginning, and I have to say that is not normally what happens when I read Non-Fiction books. This book was well written, and it felt like I was just reading an Crime True TV show. I did not want to put this book down because I had to know how this case ended. I will not talk about the case itself because I do not want any spoilers in this review. When I finish I Non-Fiction book in just two days that as to show you I loved the book. If you like True Crime Non-Fiction books you should check this book out. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that. This book is schedule to be release on April 6-2021.

Fantastic book! I love true crime and I had never heard about this case. It was very well written. #netgalley #atanycost

Loved this true crime book. So disheartening to hear of the abuse and torture the children and Shele dealt with.
So glad that justice was served FINALLY!

Thank you to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book . While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I had forgotten how much I loved reading true crime books. This is a well researched case. I was unfamiliar with this case but certainly became quite interested while reading it. I would have read this in one sitting if I hadn't decided to gather as much information as I could by googling the matter.

It's such a sad case but also really gives insight to domestic violence. You wonder why Shele gave a key to her estranged husband but this is the kind of thing that happens. I think in the back of her mind she wanted to pretend he was okay and wanted a semblance of normality in her life again. Old habits die hard and trusting her husband one last time was a fatal mistake.

The book also shows how children can get manipulated by parents. What Rod did to his daughter was unbelievable and obviously has scarred her for life.

So many lives were destroyed by this sociopath/psychopath.

I hate to say I enjoyed a book on this topic, but I did. God bless Shele's family and I hope his children get the therapy they need to get through their father's manipulation.

Why are we so addicted to true crime stories and television shows? Is it a “there but for the grace of god” thing? I like to think it’s because we want to see justice served, see a victim and their family get the answers they deserve. In any case, I was immediately drawn into this story of a wealthy woman with a much younger husband. Shele was eager to start a family with husband, Rod, but the handsome, intelligent man turned out to be something of a sociopath. Shele tries to correct her mistake by divorcing Rod, intending to cut him off without a penny, but she doesn’t show up for the appointment with her attorney to make those changes to her will. A couple of days later, Shele is found dead in her own bathtub. Accidental death, police rule, and Shele is buried without an autopsy. Meanwhile Rod and Shele’s family begin fighting over her estate and Rod begins to go to bizarre and desperate lengths to ensure that he gets his dead wife’s millions. The authors follow the story from the day of Shele’s death to Rod’s date with the justice system 10 years later. An intense, well written and researched book

At Any Cost is a horrifying true crime book that will leave you stunned and shaking your head in disbelief. Well written and full of detail, At Any Cost will captivate you from the first page to the last. It is shocking to read about Rod and what he did to his wife and family just for his own gain. I couldn't read fast enough because I had to get to the next page to find out what else he was capable of doing. Truth is stranger than fiction. Thank you to NetGalley.

This true crime book was in equal parts fascinating and horrifying, but never boring and always impeccably written and researched. Even though I live quite close to where this happened, I don't remember ever having heard of it before, so to me it was like reading a thriller where I didn't know quite what would happen next. I thought the author struck just the right tone throughout, and as disturbing as it was to read, it was also hard to put down. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

Was Shele Danishefsky murdered by her estranged husband, or was her death just a tragic accident? Rebecca Rosenberg tells a compelling narrative of a 10 year quest for justice by her family.

This was hard to put down!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Shele grew up in a loving, caring, orthodox Jewish home with her parents and siblings. Growing up her and her sister, Eve, talked about meeting their perfect man and having a glamorous wedding. However, as they got older this seemed unlikely for Shele. She had everything going for her as a beautiful and successful women in corporate American but could not find Mr. Right. That is until she met Roderick Colvin. She thought she had just found the perfect man and they quickly fell in love and had children.

Shele was the breadwinner from the very start of their marriage and as life continued on she started to find Roderick acting strangely. He was often out of the home pursuing his love of backgammon and indulging in extra-marital affairs. Shele was physical and emotionally abused by Roderick and was making plans to leave him. One morning, Roderick ,who had moved out, received an unexpected call from their daughter. Shele was found dead in their bathroom. The case went unsolved for over 10 years...

This was my second true crime novel this month and is quickly becoming one of my favourite genres. I had never heard this story but the author did a terrific job of laying out the story. The story deeply details Shele’s life from a young age until her death. It also heavily features details of the Jewish religion which I found unique and was personally interested in. It also details Rodericks character in great depth and portrays him as the evil villain he is. Finally, the book takes us through the investigation or lack there of and the eventually trial of the suspect. This book reminded me of The Babysitter a bit in that the police did a horrible job in investigating the crime and cut corners wherever possible. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and finished it in 24 hours. I definitely recommend this to true crime lovers everywhere.

Thanks to @stmartinspress for the advanced copy of the one. Pub date- April 6, 2021

Shele had one thing she really wanted. She wanted marriage and children. She wanted the perfect husband. She already had a great job, loving parents and awesome siblings. She though she had found her prince charming when she met Ron. That would turn out to be the worst decision of her life. She did get her children, a boy and a girl. They were her life. Ron was a lazy, gambling, emotional and physical abusive man.
I was given this book to read and review by the publisher. It was an amazing true crime book. It is wounding to your heart, for Shele's parents her siblings and her children. It is a book of betrayal and loss. Unfortunately there is no winners.

Not since Joe McGinnis' Fatal Vision have I read such a compelling true crime narrative. The authors do a masterful job of bringing to life the people caught up in this evil, and the story moves at such a pace that it is hard to put the book down. I had a vague recollection of the case at the time of the trial in 2019, but was unaware of the significant delay in investigation, the drama surrounding the children during that period, and the depravity of Colvn's actions during those intervening years. The last quarter of the book is devoted to the trial itself, and its depiction is entirely authentic. Perfect for fans of :Making a Murderer" and "Dirty John", AT ANY COST is a must read.

I received an advance copy of, At Any Cost, by Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar. What a book, it has everything, lying, cheating, gambling, and murder. What a sad story.

A true crime story that is well worth the read. I was hesitant at the beginning of this story, but once I got further into it I was hooked. It’s fascinating and breaks down the case piece by piece showing many sides. There are always multiple sides to every story and the authors really question many aspects. I had quite a few what the heck moments and kept thinking did that really happen!? I would recommend this to all true crime fans and commend the authors on a fantastic read.

What a heartbreaking, scary, and maddening series of events this non-fiction book takes us through. I was riveted and terrified at the constant reminder that the events depicted actually took place.

This book was nowhere on my radar and I hadn't heard of the case back when Shele's murder took place, but now I'm billing it as a book that every true crime lover NEEDS to read.

My humble thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hard-to-believe story of greed, murder, and deception. Well-researched and very interesting as the reader follows the exploits of a truly evil character.

Like watching a slow moving train wreck, this book will keep you glued to this book. Its so engrossing, hard to put down, and you just want to scream at SHELE.....GIRL MOVE! GIRL...WATCH OUT!
This is a fascinating and deeply disturbing true crime about a man, Rod, who would DO ANYTHING for money and sex.
When his wife, Shele, finally got enough courage up to leave him, he went ballistic. Through court filings, emails, phone messages, the depths of Rods depravity emerges.
Caught in the middle are the 2 kids, Anna and Miles.
This is one true crime book that is so hard to put down.
With mounting horror, the reader begins to see the lengths that Rod will go to, to control the people in his life.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me early access to the book in exchange for this honest review.

At Any Cost
By Rebecca Rosenberg
Selim Algar

This is the true story of what can happen when you make excuses for an abuser,because you don't want to admit things are happening in your life.
This was a woman who was the bread winner in the family, who put aside her pride and funded the lifestyle of the slacker she married.
He was the type of person who is good at conniving and convincing those around him what a good father and great guy he iwas. Truth be told, he was a narcissistic scam artist, all show with no substance.
His life revolved around backgammon and women he met on line. He thought nothing of denigrating his wife to any who would listen and when she had enough and wanted a divorce he put his vindictive plan into action.
He thought nothing of running her down to friends and employers, painting her as a drug addictive child abusers. When that didn't result in a large payday, he started on the children, convincing them to do,just about anything he wanted. She was willing to share custody with him, because she believed he truly loved the children. He thought nothing of spying on her, comprising her computer and phone and cloning her emails to add and delete things.
When he pushed as far as he could, he decided to eliminate his children's mother, going so far as to let them find her body. By this time he had brainwashed his oldest child to believe he was her savior. Destroyer is more like it, asking her to do unspeakable things to herself and blame her grandfather. He plotted to kill his own parents using his own children to destroy them. His ego and evil knew no bounds.

This book should be required reading for any person in an abusive relationship where children are involved. Sometimes you have to take your children and your life back before the violence destroys you all. Even if you do everything right, you can still be in danger. Once an abuser and cheater show themselves, don't expect them to suddenly change, don't invite them back for the sake of the children. The charmers will turn your children and others against you, blaming you for what they are doing.

This man destroyed so many lives by his greed and his own parents helped to convince his children that everything was the fault of others. I feel sorry for his children who grew up convinced their father was the only person who loved them and knew what was best for them.

So many mistakes were made after her death by so many that it took 10 years to bring him to justice. In that time, his children were convinced he was the only one to love and cared about them.

I was given this book,by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I will post on Goodreads, Facebook, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This is a well written true crime story ripped from the headlines of NYC. I enjoyed all the background info on the families from the previous generations. This is a heartbreaking story - Shele was a brilliant, beautiful and sophisticated woman. She shined at her career and was ready for the next steps... marriage and a family. Rod comes into the pictures and settles in quickly- his greed, selfishness and abusive manner was definitely difficult to read. This story unfolded and I was quickly swept up. . Beautiful written I was captivated by the storyline and ended up finishing it on one sitting . This family will stay with me and It’s so sad Rod ruined the lives of so many....

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of At Any Cost in exchange for an honest review.

I just reviewed At Any Cost by Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar on my Goodreads. #NetGalley #atanycost.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Should never have happened. What a tragedy for a seemingly remarkable woman and great mother. I feel particularly sad for her children and her family. This true crime book is very well written and does not drag. Deserves all its five star ratings.

This novel tells the story of a mother of two who is murdered and uncovers the events of her life and tells what happened that fateful day she was murdered. A great true crime novel that I really enjoyed and recommend that you read. The writing was well done and told the story in a way that keeps you interested in the story and keeps your attention to the very end.

Very well written. Read more like a fiction. True crime enthusiast will love this book. I was amazed of some of the things this man did. Would definitely recommend this book

4.5 stars

I had never heard of this murder case before being offered an ARC of this true crime book. As I started reading it, I was glued to the pages. It was a horrendous yet riveting account of events leading up to Rod Covlin murdering his wife Shele, the aftermath, the investigation and the trial. It was a story about greed and betrayal, just as advertised. Rod was a nasty piece of work and his schemes were unbelievable! I was seething with anger and gripping the edge of my seat in extreme tension as I turned each page.

Shele Danishefsky had a successful career, a loving family and two beautiful children. She was in the prime of her life when Rod Covlin murdered her in cold blood. The other tragedy was the ensuing bitter custody battles between the Covlin’s and the Danishefsky’s and the children being used as pawns by not only Rod Covlin but his parents too. Shame on them!

I felt for the Danishefsky’s, and the children Anna and Miles. The Covlin’s are one dysfunctional family! This book is worth the read to learn more about this true crime and how it all ends.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shele and Rod had two young children and as Shele had a prestigious job on Wall Street, all seemed great with their lifestyle. Shele was the breadwinner as Rod did not seem to have much of a career as he considered playing backgammon would make him rich. Although he did travel and play consistently, he never seemed to come out on top. Finally Shele had enough supporting her husband and family and planned to change her will and get a divorce, but Rod could not let those millions of dollars slip through his hands at any cost and took Shele's life. He was so devious that he even tried to frame his family. This true crime story is sad and fascinating and I thank Netgalley for my ARC.

At Any Cost by Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar is a true crime stunner.

On the surface, it seemed Shele Danishefsky had it all: marriage to a handsome husband (10 years her junior), two beautiful children, and a successful career in wealth management. But beneath the façade, hers was a life unraveling. Rod Covlin’s penchant for women, backgammon, and other destructive behaviors intensified over the course of the couple’s marriage culminating in Shele’s decision to divorce her husband and cut off his financial support. She wouldn’t live to see that happen.

From the outset, the investigation into Shele Danishefsky’s death was beset by misunderstandings, misinformation, and mismanagement. Justice for her family would limp along for nearly 10 years as Rod Covlin’s desperate, downward spiral produced increasingly more bizarre schemes to lay hold of Shele’s fortune.

Rod Covlin was a man without conscience, and not a single person in his orbit was free from his psychotic manipulations - not even his children. The emotional and physical abuse his children endured was some of the most disturbing I’ve ever encountered in print, and for that reason, parts of this book may be hard for some readers to stomach. That said, this was an excellent true crime read for me. I sat down intending to read just a few chapters and was half-way through before I got up. Readability and pacing make this a swift read – one true crime fans will devour.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for this NetGalley copy. This one will be an easy sell in my store.

Wow, what a read. This book really makes you think. The deviousness and pain that this man put his kids through is totally mind shattering. As a parent it’s crazy to think someone would try to manipulate and abuse their own flesh and blood. Totally worth the read.

This is one of those books that grabs you in the beginning and does not let go until you finish it. This book was consistently good all the way through and there were no peaks and valleys that caused my interest to fluctuate. The authors did an excellent job researching and writing this very complex case.

Shele Danishefsky suffered burns on her chest and arms when she was very young and then had a weight problem in school which caused her to suffer from low self-esteem. After college, she entered the finance business joining her father's firm where she was a big success and soon gained confidence. She thought she had grabbed the brass ring, so to speak, when she met Roderick Covlin, 10 years her junior, and married him. They went onto have two children, Anna and Myles. Things rapidly went downhill when Rod decided he would rather not work and instead go around the country playing in backgammon tournaments and womanizing while his wife worked and paid the bills. Shele ends up dead and it took 10 years before justice was served.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this nail-biter that I just could not put down in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hard one to review as it's not a work of fiction. This was not a case that I was very familiar with prior to reading this book. I can say that I was gripped from page one and that is not something that always happens with true crime. The author was able to make me feel the heartbreak of Shele's family, not only loosing a daughter/sister but loosing out on a relationship with her two children as well. Very well written and I look forward to checking out other works by Rebecca Rosenberg.

Great book very well written told the story well and explained the characters pretty good I highly recommend this book

I had previously not heard of this case but was fascinated by this book. I felt it had the perfect amount of facts vs fluff, it really focused on what happened, and while bias toward the victim I felt it was rightfully so. I found myself researching some of the key figures to see "where are they now" considering this didn't happen too long ago. I don't know how i had never heard of this case! It was clear to me that the case was truly bungled by the police. I hope the family finds peace.

At Any Cost is a fascinating heart breaking story of the murder of Shele Danishefsky .

Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Alger have done an amazing job writing At Any Cost.

Shele was found dead by her daughter in 2009 and it takes over 10 years to bring her husband Rod to justice.

Shele's family fought hard and never gave up seeking justice.

There is so much more to this story that will break your heart

It is a story that will grab your attention and keep the pages turning .

It is a story that although hard to understand how Rod could get away with so much for so long.

It is a story that is true and one I will think of often.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the privilege of reading and reviewing At Any Cost.

I am a sucker for True Crime books and Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar have really done their research on this case.
First, it is an attention grabbing case. On paper Shele Danishefsky had the perfect life. Then we find out her younger husband Rod is basically a two timing, money grubbing jerk. She finally decides to cut him out of her will but before she can finish the process, she winds up dead. It sounds like a thriller right? Well, this is not a fictional thriller, this is a real case!

In fact the story gets even more twisted as it goes on, even to the point where Rod basically is framing Shele and his's daughter!
This is a 10 year case and you can tell how passionate both Rosenberg and Algar were about this case and getting the story out there. The amount of time and research that when into this book is unbelievable and I could not put this one down.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest reviews.

I can't believe that as a true crime buff, I hadn't heard of this story. It was wildly fascinating and heartbreaking. The authors did incredible research and were able to tell the story in a way that didn't lead to being boring.

Oh man...this book is addicting! The first few chapters started off kinda slow as they are a retelling of all the major family members life stories. But as soon as the marriage occurs I was completely absorbed and stayed up reading my kindle until almost 3am. The utter depravity of Rod Colvin (the husband) completely floored me. Just when you think he cant get any more evil than he already is.....he hatches a plan to frame his own father for raping his daughter. And then tries to marry her off to a random Mexican boy so he can so he can be the solicitor (steal) her inheritance.

An addictive and compelling read!

I will not deny that I’m not familiar with this story but after reading it, I am beyond heartbroken. It just so hard to believe sometimes how greed can get the most out of people. This is an enthralling, well-researched and heart-rending read any true crime fans shouldnt missed!

True crime that is easily google-able is a tough sell... but this book so detailed, so well-paced, so thoroughly researched, I resisted and just let the authors take me on the journey. It's an infuriating case, in a lot of ways, and finishing the book left me with ongoing unease, but that's testament to the effectiveness of the telling.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Follow this twisting and enthralling true crime take of avarice and murder as you unravel the details of this fascinating and disturbing case. What is seemingly a perfect marriage degrades to abuse in all forms and the destruction of family ties. When Shele lost her life, the city of New York and her family and friends are facing lengthy quest for justice amid the details of a deep faith in Yahweh. Obsession, greed, emotional manipulation are at the center of one man's desire for domination and control in his family. Absolutely riveting and deeply disturbing tale of a lovely family and their quest for truth and justice.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel that I received in exchange for an honest review.

When Shele Danishefsky was murdered on New Years Eve of 2009, it was ruled an accident. However, thanks to the relentless of her loved ones pushing for the truth to come out, we know it was murder. Roy Covlin, Shele's husband, was ruled by greed. He manipulated the system and his family to cover his tracks.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I stayed up all night to read it. Silently laying in bed at times gasping, crying, and getting angry at all the twists and turns this story takes.

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.

At Any Cost is an informative, well-researched narrative of the murder of Shele Colvin, and an in depth look at the manipulations and depravity of her husband and accused killer, Rod Colvin. Told in easy to follow chronological chapters, the book doesn’t dwell on the murder itself, but weaves a head-shaking tale of custody battles, greed, investigative incompetence and religious roadblocks. This is a sad story, where sometimes justice may be a long time coming, if at all achieved. Highly recommended. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a must read. This writer gives so much detail and information. I couldn't put this down wondering if justice was going to be served,. Read this book you will not be disappointed.

B o o k. R e v i e w. @rossyreads on Instagram

thanks to @stmartinspress for the advance copy of this book!

I am a suckerrrrr for true crime and this book is no exception.

#AtAnyCost follows the story of Shele Danishefsky who is a devout Jewish woman with her sights set high: both professionally and in love.

One morning, her nine year old daughter finds her unresponsive in the bathtub and calls her father, living across the hall due to marital separation. This ensues a ten year dramatic battle to figure out who killed Shele and who gets her almost $6 million estate.

Throughout the book, I knew in my gut who did it but couldn’t believe all the measures her husband took to avoid trial. Her husband was emotionally, physically, and verbally abusive yet nobody wanted to admit it until each and everybody’s breaking point.

My heart aches for Shele’s children who grew up not knowing their mother, being isolated from her mother’s family, and believing that their father is a good person. Just really makes me sick and shows how scary the justice system really can be.

I am so thankful St. Martin’s Press reached out to me to read and review this book after previously reading another one of their true crime books. I am not a huge nonfiction reader but when a nonfiction book reads like a story and sucks you in....I’m game.

And y’all know once i found out there was a Dateline story covering Shele’s death, I just had to watch it.

I truly recommend this story to anybody who loves true crime and a marital drama!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

#arc #netgalley #atanycost #rebeccarosenberg #sheledanishefsky #book #books #bookstagram #iowabookstagram #read #reader

This true crime story is so crazy that if an author published this as fiction, it would be roundly panned as too outlandish. The NYPD comes across very poorly with numerous errors and lapses in procedure that jeopardized the eventual prosecution of Rod Covlin. The NY courts don’t come across much better with their bumbling of the custody cases. Covlin is quite repugnant, but his treatment of his children, especially the apparent brainwashing of his daughter, Anna, is the most disturbing.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Please note that "At Any Cost" does not provide much in the way of an in-depth discussion of Rod Covlin and Shele Danishefsky or their respective backgrounds or personalities but rather focuses primarily on the long years it took to bring this case to trial and the subsequent courtroom drama.

I mention this only because my initial perception of the book was that it was more of a "true crime" work and I had hoped to learn more about the respective personalities in this case. But, what the authors give us is an absolutely heartbreaking story of a woman murdered by her faithless ex-husband, who killed her to get her estate (valued at almost $6M) and the subsequent alienation (and essentially brainwashing) of their two young children.

Because Rod Covlin is simply such a horrible person, I would have liked to learn more about his upbringing, his school friends, his relationship with his incredibly supportive parents, etc. Rod was incredibly lucky in that a seriously incompetent investigation by New York's "finest" compromised evidence, as well as no initial autopsy due to Shele's strong Jewish faith. And finally, the NYC DA wasn't terribly interested at first in bringing the case to trial.

But despite this perfect storm of incompetence, the case was finally brought to trial, almost 10 years after Shele's murder, and where this work really shines is in detailing how the case was presented to the court, how the attorneys presented their case, and how all the circumstantial evidence was woven into a strong net to finally catch Rod Covlin.

The heartbreaking remainder of this case is what has happened to Shele's beloved children, Anna and Myles, who were manipulated and gaslighted by Rod, and continue to believe in his innocence. The crime has been solved, but what lingers is still so sad and unsettled. 3.5 stars for "At Any Cost."

Right away, my first thought about this book is how in the world I had never heard of this crime before. There are so many twists and turns, so many egregious actions by both the murderer and the police--if this was the plot of a fiction book, I would have dismissed it as being far too unbelievable. But this is all too true. I won't spoil anything for anyone who like me walked into this knowing nothing about the case, but there are moments after moments that will make your jaw drop.

My second thought is how well-written this book is. The facts are laid out in a narrative format, which really helps the reader get to know the people involved, the crime itself, and the shocking aftermath. Despite how complex and complicated the layers upon layers could get, Rosenberg and Algar make sure that the reader never gets lost.

I have read a lot of true crime over the years, and this is an excellent addition to the genre. It will open your eyes, engage your mind, and tug on every single one of your heartstrings.

How can you and your children escape your abusive husband who appears increasingly unhinged? Unfortunately for Shele, the answer was being bludgeoned to death in her own bathtub. Shele had tried everything legally possible to escape At Any Cost. Nothing worked in this harrowing true crime tale.

Shele’s story is heart-breaking! It reads like fiction but, incredibly, is true. At Any Cost will make your spouse, regardless of their faults, look better by comparison. It is one of the best true crime tales I’ve ever read. 5 stars!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have always been fascinated by true-crime books because I want to figure out what leads people to commit such horrific acts. When I was invited to read and review At Any Cost, I had never heard of this particular case. The authors did an excellent job of bringing me up to speed in a clear, straight-forward way. I truly came to know the people involved and was relieved to see justice served despite all the missteps along the way. I would not hesitate to read anything else by these authors. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review At Any Cost.

While I was familiar with this case via Dateline, this book goes into much more depth about it. A really interesting read into a tragic case.

This is the incredibly true story of the case of a wealthy mother of 2 who died on New Year's Eve in 2009. Found in her bathroom by one of her children, questions have circulated - What happened to Shele? In the midst of a contentious divorce, Was her death just an accidental slip and fall in the bathroom or was this a calculated murder by Rod, Shele's husband?

Little bit of background on me: I LOVED Serial. It is a podcast about a gentleman named Adnan Syed who claims to be completely innocent of murder. Being a complete armchair detective, I listened to the series twice, listened to Undisclosed (another podcast), read almost all of the trial transcripts, reviewed every page of the police report (except some of the victim's photos), viewed many of the legal filings, watched documentaries, and scoured even hints and whispers on Reddit. Let's just say I have a pretty good idea of what happened on the night in question.

This book was very interesting especially many of the people in the book were behaving very badly. In the practice of law, lawyers always say that their best clients are the criminals and the worst clients are the family law clients. Everything in this book proved that to be the case.

The story itself was very interesting and clearly very well researched. With that being said, I think that I would have enjoyed this more as an audiobook because it kind of felt like I was reading a script from Dateline - the prose seemed a bit overly analytical, stilted, very straight, and to the point without the storytelling component. In my opinion, this book would have been more compelling if it was relayed in a way more like Serial, perhaps starting the book off with Rod explaining that he is completely innocent and explaining himself. Then starting going into more evidence that might look exonerating and then start slowly introducing evidence that implicates him. One of the things that I find very interesting in any case is the jailhouse snitch. They are notoriously unreliable. The jailhouse snitch is not exactly known for their outstanding behavior and usually will do anything in exchange for any hope of leniency. Sometimes the same jailhouse snitch will testify against dozens of prisoners which is highly unlikely that dozens of accused criminals are going to just chat up this one particular inmate. This type of discussion is really quite interesting and should have been explored further. Why wasn't the jailhouse snitch put on the stand? The particular individual never testified at trial. Why not? I have a lot of questions about this. Why would Rod behave that way with this individual especially on camera? What happened to the drawings that Rod allegedly made?

In the final published version of this book, I hope that there are pictures of Shele. Too often, the story is focused on whether the accused "did it" or not. However, Shele's life was gone too soon. She seemed to have the world at her feet being a rich, beautiful, vibrant, intelligent woman with a deeply caring family. When I read the victim's diary in Serial, I finally got to see the case in a new light and felt the victim's hope for the future and excitement of all of her first's to come - going to college for the first time, getting her first job, and so much more. Shele never got to hold her grandchildren or see her children graduate from high school. In my opinion, it would have been more poignant to end with a picture of Shele and her dates of death.

Overall, I think that this an interesting story for all of my arm chair detectives and my sincerest condolences to Shele's family - may healing and peace come your way.

This is a very well written book. I usually don't do well reading a true account but this is so compelling, I had a hard time to put it down. I knew a little bit from watching one of the television networks true crime coverage but this book certainly makes up my mind that justice is being served. My heart goes out to the families involved. It's absolutely unthinkable what they have been through. My heart breaks for the children.
I received a copy of the book from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of it. The account of events flows smoothly and I feel it fairly depicts the story of those who participated by interview along with court records, etc. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. Anyone who wants to better understand what took place will find this a magnetic read.