BECOMING CLARK ROCKEFELLER: Murder, Love, Deception, and the Con Man Behind It All

by Frank C. Girardot Jr.

A narrative critics have hailed as "spellbinding." "Frank C. Girardot is the pit bull crime reporter other crime reporters wish they were." —JAMES ELLROY, author of The Black DahliaBECOMING CLARK Murder, Love, Deception, and the Conman Behind It All delves into the life of a young immigrant entangled in a multi-generational murder investigation ensnaring some of the wealthiest Americans. Posing as bogus aristocrat Clark Rockefeller, he duped the affluent, leaving a trail of deception and national headlines in his wake. Yet the story would grow even more sinister. In 1985, Linda Sohus, a talented, outgoing artist, and her husband John, a computer geek with dreams of space, mysteriously vanished from their quiet San Marino, California life. But why? Were they on a secret government mission, chasing elusive dreams, or had something terrible happened to them? The police investigated while the public and media speculated. But all leads came to a dead end, and eventually, the mystery faded into the shadows. Then, in 1994, a shocking backyard discovery reignited the case. Bones were unearthed, revealing a convoluted tale of murder, lust, and trickery. At its center, the same audacious grifter, whose real name was Christian Gerhartsreiter, who had conned his way into high society as Clark Rockefeller. In this thrilling true crime masterpiece, tenacious investigative journalist and bestselling author Frank C. Girardot unveils this transcontinental, decades-long mystery with interviews from witnesses, court documents, and exclusive insights from the con man himself.

Genres: Audiobook

308 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2023

Reviews

[Amys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank C. Girardot Jr writes a detailed and intriguing, yet disturbing account of Clark Rockefeller.

Frank C. Girardot Jr. writes about the more-than-just an imposter, Clark Rockefeller. I am a fan of true crime stories. This is the first book written by this author that I've read. The story of Christian Gerhartsreiter, aka Christopher Kenneth Gerhart, aka Christopher Chichester, aka Christopher C. Crowe, aka Christopher Mountbatten and aka Charles "Chip" Smith. Christian Gerhartsreiter wasn't just a con-man who married a wealthy woman, and pretended he was one of the aristocratic Rockefellers, but lived off her money to maintain his high society profile. They had a child together, and when they divorced, he kidnapped their child, and the trail to finding background information on Clark Rockefeller led to dead ends. A couple disappeared. All trails that led to Rockefeller also faded as the mystery remained a mystery. This book was written very well. It was detailed and terrifying, and makes you wonder how this man could be so many different people, and yet, also keep his real persona a secret, but this was also the era of the 1980s and 1990s, a time much different from where we are now. People wrote handwritten letters, talked on telephones (yes, the ones with a cord), and no one was walking around tracking where others were. The technology and lifestyles were different then. The story starts in 1994, in San Marino California, where the Parada family just wanted to have a new pool put in, but they and their contractor, Joe Perez were shocked with what was unearthed. At first the box appeared, and then once lifted, there was a garbage bag, which at first was assumed to be dog bones, but it was much more. A human skull, that was just the beginning of the end for Christian Gerhartsreiter. It's an amazing story that proves once again that reality is much worse and stranger than fiction. BECOMING CLARK ROCKEFELLER: Murder, Love, Deception, and the Con Man Behind It All is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. I look forward to reading many more titles by this author. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book to also write a review.

[Kathleen Riggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Con Artist with An Incredible Gift for Deception.
Clark Rockefeller funded a lavish lifestyle entirely on his wife’s income as he did not actually have any money of his own. Beginning in 1978, Christian Gerhartsreiter took on numerous identities as he conned and killed his way into America's upper crust — then passed himself off as a distant relative of the Rockefeller family for 16 years.
Rockefeller told people he was the son of European aristocrats and over the years he moved about different cities and changed his name whilst swindling people out of money whilst also promising to pay it back. One of His identities was Christopher Chichester, and on his business cards it said he was the 13th Baronet and including a fake crest.
Rockefeller moved in with an elderly women called Didi Sohu's but when Didi son and daughter-in-law move in and started asking questions of the lodger they suddenly both disappeared. Didi eventually died never knowing her son and his wife had been murdered by her boarder who quickly disappeared with John’s car and a new identity.
 Eventually after many years the police caught up with Rockefeller after the remains of John Sohu's were discovered in the back yard of Didi's home and in 2013. Gerhartsreiter was given a life sentence in prison for the murder of John Sorus, proving that not even a man with an incredible gift for deception like Gerhartsreiter can escape the truth forever.
I am a great fan of Frank C. Girardot, and he has written another great True Crime book of a con artist who committed Murder, and Deception. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Wildblue Press I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kimijo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becoming Clark: Murder, Love, Deception, and the Conman Behind It All is Frank C. Girardot’s spellbinding true-crime account of Christian Gerhartsreiter, the audacious grifter who posed as aristocrat Clark Rockefeller. At once a tale of high-society deception and a decades-long murder mystery, the book traces the 1985 disappearance of John and Linda Sohus, the shocking discovery of human remains nearly a decade later, and the unraveling of one of America’s most infamous impostors. With exclusive interviews and court records, Girardot delivers a riveting portrait of murder, lust, and lies worthy of a crime thriller except every word is true.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second book about Gerhartsreiter, and it included more recent information than the first book I read a few years ago, due to being published more recently. It meandered a lot, although some of the meandering was interesting and/or informative. Maybe a bit more gruesome detail than necessary. If I had only wanted to know the story of Gerhartsreiter, I would have rated this book lower.

[Joe Stafura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Con man murderer

Pathological liars are an odd breed of humans. The protagonist is one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen, while admitting that the length of his career is incredible.
It’s a true life black comedy that the Coen Brothers might have produced.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

A mish mosh that tells nothing new

This book needed better proofreading and lots of editing. There are so many tangents the story is hard to follow.