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At Any Cost: A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice
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.
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.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 6, 2021
148 people are currently reading
4174 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Rosenberg
1 book51 followersRebecca Rosenberg received her master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.
A staff reporter at the New York Post, she currently covers Manhattan Supreme Court and has chronicled hundreds of local and national trials -- including the cases of fallen film producer Harvey Weinstein, mass murderer Dylan Roof, and real estate scion Robert Durst.
She has been a featured journalist on NBC's "Dateline," CBS's "48 Hours," and a series of Investigation Discovery programs.
Raised on Whidbey Island in Washington state, Rebecca now resides in Brooklyn with her husband, Selim Algar, and their two children.
A staff reporter at the New York Post, she currently covers Manhattan Supreme Court and has chronicled hundreds of local and national trials -- including the cases of fallen film producer Harvey Weinstein, mass murderer Dylan Roof, and real estate scion Robert Durst.
She has been a featured journalist on NBC's "Dateline," CBS's "48 Hours," and a series of Investigation Discovery programs.
Raised on Whidbey Island in Washington state, Rebecca now resides in Brooklyn with her husband, Selim Algar, and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
December 15, 2023
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 start 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 armchair detectives and my sincerest condolences to Shele's family - may healing and peace come your way.
*Thank you, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
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 start 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 armchair detectives and my sincerest condolences to Shele's family - may healing and peace come your way.
*Thank you, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
March 16, 2022
3.5 stars— “At Any Cost” by Rebecca Rosenberg is a well researched account of the life and tragic death of Shele Covlin, and the subsequent criminal investigation and arrest that followed. Even though I watch a large number of true crime shows, I had somehow never heard of this case. The author does a good job of giving the reader a full picture of the life of Ms. Covlin and her difficult marriage to her husband, Rod Covlin. The book begins to lose its footing a little bit when the author spends an inordinate amount of time on the custody fight for the couple’s two children from the time of Shele’s death until the arrest of Rod. The courtroom maneuvering and murder trial of Rod were my favorite parts of the book but they was not covered in the same amount of detail as the custody fight. The interactions between the two arrogant but very competent attorneys were entertaining and fun to read, but I would have loved to have read more about their courtroom battles. It didnt appear that the author had any cooperation with law enforcement or prosecutors and not having their perspective left me exploring on my own what led them to change their position after 10 years and arrest Rod. For the most part, I enjoyed reading “At Any Cost” but I was left wanting much more trial coverage and much less about the ten years between the death and the arrest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2022
At All Cost: A Father’s Betrayal, a Wife’s Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice by Rebecca Rosenberg is a 2021 St. Martin’s Press publication.
This is a true crime book centered around the mysterious death of Shele Danishefsky who was found dead in her bathtub. Eventually, her death was ruled a homicide and her husband Rod would become the primary suspect.
From that point on, Rob’s family and Shele’s, would embark on a decade long battle- one side, hoping to bring Rob to justice, the other to prove his innocence and keep custody of his children.
The evidence points to murder, and not an accident as the defense claimed. Beyond that, there is a strong circumstantial case, especially since Shele was very well off at the time of her death.
This book takes the reader through the entirety of the case, all the way up to the trial and the jury’s verdict, and the reactions of the two families in the aftermath.
This case was riveting. The author holds nothing back, making it seem like the reader is right there on the scene, sitting in the courtroom, or investigating the evidence. It’s rough at times, very heartbreaking, especially as the children were pulled and pushed, in a grueling custody battle.
Rod is a real piece of work, and despite my true crime affinity, which has desensitized me just a bit, it still left me shaking my head in disbelief.
The author did a fantastic job with the material, keeping it organized, and moving along, examining all the angles, the two sides of the story- but the trial passages were the most absorbing.
Overall, this was another decade long saga, and an incredible case. The book well-written, one true crime fans will want to check out.
This is a true crime book centered around the mysterious death of Shele Danishefsky who was found dead in her bathtub. Eventually, her death was ruled a homicide and her husband Rod would become the primary suspect.
From that point on, Rob’s family and Shele’s, would embark on a decade long battle- one side, hoping to bring Rob to justice, the other to prove his innocence and keep custody of his children.
The evidence points to murder, and not an accident as the defense claimed. Beyond that, there is a strong circumstantial case, especially since Shele was very well off at the time of her death.
This book takes the reader through the entirety of the case, all the way up to the trial and the jury’s verdict, and the reactions of the two families in the aftermath.
This case was riveting. The author holds nothing back, making it seem like the reader is right there on the scene, sitting in the courtroom, or investigating the evidence. It’s rough at times, very heartbreaking, especially as the children were pulled and pushed, in a grueling custody battle.
Rod is a real piece of work, and despite my true crime affinity, which has desensitized me just a bit, it still left me shaking my head in disbelief.
The author did a fantastic job with the material, keeping it organized, and moving along, examining all the angles, the two sides of the story- but the trial passages were the most absorbing.
Overall, this was another decade long saga, and an incredible case. The book well-written, one true crime fans will want to check out.
November 23, 2021
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.
March 2, 2021
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.
March 29, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded up
This is a gut-wrenching true crime account of a murder that took place and the ten year journey to a conviction. This is a tough read, because the convicted murderer did many horrific things both before and after his wife's death.
The things he involved his children in are nothing short of abuse, yet even after his conviction the two children held onto belief that their father is and was a great guy and didn't commit the crime or deserve the outcome. Even though his coercion of them and attempts to involve them in setting up of crimes was unconscionable. This book paints an unflinchingly candid picture of evil, mostly for the sake of money.
Yet even with all of this, he claims his innocence and says that his wife's death was a tragic accident. I suppose it's up to the reader to determine, but the book is definitely slanted towards his guilt. There are a large amount of details and a full account of the trial, it's easy to picture what the authors are describing and it generates a huge amount of sympathy and empathy for everyone who loved Shele and fought for justice.
This book gets pretty graphic when it describes the different things Rod Covlin did and thought about doing, so sensitive readers should be warned as many of the incidents involve the children.
Thank you to St Martin's Press for the complimentary review copy. All opinions are my own.
This is a gut-wrenching true crime account of a murder that took place and the ten year journey to a conviction. This is a tough read, because the convicted murderer did many horrific things both before and after his wife's death.
The things he involved his children in are nothing short of abuse, yet even after his conviction the two children held onto belief that their father is and was a great guy and didn't commit the crime or deserve the outcome. Even though his coercion of them and attempts to involve them in setting up of crimes was unconscionable. This book paints an unflinchingly candid picture of evil, mostly for the sake of money.
Yet even with all of this, he claims his innocence and says that his wife's death was a tragic accident. I suppose it's up to the reader to determine, but the book is definitely slanted towards his guilt. There are a large amount of details and a full account of the trial, it's easy to picture what the authors are describing and it generates a huge amount of sympathy and empathy for everyone who loved Shele and fought for justice.
This book gets pretty graphic when it describes the different things Rod Covlin did and thought about doing, so sensitive readers should be warned as many of the incidents involve the children.
Thank you to St Martin's Press for the complimentary review copy. All opinions are my own.
March 18, 2021
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: April 6, 2021
Shele Danishefsky is a successful financial officer, working for her family’s investment business. After overcoming a childhood accident that left her with a physical deformity, she has finally started showing confidence and embracing her strengths. When she meets Roderick Covlin, she feels like she has the final piece in her puzzle; a man she loves and wants to raise a family with. After the birth of two children, Shele and Rod’s marriage starts to break down in the worst way; not only has Rod been unfaithful (numerous times), but his backgammon habit has left him broke, relying solely on Shele for money. After years of physical, psychological and emotional abuse Shele finally decides to divorce Rod and sue him for custody- but she never makes it to court. Shele is found drowned in a bathtub, which is ruled an accident. But six years later, gruesome details come to light and the case is reopened- with Rod as the main suspect.
Rebecca Rosenberg is a journalist for the New York Post, who has chronicled several high profile legal cases, such as Robert Durst and Harvey Weinstein. She, along with her husband Selim Algar, have combined their talents to bring this true crime story to the world.
This novel is definitely more of a legal drama than a case study of a murderer. The tedious and exacting legal proceedings play out over the course of four years, telling a horrendous story of abuse, child manipulation and murder. If you are looking for a deep dive on the inner workings of the suspect, Rod Covlin, you won’t get it. You will, however, get an in depth examination of his evil deeds, from a legal perspective, as well as a graphic and detailed description of a very acrimonious divorce.
Although Shele generates sympathy from the get-go, I was tortured most by Anna and Myles, Shele and Rod’s children. Right from their birth, they are immediately pulled into a controlling, abusive relationship and they become pawns for a bitter divorce that spans years of their young lives. Then, once their mother dies, they are once again in the middle of a custody debate, between their biological father and their maternal grandparents. There is nothing to feel but heartbreak for these poor souls.
“At Any Cost” highlights the lengths someone will go to in order to quench their unrelenting greed, and the ins and outs of an abusive and entirely dysfunctional marriage, leading to an in depth description of the legal proceedings that stem from a murder charge. Although thick and wordy in parts, “At Any Cost” will definitely trigger a lot of emotions as the despicable acts of Rod Colvin are displayed in detail. Thankfully, the ending provides a satisfying conclusion.
Expected publication date: April 6, 2021
Shele Danishefsky is a successful financial officer, working for her family’s investment business. After overcoming a childhood accident that left her with a physical deformity, she has finally started showing confidence and embracing her strengths. When she meets Roderick Covlin, she feels like she has the final piece in her puzzle; a man she loves and wants to raise a family with. After the birth of two children, Shele and Rod’s marriage starts to break down in the worst way; not only has Rod been unfaithful (numerous times), but his backgammon habit has left him broke, relying solely on Shele for money. After years of physical, psychological and emotional abuse Shele finally decides to divorce Rod and sue him for custody- but she never makes it to court. Shele is found drowned in a bathtub, which is ruled an accident. But six years later, gruesome details come to light and the case is reopened- with Rod as the main suspect.
Rebecca Rosenberg is a journalist for the New York Post, who has chronicled several high profile legal cases, such as Robert Durst and Harvey Weinstein. She, along with her husband Selim Algar, have combined their talents to bring this true crime story to the world.
This novel is definitely more of a legal drama than a case study of a murderer. The tedious and exacting legal proceedings play out over the course of four years, telling a horrendous story of abuse, child manipulation and murder. If you are looking for a deep dive on the inner workings of the suspect, Rod Covlin, you won’t get it. You will, however, get an in depth examination of his evil deeds, from a legal perspective, as well as a graphic and detailed description of a very acrimonious divorce.
Although Shele generates sympathy from the get-go, I was tortured most by Anna and Myles, Shele and Rod’s children. Right from their birth, they are immediately pulled into a controlling, abusive relationship and they become pawns for a bitter divorce that spans years of their young lives. Then, once their mother dies, they are once again in the middle of a custody debate, between their biological father and their maternal grandparents. There is nothing to feel but heartbreak for these poor souls.
“At Any Cost” highlights the lengths someone will go to in order to quench their unrelenting greed, and the ins and outs of an abusive and entirely dysfunctional marriage, leading to an in depth description of the legal proceedings that stem from a murder charge. Although thick and wordy in parts, “At Any Cost” will definitely trigger a lot of emotions as the despicable acts of Rod Colvin are displayed in detail. Thankfully, the ending provides a satisfying conclusion.
April 24, 2021
This case (in every procedural context) become super long in the nearly 10 years that it took to bring this murderer to justice. And during that entire time he continued to play his tricks, foist disaster in lawsuits, incriminations, slanders against others. No more so than to the parents (his very own) and the in-laws who either had custody or wanted to visit or had prime life decisions for his two children. The man was utterly despicable in the torrent of misery he left in his wake. Not only the murder of his wife as onerous and horrendous as that betrayal was.
I read maybe 6 to 10 true crime surveys per year. This one truly took the cake. Most detailed, tremendous level of Manhattan lifestyle and lodging criteria all the way to school tuitions for 5 or 9 year olds that are each more than the national family income in other realms of the USA. But it wasn't JUST the detail. It was also the histories of these people. Most especially Shele. It was done quite well with credible nuance too for all the Orthodox Jewish faith, tradition and practice in their lives.
I will remember this read. Because the daughter's (Anna) reaction is so outlier. She still talks with and is influenced by this man. Unbelievable to me. The act he directed her to accomplish at 12 was literally stomach turning. It's so parent/child cross the line evil that I can't even describe it for context understanding here in review. It makes the sex abuse charge against the grandfather look like a parking ticket. All made up in Rod Covlin's "usual" cascade of tricks and accusations. I would think that all contact would be much better to end entirely with this man. Biological father or not.
4.5 stars. Psychological slants are good but not worth the extra .5 star to round it up. If there has ever been a case for evil void from the crib- it's this man's. Regardless, the entire collapse and bankruptcy to denigration he caused in his parents' lives! They should have never been as vindictive to Shele's parents. Terrible, terrible decisions and a sick and brutal man. He's psychotic and I sure hope he never gets out of prison. The 23 hour isolation regard is also extremely justified.
I read maybe 6 to 10 true crime surveys per year. This one truly took the cake. Most detailed, tremendous level of Manhattan lifestyle and lodging criteria all the way to school tuitions for 5 or 9 year olds that are each more than the national family income in other realms of the USA. But it wasn't JUST the detail. It was also the histories of these people. Most especially Shele. It was done quite well with credible nuance too for all the Orthodox Jewish faith, tradition and practice in their lives.
I will remember this read. Because the daughter's (Anna) reaction is so outlier. She still talks with and is influenced by this man. Unbelievable to me. The act he directed her to accomplish at 12 was literally stomach turning. It's so parent/child cross the line evil that I can't even describe it for context understanding here in review. It makes the sex abuse charge against the grandfather look like a parking ticket. All made up in Rod Covlin's "usual" cascade of tricks and accusations. I would think that all contact would be much better to end entirely with this man. Biological father or not.
4.5 stars. Psychological slants are good but not worth the extra .5 star to round it up. If there has ever been a case for evil void from the crib- it's this man's. Regardless, the entire collapse and bankruptcy to denigration he caused in his parents' lives! They should have never been as vindictive to Shele's parents. Terrible, terrible decisions and a sick and brutal man. He's psychotic and I sure hope he never gets out of prison. The 23 hour isolation regard is also extremely justified.
March 24, 2022
This a True Crime story about a tragic murder of a mother, sister and a daughter, Shele Danishefsky (Colvin).
Shele comes from a loving close-knit family living in Manhattan. A very successful money manager working for Merrill Lynch is making a very handsome income but is lonely and longing to become a mother. In her mid 30’s she meets handsome, charming and charismatic Rob Colvin, 11 years her junior. At first he showers her with love, gifts and many sweet compliments. Eventually Shele falls head over heels in love with Rob. The Danishefsky’s find many red flags in Rob’s odd behavior and try to persuade Shele to rethink her relationship with Rod. They try to discuss the issue calmly, but to no avail Shele goes ahead and excepts his marriage proposal.
The marriage quickly starts to unveil and crumble right in front of family and friends. Rob becomes increasingly abusive and aggressive not only towards his wife but also towards his two children.
In 2009 Shele is found dead in her apartment’s bathtub head down. At first the NYC detectives decided it to be an unfortunate accident. A slip and fall. But Shele’s family unconvinced, push the NYPD to investigate for murder accusing Rob Colvin, her husband of her murder.
The story unfolds from there…
It’s a fast paced book which reads like a documentary. Everything is meticulously explained with great detail to the littlest attention. I read it as if I was listening to a true crime podcast. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Of course I must add, it’s a sad story of a wonderfully loving mother who lost her life leaving behind 2 children, sister, brothers and loving parents.
It’s a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.
Shele comes from a loving close-knit family living in Manhattan. A very successful money manager working for Merrill Lynch is making a very handsome income but is lonely and longing to become a mother. In her mid 30’s she meets handsome, charming and charismatic Rob Colvin, 11 years her junior. At first he showers her with love, gifts and many sweet compliments. Eventually Shele falls head over heels in love with Rob. The Danishefsky’s find many red flags in Rob’s odd behavior and try to persuade Shele to rethink her relationship with Rod. They try to discuss the issue calmly, but to no avail Shele goes ahead and excepts his marriage proposal.
The marriage quickly starts to unveil and crumble right in front of family and friends. Rob becomes increasingly abusive and aggressive not only towards his wife but also towards his two children.
In 2009 Shele is found dead in her apartment’s bathtub head down. At first the NYC detectives decided it to be an unfortunate accident. A slip and fall. But Shele’s family unconvinced, push the NYPD to investigate for murder accusing Rob Colvin, her husband of her murder.
The story unfolds from there…
It’s a fast paced book which reads like a documentary. Everything is meticulously explained with great detail to the littlest attention. I read it as if I was listening to a true crime podcast. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Of course I must add, it’s a sad story of a wonderfully loving mother who lost her life leaving behind 2 children, sister, brothers and loving parents.
It’s a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.
April 11, 2022
I was fascinated by this case when I saw it on Dateline, so as soon as I realized a book had come out, I placed a hold at the library.
It's a harrowing portrait of one of the worst marriages/relationship with a narcissistic sociopathic partners I've ever read. The chronicle of the marriage, and the aftermath of the murder was hair-raising; just horrifying. A worthwhile read though for those interested in these sorts of true crime cases: upsettingly abusive relationships with stone cold partners who go to incredible lengths to get their way, and the destruction they leave in their wake. And god the custody battle after? You'll be yelling at the book like I was, often. Several of the people involved should be ashamed of themselves for their behavior. In many ways, evil won in this case. Just so sad.
But yeah: an excellent accounting of a truly horrific murder case.
It's a harrowing portrait of one of the worst marriages/relationship with a narcissistic sociopathic partners I've ever read. The chronicle of the marriage, and the aftermath of the murder was hair-raising; just horrifying. A worthwhile read though for those interested in these sorts of true crime cases: upsettingly abusive relationships with stone cold partners who go to incredible lengths to get their way, and the destruction they leave in their wake. And god the custody battle after? You'll be yelling at the book like I was, often. Several of the people involved should be ashamed of themselves for their behavior. In many ways, evil won in this case. Just so sad.
But yeah: an excellent accounting of a truly horrific murder case.
March 22, 2021
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.
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.
April 12, 2021
This was true crime at it craziest! It felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. It’s unbelievable to me how this crazy situation kept getting crazier.
Abuse is really hard to see and understand when you’re right in the middle of it, I know first hand. And these poor kids! GRRRRR.....
I’m not going to give anything away and if you like true crime then you’ll really enjoy this. There was a lot of background story told that I didn’t know anything about.
I thought the whole thing very well done. Thanks to St. Martin Press via Netgalley for this eARC. I’ve voluntarily given my review.
Abuse is really hard to see and understand when you’re right in the middle of it, I know first hand. And these poor kids! GRRRRR.....
I’m not going to give anything away and if you like true crime then you’ll really enjoy this. There was a lot of background story told that I didn’t know anything about.
I thought the whole thing very well done. Thanks to St. Martin Press via Netgalley for this eARC. I’ve voluntarily given my review.
March 18, 2021
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 America 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 physically 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.
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 physically 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.
April 15, 2023
This story centers around successful career woman, Shele Danishefsky, and her ne'er do well husband, Rod Covlin, who killed her to collect her fortune. Reading Shele's story, it was easy to see the warning signs along the way that should have sent her running in the other direction. But being of a certain age with no signs of children on the way seemed to be a driving force in Shele's decision making.
Colvin was a depraved man who seemed to have been coddled and never made to answer for his actions by his parents. In addition, he was a misogynist who had mommy issues. Colvin's supreme egotism overruled all other cares in his life, including the best interests of his children. He started off on his evil path by falsely accusing his grandfather of molesting him as a child and then used this same accusation against his wife in order to gain custody of his children.
This book was incredibly sad and Colvin's decision to kill his wife resulted in poisoning his children against their mother's legacy and family for good. He seemed to lack the foresight that he would ever be caught, probably because he never faced any consequences of his actions throughout the entire course of his life.
Colvin was a depraved man who seemed to have been coddled and never made to answer for his actions by his parents. In addition, he was a misogynist who had mommy issues. Colvin's supreme egotism overruled all other cares in his life, including the best interests of his children. He started off on his evil path by falsely accusing his grandfather of molesting him as a child and then used this same accusation against his wife in order to gain custody of his children.
This book was incredibly sad and Colvin's decision to kill his wife resulted in poisoning his children against their mother's legacy and family for good. He seemed to lack the foresight that he would ever be caught, probably because he never faced any consequences of his actions throughout the entire course of his life.
June 24, 2024
“Shakespeare once said, a liar has to have a good memory because you actually have to remember both what happened and what you say happened.”
Shele Danishefsky was a woman who had it all. With a successful career on Wall Street, two beautiful children, and a handsome adoring husband, she’s on top of the world. That is, until her seemingly perfect marriage falls to pieces in the worst possible way. Rod Covlin, the husband, has done a complete 180 from the adoring and doting husband he once was. With a raging backgammon addiction, no job prospects, and a hair-trigger temper, his violent streak comes out more and more. What ensues is a raging custody battle and months of abuse in every way, shape, and form. But there’s soon a light at the end of the tunnel, and Shele is starting to look up and move forward. She’s entering the dating pool again and sorting out her financial situation. Everything is going well… until she’s found dead in her bathtub on New Year’s Eve, 2009.
At first classified as an accident by the police, the medical examiner becomes alarmed at the state of Shele’s body and wants to perform an autopsy. Deeply religious Orthodox Jews, Shele’s family refuses one on the ground of religious belief. That one decision and one observation will kick off a ten-year long period of investigations, depravity, and the quest of one family to find out what happened to Shele and bring her killer to justice. A killer who is the only viable suspect in this whole story: Rod Covlin.
It’s not often that I’m rendered speechless by a true crime read, nor is it often that I become hopelessly addicted to reading a true crime book. But this book had me utterly hooked. I was reading this book every chance I got. I was putting my poor old Fire tablet to the test because I couldn’t stop reading it. I read it on the couch, on the bed, on the floor, while walking, even while I was soaking in the tub (and I’m usually not a tub reader). I could not put this book down. The narration style was easy to read and positively gripping.
It also helped that it was 108-109 degrees outside which made staying inside very appealing, teehee!
Shele Danishefsky had everything at her fingertips for the taking, and she was so close to having the American Dream. That dream of hers quickly became an absolute nightmare for her, one that she wouldn’t survive. The authors did a good job exploring her background and her life, fully fleshing her out and making her seem like she could just walk off the page. And yet that exploration of her early life made it perfectly obvious at least to me that she was the absolutely perfect target for someone like Rod. She was successful, but she was desperate for so many things, most of all marriage to the “perfect guy” and children.
Rod Covlin is probably one of the most evil psychopaths I’ve read about, and I’ve read about a lot. Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, and Charles Manson – just to name a few – are psychopaths in their own right, but never have I ever read about someone to psychologically cruel and depraved as Rod Covlin. He is evil . He’s a pathological liar and cheat. I usually am able to stay neutral on true crime cases (it’s part of my job, after all), but his actions made me so enraged. His being a psychopath is the only explanation I have for some of the things that he did, the most horrifying being trying to frame his own daughter for the murder of her mother. He did so many horrifying acts that, one, I don' want to spoil them all here, and, two, there are simply too many to name. He is evil in its purest form and subjected on those he claimed to love physical abuse, emotional abuse, and psychological abuse.
As someone who works in the legal field, I’ve done my fair share of family law cases. I work mainly in the criminal courts division, but I used to regularly cover family law hearings as part of my job. They were never my favorite types of hearings for mainly one reason: the way parents would treat their children as weapons against the other party rather than the living, breathing human beings they are. They didn’t care about the physical and emotional well-being of the children or what their actions and words did to them. They only cared about hurting the other parent and using the best most readily available weapon they had: their children. If I had a nickel for every time someone threatened that the other parent was not going to be allowed to see the kids again, I’d have a lot of nickels and could have retired after only half a year of working.
All kidding aside, this case not only delves into the criminal case of Shele Danishefsky’s murder, but also the raging bitter custody battle between Shele and Rod. It was one of the most brutal and disturbing custody battles I’ve read about in a long time. From false allegations of sexual abuse to completely cutting off one side of the family from the children, from the physical and verbal abuse on both Shele and the children and the all-consuming and relentless psychological abuse on Shele by Rod, it was almost hard to read at times. Honestly, the graphic murder descriptions were easier to read than the custody disputes because in those passages, the true depravity of Rod Covlin was laid bare for all to see.
And yet also in reading about the custody battle and his many insane, twisted attempts to gain full custody of his children, we come to recognize the other true victims of this crime as well, along with Shele: Anna and Myles. Furthermore, I came to the conclusion that the biggest time of this book wasn’t betrayal, but failure.
Failure.
I cannot even begin to put into adequate words how horrible Anna and Myles were failed by almost every single adult around them. They were failed by their father, who abused them in every way possible and who saw them as pawns to get what he wanted. He used them for the money they were bound to inherit from their mother, and he saw Anna as a way to get the heat off of him and for him to not be convicted of Shele’s death. They were failed by Dave and Carol Covlin, who allowed the abuse by Rod to continue to happen to them and yet cruelly cut off all contact with their mother’s side of the family in an attempt to cut the wounds even deeper. Who probably deprived the children of the psychological help they needed and no doubt brainwashed them into believing the version of events they wanted them to believe. They were failed by Debra, who could have prevented all the evil plots against Anna to not ever happen had she gone to the police sooner. And perhaps most controversially,
And in the end it worked. I firmly believe that because of Rod’s influence over them, coupled with Dave and Carol Covlin’s directives, Anna and Myles have completely turned against the Danishefsky’s. There is no relationship to that side of the family that they once so loved and cherished. And in the end, both due to time and deeply repressed trauma, they will never know what really happened that night. That or refuse to believe it.
The real heroes of this book are the Danishefsky’s themselves, who never gave up on trying to find out the truth about what really happened to Shele. Who went against what their faith dictates to give her the justice she deserves. For not one second trying to stop fighting for Anna and Myles, even though in the end their efforts ultimately failed. My heart goes out to them all.
When I closed this book after the final chapter, all I do was sit there in silence. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that’s so relentlessly gripping. I simply could not put it down. A tale about a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions that could have been stopped much earlier if different steps have been taken, this absorbing yet heartbreakingly sad true crime read will have you gasping, screaming, shaking your head, and filled with an overwhelming sense of rage. Rage that Shele was robbed of her dream of finding Prince Charming but found the devil instead. Rage at Rod Covlin, who is the true embodiment of evil in human form. Rage that the police systematically overlooked all the signs that this was a foul play death and may have lent a hand in the Danishefsky’s suffering. And rage on behalf of Anna and Myles Covlin, who were failed by almost every single adult in their lives and have been reduced to shells of their former selves, brainwashed beyond recognition, and who likely will never really know the whole truth about what happened.
Shele Danishefsky was a woman who had it all. With a successful career on Wall Street, two beautiful children, and a handsome adoring husband, she’s on top of the world. That is, until her seemingly perfect marriage falls to pieces in the worst possible way. Rod Covlin, the husband, has done a complete 180 from the adoring and doting husband he once was. With a raging backgammon addiction, no job prospects, and a hair-trigger temper, his violent streak comes out more and more. What ensues is a raging custody battle and months of abuse in every way, shape, and form. But there’s soon a light at the end of the tunnel, and Shele is starting to look up and move forward. She’s entering the dating pool again and sorting out her financial situation. Everything is going well… until she’s found dead in her bathtub on New Year’s Eve, 2009.
At first classified as an accident by the police, the medical examiner becomes alarmed at the state of Shele’s body and wants to perform an autopsy. Deeply religious Orthodox Jews, Shele’s family refuses one on the ground of religious belief. That one decision and one observation will kick off a ten-year long period of investigations, depravity, and the quest of one family to find out what happened to Shele and bring her killer to justice. A killer who is the only viable suspect in this whole story: Rod Covlin.
It’s not often that I’m rendered speechless by a true crime read, nor is it often that I become hopelessly addicted to reading a true crime book. But this book had me utterly hooked. I was reading this book every chance I got. I was putting my poor old Fire tablet to the test because I couldn’t stop reading it. I read it on the couch, on the bed, on the floor, while walking, even while I was soaking in the tub (and I’m usually not a tub reader). I could not put this book down. The narration style was easy to read and positively gripping.
It also helped that it was 108-109 degrees outside which made staying inside very appealing, teehee!
Shele Danishefsky had everything at her fingertips for the taking, and she was so close to having the American Dream. That dream of hers quickly became an absolute nightmare for her, one that she wouldn’t survive. The authors did a good job exploring her background and her life, fully fleshing her out and making her seem like she could just walk off the page. And yet that exploration of her early life made it perfectly obvious at least to me that she was the absolutely perfect target for someone like Rod. She was successful, but she was desperate for so many things, most of all marriage to the “perfect guy” and children.
Rod Covlin is probably one of the most evil psychopaths I’ve read about, and I’ve read about a lot. Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, and Charles Manson – just to name a few – are psychopaths in their own right, but never have I ever read about someone to psychologically cruel and depraved as Rod Covlin. He is evil . He’s a pathological liar and cheat. I usually am able to stay neutral on true crime cases (it’s part of my job, after all), but his actions made me so enraged. His being a psychopath is the only explanation I have for some of the things that he did, the most horrifying being trying to frame his own daughter for the murder of her mother. He did so many horrifying acts that, one, I don' want to spoil them all here, and, two, there are simply too many to name. He is evil in its purest form and subjected on those he claimed to love physical abuse, emotional abuse, and psychological abuse.
As someone who works in the legal field, I’ve done my fair share of family law cases. I work mainly in the criminal courts division, but I used to regularly cover family law hearings as part of my job. They were never my favorite types of hearings for mainly one reason: the way parents would treat their children as weapons against the other party rather than the living, breathing human beings they are. They didn’t care about the physical and emotional well-being of the children or what their actions and words did to them. They only cared about hurting the other parent and using the best most readily available weapon they had: their children. If I had a nickel for every time someone threatened that the other parent was not going to be allowed to see the kids again, I’d have a lot of nickels and could have retired after only half a year of working.
All kidding aside, this case not only delves into the criminal case of Shele Danishefsky’s murder, but also the raging bitter custody battle between Shele and Rod. It was one of the most brutal and disturbing custody battles I’ve read about in a long time. From false allegations of sexual abuse to completely cutting off one side of the family from the children, from the physical and verbal abuse on both Shele and the children and the all-consuming and relentless psychological abuse on Shele by Rod, it was almost hard to read at times. Honestly, the graphic murder descriptions were easier to read than the custody disputes because in those passages, the true depravity of Rod Covlin was laid bare for all to see.
And yet also in reading about the custody battle and his many insane, twisted attempts to gain full custody of his children, we come to recognize the other true victims of this crime as well, along with Shele: Anna and Myles. Furthermore, I came to the conclusion that the biggest time of this book wasn’t betrayal, but failure.
Failure.
I cannot even begin to put into adequate words how horrible Anna and Myles were failed by almost every single adult around them. They were failed by their father, who abused them in every way possible and who saw them as pawns to get what he wanted. He used them for the money they were bound to inherit from their mother, and he saw Anna as a way to get the heat off of him and for him to not be convicted of Shele’s death. They were failed by Dave and Carol Covlin, who allowed the abuse by Rod to continue to happen to them and yet cruelly cut off all contact with their mother’s side of the family in an attempt to cut the wounds even deeper. Who probably deprived the children of the psychological help they needed and no doubt brainwashed them into believing the version of events they wanted them to believe. They were failed by Debra, who could have prevented all the evil plots against Anna to not ever happen had she gone to the police sooner. And perhaps most controversially,
And in the end it worked. I firmly believe that because of Rod’s influence over them, coupled with Dave and Carol Covlin’s directives, Anna and Myles have completely turned against the Danishefsky’s. There is no relationship to that side of the family that they once so loved and cherished. And in the end, both due to time and deeply repressed trauma, they will never know what really happened that night. That or refuse to believe it.
The real heroes of this book are the Danishefsky’s themselves, who never gave up on trying to find out the truth about what really happened to Shele. Who went against what their faith dictates to give her the justice she deserves. For not one second trying to stop fighting for Anna and Myles, even though in the end their efforts ultimately failed. My heart goes out to them all.
When I closed this book after the final chapter, all I do was sit there in silence. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that’s so relentlessly gripping. I simply could not put it down. A tale about a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions that could have been stopped much earlier if different steps have been taken, this absorbing yet heartbreakingly sad true crime read will have you gasping, screaming, shaking your head, and filled with an overwhelming sense of rage. Rage that Shele was robbed of her dream of finding Prince Charming but found the devil instead. Rage at Rod Covlin, who is the true embodiment of evil in human form. Rage that the police systematically overlooked all the signs that this was a foul play death and may have lent a hand in the Danishefsky’s suffering. And rage on behalf of Anna and Myles Covlin, who were failed by almost every single adult in their lives and have been reduced to shells of their former selves, brainwashed beyond recognition, and who likely will never really know the whole truth about what happened.
May 27, 2021
There's nothing like a true crime novel to get your emotions running hot and your blood boiling! I could barely get through this story about the evil Rod Covlin and what he did to destroy an entire family with his greed and malicious activities.
It was so clear, probably because it was already a fact that he'd been found guilty, that he had murdered his wife, Shele Danishfsky. If that wasn't bad enough, he then completely destroyed the lives of his own children by his selfish actions in keeping them from Shele's entire family and devastating the relationship his children had with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Reading this filled me with rage that a man like Rod could get away with all the hideous things that he did, wanted to do, and planned to do.
A contentious divorce is the ugliest thing on earth -- reducing people to their basest levels and watching them act out unbelievable scenarios. The two children, Anna and Myles, were pawns in a war between their parents and extended families, and I can see how they would be left so overwhelmed and confused about whom to believe and whom to love. I did find it very surprising that neither child ever testified in court or spoke to the authors so who knows what they really think.
I love a good courtroom scene and all the legal drama, but the personal anguish that came through the pages -- the suffering of Shele's family -- was hard to bear. I am always surprised, however, by the depth of loyalty that can be displayed even for the most depraved. How Rod's parents could support him after all that he did to them. How Anna and Myles could have a positive thought in their heads about their father. This mystifies me. How many lies can someone swallow -- I guess as many as they need to in order to preserve the notion that their son and their father are really not monsters. Hearing about all the things that Rod said and did and thought through the years made me sick to my stomach. I was so worried that justice would not prevail. But, then again, as in the case of any crime such as this, the result does not undue the suffering or bring back the dead.
It took 10 years for Rod Covlin to be held accountable for what he did. So many things went wrong from the discovery of Shele's body to the trial where her killer was finally given his just due. I loved reading the details of this story with all the background information and appreciate the work and research that the authors did to bring this book to publication.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend to all true crime fans everywhere.
It was so clear, probably because it was already a fact that he'd been found guilty, that he had murdered his wife, Shele Danishfsky. If that wasn't bad enough, he then completely destroyed the lives of his own children by his selfish actions in keeping them from Shele's entire family and devastating the relationship his children had with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Reading this filled me with rage that a man like Rod could get away with all the hideous things that he did, wanted to do, and planned to do.
A contentious divorce is the ugliest thing on earth -- reducing people to their basest levels and watching them act out unbelievable scenarios. The two children, Anna and Myles, were pawns in a war between their parents and extended families, and I can see how they would be left so overwhelmed and confused about whom to believe and whom to love. I did find it very surprising that neither child ever testified in court or spoke to the authors so who knows what they really think.
I love a good courtroom scene and all the legal drama, but the personal anguish that came through the pages -- the suffering of Shele's family -- was hard to bear. I am always surprised, however, by the depth of loyalty that can be displayed even for the most depraved. How Rod's parents could support him after all that he did to them. How Anna and Myles could have a positive thought in their heads about their father. This mystifies me. How many lies can someone swallow -- I guess as many as they need to in order to preserve the notion that their son and their father are really not monsters. Hearing about all the things that Rod said and did and thought through the years made me sick to my stomach. I was so worried that justice would not prevail. But, then again, as in the case of any crime such as this, the result does not undue the suffering or bring back the dead.
It took 10 years for Rod Covlin to be held accountable for what he did. So many things went wrong from the discovery of Shele's body to the trial where her killer was finally given his just due. I loved reading the details of this story with all the background information and appreciate the work and research that the authors did to bring this book to publication.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend to all true crime fans everywhere.
April 28, 2021
Despite living within 20 minutes of NYC, I did not know/remember much, if anything, about this case. This, made the story interesting; and, at times, quite heartbreaking. The emotional and physical abuse that this woman endured, then her kids, and all extended family members, at the hands of this one greedy monster, is a difficult read. It's incredibly sad what this man did, and I have to believe that the kids were brainwashed - I was hoping we'd hear a follow-up from the daughter, in her own words - I mean, we do, but do we really? Due to the botched investigation, and lack of autopsy, which are beyond frustrating to read about, we will never truly know a lot about this case.
My issues with the book (why 3 stars, instead of higher) - 1. the book simply seemed too long/wordy, sometimes it seems as though authors have a specific word quota to reach, and the book gets drawn out for that reason (maybe that is true), 2. I don't know why this bothered me, but especially during the trial sequence, we sometimes learn more about what the witnesses are wearing....like...every...single....witness, rather than actual facts, and 3. there are pictures approx 3/4 of the way through the book - spoiler alert - if you don't know anything about the case, don't look at the pics until after you've completed the full book - we find out the verdict via the pics, before it's been discussed in the text portion. I had a feeling, or at least hoped, that was the direction the verdict would go, but it was confirmed before the jury even "spoke."
Overall, I "enjoyed" approx 2/3 of this book; however, at a later point, I questioned whether looking up the Dateline or 20/20 episode(s) would have been sufficient. That said, this was a quick read for me, so I wouldn't classify it as a waste of time either.
My issues with the book (why 3 stars, instead of higher) - 1. the book simply seemed too long/wordy, sometimes it seems as though authors have a specific word quota to reach, and the book gets drawn out for that reason (maybe that is true), 2. I don't know why this bothered me, but especially during the trial sequence, we sometimes learn more about what the witnesses are wearing....like...every...single....witness, rather than actual facts, and 3. there are pictures approx 3/4 of the way through the book - spoiler alert - if you don't know anything about the case, don't look at the pics until after you've completed the full book - we find out the verdict via the pics, before it's been discussed in the text portion. I had a feeling, or at least hoped, that was the direction the verdict would go, but it was confirmed before the jury even "spoke."
Overall, I "enjoyed" approx 2/3 of this book; however, at a later point, I questioned whether looking up the Dateline or 20/20 episode(s) would have been sufficient. That said, this was a quick read for me, so I wouldn't classify it as a waste of time either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2021
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.
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.
April 11, 2021
Not really a who did it or a why it was done but a chronological narrative of events leading to the murder of the wife and mother. Not a lot of suspense builds up except for the lengths the suspect goes to to stage other crimes. A solid trial that hits the right note in detail.
Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley
Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley
February 19, 2025
At Any Cost is a well-written, non-fiction, true crime book. Rebecca Rosenberg, a staff reporter for The New York Post, recounts the Danishefsky family's decade-long campaign to expose the true cause of Shele Danishefsky's death. Rosenberg provides ample background on the family to help in understanding the different angles of the case. This is a sad and unbelievable story. I hope the Danishefsky family finds peace.
April 16, 2021
quick reading, 3.75 stars
February 15, 2021
I snagged a pre-release copy and damn -- edge of my seat all the way through. Like every New Yorker I closely followed the shocking Danishefsky case. But because it spanned years it was easy to lose track of details. Rosenberg and Algar managed to pack it all into a tight, lightning-paced package. Highly recommended!
March 27, 2021
This was a well-written true crime story, but many things in it were so disturbing that you just wanted to scream. The victim, Shele Danishefsky, who had everything going for her, married a man, 11 years younger, who proposed as soon as he met her at a Jewish singles party. No, they didn’t run off that night to get married, as first planned, but she still ended up marrying him six months later; apparently unaware in her 30s that any guy who proposes so quickly is usually looking for a marriage of convenience.
There were more red flags left and right, but she still decided she wanted to have children with the man. He is abusive, but she sees him as a good father, and even puts him in an apartment across the hall from her, after she decides to divorce him. He murders her one night, but the family does not allow an autopsy due to religious beliefs, even though some family members strongly suspect he killed her. The police totally botch the case, treating it like an accident, even though there were signs it was not.
The children go live with their sicko-psycho father and his parents, and one of the most serious attempts by the mother’s family to get custody is dropped, when they are told the daughter threatened to kill herself if taken away from her father. Daddy Dearest told her to commit suicide if he ever lost custody. He also tries to get his loyal daughter to falsely claim she was raped by her paternal grandfather. Later, he even planned on marrying her off in Mexico, so she could become an emancipated adult and get her inheritance. Plus, he wrote a phony letter by her where she confessed to killing her mother.
Need one go on? Finally in 2019, which was ten years after the murder, justice prevailed in a courtroom. Well, justice prevailed in some ways, but not in others. Both children of Shele Danishefsky still shunned their mother’s family, and told the judge how wonderful their father was, begging he not be sent to prison, because they didn't know what they would do without him. If you can quietly make it through all this insanity, this is an interesting true crime story, written in a way that makes it a breeze to read.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.)
There were more red flags left and right, but she still decided she wanted to have children with the man. He is abusive, but she sees him as a good father, and even puts him in an apartment across the hall from her, after she decides to divorce him. He murders her one night, but the family does not allow an autopsy due to religious beliefs, even though some family members strongly suspect he killed her. The police totally botch the case, treating it like an accident, even though there were signs it was not.
The children go live with their sicko-psycho father and his parents, and one of the most serious attempts by the mother’s family to get custody is dropped, when they are told the daughter threatened to kill herself if taken away from her father. Daddy Dearest told her to commit suicide if he ever lost custody. He also tries to get his loyal daughter to falsely claim she was raped by her paternal grandfather. Later, he even planned on marrying her off in Mexico, so she could become an emancipated adult and get her inheritance. Plus, he wrote a phony letter by her where she confessed to killing her mother.
Need one go on? Finally in 2019, which was ten years after the murder, justice prevailed in a courtroom. Well, justice prevailed in some ways, but not in others. Both children of Shele Danishefsky still shunned their mother’s family, and told the judge how wonderful their father was, begging he not be sent to prison, because they didn't know what they would do without him. If you can quietly make it through all this insanity, this is an interesting true crime story, written in a way that makes it a breeze to read.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.)
April 4, 2021
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."
I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my new blog "I Love True Crime Books"
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."
I received an ARC of this book from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my new blog "I Love True Crime Books"
May 20, 2021
Absorbing true-crime book. So much that is in here would be too farfetched for a work of fiction. The spontaneous marriage proposal! The hidden hard drives! The Mexican marriage plot! The phony rabbi! The autopsy called off as the scalpel is about to go in!
I hope the family has been able to achieve some peace after such horrific crimes.
Side note: At one point, a reporter demands, "Did you kill your wife? If you didn't kill her, who did?" That reporter was Laura Italiano, recently in the news herself after resigning suddenly: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...
I hope the family has been able to achieve some peace after such horrific crimes.
Side note: At one point, a reporter demands, "Did you kill your wife? If you didn't kill her, who did?" That reporter was Laura Italiano, recently in the news herself after resigning suddenly: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...
March 22, 2021
I enjoyed this generally well-written and well researched true crime book from start to finish. I had not heard of this case for some reason which is odd as it is pretty high-profile. The story is sad of course and the perpetrator is one crazy SOB. I’m glad justice was served. The book doesn’t just follow the investigation and trial, it also gives us a birds-eye view of the extent to which the defendant went to destroy the lives of two families in so many ways. Truly diabolical and a good lesson in what psychopathy looks like.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and thank them and the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and thank them and the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
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January 1, 2025I listened to this one on audio. It's been on my shelf for such a long time and I'm glad I finally read it. I don't really have a ton to say about it. I hadn't heard of the case prior to reading this book. So everything I know is from this book. I found the narration style of the audiobook easy to listen to. I'm leaving it unrated because it was a just fine listening experience, but I didn't ever have strong feelings one way or the other.
dnf
April 29, 2022I had to stop reading this as I found it very triggering. What I did read though was very well written and engaging.
June 30, 2021
I couldn’t stop listening to this. An absolutely crazy case.
March 17, 2021
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.
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.
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