Bone Deep : Untangling the Betsy Faria Murder Case

Title: Bone Deep : Untangling the Betsy Faria Murder Case

Author: Charles Bosworth Jr., Joel J. Schwartz 

Publisher: Citadel Press

Release Date: February 22, 2022

Genre(s): True Crime

Page Count: 320

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

If you watch Dateline NBC, you probably saw one of their five episodes about Pam Hupp and the Betsy Faria murder, and are somewhat familiar with this bizarre case.  Co-author Joel J. Schwartz was Russell Faria's defense attorney and he and Charles Bosworth, Jr. presents all the aspects of the case for both the newcomer as well as the true-crime aficionado.

The authors present their evidence clearly and concisely about the initial case, the police and prosecutor's singular focus on Russell Faria, the first trial, the retrial and Pam Hupp's murder of Louis Gumpenberger. It's a gut-wrenching ten (10) year period of time and the case continues, with Pam Hupp finally charged with the murder of Betsy Faria in July of 2021.

Reading this account, it is unimaginable that the police and the prosecutor made up their minds almost immediately that Russ Faria was guilty and Pam Hupp had nothing to do with Betsy' s murder .... despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.  And even more disturbing is the growing evidence that the police lied, convinced others to lie, and sought to cover up the truth. 

If you are interested in an insider's viewpoint of this case, I would highly recommend this book. 4.5 stars.

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Death on Ocean Boulevard : Inside the Coronado Mansion Case

Title: Death on Ocean Boulevard : Inside the Coronado Mansion Case 

Author: Caitlin Rother 

Publisher: Citadel Press 

Release Date: April 27, 2021 

Genre(s): Unsolved murder, hanging

Page Count: 368 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

The image of the Spreckels Mansion is an apt metaphor for this true crime story of death and terrifying loss. At first glance the historic mansion looks impressive, but inside there is mold on the bathtubs, the carpet is in need of replacement, the decor is somewhat dated - appearances can be deceiving.

On the surface, Rebecca Zahau was living the good life with her millionaire boyfriend Jonah and his teenage kids, as well as sweet adorable six-year-old Max. But on July 11, 2011, Max falls face-first from a second story staircase onto the floor below and is taken to the hospital in critical condition. Two days later, Rebecca is found dead .... nude, bound in red rope, hanging from an exterior balcony. Max dies of his injuries on July 16, 2011, having never regained consciousness. 

What happened those summer days in Coronado have never been fully solved, despite a jury in a civil case finding Jonah's brother Adam responsible for Rebecca's death, and the San Diego Sheriff's department declaring Rebecca's death a suicide.  And ... Max may have simply tripped and fell over the bannister, although a trauma doctor believes he was suffocated prior to his fall. 

Caitlin Rother begins by sharing her husband's 1999 death by suicide, as well as some unsettling events from Rebecca's past which creates a framework of sorts for the larger mystery. As Dr. House would say, "everybody lies" and with that unsteady foundation in place, we move on to investigate the case. 

Rother's narrative at times is a bit unclear and while she gives us brief sketches of the major players, at times I found myself trying to remember exactly who some of those players were.  There is also a lot of repetition along the way. But then again, there are a lot of details about the case, most of which are still highly disputed.  As Sheriff Gore stated: "Sometimes family members hear what they want to hear" or as Rother says:

"What comes out in a trial is not a single truth. Each side tries to win its case by presenting witnesses who offer conflicting interpretations of the same evidence [...]. I came away convinced that the whole truth had not come out - from either side."

Rother's book provides some new information and theories of the case and overall, I felt she did a good job of balancing all the various "truths" about what happened those summer days in 2011. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the case and anyone seeking to learn more about the inner workings of investigation and analysis.  4 stars. 

I recieved an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

A Tangled Web

Title: A Tangled Web
Author: Leslie Rule
Publisher: Citadel Press
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Page Count: 304
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

"A Tangled Web" gives us the true-crime story of Dave Kroupa, a regular guy and two women, Cari Lea Farver and Shanna “Liz” Golyar, drawn together into incredibly devious murder and its bizarre aftermath. You've probably heard of this case (it was highlighted in a Dateline episode) but Rule's book really gives you the ins and outs of the murderers' catfishing over many years, and the numerous ways Liz used technology to track and intimidate her victims.

Rule points out that most women were very suspicious of Liz, while men just didn't pick up on her insanity. And honestly, Dave is perhaps not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but then again who could have imagined the insanity Liz unleashed and the extent to which she was willing to go. Unfortunately, the people called to investigate the cases (arson, missing person, identity theft, etc.) seemed to have totally missed or completely misread the manipulations until it was finally taken seriously and solved in a very definitive manner.


Rule is very thorough in her unraveling of the tangled web of data, but at times I wished for a much clearer focus on the murderer. However, her family did not cooperate in any way to provide background so after all the details about the case, the murderer still remains elusive in a sense.

Leslie Rule does a good job of coordinating all the information and presented it in a clear fashion but at times I wished for the deeply personal way her mother, Ann Rule, framed and enriched the bare details. Ann had a way of digging into a murder that made it heartwrenchingly personal and close to home. Leslie is not quite there yet, but then again few crime writers are at the level of Ann Rule at her finest (which I would suggest is "Small Sacrifices") 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars for "A Tangled Web."

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.