This was a tough read. It was intriguing in the worst way because just when you think you have heard it all, it escalates. I found myself growing more and more furious as I read along and saw what Shele's family had to endure, especially her parents. The things that this vile man did and got away with before he was finally charged with the murder of his wife are outrageous. The way in which he has manipulated his daughter her entire life, and the things have made her (or tried to make her do unsuccessfully in some cases) are beyond belief. I read through the entire book in two days because I just couldn't put it down. If you are easily triggered, I wouldn't suggest this book for you, but if you are the type of person that likes to read stories about real people, and learn their stories, At Any Cost is a well written book that tells Shele's tragic story in full.

I’m a newbie when it comes to true crime. This was my third true crime book, and really enjoyed it. I really appreciated how Shele’s family life and upbringing were included.

I did have to pace myself though, and take breaks. It was a much heavier read than my usual. Because of the nature of this book, it was harder to read/watch what Shele went through with her husband, and what a piece of sh*t he was.

I'm so glad that I was reading this book on my phone, because if I'd been reading a physical copy, I would have thrown it across the room several times. The writing is amazing, but the actions of the people involved in this crime made me absolutely furious. It took all my self-control to not google the outcome of the trial before I got to the end. Despite my obsession with true crime, I hadn't heard of this case before, but now I want to learn as much about it as possible. If you're a fan of true crime books, I can't recommend this highly enough. And after you've read it, come talk to me, because I need to yell about it some more.

Wow is all I can say about this book. This book just proves there are very sick people in this world. Well written true crime story. Very good read. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving this book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

At Any Cost was very interesting. I sort of remember hearing about this case before, but I either didn't know or didn't remember many of the details. My heart breaks for that family, especially the children.

Shele Danishefsky had a hard time getting away from her abusive husband, Rod Covlin. Shele wanted to take Rod off her will so he couldn't have access to her millions. She was never able to because two days later, Shele was found dead in her apartment. Police ruled it an accident, but all the clues seemed to point the finger at Rod. What went wrong?

I love true crime, and this book was no exception. It was very well researched, and you get a lot of background information on both Shele and Rod, and both of their families. We see many instance where Rod is abusive and manipulative to not only Shele, but his own parents and ex-girlfriends. I won't spoil anything else, because there are many twists and turns that will shock you!

This book started out strong and hooked me in from the very beginning. It read like fiction which made it easy to follow even if you don't read a lot of non-fiction. It's very fast-paced, and every time I picked it up, I couldn't put it down!

If you're a fan of true crime, you will enjoy this! Even if you're new to true crime or non-fiction, this is a great place to start. I highly recommend reading this one overall!

Thank you to Netgalley, Rebecca and Selim, and St. Martin's for an advance copy of At Any Cost.

What a difficult read. I love true crime and I always have podcasts or ID Network on as background noise, but somehow I'd never heard of this horrible and harrowing case.

Shele Danishefsky was found dead in her bathtub, her body discovered by her daughter. What follows is a ten year fight by Shele's family to keep her kids safe and put the man who did that unspeakable act behind bars.

Clearly there are trigger warnings all over this book, but I'd like to specifically mention that there is a lot of manipulation of children, Stockholm Syndrome, and just general mistreatment of the kids. Not outright abuse, it's lowkey and subtle, which somehow makes it feel even more disgusting. The calculated moves made by Shele's husband to keep their kids under his thumb just turn my stomach.

Shele was wronged. She was betrayed by her husband, the NYPD, her religion; all things that we should be able to put our faith in trust into. That's what makes this story so tragic for me.

Rebecca and Selim did an amazing job researching this case. Ten years is a lot of ground to cover with a case that was an 'open and shut' accident in the eyes of the police.

Shele Danishefsly, a successful, beautiful woman wanting to find the love of a good man, have children, and live happily, pays the ultimate price for her hopes at the hands of her husband Rod Colvin.

The research in this book is unfailingly expert; the narrative, superb. I found the inept clumsiness of the investigators, in this case, flabbergasting. The justice system failed to protect Shele, her children, and her family.

Devastating, heartbreaking. Compelling, riveting. At Any Cost is a must-read for readers of true crime.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the read Rebecca Rosenberg; Selim Algar’s, At Any Cost.

Opinions expressed are my own.

I couldn't put this well-written, well-researched book down. The authors detailed in chronological order the events of the mostly circumstantial case and, ultimately, the jury's conviction of the defendant.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this book to read. The impressions expressed here are my own honest opinions written voluntarily.

I honestly cannot fathom the lengths this entwined, dysfunctional family went to "protect" children and money. I felt so sorry that these children being used as pawns. I found I really wanted to stick a fork in it, and end the bickering for the sake of the kids because enough is enough. The author's investigative research is very deep and detailed; if you do not like details, this is not the book for you. But the painstaking effort to find, and piece these details together were done to reach the truth, which is what the victim deserved. I found it so sad for literally everyone surrounding the orbit of this inept husband; he so pathetic he is laughable. It is so unfortunate that religious ritual (in part) caused the murder investigation not to reach the truth sooner.

O want to tha k netgalley, st. Martins press and the authors for giving me a chance to read this for an honest review

I was actually shocked by it. From the start of the book something seemed off to me. I am glad they found him guilty but feel like there is more to her death than what was told. Being a domestic violence survivor myself and a divorcee I could understand the victims fear with the defendant. Hopefully someday someone will know the full truth out there maybe someday her daughter and son will be willing to hear from their mom's family, and maybe someday her daughter would be willing to be hypnotized...it is very possible she blocked things out and her dad and grandparents have sadly brain washed them.

It is never easy losing a parent, especially violently. I feel for everyone involved. The authors of this book did a good job with this book

Wow...I am breathless after reading this non-stop for hours. It was gripping, without a single slow moment to pause and catch my breath. If you like true crime, courtroom dramas, or stories about psychopaths, you will love this.
Once again, I was impressed with the extraordinary amount of damage one single person with no conscience can do to a vast number of people, and how dangerous it is to get involved legally, or romantically, with one. Additional thoughts going through my head were how incompetent and biased police can be, and how broken the court system often is, so slow as to be almost useless, and often cruel and unfair in its judgements.
If I had a teenage daughter, I would have her read this to counteract all the romantic “happily ever after” nonsense that little girls are constantly barraged with. Or maybe give this to a friend who feels that her eggs are aging and thinks it’s time to settle for a potential mate who is exhibiting warning signs. This painful, true story is a good reminder to everyone that these predators are out there and they can be devastatingly convincing.

I have a hard time with true crime, since my sisters accident showed me we are not off limits, but occasionally I’ll read one and I’m glad I chose this one. It was captivating, well written, and written in a manner that didn’t bore you with tedious details, but still felt like they were being Honest to the case it involves. It was riveting, captivating, and like app crime unbelievable. I would definitely recommend to those who love true crime and even my fellow thrill lovers, as I do think the way it’s written will truly keep them in suspense and chills!

Will buzz around and use low Amazon reviewer number!

What a fantastic true crime book that is absolutely horrifying. I had no idea about this case, and it is so crazy. There were so many red flags leading up to this, and it is very sad that it got to this point that Shele finally decided to do something about it, only to find it was too late and she would not be alive the next day. I have been in a similar situation, so I completely understand the 'closing your eyes and hoping it gets better' mentality. I am grateful my situation did not end like Shele's but it very easily could have, and I am so saddened by the fact that it constantly takes so much before we say enough is enough. Adding children into the mix is oftentimes another reason for the delay in leaving. This book is very well done, the pacing never slows down, and I liked the amount of detail given to both Shele and Ron, their backstories, how they got together, and how it all went wrong. It is key to understanding these behaviors as they are often consistent on both sides. What I did find interesting was the amount of enabling by Ron's girlfriends, they should have been running when Shele died but yet they did not and one even did so much more, and it was shocking. But it seems that true to psychopath form, everyone around him was manipulated and/or enamored until he decided to show his true colors and then it was hard to extract themselves from the situation. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you are a fan of true crime, it is a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for the digital copy to review.

A twisted tale of greed, murder, betrayal and the brutal aftermath. True crime at its best. Well written and well researched, captivating and hard to put down. Lovers of true crime will definitely enjoy this read.

I tried to read this, but gave up about 1/4 of the way through. It was definitely a DNF for me. I would still read more by the author. However, I just didn't connect with this story.

2/5 Stars

<i>At Any Cost</i> is a work of non-fiction that delves into the murder of Shele Danishefsky in NYC in 2009.

At the time of her murder, Shele was going through a separation with her husband, Rod Covlin. Rod and Shele fell in love quickly, got married and had two children. After their second child was born their marriage began to breakdown and Rod became unfaithful to his wife. He also began playing backgammon and betting money on games. He eventually lost his job and was living off of Shele's income from finance job on Wall Street.

After suffering years of abuse from Rod, Shele decided to get a divorce. Rod, who had been accessing Shele's emails, found out that Shele had contacted her lawyer to set up an appointment to remove Rod from her will. Prior to the appointment happening Shele was found dead in her bathtub by her young daughter early one morning. Unfortunately, detectives did not do a good job of securing the crime scene and collecting evidence to be used later. Shele and her family were Orthodox Jews and their families Rabi advised against the autopsy, as the detectives at the scene thought this was an accidental death from a fall and not a homicide. Many of the facts of the case were not adding up which led the Medical Examiner to try and push for an autopsy, but it was overruled by the Chief Medical Examiner.

Much of the book deals with the aftermath of Shele's death, including the ugly custody battle between the Danishefsky family and the Covlin family. Rod effectively kept the children from seeing the Danishefsky's after Shele's death - feeding them lies about their grandparents, aunts and uncles making them not want to have any relationship with their maternal family. Rod's parents ended up having custody of the children, however, Rod frequently tried to intervene going to great extremes to try and get full custody of his children.

Eventually, the police had enough evidence after 8 years to charge Rod with the murder of Shele. Rod went on trial and was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life.

This story was incredibly heart wrenching, leaving the reader questioning what may have happened if Shele had she taken further steps with the orders of protection and divorce sooner. My heart was also broken for the Danishefsky family who were alienated from their grandchildren/niece and nephew who they loved dearly. Unfortunately, Shele's parents were not able to see the children after her death, leaving them feeling a great sadness until their deaths.

If you are a fan of true crime books, this one will definitely grab your attention and leave you up late into the night absorbing it's pages.

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

When greed becomes the prime motive for murder, a person will do just about anything to get their hands on the object of that desire. Rod Covlin pursued and married Shele, and then systematically wore her down over the years. He berated her for everything from her looks, her weight, and made her feel guilty for everything. He was abusive, but managed to hide it from most people. Once she filed for divorce, the gloves came off.

When she was found dead in the bathtub, a huge battle began for the massive estate that she left behind. Child custody, life insurance and more led to a ten year battle in court over what Shele left behind. And no one could foresee the lengths to which her husband would go to gain control of her estate.

Oh my goodness! This was a great book, and I enjoyed reading it. This has everything a true crime should have. You will be horrified at some of the information contained in this book, but the story weaves together, and doesn't leave out any details that would confuse the reader. It is there in black and white for the reader to gain a full sense of the struggles and bitterness that ensued. 100% would recommend!

WOW from page one I was in this book 110% and could not put it down! I feel like the detail in this true crime book was spot on and heavy thru out and had me sitting on the edge of my couch. With most true crime books the storyline is very disturbing and while reading At Any Cost there were defiantly parts that I wanted to skill because it was horrible, but the nature of this story is truly horrible and sad.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, as I had never heard of the case, but WOW. This book is gripping from beginning to end! It is well-written and completely detailed without EVER being boring or off topic. Grab this one-sitting true crime book soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for sending me an eARC!