Down to the Bone by Caitlin Rother

 

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” – from Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field by Sir Walter Scott

"I fight each and every day to mend the wounds left by someone who, instead of healing, sought to destroy others, my family, for their own personal gain." - Elijah McStay 

 

 

One of the things I like best about reading true crime is the solving of the case, the puzzle pieces that gradually just slip into place, along with oftentimes some very interesting forensics and psychology.  With the case of Joseph, Summer, Gianni and Joseph McStay, the puzzle pieces don’t slide into place so easily. 

I will admit that while I knew the basic facts of the McStays’ disappearances, they were very, very basic.  Down to the Bone is an absolutely terrific resource for the examination into the family’s disappearance and eventual murders – but an infuriating one.  Not due to Caitlin Rother’s as-always meticulous and beyond reproach research and compassionate and objective writing but thanks to what I can only graciously deem a convoluted mess of an investigation by the local law enforcement.  (To be fair, the family was not reported missing for over a week after they were last known to be alive and family members tidied up and cleaned the house when it was assumed the family had left town of their own accord.)  In this reader’s mind, Ms. Rother had a job that was that much more difficult as the exact time and location of the kidnappings and murders was not and is not known, but she manages to weave a compelling, tragic, and humane tale – one that is especially so given that two of the victims were children under the age of five – that keeps you flipping the pages.   

As Ms. Rother has demonstrated in her other true crime books (any and all of which I would not hesitate to recommend), she also in Down to the Bone examined and studied thousands of pages of official documents and records as well as attended the resulting trial.  As evidenced by any true crime writer or journalist worth his or her salt, she leaves her personal opinions out of the book and simply reports the facts, allowing the reader to make his or her own judgment on the case. 

While Down to the Bone left me with a better understanding of the case as a whole, it also left me feeling uncertain that the right man was arrested, tried, and convicted of the crime and wondering if the McStay family truly received justice for their sad ends.   

If you prefer your true crime books to be more salacious and without investigative detail, Down to the Bone may not be for you.  But if you want to know the ins and outs of this investigation, as infuriating and frustrating as it is, as well as the questionable individuals that Joseph McStay did business with, I’d encourage you to pick up a copy.

Much as Ann Rule was THE true crime writer for the Pacific Northwest, Caitlin Rother is THE true crime writer for southern California.  Well done, Ms. Rother.  Is it too soon to say that I look forward to your next book? 

Down to the Bone will be released on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.  Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Caitlin Rother for sending me an advanced copy of the book for review.

For more information on author Caitlin Rother, please visit her website.  

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I was neither paid nor compensated for this review.  The provision of the book had no outcome on my opinions in this review.