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“Rother is the next Ann Rule. 
-- NYT #1 bestselling author Gregg Olsen 


“Caitlin Rother's meticulous research shines in this masterful page-turner, as does her her skill at placing readers inside the investigation and courtroom. DOWN TO THE BONE is the definitive rendering of a vexing, horrific family mass murder. When it comes to case coverage, Rother never disappoints.
-- Dr. Katherine Ramsland, forensic psychology professor and author of The Serial Killer's Apprentice

“With a journalist's eye for the telling details of life, Caitlin Rother is a keen architect of the most important part of storytelling: character. The people in her prose grip you tightly with their truth.
-- NYT bestselling author Michael Connelly

Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 15 books, ranging from true crime to mystery and memoir. A New York Times-bestselling author and investigative journalist, Rother worked nearly 20 years for daily newspapers. Writing books full-time since 2006, she draws from decades of watchdog reporting on topics from addiction to suicide, mental illness, murder, government, political corruption and the criminal justice system. A popular speaker, she has appeared more than 250 times on TV, radio and podcasts as a true crime expert. A former writing instructor of 10 years, she coaches a limited number of aspiring author clients. She loves ocean swimming, singing and playing keyboards in Breaking the Code. Explore the photo galleries and learn about her latest titles, backlist, videos, and podcasts!

Exciting news: Caitlin just accepted a two-book deal with Thomas & Mercer for a new crime novel series. The first, DOPAMINE FIX, is slated for release in January 2026! More details soon. 
COMING SOON:  
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If you have tips on this or other book-worthy stories, please contact Rother at caitlinrother@gmail.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

DOWN TO THE BONE: A Missing Family's Murder and the Elusive Quest For Justice (Citadel, June 2025) 

Joseph and Summer McStay, and their two young sons, Joey Jr. and Gianni, went mysteriously missing from their house in Fallbrook, California, in February 2010. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSD) investigated their disappearance as a missing persons' case for months, after finding no blood or any physical evidence of foul play in the house. However, the circumstances were certainly suspicious: eggs were left out on the counter, a half-eaten apple on the stairs and two bowls of popcorn on the futon, indicating they left in a hurry, yet their family had no idea where they were. The SDSD let the case go cold, deciding the McStays had left voluntarily to Mexico, even though there was no activity on their phones or credit cards.  Nearly four years later, their skeletal remains were discovered in the High Desert of San Bernardino County -- with holes in their skulls, along with a sledgehammer consistent with the injuries, and Summer's bra sliced in half and her pants pulled off. A year after that, Joseph's business partner, Charles "Chase" Merritt, was arrested for their murders, but maintains his innocence. After many twists and turns in the case, a revolving door of different defense attorneys, and a protracted trial, Merritt was found guilty and, after more delays, sentenced to death row.  Nonetheless, some observers believe Merritt was wrongly convicted, or if he was involved, didn't act alone.  Rother takes her usual deep dive into this case.  

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ALSO COMING SOON:  
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BODY PARTS: A Serial Killer's Deadly Compulsions (Citadel, February 2025) 




















 

In this significantly updated edition, Rother has added 10,000 words of new material about the identification of serial killer Wayne Adam Ford's first victim, via forensic genealogy, 25 years after he killed and dismembered her in Eureka, CA. This 25-year-old victim now has a name--Kerry Anne Cummings--and her family, whom Rother interviewed for this new edition, now has closure. The rest of the book takes a psychological look at the life of Ford, a long-haul trucker who was convicted of murdering four troubled young women during rough sex, dismembering two of them, and then turning himself in so he wouldn't kill again. Still claiming the women’s deaths were accidental -- and that their strangulation was erotic asphyxiation, for their pleasure -- he is on death row at San Quentin prison in California. See below for previous covers of the book, released in 2009 and 2013, and Ford crying at his sentencing hearing.

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If you have tips on this or other book-worthy stories, please contact Rother at caitlinrother@gmail.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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