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Bluebeard
A NEW THRILLER BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF LA’S FIRST KNOWN SERIAL KILLER
In 1919, Kathryn Wombacher finds a lonely-hearts ad placed by one Walter Andrew:
"Would be pleased to correspond with a refined young lady or widow. Object, matrimony."
Kathryn and Walter fall in love and marry within weeks.
What Kathryn doesn’t know… is that her new husband is really James "Bluebeard" Watson, a notorious West Coast serial killer who catfished and married 22 women, murdering 10..
Based on newly unearthed evidence, Bluebeard is the definitive story of a sociopath who wielded love as a deadly weapon.
And it’s the story of a woman who discovered the unthinkable about her husband…
And dared to fight back.
In 1919, Kathryn Wombacher finds a lonely-hearts ad placed by one Walter Andrew:
"Would be pleased to correspond with a refined young lady or widow. Object, matrimony."
Kathryn and Walter fall in love and marry within weeks.
What Kathryn doesn’t know… is that her new husband is really James "Bluebeard" Watson, a notorious West Coast serial killer who catfished and married 22 women, murdering 10..
Based on newly unearthed evidence, Bluebeard is the definitive story of a sociopath who wielded love as a deadly weapon.
And it’s the story of a woman who discovered the unthinkable about her husband…
And dared to fight back.
4 pages, Audible Audio
Published May 23, 2024
57 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
July 2, 2024
Story 4 stars**
Audio 5 stars**
Narrators
Joseph Fiennes
Karen Davis
Holt MaCallany
Adrian Pasdar
Audio 5 stars**
Narrators
Joseph Fiennes
Karen Davis
Holt MaCallany
Adrian Pasdar
September 19, 2024
3.5 rating
Have you never heard of Bluebeard? He was a rich landowner adorned with a beard so black it shimmered with a blueish hue. This man married countless wives in succession, but his wives kept disappearing. No one in the village could imagine why. But there were rumors. It turned out he killed them all, one by one whenever they got suspicious of his secret...and they were weak, just like you!
Bluebeard is an audible original story based on a real serial killer in the 1900's named "Bluebeard Watson", who married 22 women, violently killing 10 of them. He would have continued but for one of his wives, Kathryn Wombacher, who found out the truth and fought back.
This is a well-produced thriller with great narration. The language used by the characters is a bit dated, probably to stay true to the time period in which this took place.
Duration: 3 hours and 38 minutes
Have you never heard of Bluebeard? He was a rich landowner adorned with a beard so black it shimmered with a blueish hue. This man married countless wives in succession, but his wives kept disappearing. No one in the village could imagine why. But there were rumors. It turned out he killed them all, one by one whenever they got suspicious of his secret...and they were weak, just like you!
Bluebeard is an audible original story based on a real serial killer in the 1900's named "Bluebeard Watson", who married 22 women, violently killing 10 of them. He would have continued but for one of his wives, Kathryn Wombacher, who found out the truth and fought back.
This is a well-produced thriller with great narration. The language used by the characters is a bit dated, probably to stay true to the time period in which this took place.
Duration: 3 hours and 38 minutes
June 20, 2024
3.5 stars
June 11, 2024
Joseph Fiennes plays the main character in this dramatised production of a true story which took place at the beginning of the 20th Century in America.
Billed as the story of LA's first serial killer, it is his last wife who should be remembered for putting a stop to his horrifying crimes! KATHRYN WOMBACHER is her name.
This was three hours well worth the time.
Billed as the story of LA's first serial killer, it is his last wife who should be remembered for putting a stop to his horrifying crimes! KATHRYN WOMBACHER is her name.
This was three hours well worth the time.
July 27, 2025
any version of bluebeard is worth the read imo
October 31, 2024
Absolutely excellent performance!!!!
Story was great too!!
Story was great too!!
January 4, 2025
True crime that was well reenacted. Very scary how he married and then killed so many women; I had not heard of this serial killer before. Much harder to connect the dots back then but glad they finally did. The female actress, Karen Davis, was amazing, and Joseph Fiennes in the lead role was chilling.
February 10, 2025
4 stars
This is based on true crime cases involving “the modern Blue Beard” who was discovered in the early 1920s. Being a woman has always been difficult in history but even more so before women’s rights was started. Women had no rights at all; everything they ever had became their husbands and getting a divorce was pretty impossible. Men could request them but women just had to take pills to ease them into being more accepting of their life and spouse. It’s amazing that Kathryn Wombacher denied all these circumstances to help herself and other women get this dangerous man, her husband, off the street. It’s sad how even afterwards the women would have been seen as victims who are untouchable due to being “used goods” or “fools” for having the unfortunate opportunity of being wooed by this monster. It was a great audio listen and I enjoyed the story.
Trigger warnings: physical abuse, physical assault, animal cruelty, attempted marital rape, emotional abuse and gaslighting.
This is based on true crime cases involving “the modern Blue Beard” who was discovered in the early 1920s. Being a woman has always been difficult in history but even more so before women’s rights was started. Women had no rights at all; everything they ever had became their husbands and getting a divorce was pretty impossible. Men could request them but women just had to take pills to ease them into being more accepting of their life and spouse. It’s amazing that Kathryn Wombacher denied all these circumstances to help herself and other women get this dangerous man, her husband, off the street. It’s sad how even afterwards the women would have been seen as victims who are untouchable due to being “used goods” or “fools” for having the unfortunate opportunity of being wooed by this monster. It was a great audio listen and I enjoyed the story.
Trigger warnings: physical abuse, physical assault, animal cruelty, attempted marital rape, emotional abuse and gaslighting.
November 27, 2024
Short and sweet. Based on a true story. So, I went ahead and researched about it, naturally. Watson, who had multiple AKAs, was a serial killer and a serial polygamist. No one knew what his real name was.
Excellent narration and production.
Excellent narration and production.
June 6, 2024
Another pretty good listen. Haven't decided on what I think about dramatized audio books, but it was quite enjoyable, not great.
July 21, 2025
A wild quick read. Crazy that it was based on true events. And even crazier that he got away with it for so long.
June 14, 2024
I listened to the Audible audio version of this book. I found the production of it was great, maybe a little overdone or too theatrical at times. While I personally did not enjoy the story, it was not for any reason other than it didn’t pique my interest.
June 14, 2024
A pretty good dramatization of an actual serial killer and polygamists brought to justice by some amount of sleuthing by one of the wives.
The dramatization has two parallel streams - one a police investigation with Walter and the other the journal entries of Kathiryn.
Kathiryn responds to a newspaper ad for an life partner and meets Walter, falls in love and marries in a few weeks. Her loving husband travels, allegedly investigating a series of bank robberies and gifts her costly gifts. Except he carries a suitcase on him all time that has a list of women's names and some with singed papers.
When her curiosity uncovers a trail of betrayal, she is no longer sure she knew the man she married. She engages a private eye and soon the two of them start working together to understand how deep the deception goes. And what is uncovered makes for a chilling read.
Good quick read.
The dramatization has two parallel streams - one a police investigation with Walter and the other the journal entries of Kathiryn.
Kathiryn responds to a newspaper ad for an life partner and meets Walter, falls in love and marries in a few weeks. Her loving husband travels, allegedly investigating a series of bank robberies and gifts her costly gifts. Except he carries a suitcase on him all time that has a list of women's names and some with singed papers.
When her curiosity uncovers a trail of betrayal, she is no longer sure she knew the man she married. She engages a private eye and soon the two of them start working together to understand how deep the deception goes. And what is uncovered makes for a chilling read.
Good quick read.
August 5, 2024
Story 5 ⭐️ Narration 5 ⭐️!!!!
Read
August 22, 2024A full cast audiobook based on a true story of a serial bigamist and murderer from the early 1900’s. It is very reminiscent of some of the old radio serial mysteries. Very well acted.
June 13, 2024
Was brilliant lived all the voice actors and the psychological villain was so creepy
August 13, 2024
This was my first time hearing the true tale of LA's first ever serial killer and it was mind blowing! I enjoyed the story perspective rather than documentary style and found myself wanting to look up more details when the audible finished.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 creeped out stars for the story of this heartless killer.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 creeped out stars for the story of this heartless killer.
September 25, 2024
This audiobook was really entertaining. I imagine this is what radio shows were like back in the 20s. Well done 👍🏽
May 13, 2025
4/30/2025 - Excellent story and narration!
5/13/2025 - Read again.
5/13/2025 - Read again.
August 6, 2024
i’m in my audiobook era currently, but this lowkey made me scared of men🙂↔️🤚
December 18, 2024
Goodreads Review for Bluebeard by Jim Clemente
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (I wish I could give it 10 stars!)
I’m shaken to the core. Bluebeard by Jim Clemente is nothing short of phenomenal. If you’re looking for a masterful blend of gripping storytelling, psychological insight, and raw emotional truth, this is it.
Clemente’s expertise as a former FBI profiler shines through every word, delivering an intense and haunting narrative that feels deeply personal yet universally significant. The way he peels back the layers of the human psyche—both victim and predator—left me utterly captivated and emotionally raw. Jaw-dropping.
This isn’t just a story; it’s an experience that will stay with you long after it’s over. The audiobook format adds another layer of immersion, making the presentation all the more impactful.
Rarely have I encountered something so profound and expertly crafted. I’m still processing it, and I imagine I will be for a long time. Highly, highly recommend this to anyone who craves thought-provoking, unforgettable true crime storytelling.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (I wish I could give it 10 stars!)
I’m shaken to the core. Bluebeard by Jim Clemente is nothing short of phenomenal. If you’re looking for a masterful blend of gripping storytelling, psychological insight, and raw emotional truth, this is it.
Clemente’s expertise as a former FBI profiler shines through every word, delivering an intense and haunting narrative that feels deeply personal yet universally significant. The way he peels back the layers of the human psyche—both victim and predator—left me utterly captivated and emotionally raw. Jaw-dropping.
This isn’t just a story; it’s an experience that will stay with you long after it’s over. The audiobook format adds another layer of immersion, making the presentation all the more impactful.
Rarely have I encountered something so profound and expertly crafted. I’m still processing it, and I imagine I will be for a long time. Highly, highly recommend this to anyone who craves thought-provoking, unforgettable true crime storytelling.
July 19, 2024
This is an intriguing audio drama about the theoretical first serial killer, a man they called Blue Beard - James Watson - who married at least 22 women and killed at least ten of them in the early 1900s. Set in 1919 this is the story of the wife who took him down, and how she did it.
It's sort of like a time-travel to the Craig's List killer of the past - Watson would put ads in the newspaper hoping to meet women for the purpose of "Matrimony". He was also a bank robber of some note.
While I enjoyed this, I think it was either too long for the current format, or too short to tell the full story. The narrators did a good job, but the script (as is necessary in this format) makes it all a bit stilted, and the story jumps from the wife to a States Attorney interviewing Watson, and back again a little jarringly.
Narrated by: Joseph Fiennes, Karen David, Holt McCallany, Adrian Pasdar, full cast
Overall, very entertaining.
It's sort of like a time-travel to the Craig's List killer of the past - Watson would put ads in the newspaper hoping to meet women for the purpose of "Matrimony". He was also a bank robber of some note.
While I enjoyed this, I think it was either too long for the current format, or too short to tell the full story. The narrators did a good job, but the script (as is necessary in this format) makes it all a bit stilted, and the story jumps from the wife to a States Attorney interviewing Watson, and back again a little jarringly.
Narrated by: Joseph Fiennes, Karen David, Holt McCallany, Adrian Pasdar, full cast
Overall, very entertaining.
November 27, 2024
Blue Beard is based on the true story of LA’s first known serial killer. It was a chilling journey into a bygone era. Wow, this audiobook brilliantly captured the atmosphere of the early 1920s, immersing listeners in a world of stereos, operator-assisted phone calls, and train travel. The historical details are vivid, and the treatment of women during this time… with their limited rights and societal expectations added a layer to the story, making it both fascinating and so unsettling.
The standout feature of this audiobook was undeniably the voice acting. I would give them 5 stars alone for the bringing each character to life with such incredible depth. The actors captured the tension, fear, and intrigue of the storyline so well.
Highly recommend for those looking for a super quick and captivating period piece with a dark twist.
The standout feature of this audiobook was undeniably the voice acting. I would give them 5 stars alone for the bringing each character to life with such incredible depth. The actors captured the tension, fear, and intrigue of the storyline so well.
Highly recommend for those looking for a super quick and captivating period piece with a dark twist.
October 23, 2024
Ooh y'all this was gooooooood!!
It's about LA's first serial killer, the audible book of this was phenomenal. It was quick (only 3 hours) and is free right now as of today's date (10/23/24) on Amazon's audible audiobooks.
The story was enticing; listening to the different characters and the faint background noises gave it such a great feeling like I was there.
If a little true crime doesn't scare you, give this a listen.
It's about LA's first serial killer, the audible book of this was phenomenal. It was quick (only 3 hours) and is free right now as of today's date (10/23/24) on Amazon's audible audiobooks.
The story was enticing; listening to the different characters and the faint background noises gave it such a great feeling like I was there.
If a little true crime doesn't scare you, give this a listen.
October 3, 2024
A 1920s story about a one of a polygamist serial killers wife who finds out exactly who he is.
A very well done audible production.
You go back and forth between the present day interrogation and the past where Kathryn is living with her new husband.
Reads almost exactly like a murder mystery podcast. Very enjoyable and if you like listening to serial killer stories you will find this very entertaining and see some similarities to the Loney hearts serial killer in parts of the story.
A very well done audible production.
You go back and forth between the present day interrogation and the past where Kathryn is living with her new husband.
Reads almost exactly like a murder mystery podcast. Very enjoyable and if you like listening to serial killer stories you will find this very entertaining and see some similarities to the Loney hearts serial killer in parts of the story.
January 8, 2025
Immersive listening made it super interesting and easy to listen to. If you like true crime this might be for you!
During interrogation segments, the use of the typewriter of the transcriber in the background makes it feel like you’re really there.
The sound effects and different voice actors made this a really good audio book.
During interrogation segments, the use of the typewriter of the transcriber in the background makes it feel like you’re really there.
The sound effects and different voice actors made this a really good audio book.
January 13, 2025
A novelization of LA's first serial killer - before that term existed. A bigamist that had many wives in many cities, while robbing banks, and murdering them on occasion. Told from two perspectives - one of the wives discovering all of this and a police interrogation of the man. I liked the switching between the two. The audio narration was fantastic.
July 25, 2025
Based on a true story. Um this man casually married a new woman every couple weeks then murdered them when they inconvenienced him. I don’t know how I never heard of this one. I’m on a true crime kick at the moment. It’s definitely interesting to listen to one of his wive’s point of views. She was super ballsy and a role model of a woman. I liked her a lot. Not a bad free listen on audible.
September 11, 2024
Audible Freebie
3.5hours any true crime podcast loving lady would enjoy.
Not entirely factual but enough so that once you go on the inevitable deep dive to learn more about the story you can see they did a great job blending the facts and the fiction.
3.5hours any true crime podcast loving lady would enjoy.
Not entirely factual but enough so that once you go on the inevitable deep dive to learn more about the story you can see they did a great job blending the facts and the fiction.
November 21, 2024
This was a very interesting quickie Audible Original. Even though I'm usually not much into the whole cast production with special effects and all, this one worked out for me. What a crazy story as well. Poor women!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews