The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts, His All-American Family, and a Shocking Murder

by John Glatt

In The Perfect Father, New York Times bestselling author John Glatt reveals the true story of a Colorado family whose storybook life turned into a nightmare.

In the early morning hours of August 13th, 2018, Shanann Watts was dropped off at her Frederick, Colorado home by a colleague after returning from a business trip. It was the last time anyone would see her alive. By the next day, Shanann and her two young daughters, Bella and Celeste, had been reported missing, and her husband, Chris Watts, was appearing on the local news, pleading for his family's safe return.

But Chris Watts already knew that he would never see his family again. Less than 24 hours after his desperate plea, Watts made a shocking confession to police: he had strangled his pregnant wife to death and smothered their daughters, dumping their bodies at a nearby oil site. Heartbroken friends and neighbors watched in shock as the movie-star handsome, devoted family man they knew was arrested and charged with first degree murder. The perfect mask Chris had presented to the world in his TV interviews and the family's Facebook accounts was slipping--and what lay beneath was a horrifying image of instability, infidelity, sexual ambivalence, and boiling rage.

In this first major account of the case, bestselling author and journalist John Glatt reveals the truth behind the tragedy and constructs a chilling portrait of one of the most shocking family annihilator cases of the 21st century.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery, Biography, Adult

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 2020

About the author

English-born John Glatt is the author of Golden Boy Lost and Found, Secrets in the Cellar, Playing with Fire, and many other bestselling books of true crime. He has more than 30 years of experience as an investigative journalist in England and America. Glatt left school at 16 and worked a variety of jobs—including tea boy and messenger—before joining a small weekly newspaper. He freelanced at several English newspapers, then in 1981 moved to New York, where he joined the staff for News Limited and freelanced for publications including Newsweek and the New York Post. His first book, a biography of Bill Graham, was published in 1981, and he published For I Have Sinned, his first book of true crime, in 1998. He has appeared on television and radio programs all over the world, including ABC- 20/20Dateline NBC, Fox News, Current Affair, BBC World, and A&E Biography. He and his wife Gail divide their time between New York City, the Catskill Mountains and London.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/johnglatt

Reviews

[Noorilhuda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is all Shanann Watts fault. She was too controlling, always nagging and belittling her husband. She didn’t let him do what he wanted. She separated him from his hometown and family. She had a toxic relationship with them and constantly fought with them and him. She was obsessed with social media and manufactured appearances. Her need for finer things in life put the family in debt again and again and put pressure on her doormat husband. She insisted on having kids when her body had deficiencies and all her kids developed huge health problems, but she kept on getting pregnant. She was highly insecure and craved 24/7 attention from her husband, friends, family, even strangers. She was too focussed on her career. She had OCD. She was too organized. Hell, give me that neck and I’ll strangle her myself!


This is what Glatt believes or wants you to believe in this incredibly surface-level, substance-less, unobjective, straight-from-the-headlines book, where Shanann Watts plays Meghan Markle to Chris Watts’s Prince Harry. The basic problem with it is that Glatt hasn’t really interviewed anyone or done any footwork to gain any insight into Watses, and has simply re-compiled (copy pasted) all info readily available through public records and online data in a serialized chapter format to complete this book. That is fine if you just want to preserve a basic timeline in book format, but not so much if you want answers.

The major ‘source’ available to Glatt is Shanann Watts’s OTT facebook page where she obsessively promoted the ‘Thrive’ supplement benefits by showcasing her affluent lifestyle and health challenges - something all celebs, instagrammers, 'influencers,' social media star-wannabes do to make money - and this aggressive self-promotion enabled her to procure a high-end status both she and that supposedly docile yes-man husband enjoyed. Glatt quotes and reproduces these fb posts here infinitum. His other sources are all second-hand and biased and stuck in their relational prisms: media interviews of her parents and brother, his parents and sister, her friends, his friends, her co-workers, his co-workers. Her side supports her, Chris Watts’ side supports him. Everyone is baffled by the sudden, gruesome turn of events. The police records are after-the-fact. No one knows what their vicious quarrels were about, money, sex, behavior, relatives or being sick of each other. Glatt doesn’t try to peel away any mirage, ask any questions about their passive-aggressive actions, beliefs and lives. Actually, it doesn’t look like he spoke to anyone (and even if he did, the result is only what people already know from the news reels, facts which still boggle readers and viewers). Moreover, he hasn’t talked to the subject of the title.

That is frustrating because there’s so much to forensically investigate in the murderer and his dysfunctional marriage, not the least, the removal of any notion of dignity of human life, let alone that of one’s own children.

Because let’s be clear; at the end of the day, everyone wants to make sense of a senseless criminal act in a white picket fence lane by an entitled rich white quiet hunky dude family man who throws it all away one Monday morning for a bit of p---y.

Maybe all those ‘Thrive’ patches, protein shakes, and obsessive workouts went to his head and changed his brain chemistry?! Maybe he didn’t want to be a single father to two sick kids?! Maybe an argument spiraled into a ‘Fargo’? Why did he come up with a half-baked confession after 10 hours of questioning?! Why did he not ask for a lawyer?! Was Shanann’s blood alcohol level due to drinking or decomposition? Would investigators have figured out the oily burial ground for daughters on their own?! Why didn’t he at least try to plan the murder well? Why didn’t he just walk away?! What really happened?! Who knows?!

The only clear thing is that Chris Watts is a very stupid man, and you don’t need to read this run-of-the-mill book to know that.

I felt sorry for the two sets of parents, Wattses and Rzuceks, forever marked with every wart of their family and children laid bare for public consumption, analysis and ridicule, in books, TV/film, internet, and around water-coolers. And that is Chris Watts’s fault, not Shanann Watts’s.



Observations of An Armchair Detective:

1) On a personal level, I did not understand why Rzuceks needed to file a multi-million dollar civil law suit against Chris Watts. They’d already got hold of the estate and a fund for proper burial. I thought placing a monetary value on their pain and loss was beneath them. Surely, their trust in people and humanity cannot be less than the Wattses, and those unfortunate people cannot even sue anyone.

2) I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought Chris Watts’ letter to their youngest daughter on what would have been her 4th birthday in July 2019 was in bad taste, like this guy had zero self-reflection even after ‘finding god:’ for someone who smothered the girls in blanket and threw them in an oil tank noting how shallow the sound was, to make references to “you wanted to be splashing around,” “you were always flying around,” “you loved all your blankies, you couldn’t go to sleep without two books” - and to keep up a sense of entitlement “I have,” “I love,” “I know,” “I would,” “I miss” - and never once write that he’s sorry or ask for forgiveness. He keeps telling the dead daughter what value she brought to his life, which is sneaky because of the cold hateful ‘I own you’ manner in which he killed, and humiliating way he disposed all off.

3) Nikki Kessinger was smart, got good advice, played her cards well, immediately deleting all evidence of an affair, cutting off contact, calling the police, safeguarding and negotiating her role and future, memorably googling the right things at the right time. My personal favorite: ‘Kessinger googled to see how much money (Amber) Frey had received for her bestselling book Witness: for the Prosecution of Scott Peterson and whether people hated her afterward.’ - remember, this was on the Saturday after murders on The Monday, and exactly 6 days since she googled ‘anal sex, double penetration and threesomes’ for her evening romp with Chris Watts, and 2 weeks since she googled ‘wedding dresses.’ Girl knew how to prepare for all eventualities and chapters (and weeks) of her life, and make the most of them. Besides, it’s got to be some ego boost to know that a guy snuffed out his entire family (and himself) just so that he could be with you. Footnote that cast a long shadow.

4) What happened to Dieter, the family dog?

Audio Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLfc6...

A few typos in the ARC version:
pg 71: all (of) Shannan’s postings.
pg 101: all (of) Shannan’s old friends
pg107: had (seen) his family
pg 147: He(’s) acting so suspicious
pg 206: put on lockdown to protect him
pg 239: writing from his cell her appeared detached from reality [should not be in italics]
He finished by writing [should not be in italics]
pg 239: he wrote that (he) had already

[J.H. Moncrieff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe John Glatt wrote this. The Watts case is one of the most horrific murder cases in recent years, and instead of properly sympathizing with Shanann Watts, the pregnant young wife and mother who was brutally murdered by her cheating husband, Glatt defames her character and basically puts the blame for her own demise on Shanann.

She broadcast the family's personal milestones and lives on social media. (Gasp.) She had a strong personality, and apparently her timid, quiet husband was bowled over by her--even though he managed to find the gumption to actively pursue both her and the co-worker he was screwing behind her back. Doesn't sound too timid to me. She got angry at her in-laws when she felt they'd endangered her child (double gasp). Seriously? For these "crimes," she deserved to be murdered?

It's bad enough that Watts executed Shanann and her daughters, but for Glatt to portray the victims as a controlling shrew and two burdens who were always sick is immoral and unforgivable. Why is victim blaming always our first instinct? Why can we never just blame the killer?

This portrayal of Shanann and her daughters is cruel and unfair. It's also not accurate. Look at how many friends Shanann had--friends who raised the alarm for her almost instantly, and who would not give up until they found her. That kind of support isn't given to nasty people. Shanann had many good friends who stuck their necks out for her, while her husband appeared mysteriously "unemotional" about her disappearance. The level of support she had gives lie to many of the claims about her in this book.

Besides the completely biased sources, like Chris's family, who never got along with Shanann and who still apparently blame her for the murders of her children, the majority of this book was a regurgitation of Shanann's social media posts and videos. Nothing new was revealed, except a whole lotta victim blaming. For shame.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts, His All-American Family, and a Shocking Murder” (2020) is a stunning and devastating portrayal of a crime that captured the attention of the national and international global media. Shanann Watts disappeared with her two daughters from her Frederick, Colorado home on August 13, 2018. Days later, a gruesome discovery followed at the Anadarko Petroleum facility where Chris Watts worked. British American journalist John Glatt explored this horrific crime and its impact on others. Over two decades, this NYT bestselling author has written over 30 books mainly of the True Crime genre.

As upstanding members of their elite community Chris and Shanann Watts resembled a perfect all-American family. The postings on Shanann’s social media accounts described only extreme happiness and stability in her marriage and family life. She was employed as a top sales associate for “Thrive” a multi-marketing company that sold weight-loss and dietary supplements. While the seemingly endless positive “glowing” posts may have been a marketing strategy to sell these products, (some of her family members had blocked Shanann’s posts) there was nothing to indicate the serious problems that the Watts family experienced.

While Shanann likely had a dominating and controlling personality, Chris didn’t seem to mind, and always deferred to his wife’s judgment, even after Shanann announced their daughters Bella (2013) and Celeste (2015) wouldn’t be permitted further to visits with his parents. Despite a bankruptcy filing (2015) the couple continued to live beyond their means: in a custom 5 bedroom home, drove luxury cars and insisted on the very “best” of everything which led to increased and excessive credit card debt.

It was when Chris began a secret romance with a co-worker at Anadarko, the façade of his storybook marriage began to crumble as he began to imagine another life without his family. Although he claimed to love his pregnant wife and daughters what happened to them is totally beyond all comprehension. As Watts was interviewed by law enforcement officials, Agent Graham Coders carefully explained to him that "his story didn’t add up, and he would need to explain what actually happened…” This highly skilled investigator coaxed Watts into revealing the terrible and shocking truth of what he had done. It was also interesting to note that no psychological assessment/profile pertaining to Chris Watts was not requested or provided to the court. Glatt included little known facts of law enforcement personnel suffering from PTSD symptoms related to the case. Chris Watts is serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole at the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin. **With thanks to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Release Date: July 21, 2020
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

True Crime

FIRST THOUGHTS: A devastating and haunting true crime novel that I won’t forget. This book had me rolling in emotions.

MY REVIEW:
John Glatt is a seasoned true crime writer and when I saw he was writing a book about the Chris Watts case (it made headlines around the world) I knew I needed to read it. For one thing, the story is absolutely devastating. How can a seemingly perfect man kill his pregnant wife and two daughters? It’s unthinkable. Secondly, I remember reading about this case and seeing it all over the news. I live in Massachusetts and this happened in Colorado and seeing as it made it way over to my little hamlet shows how sensational the case is (was). Finally, I am a true crime junkie. I have a master’s degree in psychology and reading stories about the abnormal side of the human brain (and the abnormal side of human nature) is interesting to me. All this put together, this is a book for me.

For the most part, this is a good book. John Glatt writes the story in three parts (before, during, and the aftermath of the crime) so we gain an understanding of everything that led up to the crime; how their relationship may have played a part etc. and what happened in the courts. The chapters are small so reading it quickly is fairly easy (unless your queasy then it may be harder to read it in one sitting). HOWEVER, the beginning of the book (when looking at this couple relationship) it seemed like the author was siding with the murderer. There were things in the book that bothered me because it looked like he was throwing more of the blame at the victim (she’s to controlling etc.) rather than her husband who killed her. That put a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t care how controlling she was or what she did, she never deserved what happened to her or her babies. This is the main reason I am giving this one 3.5 stars.

FINAL THOUGHTS
If you’re a true crime reader, I would recommend this one to you. The case is still “new” as the events occurred within the last 2 years and many will know the story anyways because it was plastered all over the news. Be warned though, this book is devastating. I cried a few times because I can’t imagine what happened. Ugh, it makes me sick to my stomach. I am however glad to know more about the victims who deserve peace and justice.

[Shark · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hi. I hate this book. I stopped reading at page 40, which was much longer than it deserved.
Pros:
I didn't know Shanann had lupus and fibromyalgia. Cool.

Cons:
Literally everything else.

The author collaborated with Chris' family, and not Shanann's. I am glad Shanann's family didn't agree to help considering this book wants you to believe somehow this is all her fault.

This book leans heavily on hate for Shanann. You know, the woman who was strangled to death?? Yeah apparently it's all her fault gang. Augh.

It will sprinkle in sentences of how much she loved and cared for him, and then tell you what a controlling horrible person she was. It'll have quotes from friends sharing her bright and cheery personality- but no don't look at that apparently she's SO MEAN. Author needs to pick a side and NOT THE ONE WHERE THE DEAD WOMAN IS IN THE WRONG.

In working with only Chris's family, the author is sure to include every bit of his family HATING Shanann. "How could she take him away to Colorado??" HOW COULD HE TAKE HER AND HER CHILDRENS LIVES??? HELLO??

I cannot express to you HOW MUCH HATE this book holds for a dead woman. Like- I only got 40 pages in! Some reviews say it gets better, but it shouldn't have been there in the first place!!

Absolutely 0 tact and 0 respect. Chris Watts murdered his wife and kids, throwing the children in an oil tank so they would never be found. He wasn't a loving father, he was a murderer. He wasn't a dutiful husband who did TOO MUCH FOR HIS BIG MEAN WIFE, he was an asshole who murdered her. Instead of keeping every sentiment of everyone absolutely loving him, tell me his faults instead of his dead wife's (who, may I remind you, he MURDERED!)

Are we going to pretend like divorce wasn't an option?? From what I've seen in family annihilation cases, usually there is some extra pressure to not get divorced. Religion, past trauma, etc etc. Chris doesn't have any of that. He just simply didn't want to be there anymore. And this book wants you to blame Shanann for it. Like buddy it was 2018, just leave!

The straw that broke the camels back where the ocd comments. A few neighbors say she has ocd. "Everything's so neat and tidy." (Not ocd.) "She makes CHRIS clean it all!!" (That is most certainly not how ocd works. Ocd is the focus and ritual of doing tasks((over simplified)) , not making your husband do it all for you.) "She makes him finish cleaning before he leaves the house!" Boo hoo!

Anywho I diagnose this author with Hate Women Disease. Real cute of him to dedicate the book to his wife before telling us all about how a murdered woman was the absolute worst for, I don't know, being in charge?? Someone check on Mrs. Glatt for me, make sure she's alright. Blink twice for help, honey.

(My grammar is shit and you can live with it tbh)

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems to be a well researched and written book about family tragedy that took us all by surprise and shock at the time it happened. It seemed like we watched Shannan’s Facebook videos over and over on an endless loop for days on end with all of the news and news shows. I’m not sure what was so fascinating about the horrific situation, but it was impossible to turn away when it was on, for me anyway. Hoping at first that Shannan and the girls would be found alive, of course. And then the complete horror when they were found. I’ve read many of Glatt’s works which have gotten markedly better over the years, as seen in this book, where he lets the story do the talking. Worth a read even though we know how it comes out. Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author John Glatt, and the publisher.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts, His All-American Family, and a Shocking Murder New York Times bestselling author John Glatt reveals the true story of a Colorado family whose storybook life turned into a nightmare; yet another example that things are not always what they seem.

In the early morning hours of August 13th, 2018, Shanann Watts was dropped off at her Frederick, Colorado home by a colleague after returning from a business trip. It was the last time anyone would see her alive. By the next day, Shanann and her two young daughters, Bella and Celeste, had been reported missing, and her husband, Chris Watts, was appearing on the local news, pleading for his family's safe return. But Chris Watts already knew that he would never see his family again. Less than 24 hours after his desperate plea, Watts made a shocking confession to police: he had strangled his pregnant wife to death and smothered their daughters, dumping their bodies at a nearby oil site. Heartbroken friends and neighbors watched in shock as the movie-star handsome, devoted family man they knew was arrested and charged with first degree murder.

In this first major account of the case, bestselling author and journalist John Glatt reveals the truth behind the tragedy and constructs a chilling portrait of one of the most shocking family annihilator cases of the 21st century.

[Krystelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the horrific murder of a family at the hands of the person they should have been able to trust the most, and it is a well-hashed-out picture of the case, as well as the aftermath and the life before the crime. I found a lot of new information out, and the narrative approach makes this book horrible to read but also incredibly compelling, and I thought it gave a lot of insight into the families and people that the murders affected. With that being said, there was a fundamental issue that resulted in my lower rating.

Presenting both sides of the story is absolutely vital in true crime, but there's absolutely zero reason to present the story as though the murder was somehow justified regarding how 'controlling' Shannan was in respect to Chris. Regardless of how 'controlling' a partner is, there is the option for divorce over murder unless the relationship is beyond abusive, and to kill your children as well is something beyond justification. When a divorce is still an option, that option should be taken over suffocating your pregnant partner and your children, then stuffing their bodies into shrubbery and oil tanks. To try and justify the reprehensible act of killing someone over taking REASONABLE action isn't something I can support, and so I really need to point out that the author could have changed the way that this was presented- there's no reason to excuse someone killing their family, especially as it happens so often. While it may not have been the intention, a disclaimer at the least needs to be presented.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy shit.

[Laura Peden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was a brutal listen...This is what I knew about the Chris Watts case before reading: An American man, husband & father killed his pregnant wife & two daughters because he fell in love with another woman. That’s about it. I’m sure I’ve even confused this case with Scott Peterson’s crimes at some point. This book is a comprehensive account of what led to this horrendous act, a walkthrough of the crimes, and then trial & follow-up. When I say comprehensive, I’m talking complete transcripts from interviews, etc. To all the men out there: I get that some of us women can be controlling bitches at times but that does not give you the right to annihilate us. There’s a word called DIVORCE you sick f**** 🤬 If you don’t think you can handle the cold blooded murder of children I’d take a hard pass if I were you...I was nauseous while listening to the majority of this but it is a really well-written piece of true crime. For 🎧 readers: I don’t know why but the author chose to use a British narrator for the audiobook. It’s completely lovely & I understood every word with no probs but it did confuse me a bit at first because I wasn’t expecting that since it’s an American crime.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a case that I've been following since the beginning...of course I had to read it.

This case has always been fresh in my mind, and I remember exactly what I was doing when I heard that Shanann Watts and her kids were missing. It's one of the first cases that I followed so closely in real time/as it was happening, so it will always have a special "folder" in my brain.

Since then I've seen every documentary and special, so it was about time I get to the books.

I liked this one, although I was a bit surprised when I was about to start writing my review, and saw that several people said the author sided with the murderer, I didn't get that impression at all. Maybe it's because I listened to the audio that it didn't come through that way? I don't know.

What I really like about it is the amount of detail, especially at the start, I learned new things about both Chris and Shanann that I didn't know before. The last part wasn't as engaging because I knew all of that already, but I still appreciated it.

If you're interested in the Chris Watts case then I think this is a pretty good book to start off with, not too long and it has the right amount of detail.

[Madara · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you even review a true crime book?
Watts family seems to have it all. Shanann is running her own business and loved by her followers/Thrive family. Chris is a perfect husband and father - loving, hard working and supportive. Their daughters Bella and Celeste are their pride and joy. But one day Shanann, Bella and Celeste goes missing...
I remember hearing about this case and thinking "wow, getting some "Gone Girl" vibes!". Obviously - this is real life, Watts family case is tragic and the world has lost a mother, an unborn baby boy and two beautiful girls.
The Perfect Father is a well researched and written look at the Watts family case. Easy to read and it seems like you really get to know Shanann, Chris, Bella and Celeste. Some of the chapters were harder to read because of the subject matter tho.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is kind of weird to want to give a book about a murder story five stars. Yet, I felt like the author really did a good job of recapping this horrible and sad story of how Shanann, Bella and Celeste lost their lives. I still remember hearing and reading about this case as I live in Colorado.

It was interesting to see how Chris went from being submissive husband and father to a cold, blooded killer. Yet, in a way; I think that years of Chris taking more of a silent role caused him to exploded. Only when his fuse went off, he killed his family. The worse part was how distant he was during the whole event from killing Shanann...loading her body into the back of the truck and his daughters riding in the back seat with their dead mother on the floor. To killing each of his daughters and dumping their bodies into toxic oil drums.

What blows my mind besides the murders was that his parents can go on believing that their son is innocent; despite the various different stories he has told them about the murders. The other aspect that I and others I am sure don't really think about is how a murder affects the detectives and police involved in the case. There were many that suffered PTSD and had to quit afterwards.

[C. Kenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author devotes constant energy to destroying Shanann Watts character, making her the villain instead of the victim. His micro-aggressions towards a strong, ambitious mother who loved her kids and wanted to save her marriage was despicable. He portrays Chris Watts, not as a psychopath who murdered his entire family, but as the long suffering pushover who snapped. There was not a single positive description of Shanann in this book, not one. Page after page built up the lie that she somehow earned her fate. I was absolutely disgusted with the gender roles the author chose to highlight as if a woman who was building a career and sexually confident should be demonized because a man shouldn't clean his own house or take care of his own children. Chris Watts carefully planned to kill his wife, poisoning her before her death to try to get rid of his unborn son. He took steps to find ways to dispose of the bodies in the days leading up to the crimes. He turned off the facade that he had any emotion towards his family. Chris Watts is a psychopath, not Shanann, not Bella, not Cece, not Nico. Nothing this wife did caused the deaths of her children or herself. This author's issues with women are so blatantly obvious. Horrible book. Read the book, My Daddy Is A Hero instead- it's an objective and psychological look into the events and the mind of this killer.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a lot of issues with how they portrayed Shannan. Being clean and organized, even having OCD is not a reason for you to be murdered. Chris was a grown adult who could have left whenever he wanted, he chose to be with her and start a family. I don’t feel like enough was put on him refusing accountability and more was about his family blaming the woman he murdered. He gets to “find god” in jail and live his life, after murdering his wife and killing his daughters TWICE. He truly is a monster. This book gets very detailed, it’s hard to read at points, but it’s true crime.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This was an intriguing and disturbing true crime story. My main issue is that the wife was initially framed as being "at fault" for her victim hood. However, the actual story was quite compelling with a tight narrative. I would recommend this one to readers who are curious how seemingly "normal" people can do despicable things.

[Erin (from Long Island, NY) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always feel so wrong "rating" true crime books. & this story is especially heart breaking. As far as the writing though.. It was well researched & if you're not familiar with the case, it's to the point & informative. Turns out I already knew most of this though, i guess from articles and/or tv shows.. So for me it was really just kind of a recap. I'd definitely read another by this author though, i appreciate that he doesn't repeat himself or drag things out for shock value.

[Ruthy lavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Chilling, gripping, and very harrowing account of the events leading up to and after, the murders of Shannan Watts and her children.
True crime fans will enjoy the intelligent narrative of this book, as the story is told in a neat chronological and factual way.
It is NOT a pleasant read, but you will find it difficult to put down.
4 stars 🌟

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

In depth review to come.

Thank you to Netgalley, John Glatt & St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The publish date is July 21, 2020.

[Jodi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst written books I've read in a while. I'm about 1/3 through, and the contents have been "She was so difficult and bossy, he was so perfect and quiet, she posted this on Facebook this day, rinse repeat".
The victim blaming so far is blatant and I'm DNFing. Save your money and your time.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember this case, even though I live in the UK, as it sent shockwaves across the pond.

The book gives a pretty detailed background to the main characters in these unbelievably cruel events.

To murder anyone is terrible, but to murder your wife, and therefore your unborn son, and your two small daughters, is unforgivable. Even worse in some way is the method employed to hide the bodies.

A warning here - there are very detailed accounts of these murders, which are difficult to forget, especially what happened to the children.

PS What's the definition of an "all American family" please?

[Aellirenn Czyta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lubię reportaże Glatta. Tym razem jednak czegoś mi zabrakło. Chyba nie do końca poczułam powagę sytuacji.

[Logana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nie będę rozpisywać się o fabule, bo nie o ocenę zbrodni chodzi, a o przekaz tej książki true crime, która jest jakby spóźniona. Już dwa lata temu można było obejrzeć na Netflix film dokumentalny „American Murder: The Family Next Door” przedstawiający rodzinę Watts'ów. Zbudowany jest on z oryginalnych nagrań, internetowych wpisów w mediach społecznościowych, materiałów organów ścigania. To w filmie można zauważyć prawdziwe oblicze Chrisa, sposób wypowiedzi, mowę ciała, mimikę, która nie współgrała z oczekiwanymi odruchami, brak zmartwienia w oczach, jego reakcje w trakcie przeszukania domu. Podczas oglądania miałam wrażenie, że ten psychopata świetnie się bawił, a przeraził się dopiero z obawy o odnalezienie dowodów świadczących o tym, że zamordował dwójkę swoich dzieci oraz ciężarną żonę. Niestety z książki czytelnik nie dowie się o tym. Owszem, jest rzucone gdzieniegdzie, że Chris zachowywał się spokojnie albo że stał się pobudzony, ale opisy zachowania są bardzo okrojone.
Znużenie powodowały nieistotne, które były zbyt rozciągnięte. Możliwe też, że fakty nie zostały należycie ukazane i stąd niezrozumienie. Często była wzmianka o specyfikach zażywanych przez Shanann, czy plastrach naklejanych sobie przez Chrisa, ale niezrozumiały jest kontekst tych informacji. Czy to one, przy długotrwałym stosowaniu, mogły zakłamać wyniki krwi kobiety lub wpłynąć na percepcję idealnego taty? Kolejną, zdawałoby się nieznaczącą wzmianką była informacja o śladach po ugryzieniach komarów na szyi Chrisa. Dla bardziej dociekliwych osób, które znają sprawę z innych źródeł, będzie jasne, że zostało to zasugerowane przez przesłuchujących, a nie wypowiedziane przez sprawcę. Ślady równie dobrze mogły być zadrapaniami. Nie zrozumiałam o co chodziło, że 50 kilometrów dalej, podczas rozmowy z agentami FBI, kochanka Watts'a, Nikki, również została parę razy ukąszona przez komary.

To co działa na korzyść powieści to kilka informacji, które nie zostały uwzględnione w filmie dokumentalnym. Samo zamieszczenie ich nie odpowiedziało jednak na najważniejsze pytania: Dlaczego idealny tata zamordował całą swoją rodzinę? Przecież mógł odejść i ułożyć sobie życie z Nikki. Czy oblicze usłużnego, czułego, introwertycznego męża i ojca to tylko maska? Czy potrafił tak dobrze skrywać pasywno-agresywną osobowość? Czy idealne życie odbywało się jedynie w mediach społecznościowych? Tylko raz pojawiła się nieznaczna rysa na filmiku, które zamieściła Shanann, a posty publikowała kilka razy dziennie. Było to marudzenie dzieci podczas odpakowywania prezentów. Z relacji świadka można się dowiedzieć, że gdy para zobaczyła, że jest obserwowana w ciągu paru sekund przeszli od kłótni do pocałunku. Każdy się kłóci, więc tak naprawdę nic to nie znaczy. Na relacjach wyglądali na szczęśliwą kochającą się rodzinę. Czy Chris byłby w stanie oszukać nawet dzieci? To one są chodzącym wykrywaczem kłamstw. Są bezpośrednie i nie udają. Jak to się stało, że tak uwielbiały ojca, bawiły się z nim, lgnęły do niego? Czyżby coś pękło w mężczyźnie zmuszanym przez żonę do uśmiechania się zawsze i wszędzie, gdy tylko ta postanowi zamieścić nowy wpis?

Zbrodnia była wstrząsającą, okrutna łamiąca serce, ale ta książka tego nie ukazała. Była płaska. Jedynym momentem wywołującym emocje był opis morderstwa zamieszczony w pierwszym rozdziale trzeciej części. Według mnie ten rozdział nie powinien być zamieszczony w tym miejscu. Jeśli historia jest ukazana chronologicznie, tak jak było to relacjonowane z różnych źródeł, to w tym miejscu powinien być przeskok czasowy. Jeden rozdział kończył się na powrocie Shanann do domu, a dalej zaginięcie jej i dzieci. Taki rozwój fabuły wzbudziłby większe zaciekawienie przynajmniej u czytelników nieznających historii. Przebieg zabójstwa został ujawniony dużo później w toku śledztwa, przesłuchań, a najbardziej przez nieoficjalną „spowiedź” sprawcy zza krat. Osobiście mam nadzieję, że podwójne mordowanie dziewczynek nastąpiło tylko w głowie psychopaty, a nie było prawdziwym dokończeniem zbrodni.

Książka true crime słaba. Tłumaczenie żenująco słabe. Internetowe wpisy, dialogi, przesłuchania mają budowę, jakby zostały wrzucone w translatora, a następnie wklejone w tekst książki. Dużo więcej emocji wywołuje film dokumentalny.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently watched a series of videos on the Facebook page, Law & Crime -- the "Watts Family Murders." This book provides much of the detail not included in the docudrama but it's still true that no one will ever know what really happened that night and why this man did what he did. I do think it's apt, however, to describe Chris Watts as a monster. Family annihilation is the ultimate betrayal.

True crime fascinates me, and I've recently rediscovered my love for this genre. It was heartbreaking to read the story of how all of this unfolded while also noting that the Facebook page for Shan'ann Watts is still active and can be viewed. The background information included made me feel as if I actually knew the couple and their families and could sense that trouble was brewing. The main catalyst, however, was definitely the illicit romance between Chris and Nikki Kessinger and I don't believe that she was completely innocent of culpability -- she knew he was still married and living with his wife and daughters when they started dating. She had even searched both Chris and Shan'ann on Google long before their own relationship began. I hope she doesn't profit or gain any positive notoriety because of this. She's a liar and manipulated the situation to try to make herself look better with her actions after the fact.

The book was well-written and I read it in a single sitting as I was unable to tear myself away. It's just a tragedy all around and no one who knew them personally will ever recover -- all those lives destroyed because of the actions of two selfish people (Chris and Nikki). Yes, Chris is the one who killed Shan'ann, Bella and Celeste (and Nico), but it was because he wanted a new life with Nikki. What made him snap at that precise period in time? Maybe one day, Chris will be more forthcoming and be able to tell the whole truth after reflecting during these very long years as he lives out his life in prison. I'm glad he spared everyone the circus that would have been the trial. I hope he remembers and suffers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. If you enjoy true crime, don't miss this one.

PS It bothers me greatly that the author does not use the apostrophe in writing Shan'ann's name throughout the book. It is not Shanann according to everything else I've seen and read.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a day because once I began reading I didn't want to stop. Chris and Shanann both seemed utterly normal, although he was quiet and she was the opposite. The author meticulously documents their life before meeting and during their marriage and also the crime itself and the trial afterwards. The crime is of course horrific but the story of how this couple got to that point is fascinating in itself and well laid out. What also intrigued me about this book was how much of Chris and Shanann's lives and the murder itself played out on social media and how the case against Chris was largely built by reclaiming data from email, internet and webcam.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartins for the e-review copy of this book.

[auds thoughts {hiatus} · Rating 1 out of 5]

Making money off of this horrific tragedy is absolutely foul. Rest in peace to these beautiful souls. And may Chris Watts forever rot in prison and then in hell.

[LauraTheReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wstrząsająca historia, o której słyszałam swego czasu w mediach, ale nie znałam jej szczegółów. Naprawdę rzetelnie napisana, z dokładnością o szczegóły, a cała sprawa Chrisa Wattsa wydaje się być bardzo intrygująca.

Pytanie tylko dlaczego śledczy, policja oraz ludzie zajmujący się tą sprawą nie przeprowadzili testów psychologicznych bądź nie zbadali tego jak plastry Thrive wpłynęły na percepcję mężczyzny…. ???

Nie wiem dlaczego, ale odnoszę wrażenie, że przyczyną zabójstwa, jakiego dopuścił się Chris było zgrywanie idealnego taty, maska osoby, która jest potulna, posłuszna, nigdy na nic się nie skarży, nie podnosi głosu- to było aż wręcz przejmujące, że nie okazywał on żadnych emocji. Być może trzymał to wszystko w sobie, aż któregoś dnia wszystko w nim pękło… męczył się ze swoją żoną i nie był szczęśliwy.

Dodatkowo plastry odchudzające, od których był już później w pewnym stopniu uzależniony i których nadużywał… to one sprawiały, że zachodziły w nim zmiany- zaczynał robić się coraz bardziej głośny, awanturniczy i gadatliwy. To nie było w jego stylu. 🤔🤔

Cała historia rodziny bardzo przejmująca, okropna i wręcz NIEMOŻLIWA.

Jak widać znamy się na tyle ile nas sprawdzono i to jest doskonałą definicją człowieczeństwa.

5/5 ⭐️

[Maria Vargas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Parents who killed their own kids deserve their unique area to rot in hell. I will never understand how they can do that and act like it was nothing?! Chris Watts is a monster, there's no doubt about it.

The huge digital footprint Shannan left with all her lives and videos posted in Facebook, makes me feel uneasy (there's a YouTube channel that has a lot of them). If you just watch them and know absolutely nothing about the case, all you see is a normal and loving family. BUT if you know nothing about the case and read this book first, you will take the author's side that Shannan is to blame for her and her daughters' demise by her husband.

Right from the beginning the author says the Rzucek didn't cooperate with the book, but the Watts did. That immediately had me taking everything with a grain of salt because of course everyone is going to say she was a horrible person, and she control Christian in every way... why he snapped? She caused it... disgusting!

This portrayal of Shanann and her daughters is cruel and unfair.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story is horrifying.
That being said the victim blaming that occurs in this book, is staggering. Shanann and her daughters were killed by her husband, their father, and yet. Shanann is some how portrayed in a negative light
*Shanann's social media use( most of which was for her job)
* Her spending habits (spend your paper girl)
*She didn't get a long with his mother (who to be clear turned out to be garbage, so Shanann had her number)
*She kept getting pregnant (takes two to tango)
*She nagged him, putting pressure on him (dude was having an affair, and she was on to him)
These are the reasons her husband killed her, not because he is a sociopath who killed and dumped his own children. He killed and dumped his own children and some how this man, this John Glatt, explains how maybe it wasn't totally Chris Watts' fault, that some of that blame falls to his betrayed pregnant wife.
I am incensed.
Chris Watts is a monster, the end.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched account of the deeply disturbing destruction caused by brutal acts of senseless violence.