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The Murders of Christopher Watts
On August 13, 2018 Christopher Watts murdered his pregnant wife and two toddler daughters. Cheryln Cadle contacted him and started visiting him in prison. Christopher started writing her letters from his prison cell in Wisconsin. These letters had his confessions of things he had never told anyone else. Now she shares the letters and the truth about what happened that fateful night in Frederick Colorado to Shanann, Nico, Bella and Celeste Watts at the hands of their father. Was he just a monster or was it truly his girlfriend that he wanted to start a life with the reason he was willing to kill his family?
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 21, 2020
276 people are currently reading
344 people want to read
About the author
Cheryln Cadle
8 books26 followersCheryln Cadle lives in the midwest with her husband of 48 years, She has worked in Marketing most of her career however, spent the last 16 years as a fundraiser. She loves true crime and has followed many cases. She has been contacted by inmates at different prisons asking her to tell their stories. She is looking forward to bringing those stories to her readers soon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
January 3, 2021
This book could have benefitted greatly from proper editing.
November 11, 2021
Worst book I have ever read, and I have read many. I can't believe anybody agreed to publish this. I understand it's non-fiction, but some quality of writing should still be there. It reads like it was written by a three-year-old who is just learning to talk and articulate themselves. Simply unreadable.
February 15, 2021
I must say I’m a fan of the True Crime genre, and this one was very informative, and factual it seems, yet compelling enough too keep you reading, instead of just facts on paper. If you’ve followed the case at all, you’ll do a repeat of this information but with w few more details you may not have heard, I actually did learn a few more myself, but mostly it’s what I expected. However, to get a view from the subject himself, and where his mind was more or less from the letters he wrote to the authors keeps you going, because it’s just unfathomable, the whole thing; how a person gets to that point.
His story has changed a few times, but I believe once he was locked in his cell, alone, this is the closest thing we’re going to get. Miss Cadle gives you only her diplomatic perspective and civil opinion of what she received and heard from Watts himself. I follow this case, so we know there have been a few new discoveries about the information in the case and this was written before information was found.
The author relays just enough of her perspective to make you think, while communicating in enough detail to form your own thoughts about what is going on at the time, and how Chris Watts is sounding in his letters, then you are thrust into The Watts viewpoint, Any information from the murderer is in his own words, his letters are present as well, in both paperback and kindle app versions, so she lets you see first hand what is coming from his mind.
I have to let you know - without spoiling - the wee hours of the morning in this case that took place back in 2018, the dreaded moments....are completely....shocking and difficult to read if you are not used to reading this type of genre, and even if you Are....it will force you to take pause and step away for a little while. It’s utterly shocking, and compelling, and disgusting to see through the eyes of Chris Watts, as he ends the lives of his wife, and 2 little girls. My God.
I’m pretty tough on what I can read and what I can’t because my interest lies in the psychological aspect, but this was - Just unbelievable. Yet I know it happened. It’s beyond me, I’ll tell you. It’s hard to know what to make of his mind, and why he had to keep going with it, and even how he was able to do it. I cannot guess, other than the normal programming in his brain and how it is wired different than the average brain. He claims it’s something else. Whether or not you believe him on that topic, and about his regret... you be the judge! IMO... He Does have regrets, only the way HE can... but I don’t think it’s like you and I have regrets. With how he was made to be...and with the way his mind works naturally...it comes too late...they all, people with this same wiring, always come too late... with its own reasoning when it can. But they are never able to think past that mindset at the time. He didn’t want to. He can’t. It’s like grasping at straws after the fact.
I truly hope he’s able to lead himself someday, for his real self, instead of leading himself while following people, to look worthy, and not cause negative emotions, therefore taking what he can get and not considering things and people in the way. Studies and experience by psychologists about this disorder show, that he won’t.
If you read this, read it for Shan’ann, Bella, CeCe, and Nico.
Thank you Cheryln Cadle. RIP SR Bella CeCe and Nico.
His story has changed a few times, but I believe once he was locked in his cell, alone, this is the closest thing we’re going to get. Miss Cadle gives you only her diplomatic perspective and civil opinion of what she received and heard from Watts himself. I follow this case, so we know there have been a few new discoveries about the information in the case and this was written before information was found.
The author relays just enough of her perspective to make you think, while communicating in enough detail to form your own thoughts about what is going on at the time, and how Chris Watts is sounding in his letters, then you are thrust into The Watts viewpoint, Any information from the murderer is in his own words, his letters are present as well, in both paperback and kindle app versions, so she lets you see first hand what is coming from his mind.
I have to let you know - without spoiling - the wee hours of the morning in this case that took place back in 2018, the dreaded moments....are completely....shocking and difficult to read if you are not used to reading this type of genre, and even if you Are....it will force you to take pause and step away for a little while. It’s utterly shocking, and compelling, and disgusting to see through the eyes of Chris Watts, as he ends the lives of his wife, and 2 little girls. My God.
I’m pretty tough on what I can read and what I can’t because my interest lies in the psychological aspect, but this was - Just unbelievable. Yet I know it happened. It’s beyond me, I’ll tell you. It’s hard to know what to make of his mind, and why he had to keep going with it, and even how he was able to do it. I cannot guess, other than the normal programming in his brain and how it is wired different than the average brain. He claims it’s something else. Whether or not you believe him on that topic, and about his regret... you be the judge! IMO... He Does have regrets, only the way HE can... but I don’t think it’s like you and I have regrets. With how he was made to be...and with the way his mind works naturally...it comes too late...they all, people with this same wiring, always come too late... with its own reasoning when it can. But they are never able to think past that mindset at the time. He didn’t want to. He can’t. It’s like grasping at straws after the fact.
I truly hope he’s able to lead himself someday, for his real self, instead of leading himself while following people, to look worthy, and not cause negative emotions, therefore taking what he can get and not considering things and people in the way. Studies and experience by psychologists about this disorder show, that he won’t.
If you read this, read it for Shan’ann, Bella, CeCe, and Nico.
Thank you Cheryln Cadle. RIP SR Bella CeCe and Nico.
January 8, 2021
The evil isn't just in CW
First off you not getting the name right several times shows utter contempt for the victims. It's Cervi-319 not Cervi-219. Second the text messages prove what you tried to change. The amount of times you made claim because this murdering piece of trash said so is unexcusable. He doesn't get to appeal his sentence . Can he hire a lawyer? Yes. But it will not be accepted his Brady rights were not violated. I wish he could get a new trial I would love to know he is on death row. God did not call him to witness outside of prison and he will never walk free. Nor is he saved. Salvation only comes when you repent and ask Jesus into your heart and turn away from sin. By lying and making bogus claims he proves he's not saved. Which is fine. True repentance brings a crushing grief for what you've done. He has never experienced anything but how it affects him. All HE lost, all HE threw away. He still tries to blame Shanann him not being a man is not her fault it's his. As for you thank God we all answer to Him your price you will pay will far exceed whatever it is you thought this book would get you. I hope it was worth it.
First off you not getting the name right several times shows utter contempt for the victims. It's Cervi-319 not Cervi-219. Second the text messages prove what you tried to change. The amount of times you made claim because this murdering piece of trash said so is unexcusable. He doesn't get to appeal his sentence . Can he hire a lawyer? Yes. But it will not be accepted his Brady rights were not violated. I wish he could get a new trial I would love to know he is on death row. God did not call him to witness outside of prison and he will never walk free. Nor is he saved. Salvation only comes when you repent and ask Jesus into your heart and turn away from sin. By lying and making bogus claims he proves he's not saved. Which is fine. True repentance brings a crushing grief for what you've done. He has never experienced anything but how it affects him. All HE lost, all HE threw away. He still tries to blame Shanann him not being a man is not her fault it's his. As for you thank God we all answer to Him your price you will pay will far exceed whatever it is you thought this book would get you. I hope it was worth it.
April 9, 2021
So many grammatical errors. The story doesn't flow in any way, it's really amateur writing. Not to mention the author made Chris look like the hero and made Nikki and Shannann look bad. She would say a bunch of bad things about Shannann and then follow with "of course Shannann isn't responsible for her death" like obviously she isn't responsible for her own death, but you're trying to make it look that way. It wasn't factual at all, just a bunch of lies from Chris. Not sure why she gave a murderer a platform like this.
September 4, 2021
Cherlyn Cadle leaves readers wanting more
The Murders of Christopher Watts is a poorly written document of one of the most fascinating true crime cases of the early 21st century. I chose to give the book the two star rating because Mrs. Cadle's use of spelling errors and truly bad guy grammar have overshadowed the subject of the book. She does not use proper documentation of her sources either. Her lack of professionalism ruined a true crime documentary that could have shone. She does not answer questions about why Chris Watts committed these terrible murders, she leaves her audience disappointed. Mrs. Cadle squandered her opportunity to present a good book about the Watts Case. Very disappointed.
The Murders of Christopher Watts is a poorly written document of one of the most fascinating true crime cases of the early 21st century. I chose to give the book the two star rating because Mrs. Cadle's use of spelling errors and truly bad guy grammar have overshadowed the subject of the book. She does not use proper documentation of her sources either. Her lack of professionalism ruined a true crime documentary that could have shone. She does not answer questions about why Chris Watts committed these terrible murders, she leaves her audience disappointed. Mrs. Cadle squandered her opportunity to present a good book about the Watts Case. Very disappointed.
August 10, 2021
Demons? Come on. Author copy pasted most of the book from other sources, was apparently not edited because she said one of the kids was 2 and the wrong cervi number. If you are going to write a book on real events at least get the details right. This book is garbage. Don’t bother with it
May 18, 2021
Okay, I have been following this case and the more I read about Christopher Watts, the more I hate, hate him.
For some reason, this book really turned up my hatred of this monster. Maybe its because it is focused almost 100% on this monster's story - which I knew before starting, but it became suffocating to read, especially towards the end of the book, when Watts quotes the Bible and maintains he has 'found God". Why do so many prisoners think we care if they find God?
The beginning of the book does tease out a few pieces of information but, still focused on Watts, there is little exploration of the murders and more about Watts believing there was a "dark power" around him and his house - I was almost expecting "the devil made me do it".
The author definitely made Chris the sole focus of this book and while the author cannot be blamed for what Watts did, she could be accused of giving him too much of a voice, I suppose.
To add insult to injury, this book seriously needs a good editor. Some of the writing just screams for professional help.
T
For some reason, this book really turned up my hatred of this monster. Maybe its because it is focused almost 100% on this monster's story - which I knew before starting, but it became suffocating to read, especially towards the end of the book, when Watts quotes the Bible and maintains he has 'found God". Why do so many prisoners think we care if they find God?
The beginning of the book does tease out a few pieces of information but, still focused on Watts, there is little exploration of the murders and more about Watts believing there was a "dark power" around him and his house - I was almost expecting "the devil made me do it".
The author definitely made Chris the sole focus of this book and while the author cannot be blamed for what Watts did, she could be accused of giving him too much of a voice, I suppose.
To add insult to injury, this book seriously needs a good editor. Some of the writing just screams for professional help.
T
December 31, 2020
All very repetitive
I have to admit after reading Letters From Christopher by Cherlyn Cadle, that I would give her the benefit of the doubt and read this book. Honestly I just wish I hadn't bothered. Everything that she has put in the book is already on the net so basically common knowledge. My personal opinion, I don't recommend the book or the author (not being rude, just my personal opinion)! Christopher Watts is a monster that doesn't deserve to breath the air we live in. He destroyed 4 beautiful lives, and the lives of family and friends of Shananns will never be the same again. His newly found love of Jesus Christ - doesn't fool anyone. I'll say it time and time again, even Satan would turn Christopher Watts away from the gates of Hell!
I have to admit after reading Letters From Christopher by Cherlyn Cadle, that I would give her the benefit of the doubt and read this book. Honestly I just wish I hadn't bothered. Everything that she has put in the book is already on the net so basically common knowledge. My personal opinion, I don't recommend the book or the author (not being rude, just my personal opinion)! Christopher Watts is a monster that doesn't deserve to breath the air we live in. He destroyed 4 beautiful lives, and the lives of family and friends of Shananns will never be the same again. His newly found love of Jesus Christ - doesn't fool anyone. I'll say it time and time again, even Satan would turn Christopher Watts away from the gates of Hell!
January 27, 2022
Very poorly written with no new information or even basic editing.
Transcripts from interviews are not edited in the correct way and the author skips to and fro between different timelines, something which would confuse a reader who knows nothing of the Watts case. In my opinion, this book is just an easy way for the author to have gained recognition, feigning closeness with an infamous murderer who has given her information that was unknown to the public. In fact, Cheryln Cadle practically copy and pasted from the original transcripts and case documents and barely spoke to Chris Watts at all. The letters she did receive gave no new information. This book is a farce and in completely bad taste. Cherlyn took advantage of Shannan and her children and their story.
Transcripts from interviews are not edited in the correct way and the author skips to and fro between different timelines, something which would confuse a reader who knows nothing of the Watts case. In my opinion, this book is just an easy way for the author to have gained recognition, feigning closeness with an infamous murderer who has given her information that was unknown to the public. In fact, Cheryln Cadle practically copy and pasted from the original transcripts and case documents and barely spoke to Chris Watts at all. The letters she did receive gave no new information. This book is a farce and in completely bad taste. Cherlyn took advantage of Shannan and her children and their story.
June 25, 2024
I’m convinced this book was written by a 10 year old
April 5, 2024
3.5
Im rating the author obviously not the story. I don't know why but I can't leave this crime alone, I just can't get my head around it. What scares me the most is that he seemed a nice guy to everyone but then did what he did and then did not care about what he did. The author was not biased and it was well written and informative slightly repatative. Liked also she never slated Shannan and was kind and respectful to her and her family. However the author said Chris has never blamed anyone but himself then mentions a few times he said he had Demons inside him.
Im rating the author obviously not the story. I don't know why but I can't leave this crime alone, I just can't get my head around it. What scares me the most is that he seemed a nice guy to everyone but then did what he did and then did not care about what he did. The author was not biased and it was well written and informative slightly repatative. Liked also she never slated Shannan and was kind and respectful to her and her family. However the author said Chris has never blamed anyone but himself then mentions a few times he said he had Demons inside him.
March 18, 2021
Very interesting
I gave 4 stars because I didn't care for the writing style. A lot of things are repeated. However I enjoyed reading the letters, that's why I bought the book. I always like seeing original letters as well and she posted pictures of them.
I gave 4 stars because I didn't care for the writing style. A lot of things are repeated. However I enjoyed reading the letters, that's why I bought the book. I always like seeing original letters as well and she posted pictures of them.
February 2, 2021
Very disappointed the exact same book as before. Also, the big news Cadle let known before the book was published about how Bella was forced to walk up the tank, she said we would learn about it in the book, it wasn't in the book at all. Huge waste of Money.
June 13, 2021
The truth has always been out there.
CW gave himself away the very first day he returned back home.....GUILTY
Shannan was late by 3 hours,3 hours!!! which cut into the planned murder.ergo everything had to be ramped to make up that 3 hour deficit.
Did CW act alone? Ofcourse NOT!!!! ATLEAST 2 other people involved directly, and possibly a further 3 co.conspirators .
Was CW drugged(as he has claimed)?..NO WAY!!!!! Does he appear drugged,incoherent, out of it when he arrived back home to confront the police?..NO WAY!!! He looked guilty and nervous.
The most basic of police procedures were not followed.
CW should NEVER have been allowed to reenter the house alone.
CW should never have been allowed back into the house after his questioning at the station.
The house should have been sealed,secured and forensically examined from DAY 1!!!!
The TRUTH ,the REAL TRUTH is in his 1st interview.
THE TRUTH is in NK,s 1st interview.
Open your eyes,read what isn't said..the answers are in plain sight.
Ignore the majority of YOUTUBE sites regarding this case or you will be distracted by theory,conspiracy and Kennedy style "magic bullet theory"hype.
THERE ARE ONLY 3 directly involved people involved in the act of murder and disposal,and 2/3 more involved in disinformation and cover up
The police and those official persons involved in the case are just as GUILTY of a total debacle and have not served JUSTICE.
Cradle,s book,to my mind is more accurate than any that has come after it.....
Step back, look at the case with impartiality, see and hear what isn't said.
As for CW finding God?......Utter crap!!! He is only feathering his own nest of comfort for the scum that he is,to have it easy in jail.
GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY
CW gave himself away the very first day he returned back home.....GUILTY
Shannan was late by 3 hours,3 hours!!! which cut into the planned murder.ergo everything had to be ramped to make up that 3 hour deficit.
Did CW act alone? Ofcourse NOT!!!! ATLEAST 2 other people involved directly, and possibly a further 3 co.conspirators .
Was CW drugged(as he has claimed)?..NO WAY!!!!! Does he appear drugged,incoherent, out of it when he arrived back home to confront the police?..NO WAY!!! He looked guilty and nervous.
The most basic of police procedures were not followed.
CW should NEVER have been allowed to reenter the house alone.
CW should never have been allowed back into the house after his questioning at the station.
The house should have been sealed,secured and forensically examined from DAY 1!!!!
The TRUTH ,the REAL TRUTH is in his 1st interview.
THE TRUTH is in NK,s 1st interview.
Open your eyes,read what isn't said..the answers are in plain sight.
Ignore the majority of YOUTUBE sites regarding this case or you will be distracted by theory,conspiracy and Kennedy style "magic bullet theory"hype.
THERE ARE ONLY 3 directly involved people involved in the act of murder and disposal,and 2/3 more involved in disinformation and cover up
The police and those official persons involved in the case are just as GUILTY of a total debacle and have not served JUSTICE.
Cradle,s book,to my mind is more accurate than any that has come after it.....
Step back, look at the case with impartiality, see and hear what isn't said.
As for CW finding God?......Utter crap!!! He is only feathering his own nest of comfort for the scum that he is,to have it easy in jail.
GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY
February 6, 2021
Hard read, however makes you sit and think out all the false information on YouTube.
Well written. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that would like to know the truth about this case.
Well written. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that would like to know the truth about this case.
August 11, 2022
This case haunts me. Why? For an affair that would never have lasted. Such a tragedy. This book has a lot of grammatical errors. It was hard to stomach what actually occurred. I pray he has turned his life around like he actually implies.
July 9, 2023
I hate the way she talks about Shanann.
October 8, 2025
I have seen many comments talking about the poor writing but I listened to the audio books so my experience didn’t feel like it was affected by that. So maybe listen to it if you’re worried about the editing.
I appreciate the amount of information the author was able to get out about the details of the case despite it being horrific and at times unbearable to hear.
The only issue I have is I can’t tell if the author sympathizes with CW or not. She claims to have written this for the family and expressed that she hoped to get all the details so they could have some sort of peace but I also feel conflicted about giving this monster a platform.
She allows the reader to formulate their own opinions on CW and sometimes mentions her sadness or sympathy for him and his family and seems to feed into his narrative that he was possessed and has seen the light now.
In all, I feel more disgusted towards CW and while I can understand the sympathy from his parents due to loosing their son, grandchildren, and social status due to his actions I just still feel like they are not good people. I don’t blame them for CWs actions of course, but they still continue to bash Shanann and still believe in some way she was the problem despite the knowledge now that CW is guilty and the facts presented with just how horrific the crime was. CWs mom specifically can’t seem to get over her sheer hatred for Shanann even after knowing what her son did to her and their children. That to me is very telling on her character.
The fact that CW has a very high IQ and also states that he felt nothing while slowly snuffing out the life of his wife and kids only shows me that he is not capable of normal human emotions. Especially knowing that the girls did not die the first time he tried killing them and he still was unable to or unwilling to stop. He also dragged Shanann’s body down the stairs while his children were “running around” and visibly being traumatized. Then his final act of shoving those poor babies in the oil tanks, he still continued.
In my opinion his not wanting to be seen badly and deeply caring about others’ perception of him really solidifies that he doesn’t genuinely care about anyone else but himself and his image and this book was just another attempt by CW to gain some sort of sympathy or clear this bad image of himself. He is exactly where he needs to be. I felt like 99% of the stuff he was saying about his kids and wife and how much he missed them, writing them letters, and loving them is all a load of nonsense. He is very clearly trying to manipulate the situation and portray himself as a saved man who just was consumed by darkness and can now somehow make a change.
It really bothers me that he says he loves his family and misses his children and all this throughout the book and his letters. He is not a father and he doesn’t deserve any association with them.
This case will always be the one that I’ll never forget and disturbs me deeply.
My heart and love go to Shanann, Niko, Celest, Bella, and Shanann’s family. May their souls rest in peace and the family heal and prosper.
I appreciate the amount of information the author was able to get out about the details of the case despite it being horrific and at times unbearable to hear.
The only issue I have is I can’t tell if the author sympathizes with CW or not. She claims to have written this for the family and expressed that she hoped to get all the details so they could have some sort of peace but I also feel conflicted about giving this monster a platform.
She allows the reader to formulate their own opinions on CW and sometimes mentions her sadness or sympathy for him and his family and seems to feed into his narrative that he was possessed and has seen the light now.
In all, I feel more disgusted towards CW and while I can understand the sympathy from his parents due to loosing their son, grandchildren, and social status due to his actions I just still feel like they are not good people. I don’t blame them for CWs actions of course, but they still continue to bash Shanann and still believe in some way she was the problem despite the knowledge now that CW is guilty and the facts presented with just how horrific the crime was. CWs mom specifically can’t seem to get over her sheer hatred for Shanann even after knowing what her son did to her and their children. That to me is very telling on her character.
The fact that CW has a very high IQ and also states that he felt nothing while slowly snuffing out the life of his wife and kids only shows me that he is not capable of normal human emotions. Especially knowing that the girls did not die the first time he tried killing them and he still was unable to or unwilling to stop. He also dragged Shanann’s body down the stairs while his children were “running around” and visibly being traumatized. Then his final act of shoving those poor babies in the oil tanks, he still continued.
In my opinion his not wanting to be seen badly and deeply caring about others’ perception of him really solidifies that he doesn’t genuinely care about anyone else but himself and his image and this book was just another attempt by CW to gain some sort of sympathy or clear this bad image of himself. He is exactly where he needs to be. I felt like 99% of the stuff he was saying about his kids and wife and how much he missed them, writing them letters, and loving them is all a load of nonsense. He is very clearly trying to manipulate the situation and portray himself as a saved man who just was consumed by darkness and can now somehow make a change.
It really bothers me that he says he loves his family and misses his children and all this throughout the book and his letters. He is not a father and he doesn’t deserve any association with them.
This case will always be the one that I’ll never forget and disturbs me deeply.
My heart and love go to Shanann, Niko, Celest, Bella, and Shanann’s family. May their souls rest in peace and the family heal and prosper.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2025
I was made aware of this book late in 2024, so, as it had been a while since I'd delved into the Watts murders, and I'd never read this book, I gave it a try. I was not aware of all of the "complaints" and "social media hate" that had come the author's way when I first started reading but was made aware of it soon enough. I still don't really know what it was about, but from the introduction of the book through the epilogue, the author made sure her readers knew how much pain she'd been in after publishing the first edition of the book. Since, the title was not, The Cross of Cheryln Cadle, and Oh Yeah, The Murders of Christopher Watts, I honestly didn't find all the pre-defensive, "I'm just writing what HE said" statements to be necessary. Nor did I much care that she'd been "severed" from the Watts family, for reasons unknown.
But that was a far cry from the major problems with the book. The truth is that it's next to unreadable. The author moves from one subject to another, sometimes within the same paragraph. It seemed like a flow of consciousness writing than something that had been planned out. Timelines were confusing, the placement of characters and events was confusing, and if I hadn't already known the story, I would have given up shortly after starting it. As it was, I read the whole damned thing, and wished I'd skipped it.
I am not a religious person, and I have never slammed anyone for their beliefs, but I also wasn't born yesterday. Watts tried to offload his heinous acts to either demon possession or not being fully cognizant of his own actions. Of course, as soon as he got to prison, he found Jesus. Considering how easily Watts can lie, I don't find his "salvation" very convincing. Since Cadle felt the need to publish almost everything Watts wrote to her and to others, it was easy to tell that Watts has STILL not taken responsibility, not really, for murdering his pregnant wife and his two daughters. He seems to say the right words, but what comes out is variations on, "it's horrible what happened to them," and then maybe later in the sentence acknowledges that nothing would have happened to them if HE hadn't made it happen. Cadle, however, seems to believe everything he says to her, "I believe Christopher told me the TRUE story of that night. Why would he lie now?" (paraphrasing) And by the way, calling him "Christopher" throughout the book is not journalism. It was VERY grating to me to be constantly reminded that I'm being manipulated by the author into feeling empathy for him. I don't and I won't. Christopher Watts is exactly where he belongs for the rest of his life. Let's hope that Cheryln Cadle can rest easy now and move on.
But that was a far cry from the major problems with the book. The truth is that it's next to unreadable. The author moves from one subject to another, sometimes within the same paragraph. It seemed like a flow of consciousness writing than something that had been planned out. Timelines were confusing, the placement of characters and events was confusing, and if I hadn't already known the story, I would have given up shortly after starting it. As it was, I read the whole damned thing, and wished I'd skipped it.
I am not a religious person, and I have never slammed anyone for their beliefs, but I also wasn't born yesterday. Watts tried to offload his heinous acts to either demon possession or not being fully cognizant of his own actions. Of course, as soon as he got to prison, he found Jesus. Considering how easily Watts can lie, I don't find his "salvation" very convincing. Since Cadle felt the need to publish almost everything Watts wrote to her and to others, it was easy to tell that Watts has STILL not taken responsibility, not really, for murdering his pregnant wife and his two daughters. He seems to say the right words, but what comes out is variations on, "it's horrible what happened to them," and then maybe later in the sentence acknowledges that nothing would have happened to them if HE hadn't made it happen. Cadle, however, seems to believe everything he says to her, "I believe Christopher told me the TRUE story of that night. Why would he lie now?" (paraphrasing) And by the way, calling him "Christopher" throughout the book is not journalism. It was VERY grating to me to be constantly reminded that I'm being manipulated by the author into feeling empathy for him. I don't and I won't. Christopher Watts is exactly where he belongs for the rest of his life. Let's hope that Cheryln Cadle can rest easy now and move on.
August 19, 2022
I usually always check the reviews before buying a book but didn’t for this one so I was very disappointed to see it had very poor ones.
Maybe it’s because my expectations were very low than I didn’t find it so bad?
Though, I wish there were half stars so I could have given it 2 and a half stars.
It is true that, grammatically, the book is poorly written. English isn’t my native language and yet I constantly noticed the errors in this book.
Worst for me is the total lack of chronology: in the same paragraph, the author can jump from an event that took place 6 months ago to one happening 3 weeks ago, to one happening 2 years ago. Hadn’t I had a quite good knowledge of the case, I would probably have found myself lost by these jumps in time.
The author gives a name to a paragraph, let’s say “Finances “ and then, out of 12 pages, there will be only half a page on this subject.
And yet, despise all these flaws, I ended up reading this book almost in one sitting because it is an easy to read book and it kept my attention and interest awoken throughout it all.
So, not a great book by any length, but not a terrible one either.
Maybe it’s because my expectations were very low than I didn’t find it so bad?
Though, I wish there were half stars so I could have given it 2 and a half stars.
It is true that, grammatically, the book is poorly written. English isn’t my native language and yet I constantly noticed the errors in this book.
Worst for me is the total lack of chronology: in the same paragraph, the author can jump from an event that took place 6 months ago to one happening 3 weeks ago, to one happening 2 years ago. Hadn’t I had a quite good knowledge of the case, I would probably have found myself lost by these jumps in time.
The author gives a name to a paragraph, let’s say “Finances “ and then, out of 12 pages, there will be only half a page on this subject.
And yet, despise all these flaws, I ended up reading this book almost in one sitting because it is an easy to read book and it kept my attention and interest awoken throughout it all.
So, not a great book by any length, but not a terrible one either.
November 4, 2021
So where do I start ? . I am not giving this book a one star rating because obviously there were quite a bit of interesting things on it like the letters at the end of the book and some new insights , as that being said I still have to give a low rating to this book and here’s why :
1/ It was very repetitive
2/ Only a few new info the rest looked like it was copied from other sources and on discovery .
3/ Too many grammatical errors
4/ If you decide to write a book you should be at least be able to write it otherwise it makes no sense for you to write.
5/ He was not possessed or redeemed by God, so NO you cannot shed a good light on him, he is an evil monster who deserves to be where he is at.
As that being said, I do appreciate this lady trying to give us an insight on these horrendous crimes and this horrible man who did them but It could have been much better with some professional help in writing it.
1/ It was very repetitive
2/ Only a few new info the rest looked like it was copied from other sources and on discovery .
3/ Too many grammatical errors
4/ If you decide to write a book you should be at least be able to write it otherwise it makes no sense for you to write.
5/ He was not possessed or redeemed by God, so NO you cannot shed a good light on him, he is an evil monster who deserves to be where he is at.
As that being said, I do appreciate this lady trying to give us an insight on these horrendous crimes and this horrible man who did them but It could have been much better with some professional help in writing it.
February 4, 2021
There are some good things about this book but ultimately it doesn't answer the questions everyone has
This book is not well written or well edited. I feel the authors anguish that she ever felt led to talk to Christopher and I've seen Enough commentary online to no she's taking a lot of grief for it. Ultimately I'll her book has that other books don't have is Christopher's actual letters and Christopher has told so many stories will never know what's the truth.I don't know what caused him to murder his family he doesn't know what caused him it murder is family the author doesn't know what caused him to murder his family. The answer to that question is what everybody wants to know and the only person who really does know is Christopher and to judge from this book he doesn't even really know why he did it.
This book is not well written or well edited. I feel the authors anguish that she ever felt led to talk to Christopher and I've seen Enough commentary online to no she's taking a lot of grief for it. Ultimately I'll her book has that other books don't have is Christopher's actual letters and Christopher has told so many stories will never know what's the truth.I don't know what caused him to murder his family he doesn't know what caused him it murder is family the author doesn't know what caused him to murder his family. The answer to that question is what everybody wants to know and the only person who really does know is Christopher and to judge from this book he doesn't even really know why he did it.
April 6, 2021
Very Good
This case seems to fascinate people around the world(myself included).I think the reason why is because literally no one saw this coming.There doesn't seem to be one person that can say"Chris Watts was always crazy,we knew he was gonna snap one day and do this".He was the last guy anyone would ever suspect could do something like this.I think that's the fascinating,and terrifying part of this whole tragedy.You pick up a lot of pieces about the case on YouTube,and other sites.But this book ties everything together very well.It's very well written.I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this lol.Everything is done very tastefully with the utmost respect to the true victims.The author even points out that we need to focus on the victims so that we don't make Mr.Watts a celebrity from this.Well done Author.This was a very good read.
This case seems to fascinate people around the world(myself included).I think the reason why is because literally no one saw this coming.There doesn't seem to be one person that can say"Chris Watts was always crazy,we knew he was gonna snap one day and do this".He was the last guy anyone would ever suspect could do something like this.I think that's the fascinating,and terrifying part of this whole tragedy.You pick up a lot of pieces about the case on YouTube,and other sites.But this book ties everything together very well.It's very well written.I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this lol.Everything is done very tastefully with the utmost respect to the true victims.The author even points out that we need to focus on the victims so that we don't make Mr.Watts a celebrity from this.Well done Author.This was a very good read.
April 26, 2021
So this book which was originally meant to be seen as a sequel to the first one from what I'm an aware turned out to be much the same as the first book but there was also a few new things added to the book this time around as well which included the introduction from Chris Watts himself and actual pictures of his letters scanned into the book. To this day I still feel like we won't ever get a real reason from Chris on why he did what he did but at the end of the day, I feel like even the letter that he wrote to the author wasn't the full truth and that there was still things missing from the story, I also felt like there was a high chance now especially that Shannan was drugged at the time of her death, how else would it be possible that he she wouldn't have fought back???? So many questions we'll probably never get the answer to
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2021
Chilling True Crime
This book captured my attention from the first page. It is a fascinating insight into the mind of the killer, Chris Watts. In his own words we read about the horrendous murders of his beautiful pregnant wife and two adorable little daughters. It made me cringe in several places about how cold he was in the telling of the murders and how he had been planning them for months. I felt the pain of the poor police and firemen who had to recover the bodies especially of the little girls from the oil tanks. I felt the pain that any parent would feel for the loss of their loved ones especially by the man who vowed to protect them with his life. This author has written a masterful book on theses heinous yet fascinating murders and I highly recommend it to all true crime aficionados.
This book captured my attention from the first page. It is a fascinating insight into the mind of the killer, Chris Watts. In his own words we read about the horrendous murders of his beautiful pregnant wife and two adorable little daughters. It made me cringe in several places about how cold he was in the telling of the murders and how he had been planning them for months. I felt the pain of the poor police and firemen who had to recover the bodies especially of the little girls from the oil tanks. I felt the pain that any parent would feel for the loss of their loved ones especially by the man who vowed to protect them with his life. This author has written a masterful book on theses heinous yet fascinating murders and I highly recommend it to all true crime aficionados.
January 20, 2023
I don’t think I have ever been so annoyed while reading a book… I say that with a kind heart because I know the author did try to capture this story well. But I can’t help but notice the numerous errors in the book, how she starts off by saying she isn’t friends with Chris Watts and doesn’t like him as a person but then constantly defends him the entire book, how she repeats herself, OR if that wasn’t enough…how all over the place it is. I feel as though I start a chapter at one end of the spectrum, the. in the middle jumps to a completely different side, then to another, and then all of that just to end up at the same place we started. Not to mention the constant repetitive nature of every single paragraph. A lot of the book is public knowledge already. I will say however that the second half is better than the first half.
May 13, 2023
Yea, Ladies and Gentlemen, I gave the book 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I have heard that this book was poorly written and that it was bull crap what the author wrote but honestly the book 📕 was well written. I believe that the author gave a full account of what Chris Watts said and also the full account of what really happened on that fateful day. The day he murdered his whole family. I also liked how she respected both families and did not want them to hurt after writing her book. I have read 2 other books 📚 how the Chris Watts Murders but this book was by far the most informative book on the murders. Honestly, I didn’t know this family but looking at how Shannan loved her 2 little girls on Facebook really touched my heart. Those murders were senseless. May God have mercy on Chris Watts soul. R. I.P Shannan, Bella, Celeste (Cece) and Baby Nico. MAY ALL OF YOU DANCE WITH THE ANGELS 😇
June 23, 2023
If you are like myself and loves true crime and wants to know every detail of every case, this does give some details not previously released in FBI interviews or documentaries about this case. However, I think the writing could have been better. There are many parts in the book that repeat themselves and it is a lot of reading FBI interviews, letters from Chris, charges filed and more. The letters from Chris are the most interesting and some of the details he left out in his FBI interview. Cherlyn does a good job of respecting the victims in this case while also providing some gruesome details that come with the case. I believe she meant well with this book and appreciate that Chris can not receive royalties from this. Overall, I would recommend for crime junkies like me who dive all in to cases and want to know the little details.
December 28, 2020
Pretty bummed about the book, quite honestly. It wasn’t the worst, but as someone that has been following the book and case for some time, I was expecting more. I appreciate her work and I can imagine it took a lot to make this, but over the years this is all general knowledge now. Maybe if she wrote another book similar on a case I knew less about, it would be better, but I was expecting more. I thought there would be more letters, but they’re all (besides three) in the very end. Most of this book was her take on things he said, which is understandable, but I guess I had the wrong idea of the book from the gate. I appreciate her work, this book just didn’t hit it for me. I’d definitely be interested in her other work though.
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