What do you think?
Rate this book
Blood & Marriage: Chris Watts: With These Hands
From the author of 'Murdaugh, She Wrote' and 'The Night My Husband Killed Me' ...In August of 2018, in a wealthy Denver suburb, a shocked and horrified nation learned that Christopher Lee Watts had murdered his pregnant wife, their two little girls and their unborn son.But shock was soon replaced by puzzlement. Why?And the surprising answer is that a standard Anadarko Petroleum employee policy led, unintentionally of course, to the murders.By early 2018, the Watts family finances were beyond dire again after a recent shattering bankruptcy, then Chris Watts’ employer, Anardarko Petroleum, offered him a life insurance policy on the lives of his wife, Shan’ann, and his very young daughters, Bella and CeCe, for a total of $450,000.Wouldn’t that get him out of a spot?After that, Shan’ann’s days were numbered, preferably via a perceived oxycontin overdose.Well, Chris Watts tried that twice and failed. Then he decided to go for the jackpot. Shan’ann would ‘murder’ the girls, and would then disappear. Nobody was going to find her body in the Cervi 19 oil storage tanks. He would collect on the girls immediately and then get the rest when Shan’ann was legally declared dead.It was an excellent plan, to be carried out by a complete moron.On the night of Sunday August 12, 2018, two things went catastrophically wrong, leaving Chris Watts to dispose of three bodies, not one, and facing a nail-biting time crunch.Then a friend of Shan’ann’s called in the cops on the morning of Monday August 13, and it was game over.But, for some, that’s when the party started.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 29, 2021
427 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
May 12, 2023
5/11 this author is a whackadoodle! Reading this book is like talking over the fence with your neighbor that just spouts off crap and does not care if it’s in order, if she repeats and therefore contradicts herself or just decides to make things up to be more titillating. She talks about some events like she was sitting on the couch taking notes but only the minimum and then she can tackle some steamy details. Instead of talking about the departed, she puts the focus on Chris and without even trying she makes it sound like he has a mild disability. Why does she have such a personal axe to grind? What started off as “from Cindy’s perspective “ we instead fall down a rabbit hole of gossip.honestly if you want to learn more about this devastating crime DO NOT PICK THIS! That is all. This book is definitely getting one star because as much as I want to vomit over this destructive crime and give Chris a slow, agonizing death as punishment the author is just making crap up to overexcite readers. I’ve read 4? books I think so far about this tragedy, and I can’t tell you how many times I watched it unfold on Netflix and not one thing she is conjecturing has even been mildly hinted at. We are all sickened and saddened but do we need to read a fairytale about this? Oh and as a “retired social worker” you could have written in such a manner that makes you sound a bit intelligent. This woman throws out f bombs lie ooo piece of candy.
I have no idea what is wrong with this author, but constantly using the moniker “Pennywise” makes zero sense. This book is ridiculous. I want to try to finish it merely because I think that if I keep reading about this hellacious story it will make sense. I do believe social media had a part in it, but it definitely does not excuse the crime. Chris’ choices led to murder just tell one true story, Chris just one.
This author is a ding bat as my mother often says. She literally just said don’t buy skincare products just use your bar soap at home. I think I had a stroke. I’ve had a skincare regimen since I was 13 years old. I’m now on level 50. I think? Good ole Seventeen magazine put me on the right track. I have one product that I spent $75 for. It’s an eye cream. I bought it for those dam crows feet. I try not to smile much-RBF is the way to go. I could spend days talking about skincare from how often should one use retinol to the proper way to put on hand cream. LADIES STOP BUYING LOTION!
I have no idea what is wrong with this author, but constantly using the moniker “Pennywise” makes zero sense. This book is ridiculous. I want to try to finish it merely because I think that if I keep reading about this hellacious story it will make sense. I do believe social media had a part in it, but it definitely does not excuse the crime. Chris’ choices led to murder just tell one true story, Chris just one.
This author is a ding bat as my mother often says. She literally just said don’t buy skincare products just use your bar soap at home. I think I had a stroke. I’ve had a skincare regimen since I was 13 years old. I’m now on level 50. I think? Good ole Seventeen magazine put me on the right track. I have one product that I spent $75 for. It’s an eye cream. I bought it for those dam crows feet. I try not to smile much-RBF is the way to go. I could spend days talking about skincare from how often should one use retinol to the proper way to put on hand cream. LADIES STOP BUYING LOTION!
July 22, 2021
If I could give this 0 stars I would .
Not at all what I imagined.. waste of money .
I honestly couldnt even finish this . Nope..
Not at all what I imagined.. waste of money .
I honestly couldnt even finish this . Nope..
January 24, 2022
If a fishmongers’ wife were to write a book this would be it
If a fishmongers’ wife were to write a book this would be it. It’s full of lies and conjecture, it contradicts itself and doubles back and then doubles back again. It’s based on zero factual information, in fact the true factual information tells a story that is nearly polar opposite.
In the first half of the book the author denigrates Shannan repeatedly by saying she never owned her Escalade and was forced to return it, she states this over and over ad nauseam. In the middle of the book she pulls number from thin air concerning the Watts finances and states that Shannan had her Escalade repoed which ruined her credit because she couldn’t pay for it, was the author drunk writing? She states their daughter’s school cost $1,000 per week but a quick search and call that took less than 5 minutes told me it was $238 for the first child and half for the second if they went to school 5 days per week. They were not about to lose their home, they were in fact catching their finances up for the first time in years and the Lexus was paid for by Thrive.
Chris and Shannan were both earning the car incentive which paid the monthly payment on the car. His parents hadn’t been involved in their lives enough to know this so of course they guessed they were paying for it, because that’s just how they see the world, in a very negative way.
Why did the author go so far out of her way to lie about the Watts finances? Was it to give the readers a very false and misguided narrative concerning Shannan’s spending? Why did the author not say a word about the $80k per year Shannan was earning before she was murdered? It sounds like the author would like to justify the murders by creating a false narrative about the Watts finances, a narrative that would be impossible to sustain like the author described for more than 2 to 3 months at best, so again she proves herself to be wrong.
No matter how great they might have been at robbing Peter to pay Paul, they couldn’t have maintained even the $3,000 house payment for more than a few months if that $40k Chris was earning was all they had coming in, so the author knew she was delivering a very false narrative that was meant to make Shannan look lazy and like an irresponsible spend thrift at the worse of times.
She makes it seem like it was Shannan’s desperate idea to have Nico, it was Chris’s idea and he had to convince her to have him due to health issues she had. It’s very obvious that most of this misguided information came from the Watts who had very little interaction with their son or his family and therefore had no factual knowledge of their finances or Shannan’s income and just chalked it up to things they made up like they did with their granddaughter’s life threatening allergies.
It does however give a very good look at the dark and twisted mindset in the way Cindy Watts views the world. She never has a positive thought, even though the author would love for you to believe that she might be capable of being a decent human being, she couldn’t even force herself to make that statement. There is no secret as to why Chris was capable of murdering his entire family, it started at home with his parents and they did know he had issues before he ever met Shannan.
I do believe that you will read the truth of how he murdered his children and wife in this book, but I wouldn’t waste money on this kind of book had it not been free with Kindle. The payoff isn’t enough for the trash you have to wade through and if you don’t know the facts of who Shannan was, you might walk away with a very misguided idea of what truly transpired here. This should be listed as fiction.
If a fishmongers’ wife were to write a book this would be it. It’s full of lies and conjecture, it contradicts itself and doubles back and then doubles back again. It’s based on zero factual information, in fact the true factual information tells a story that is nearly polar opposite.
In the first half of the book the author denigrates Shannan repeatedly by saying she never owned her Escalade and was forced to return it, she states this over and over ad nauseam. In the middle of the book she pulls number from thin air concerning the Watts finances and states that Shannan had her Escalade repoed which ruined her credit because she couldn’t pay for it, was the author drunk writing? She states their daughter’s school cost $1,000 per week but a quick search and call that took less than 5 minutes told me it was $238 for the first child and half for the second if they went to school 5 days per week. They were not about to lose their home, they were in fact catching their finances up for the first time in years and the Lexus was paid for by Thrive.
Chris and Shannan were both earning the car incentive which paid the monthly payment on the car. His parents hadn’t been involved in their lives enough to know this so of course they guessed they were paying for it, because that’s just how they see the world, in a very negative way.
Why did the author go so far out of her way to lie about the Watts finances? Was it to give the readers a very false and misguided narrative concerning Shannan’s spending? Why did the author not say a word about the $80k per year Shannan was earning before she was murdered? It sounds like the author would like to justify the murders by creating a false narrative about the Watts finances, a narrative that would be impossible to sustain like the author described for more than 2 to 3 months at best, so again she proves herself to be wrong.
No matter how great they might have been at robbing Peter to pay Paul, they couldn’t have maintained even the $3,000 house payment for more than a few months if that $40k Chris was earning was all they had coming in, so the author knew she was delivering a very false narrative that was meant to make Shannan look lazy and like an irresponsible spend thrift at the worse of times.
She makes it seem like it was Shannan’s desperate idea to have Nico, it was Chris’s idea and he had to convince her to have him due to health issues she had. It’s very obvious that most of this misguided information came from the Watts who had very little interaction with their son or his family and therefore had no factual knowledge of their finances or Shannan’s income and just chalked it up to things they made up like they did with their granddaughter’s life threatening allergies.
It does however give a very good look at the dark and twisted mindset in the way Cindy Watts views the world. She never has a positive thought, even though the author would love for you to believe that she might be capable of being a decent human being, she couldn’t even force herself to make that statement. There is no secret as to why Chris was capable of murdering his entire family, it started at home with his parents and they did know he had issues before he ever met Shannan.
I do believe that you will read the truth of how he murdered his children and wife in this book, but I wouldn’t waste money on this kind of book had it not been free with Kindle. The payoff isn’t enough for the trash you have to wade through and if you don’t know the facts of who Shannan was, you might walk away with a very misguided idea of what truly transpired here. This should be listed as fiction.
February 8, 2022
Couldn't finish it.
From the, "I'll name him Pennywise," to "no white person has ever been wrongfully convicted in the USA,"with the added, " he torments his innocent ex-girlfriend. "
This book grated on me, I couldn't finish it, as for the blatant "white privilege" narrative preached throughout, I don't think the "author" realises that all 4 victims and their killer(s) we're white.
From the, "I'll name him Pennywise," to "no white person has ever been wrongfully convicted in the USA,"with the added, " he torments his innocent ex-girlfriend. "
This book grated on me, I couldn't finish it, as for the blatant "white privilege" narrative preached throughout, I don't think the "author" realises that all 4 victims and their killer(s) we're white.
November 11, 2022
Don't waste your time.
Terrible is the only word that comes to mind, I am shocked at how bad this book was. Don't waste your time!
Terrible is the only word that comes to mind, I am shocked at how bad this book was. Don't waste your time!
March 18, 2023
If I could give this “book” zero stars, I would.
Let’s get one thing out of the way; I despise Chris Watts. So does anyone with even the tiniest moral compass. However, the author’s insistence on referring to him as “Pennywise” or “Penny,” was just ridiculously immature, not to mention annoying. Use his real name! It doesn’t mean you like or sympathize with him! 🙄
This entire book read like an overly invested, emotional high school girl’s blog entry. The author tried to pass off her own (bizarre) opinions as facts, and her mimicking CW’s inner dialogue was….at best, very awkward and very strange.
If you’re looking for a good book on the case, I’d recommend My Daddy Is A Hero. Much more professional and informative.
Let’s get one thing out of the way; I despise Chris Watts. So does anyone with even the tiniest moral compass. However, the author’s insistence on referring to him as “Pennywise” or “Penny,” was just ridiculously immature, not to mention annoying. Use his real name! It doesn’t mean you like or sympathize with him! 🙄
This entire book read like an overly invested, emotional high school girl’s blog entry. The author tried to pass off her own (bizarre) opinions as facts, and her mimicking CW’s inner dialogue was….at best, very awkward and very strange.
If you’re looking for a good book on the case, I’d recommend My Daddy Is A Hero. Much more professional and informative.
January 26, 2022
An incomprehensible mess
The author often does not make sense, and her narration and the conclusions she draws as to what happened are based on weak and gossipy speculation. I decided early on when I was reading this that the author's voice was unreliable, but I kept reading because I liked that she was saying what she thought without any filters. This was refreshing, but at a certain point it crossed a line with me. Also, as I mentioned above, she often did not make sense, which I found very frustrating.
The author often does not make sense, and her narration and the conclusions she draws as to what happened are based on weak and gossipy speculation. I decided early on when I was reading this that the author's voice was unreliable, but I kept reading because I liked that she was saying what she thought without any filters. This was refreshing, but at a certain point it crossed a line with me. Also, as I mentioned above, she often did not make sense, which I found very frustrating.
December 22, 2022
I have never left a book unfinished in my life. I could not finish this. This book was written like a blog post and should have stayed on the internet in that format instead of being a book people actually pay money for. The least you could do if you were trying to profit off four peoples murders is write something that is readable.
February 25, 2023
I actually couldn't finish this one. The author's insistence on calling Chris Watts Penny or Pennywise seemed bizarre and unnecessary to me and it threw me out of the book every time I came across it.
September 12, 2023
Chris Watts murdered his family and confessed through his guilty plea -I think most of us don’t need to be reminded 5-7 times every page that he’s not a great guy. Closed within 10 mins of starting.
August 12, 2021
Ugh! The author constantly referring to Chris Watts as Pennywise or "Penny" throughout this book is so annoying. I think she thinks she is being witty but it comes off as obnoxious. I gave this book 3 stars because I enjoyed the parts written by Cindy Watts. The parts written by Hewtson just came off as trying too hard and failing dismally. Stephen King she is not!
July 4, 2021
Well written, but …
I read it in one sitting, so definitely engaging! I did not vibe with the sexual abuse stuff and it muddied the water for me.
I read it in one sitting, so definitely engaging! I did not vibe with the sexual abuse stuff and it muddied the water for me.
July 6, 2022
Returned this kindle book for refund. Absolute rubbish.
August 12, 2023
Lol DNF!
September 3, 2021
Brilliant insightful book, thank you.
Wow is all I can say. I have been really sad about this case, me and the rest of the world. We can all try and seek answers but would say that the man that has them will never tell the truth. This book may help others to just stop and come to terms that we will never know. This book has proof and theory based information and I felt that it helped me personally to just stop and to try move on without asking any further questions. Chris Watts will never tell the truth and will. Never fully admit faut for what he has done which just shows even more what a monster he is. I do not think I have ever seen remorse for what he has done and even when he tries to express emotion, it comes across as if he is trying to squeeze out a tear or a quiver in his voice. This Author has shown no biase towards the two family's that now have to pick up the pieces of their lives. Of course the author does not like Penny but who ever does is not 'all there in the head' in my opinion. This book also helped me see Cindy Watts in a more caring light and shows that she is also a victim. I agree also with Jamies husband that she need to stay clear of this drama and try be there for her children and husband. For all the people who have used either family for some time in the spotlight need to stop, however let's face it there are some awful people in the world that exploit others. This book was an 'eye opener' and it helped me to stop obsessing about the truth. We will never know the full facts and I believe Penny gets a kick out of all the attention. Thank you Kathleen for writing this book. I hope one day the Monster will cease to exist. Rest in peace Shan'ann, Baby Bella, Cece, and Nico. Much love also to both families and I hope one day they may get some inner peace.
Wow is all I can say. I have been really sad about this case, me and the rest of the world. We can all try and seek answers but would say that the man that has them will never tell the truth. This book may help others to just stop and come to terms that we will never know. This book has proof and theory based information and I felt that it helped me personally to just stop and to try move on without asking any further questions. Chris Watts will never tell the truth and will. Never fully admit faut for what he has done which just shows even more what a monster he is. I do not think I have ever seen remorse for what he has done and even when he tries to express emotion, it comes across as if he is trying to squeeze out a tear or a quiver in his voice. This Author has shown no biase towards the two family's that now have to pick up the pieces of their lives. Of course the author does not like Penny but who ever does is not 'all there in the head' in my opinion. This book also helped me see Cindy Watts in a more caring light and shows that she is also a victim. I agree also with Jamies husband that she need to stay clear of this drama and try be there for her children and husband. For all the people who have used either family for some time in the spotlight need to stop, however let's face it there are some awful people in the world that exploit others. This book was an 'eye opener' and it helped me to stop obsessing about the truth. We will never know the full facts and I believe Penny gets a kick out of all the attention. Thank you Kathleen for writing this book. I hope one day the Monster will cease to exist. Rest in peace Shan'ann, Baby Bella, Cece, and Nico. Much love also to both families and I hope one day they may get some inner peace.
November 23, 2023
Blood & Marriage:
I had a hard time reading this book, the author referred Chris Watts to Penny or Pennywise -which is completely stupid! She never interviewed Chris Watts but yet seemed to write the book from his perspective.
I had a hard time reading this book, the author referred Chris Watts to Penny or Pennywise -which is completely stupid! She never interviewed Chris Watts but yet seemed to write the book from his perspective.
October 27, 2021
This was such a strange book. Totally fascinating, but at the same time I realize that a lot of this true story is "put on", by that I mean it's more observances from the author than actual proven facts.
In fact, this is a book that should have a sidebar that reads...."as interpreted by".
It's basically a book that applies it's own version of the facts and there were many, many things mentioned that I never even knew about and I have been following this case for a while now. Usually, they are small things, but the writing managed to keep me reading and the author's applied versions of the facts is fascinating.
This book also confused me, especially the end part, when we get to the actual killing
There are comments and theories I had not heard before and totally contradict Watts' own version. Now I really don't know the truth.
Whatever really happened might end up beeing something we may never know.
In fact, this is a book that should have a sidebar that reads...."as interpreted by".
It's basically a book that applies it's own version of the facts and there were many, many things mentioned that I never even knew about and I have been following this case for a while now. Usually, they are small things, but the writing managed to keep me reading and the author's applied versions of the facts is fascinating.
This book also confused me, especially the end part, when we get to the actual killing
There are comments and theories I had not heard before and totally contradict Watts' own version. Now I really don't know the truth.
Whatever really happened might end up beeing something we may never know.
December 28, 2024
This is the worst book i have ever read. The worst. The author spends 2 chapters explaining how and why she wrote it. She told it from an imagined perspective. She tries to sell us she has researched this book by communicating with Cindy Watts, then proceeds to say over and over how she thinks Cindy Watts would feel/what she would think, etc because she has no idea. It is a regurgitation of known facts and the rest are imagined possibilities that have been proven false by the discovery of the case. Referring to the murderer as Pennywise was bizarre at best. She specifically states she is not trying to co opt Stephen King’s character but this was an immature, unresearched and ridiculous waste. So many opinions and false facts. Someone please prevent this person from writing any more books.
May 15, 2023
Slow Read Pages Skipped
I liked the behind the scenes Intel at first, yet I was truly bothered by the terrible lack of attention by the author to language rules, and errors in the book. I tried to maintain interest but I found myself just wanting the book to be over. Finally I ended up flipping through the last 25 pages. There were quite a number of subjective statements near the end that I had not considered. Those statements concerning Chris and the children were conjecture, only serving to add a stain to the family dynamics.
I liked the behind the scenes Intel at first, yet I was truly bothered by the terrible lack of attention by the author to language rules, and errors in the book. I tried to maintain interest but I found myself just wanting the book to be over. Finally I ended up flipping through the last 25 pages. There were quite a number of subjective statements near the end that I had not considered. Those statements concerning Chris and the children were conjecture, only serving to add a stain to the family dynamics.
November 24, 2021
Blood &Marriage
This was a poorly written book the only reason i finished reading it is because I always finish a book I have started reading.
This was a poorly written book the only reason i finished reading it is because I always finish a book I have started reading.
August 17, 2022
This author is amazing I couldn't put this thing down. I was already obsessed with the case and she added to the fascination. NATALIE WOODS BOOK ALREADY DOWNLOADED.
March 10, 2023
Fact Or Fiction
I'm still wondering about the author. Was she stating real facts or is it all fiction. I'm still not sure.
I'm still wondering about the author. Was she stating real facts or is it all fiction. I'm still not sure.
August 31, 2023
Absolutely the worst book I’ve ever read
July 11, 2021
As someone who follows the case I acknowledge that there is only a finite amount of information that is yet to be shared. However, I found the insight into Cindy's struggles interesting and it is clear that what many people will view as her, 'I love you no matter what' to Chris, as over the top, she is re-parenting Chris i.e. giving him the unconditional love and acceptance that she did not have in childhood from her Mother, in fact she probably did not have much love, if any at all in childhood. She is desperate to banish any chance of Chris feeling abandoned by her, as she was emotionally abandoned by her Mother. Many people attack Cindy for this but, look at the devastation that being emotionally abandoned herself, has had on her. So much so that she can't stop telling Chris and everybody else how much she loves him and will always 'be there' for him, perhaps because not to do so would make her the same as 'her' Mother, a cold harsh unfeeling woman that never showed her any affection, support or care. What Mother can absorb that their hitherto achieving, (seemingly) unproblematic son, could have killed his wife and 2 beautiful children? What person abandoned in childhood can survive being abandoned by their own child? When the public reduce everything to 'right or wrong, black or white, good or bad etc' there is no opportunity for understanding and if there is no understanding we lose the opportunity of educating ourselves about these matters so that this vital information can be put to good use e.g. in the area of prevention of crimes. Regarding the role of Nicole Kessinger, how can the lack of interest by law enforcement be reduced to, 'the only role she played was falling in love with a married man for a short length of time'? The failings of them to carry out even a competent interview, (let alone interrogation) is abysmal and there are far too many examples of what wasn't done in the pursuit of truth compared to what was done. The incompetence is frankly outrageous e.g. her alibi that she 'was with Jim (leave him alone)' the night of the murders, was so uninteresting to the detectives that they did not interview Jim in order to confirm this, (that we know of anyway)....whaaaatt? I could go off on a rant, but this is not the place. AD has uncovered a LOT of details that need to be answered and his tenacity should be recognised e.g. for trying to have all the unanswered points 'especially about NK' explained in spite of the maniacle trolls that relentlessly attack him. I mention these latter details because there is a book to be written about NK and if Netflix gets in on the action - pressure will be put on the powers that be - to fully investigate.... I digress. The question of sexual abuse - we will never know if it true or not, but Shannans' video's of Bella and Cece being relaxed enough to join in fun and antics whether on his back or holding hands in the sea, with Chris, suggest the opposite and Shannan was so vigilant about any kind of medical symptoms that if they were hurt, she would most likely notice this. Chris knew this too. Regarding them all being killed in the house - where is the evidence? There is none. A well experienced Cadaver dog did not alert to any scent of death throughout the entire house or Chris's work truck and the information regarding them all being killed and transported in Chris's work truck - is also not proved, but it has been shown that the well between the back seat and the front seats is so narrow that even if the cadaver dog had alerted to death in the truck - there is still the question of why would you drag you murdered wife and children into your truck in plain view of the neighbours' video camera's? Much was made of the 'died in the house, transported by truck' theory and it just doesn't stand up and like everything with this case - needs to be properly investigated. The one thing about the book that did not chime with me, was the naming of Chris as 'pennywise' or the almost affectionate 'penny'. Why? If the author didn't want to use 'Chris', what was wrong with Watt's or CW? I can't imagine that this ridiculous name has helped reader's to connect to the case or the man charged with the murders and like so many things about this case, it is sad and a missed opportunity.
May 25, 2023
Like reading a discussion of the Watts murders from a witty knowledgeable friend .
In a casual and chatty manner, more like a conversation than a book, the author reviews this infamous family annihilation case, from the perspective of the Watts and the Ruzceks, as well as her own. The writing style is very different from any other true crime book I ever read, almost too sarcastically funny, but also appropriately grim, and somehow it works. The author's perspective is logical and well reasoned, and although the manuscript could have used a good copy editor, it's not as distracting as it could have been, because the subject and the style draws you in and you want to keep reading.
Initially, I found the reference to Watts as "Pennywise" or "Penny" a bit odd, but later decided that it was an apt nickname (for those unfamiliar with the Stephen King novel, "Pennywise the Clown" was the child killer in "IT" ). I have read and watched lots of things about the Watts murders, and one thing that always strikes me is the dimwit-ness of the murderer Chris Watts. His sheer stupidity is very well presented in this book, and I agree with the author's evaluation of this guy and his reasoning (if you can call it that). I also tend to agree with her theories about the murder logistics, which are a bit different from the generally accepted ones. We will never exactly know how it all happened of course, and can only speculate... Ever since I heard the readings of parts of this book that were leaked way in advance, several years ago - the parts from Cindy Watts' perspective, I was waiting for this book to be released. I think presenting Cindy's side of the story was a good idea, and in a way it made me understand much better what makes her tick, so to speak, and even sympathise with her on some level. She is not an "evil" woman, contrary to popular opinion, only one with poor judgment and analytical ability (much like her son, but not homicidal). It also for makes you see the marriage of her son in a different light. Of course it doesn't excuse or even explain what Watts did, but it does make you reevaluate the much repeated idea that "there were no red flags". In any case, it's always interesting to get all sides of the story. I mean, Cindy is a mother of a monster, and what mother ever wants to admit to herself that she gave birth to a monster who killed little girls, his own children for that matter? It explains why Cindy is in deep denial, she knows a completely different side of her son - and of course denial is her survival mechanism.
In anycase, I do recommend this book to those who followed these murders since they occurred in 2018, not because you will learn a lot of new things (you may learn a couple though), but because it is sort of like watching one of the better true crime vloggers discuss it in written format, or talking about the case with a witty knowledgeable friend.
In a casual and chatty manner, more like a conversation than a book, the author reviews this infamous family annihilation case, from the perspective of the Watts and the Ruzceks, as well as her own. The writing style is very different from any other true crime book I ever read, almost too sarcastically funny, but also appropriately grim, and somehow it works. The author's perspective is logical and well reasoned, and although the manuscript could have used a good copy editor, it's not as distracting as it could have been, because the subject and the style draws you in and you want to keep reading.
Initially, I found the reference to Watts as "Pennywise" or "Penny" a bit odd, but later decided that it was an apt nickname (for those unfamiliar with the Stephen King novel, "Pennywise the Clown" was the child killer in "IT" ). I have read and watched lots of things about the Watts murders, and one thing that always strikes me is the dimwit-ness of the murderer Chris Watts. His sheer stupidity is very well presented in this book, and I agree with the author's evaluation of this guy and his reasoning (if you can call it that). I also tend to agree with her theories about the murder logistics, which are a bit different from the generally accepted ones. We will never exactly know how it all happened of course, and can only speculate... Ever since I heard the readings of parts of this book that were leaked way in advance, several years ago - the parts from Cindy Watts' perspective, I was waiting for this book to be released. I think presenting Cindy's side of the story was a good idea, and in a way it made me understand much better what makes her tick, so to speak, and even sympathise with her on some level. She is not an "evil" woman, contrary to popular opinion, only one with poor judgment and analytical ability (much like her son, but not homicidal). It also for makes you see the marriage of her son in a different light. Of course it doesn't excuse or even explain what Watts did, but it does make you reevaluate the much repeated idea that "there were no red flags". In any case, it's always interesting to get all sides of the story. I mean, Cindy is a mother of a monster, and what mother ever wants to admit to herself that she gave birth to a monster who killed little girls, his own children for that matter? It explains why Cindy is in deep denial, she knows a completely different side of her son - and of course denial is her survival mechanism.
In anycase, I do recommend this book to those who followed these murders since they occurred in 2018, not because you will learn a lot of new things (you may learn a couple though), but because it is sort of like watching one of the better true crime vloggers discuss it in written format, or talking about the case with a witty knowledgeable friend.
September 26, 2021
Conundrum
The first 80% of this book is what true crime us like if written by the late Joan Rivers.
The last 20% is the authors beliefs of what happened the night of the Watts murders. Author has a different interpretation of events from any other I've read and also it doesn't agree with any of the stories Chris Watts himself has said but if there's one thing I believe in this mess its that Chris Watts is a liar.
Honestly up until the 85% mark I was planning on saying that at 4.99 this book was overpriced and not worth my time to review but hmm she pulled some interesting theories together at the end their and answered some questions that have bugged me all along about this case. Especially about the children and the possibility of abuse before the murders. On the other hand she never mentions the cameras in the girls rooms that have screens in the master bedroom. If Chris had been sexually abusing the girls, how did Shan'nan not see it. Furthermore if as she suggests Cece was dead and Bella unconscious hours before their mother got home and Chris had removed their bodies to the basemebt , Shan'nan would not have had to open their doors to see they werent there, she would have seen that as so in as she walked into the master bedroom to change clothes. Her theory is that Bella was alive and conscious when Chris threw her into the oil tank. Its been awhile since I read the autopsy reports but if she drowned in crude oil there would have been crude oil in her lungs. There was a little crude oil in her stomach but I don't believe in the lungs. So where is she coming up with this and why? She makes a lot of points about her relationship with Cindy watts and why it ended but I seriously doubt Cindy ever believed Bella was alive when put in the tank nor do I think she would have admitted it to anyone if she had.
So I don't actually know whether to recommend someone read this book or not. I think i,m going to read it again if for no other reason try to figure out where she gets her conclusions from. I would say I hope Chris Watts reads it. The parts where she writes "his" thoughts in first person will.probably totally annoy him since she portrays him as one step above an omeba, intellectually. On the other hand 4 people --5 if you count Nico--are dead and at less tv a dozen others have had their lives ruined. The author's sardonic tone is beating under those circumstances. It would be amusing if this was fiction. But it is not.
The first 80% of this book is what true crime us like if written by the late Joan Rivers.
The last 20% is the authors beliefs of what happened the night of the Watts murders. Author has a different interpretation of events from any other I've read and also it doesn't agree with any of the stories Chris Watts himself has said but if there's one thing I believe in this mess its that Chris Watts is a liar.
Honestly up until the 85% mark I was planning on saying that at 4.99 this book was overpriced and not worth my time to review but hmm she pulled some interesting theories together at the end their and answered some questions that have bugged me all along about this case. Especially about the children and the possibility of abuse before the murders. On the other hand she never mentions the cameras in the girls rooms that have screens in the master bedroom. If Chris had been sexually abusing the girls, how did Shan'nan not see it. Furthermore if as she suggests Cece was dead and Bella unconscious hours before their mother got home and Chris had removed their bodies to the basemebt , Shan'nan would not have had to open their doors to see they werent there, she would have seen that as so in as she walked into the master bedroom to change clothes. Her theory is that Bella was alive and conscious when Chris threw her into the oil tank. Its been awhile since I read the autopsy reports but if she drowned in crude oil there would have been crude oil in her lungs. There was a little crude oil in her stomach but I don't believe in the lungs. So where is she coming up with this and why? She makes a lot of points about her relationship with Cindy watts and why it ended but I seriously doubt Cindy ever believed Bella was alive when put in the tank nor do I think she would have admitted it to anyone if she had.
So I don't actually know whether to recommend someone read this book or not. I think i,m going to read it again if for no other reason try to figure out where she gets her conclusions from. I would say I hope Chris Watts reads it. The parts where she writes "his" thoughts in first person will.probably totally annoy him since she portrays him as one step above an omeba, intellectually. On the other hand 4 people --5 if you count Nico--are dead and at less tv a dozen others have had their lives ruined. The author's sardonic tone is beating under those circumstances. It would be amusing if this was fiction. But it is not.
September 10, 2024
Yes, I am one of those terrible true crime junkies who reads the books, watches the shows and listens to the podcasts. That said, perhaps I knew too much already about Watts and his heinous crime because I did not find this book informative or worth my time. This was a freebie from Audible, so it cost me nothing, which was the correct price.
I am not sure I've ever read any coverage of a true crime written as author Hewtson does in Blood & Marriage. It is not just facts, but a lot of conjecture, opinions, guesses and really sounded more like a one-person podcast where personal thoughts were a-plenty. Her opinion of Watts was, as can be justly expected, that he was horrible and she presented him in such a way as to sound like not only was he bad, but perhaps mentally challenged. Lots and lots of insults about intelligence. At the same time, she presented his victim over and over as beautiful to the point one could question if beside her physical appearance, was there anything else positive about her.
The style of writing was so unprofessional with so many personal insults, I actually looked up the author because I assumed this was a family friend of his victim who was writing for revenge.
Last thoughts - I have been an audiobook reader since the 1980s and have quite a bit of experience discerning good narration. I have favorite readers and others I really dislike. In this new era of artificial intelligence and human performers being replaced with cheaper computers, I have avoided any Audible offerings of virtual voice. I missed that this book was a computer until hours in when something was pronounced so distinctly wrong it caused me to look it up. Did I love the narration? Nope. Am I still wildly opposed to their use? Yup. I have BEGGED Audible in social media posts and via their website to stop using them (they won't) or at least add a box to allow the subscriber to choose not to include them in search results. I would strongly encourage other audio listeners to avoid virtual voice and allow humans the job of creativity and lets use computers for the jobs we cannot fill with people.
I am not sure I've ever read any coverage of a true crime written as author Hewtson does in Blood & Marriage. It is not just facts, but a lot of conjecture, opinions, guesses and really sounded more like a one-person podcast where personal thoughts were a-plenty. Her opinion of Watts was, as can be justly expected, that he was horrible and she presented him in such a way as to sound like not only was he bad, but perhaps mentally challenged. Lots and lots of insults about intelligence. At the same time, she presented his victim over and over as beautiful to the point one could question if beside her physical appearance, was there anything else positive about her.
The style of writing was so unprofessional with so many personal insults, I actually looked up the author because I assumed this was a family friend of his victim who was writing for revenge.
Last thoughts - I have been an audiobook reader since the 1980s and have quite a bit of experience discerning good narration. I have favorite readers and others I really dislike. In this new era of artificial intelligence and human performers being replaced with cheaper computers, I have avoided any Audible offerings of virtual voice. I missed that this book was a computer until hours in when something was pronounced so distinctly wrong it caused me to look it up. Did I love the narration? Nope. Am I still wildly opposed to their use? Yup. I have BEGGED Audible in social media posts and via their website to stop using them (they won't) or at least add a box to allow the subscriber to choose not to include them in search results. I would strongly encourage other audio listeners to avoid virtual voice and allow humans the job of creativity and lets use computers for the jobs we cannot fill with people.
February 19, 2022
A lot of good points..
This book really opened my mind to some possible scenarios. A lot of people don’t agree with the sexual abuse idea but she does provide some evidence to at least support a possibility of abuse. It was a hard read emotionally but given the sensitive nature to this crime most impossible not to flinch or have shed a tear to I just wishing in what have stayed in North Carolina with her family and left Chris to deal with the bad credit and financial issues and stayed around people that loved her she was a strong woman and I believe she could’ve handled being a strong single mom this was so senseless yes it’s terrible he killed his wife but a whole other level of evil vile when you kill your children I still can’t wrap my head around what in the hell he was thinking I will never get it I think a lot of us try so hard to understand what could’ve made him do that but normal people minds just can’t put themselves in that frame of mind because naturally our brains just aren’t wired that way… Anyhow the authors passion will reach you her passion of hate for Chris Watts will not go unnoticed! Also I would like to add I don’t believe she is biased towards Shanann either I think a lot of readers would agree on that. I think she presented Cindy was pretty fair and quite accurate.
I only gave her three stars because sometimes it got a little too gruesome for me and I think somethings probably could’ve left out of the book I still think it was a really good read but I would’ve liked to have seen more of the authors idea on how Nikki Kissinger played apart or possible theories or ideas since she did such a good job of putting her theories and ideas on other parts of the story I would like to know more on what she thought of Nikki And if she got any information from Cindy or Ronnie about Nikki and what the author opinion is on the rumors about Nikki’s Satanism and crystals found under Bella’s bed
This book really opened my mind to some possible scenarios. A lot of people don’t agree with the sexual abuse idea but she does provide some evidence to at least support a possibility of abuse. It was a hard read emotionally but given the sensitive nature to this crime most impossible not to flinch or have shed a tear to I just wishing in what have stayed in North Carolina with her family and left Chris to deal with the bad credit and financial issues and stayed around people that loved her she was a strong woman and I believe she could’ve handled being a strong single mom this was so senseless yes it’s terrible he killed his wife but a whole other level of evil vile when you kill your children I still can’t wrap my head around what in the hell he was thinking I will never get it I think a lot of us try so hard to understand what could’ve made him do that but normal people minds just can’t put themselves in that frame of mind because naturally our brains just aren’t wired that way… Anyhow the authors passion will reach you her passion of hate for Chris Watts will not go unnoticed! Also I would like to add I don’t believe she is biased towards Shanann either I think a lot of readers would agree on that. I think she presented Cindy was pretty fair and quite accurate.
I only gave her three stars because sometimes it got a little too gruesome for me and I think somethings probably could’ve left out of the book I still think it was a really good read but I would’ve liked to have seen more of the authors idea on how Nikki Kissinger played apart or possible theories or ideas since she did such a good job of putting her theories and ideas on other parts of the story I would like to know more on what she thought of Nikki And if she got any information from Cindy or Ronnie about Nikki and what the author opinion is on the rumors about Nikki’s Satanism and crystals found under Bella’s bed
Read
May 7, 2023I admit that I was aware of the murder of Shan’ann and her children, but I haven’t listened to podcasts or read any other books about the case. I read this one because I enjoyed the author’s book about the Murdaugh murders, which I knew a whole lot about. I found her style refreshing, so I tried this book.
I usually only review a book if I liked it enough to give it five stars. I’m giving this book two, though, because I expected so much more from the author. This book is too repetitive while still managing to be contradictory. I think the contradictions come from the fact that the author had an interesting twist but was too influenced by that twist to write a good story.
The twist was the author’s decision to write from the perspective of Cindy, Chris’s mom. In reading other reviews, I see this book is really too critical of Shan’ann even though it also praises her. Cindy was not a wise mother-in-law. I get it. Being a mother-in-law is hard. Being a mother-in-law to someone whose choices you constantly disagree with is harder. Being foolish enough to make your disagreements known is just going to cause unhappiness. As my father would say to my mother if she got the least bit critical (privately!), “It’s their turn,” meaning, we got to make those decisions; now they get to. It was wise counsel.
I also think she goes too easy on the mistress. I suspect that woman was more involved than the author knew. But … who knows?
Anyhow - too contradictory and too repetitive. That’s the bottom line.
I usually only review a book if I liked it enough to give it five stars. I’m giving this book two, though, because I expected so much more from the author. This book is too repetitive while still managing to be contradictory. I think the contradictions come from the fact that the author had an interesting twist but was too influenced by that twist to write a good story.
The twist was the author’s decision to write from the perspective of Cindy, Chris’s mom. In reading other reviews, I see this book is really too critical of Shan’ann even though it also praises her. Cindy was not a wise mother-in-law. I get it. Being a mother-in-law is hard. Being a mother-in-law to someone whose choices you constantly disagree with is harder. Being foolish enough to make your disagreements known is just going to cause unhappiness. As my father would say to my mother if she got the least bit critical (privately!), “It’s their turn,” meaning, we got to make those decisions; now they get to. It was wise counsel.
I also think she goes too easy on the mistress. I suspect that woman was more involved than the author knew. But … who knows?
Anyhow - too contradictory and too repetitive. That’s the bottom line.
July 31, 2021
A Shocking Excruciating Death By A Complete Moron Of A Father.
In the beginning of this book the Author Kathleen McKenna Hewtson calls Chris (Pennywise). I would have preferred his name to stay Chris all throughout the whole book instead the authors nickname irritated me no end. The book showed how Shan’ann’s, and Chris marriage really was like and how the Watts family finances were beyond dire, after two shattering bankruptcies. Neither one took responsibility for their finances and spent way beyond their means. You then see the effects as the marriage crumbles and the downfall of a man who snapped threw greed of the family insurance policy’s he had and committed the horrendous murders of his family.
The author tells the theory of what occurred inside of the Watt's home that fateful night. I found the book Particularly interesting in the description of what has been happening behind the scenes among the women of Watts family Cindy, Jamie, Anna, Kelly, and Kim. After reading the book you feel compassion to both families left after the carnage of that fateful final weeks.
My only complaint is I wish kathleen had stuck to the facts and had not shared her own version of how she thinks things went down at the end of the book.
For this reason and Chris name change, I have marked the book down.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In the beginning of this book the Author Kathleen McKenna Hewtson calls Chris (Pennywise). I would have preferred his name to stay Chris all throughout the whole book instead the authors nickname irritated me no end. The book showed how Shan’ann’s, and Chris marriage really was like and how the Watts family finances were beyond dire, after two shattering bankruptcies. Neither one took responsibility for their finances and spent way beyond their means. You then see the effects as the marriage crumbles and the downfall of a man who snapped threw greed of the family insurance policy’s he had and committed the horrendous murders of his family.
The author tells the theory of what occurred inside of the Watt's home that fateful night. I found the book Particularly interesting in the description of what has been happening behind the scenes among the women of Watts family Cindy, Jamie, Anna, Kelly, and Kim. After reading the book you feel compassion to both families left after the carnage of that fateful final weeks.
My only complaint is I wish kathleen had stuck to the facts and had not shared her own version of how she thinks things went down at the end of the book.
For this reason and Chris name change, I have marked the book down.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews