THE SHADOW MAN: The Chris Watts Case

by Alan Vinnicombe

Netflix released a documentary in its true crime series entitled, “American the Family Next Door,” in 2020 which received worldwide attention. YouTuber Alan Vinnicombe, with the channel 'Armchair Detective, No Hiding Place' is an independent investigator investigating the Chris Watts case. This book is the first in a proposed series examining the Chris Watts case, using materials released by Weld County’s District Attorney’s office that released a 1960- page document known as the discovery (i.e., the prosecution’s evidence against Watts). The file contained surveillance photos, search warrants, FBI interviews, text messages, call logs and police interviews with friends and family of Shanann and Chris Watts. In this first book Alan guides the reader through the official narrative as released by Michael Rourke, The District Attorney of Weld County and adopted by Netflix and invites the reader to consider and adopt a critical analysis of the official narrative. He adopted the name “shadow man” after he discovered a shadow on the driveway of the Watts family home showing Chris Watts in the early hours of Monday, August 13, 2018 bending down to pick up what turned out to be one of his children. This was contrary to the official narrative as delivered by DA Rourke when he stated in the court that Chris Watts had carried out his entire deceased family to his truck “like trash.” In addition, Alan has shown categorically that no one died in the house thus proving beyond doubt that, again, DA Rourke got it wrong.

193 pages, Paperback

Published August 30, 2021

Reviews

[Clair · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased this book on Amazon. What a mistake. It looks like it's written by a child. I'm sorry but it's appalling. I couldn't get through the first chapter. The grammar, spelling and general layout of the book was poor at best. The book was more like a pamphlet to. I didn't get to the rest of the book as I returned it for a refund. I am an avid reader but this I just couldn't.

[FlippinPages · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a conspiracy theorist fantasies about the Watts case. A bunch of mumbo jumbo thoughts written down, slapped together and called a book, who the heck needs grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc…Do yourself a favour go and read “How to put it in your pipe and smoke it”…

[Tris · Rating 1 out of 5]

How does one start to describe this abysmal piece of work? At about 81 pages long, lacking in grammar and the basic grasp of what facts are (with which the author often confuses with whatever he dreamed up in that moment) it is far over valued.

If you really, really need to purchase this atrocious "pamphlet" I strongly suggest you wait until you discover the paperback version, after its release, in a charity shop and buy it that way. At least you'll have something to burn and keep you warm in the winter months,

[Laurie Webb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book zero facts all gossip born out of an alcoholic in the uk who sells lies and gossip on YouTube awful book typos , grammatic errors not factual don't waste time or money

[Val Steele]

Wow..what a mess.....this book is appallingly written...gramma, it's confusing, it's all over the place, not surprising coming from a man who's life has been to scam people, failed resturant business, failed Escort agency...he's been banned from owning business because of tax fraud, oh please research this man, he's been abusing the family, who's daughter's murder he's writing about, they want Alan to stop abusing them, he continues, blackmailing threats. Please don't enable this fraud to make money of this family any more...he is under investigation for many criminal actions... he's a filthy perverted narcissists scam artist !

[Sun Rae · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not very good at all. Full of errors. The author has just written what's in the discovery files and on the bodycams of this case. Then throws in his pretty bizarre opinions. What is with the massive biography about the author aswell? It takes up most of the book which is very short as it is. I decided to research the author and what I found is quite disturbing he has tried allsorts to get rich like trying to set up an escort agency advertising men women and boys and girls!! Then there's the fact he is banned from running a business for tax evasion. I discovered he's a youtuber and the man does loads of terrible videos about this poor family who are now seeking a lawsuit to stop him. He is is drunk as a skunk on most of his videos and has a few of him singing which is horrendous but worth a laugh.

[Ann Westwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely beyond shockingly written. This 'book' is full of conspiracy theories, lies and defamation of character(s) on many counts. It doesn't even read in a cohesive manner!

This book is not worth anyone's money.

[Gina Briggs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Save your money, I didnt know if I were reading a book or a comic.
If this tragedy weren't so horrific, it would be laughable.

This is possibly the worst book on the case I've ever read and dont get me started on the grammar as it's been clearly thrown together in a few days.

Note to "Author" no one likes people who talk about themselves in the 3rd person; it takes away from the main subject.

Very disappointing.

[Douglas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. I've followed the Armchair Detective, and his Chris Watts videos for over two years now. I know he's produced some interesting shows, with thought provoking theories about the crime.

Unfortunately, this book was a tremendous disappointment. It seems like someone was asked to summarize all of the Armchair Detective's work, and was given a very short amoubt of time to do so.

First of all, the book is only 80 pages. The discovery for this case is over 2,000 pages. Needless to say, 80 pages isn't enough for even the most cursory review of the evidence.

I could almost forgive the shortness of the book, if it was of high quality. But it's not! It's poorly written, and obviously rushed. It's also terribly organized. There are confusing flashbacks, flash forwards, and I think I even read a flash sideways!

Ultimately I learned nothing new. I actually felt swindled out of my $9. Apparently the author plans to self publish a longer version on hardcopy. I strongly suggest waiting for that. This e-pamphlet isn't worth the bandwidth.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting account of the case.

I have also thought this investigation was cut short, and I think this is why certain people just can’t stop talking about it.
I don’t think anyone can get their head around why a perfect husband and father can do such a horrendous crime.
I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes on all the YouTube channels but I would just like to know that the investigation didn’t get stopped and all of the crime has been exposed. Then I think everyone could let this go.
My heart goes out to the family and god bless them.

[Sandra Kendall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shocking !!! This book makes no sense jumps all over the place the author is stating things as facts when they are not awful grammar layout and spelling mistakes most of the book about the authour his you tube channels and trolls i dont think Alan Vinnicombe should write any more books this is awfully expensive for the few pages you get AVOID

[Cher Sproson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Ppl are terribly rude and I can promise everyone of these bad reviews comes from his online trolls! I've actually read the book. And for anyone that followed or follows the Watts Case that believes there were accomplices, this is a good good read!

[Judy Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Researched and Thoroughly Examined

Well put together book and in good order. Factually correct. I have read other books on this subject and I like this one as it gives another opinion, and I think this has been well researched

[Hanne Sommer]

It is a fantastic and very important book. Read it and be amazed!

[Rachel Winchester · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this book a lower rating I would.I bought this on Amazon and regret my purchase.Its like it was written by a child,im not to sure there was any attempt at proof reading or editing before publishing.Its full of errors that are to vast to list.My advice do not waste your money on possibly the worst book ever written.

[Valorie Randall]

This book is horrible. First there have been 3 versions of it. First Kindle and then that stopped. Then it was Kindle again with only 87 pages. The next thing you know it i a paper-back with 197 pages 20 of those pages were pictures taken from a murdered person's Facebook. Who ever wrote this for Mr. Vinnecombe has no grammar or editing skills. On top of that almost the entire book has quotation mark around every sentence because they used the public records on this case to write the book. It isn't worth a penny. Nothing is clear in this book. There is no plot nothing new and the title should be changed. At one time since the book came out - Mr. Vinnecombe changed the title of the book so that it would appear twice on Amazon. He was trying to get people to buy it because the original title was not selling. It ended up being on hold by Amazon as they knew what he did. Once the got rid of the different title, it came back on Amazon. He believed this book would be picked up by the media and be part of a movie. Full of himself - yes indeed.

[Shannon Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fact-filled Read Based on Bodycams & Discovery

First and foremost, this was a concise and direct telling of the events of Murder Monday, August 13, 2018.

The fact that there is no supposition interjected throughout the book by the author is appreciated by those of us who have one (or more) Watts-murders book in our true crime library.

There are no theories or conspiracies being woven among the facts. The sources for this book - Weld County Discovery files, neighbor Nate's security footage and the First-Person-View of the multiple bodycams worn by Frederick Police Officers - are there for EVERYONE to see.

That the author and his team scratched the surface of this 'cut and dry' triple homicide case only to reveal a Comedy of Errors, whets my appetite for his next 2 books will disclose.

All the incomplete processes, why follow-up questions weren't asked nor clarifications made in this case are screaming for answers. I am eager to read the next chapters!

[Ephraim Shimoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing first installment in what will prove to be a groundbreaking series on the Watts case. The author provides a first-rate analysis top notch review of the case. Alan Vinnicombe was the first to vindicate the memory of Shanann and prove beyond all doubt her innocence with his discovery of "the Shadow" over two years ago proving that the girls were still alive and not killed by Shanann in the house but by Chris Watts as he weeks later admitted to CBI, FBI and Frederick Police investigators in Dodge Prison. Mr. Vinnicombe has proven that Chris Watts did not act alone. I am transfixed and eagerly awaiting future installments of this monumental work!

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sums up the unofficial narrative. Watts had a co-conspirator. I believe he had help and the facts are hard for some to grasp. Everything is in the discovery. It’s all there and the clock was stopped before the accomplices were fully investigated. This was a well researched and laid out version of the facts. No one was defamed and the answers are still unknown as to those who helped him plan and execute the crime of the century in the U.S. Watts did not do this alone. I think it was a good first book from the author, despite some editing errors that were overlooked.

[Olga Houle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting case research that really shines a light on how Chris watts a normal husband and father became a family annulilator in August 13th 2018.

[Joe Camfield]

ALAN IS AWESOME YOU WATCH HE WILL PREVAIL IN ALL OF THIS. GREAT BOOK

[Alexandria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wish I could give this 0 stars.

About the crook of an author:

The High Court ruled in our favour in the case of Rzucek v Vinnicombe, marking the first time in UK history that a conspiracy theorist has been forced to shut down a YouTube channel due to harassment and defamation.

This wasn’t just about winning a lawsuit—it was about proving that victims of online harassment have legal recourse, that social media abuse has consequences, and that people cannot use platforms like YouTube to terrorise innocent families.

Shutting down a conspiracy website: A notorious feat

Taking down a website or social media channel dedicated to conspiracy-driven harassment is no easy feat. For years, platforms like YouTube have been slow to act, even when clear violations occur. They often hide behind free speech arguments, despite the fact that targeted abuse, defamation, and harassment are not protected speech—they are legal violations.

Even when channels spread dangerous misinformation, tech platforms hesitate to act, fearing backlash or accusations of censorship. As a result, people like Alan Vinnicombe have been able to operate freely, creating false narratives and amassing large followings of like-minded individuals who continue their harassment campaigns beyond the screen.

This case proves that shutting down a harassment-driven online presence is possible—through legal action. While social media platforms may hesitate, the courts do not. We forced a conspiracy theorist to face real-world consequences for online behaviour that was as damaging as any real-world crime.

[Michelle Copley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Appallingly written book, containing the ramblings of a conspiracy theorist; and not a very coherent one at that. Please leave the detective work to people who have a clue and can formulate a case. This is really an insult to the victims, their families and readers of this nonsense. How it managed to get up to 3 stars I'll never know, I would give it 0 if I could.

[Ruby Walsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely appalling a total pile of RUBBISH

[Nicole Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

In a recent YouTube video, the author blames Amazon/Kindle for the massive amounts of errors in all four versions of his book saying, “you see any Kindle book and they never get it right.” As a consumer, I paid $8.99 for a book which is all over the place in covering publicly available discovery with only a brief portion covering the authors theories. I wanted to give the book a chance, based on product alone. But, very little effort was placed into proofreading and editing. Several places in the book, major key players have their names spelled incorrectly. I had hoped the author would have shown at least some respect for those killed in this senseless tragedy, but error after error tells me this book is not about truth, justice, or the victims. I can’t imagine why this book was even published, much less at such an exorbitant price.