Chris Watts was indeed the perfect father until he wasn’t. This true crime story, told in such detail, reflected hours of research required to present the facts without prejudice. Growing up, Chris was always a loner and compliant—he went along to get along. When he married Shannan, his personality fit right into her dreams and goals. Whatever she wanted, it was OK.  It was hard to understand, in spite of his easy going sprit, that he could/would tolerate her controlling behavior. While she did love her family, it was evident she always put herself first.   As you get into the dynamics of the family, you see that Chris is a devoted dad to his girls….which makes the final act so hard to comprehend and reading the description is not for the feint of heart. What was the one thing that finally put him over the edge? Certainly he had met other beautiful women before, why did THIS one turn his head? One aspect that was not discussed in the book was the change in his personality that seemed like a result of the Thrive products. He doubled the dose of their patches and he became more driven…….cleaning, exercising, work….yet no association was even mentioned in the book. I did not remember this case in the news, so it was a captivating read for me.

This was a chilling account of the Chris Watts murders. Although much of the story has been publicized over the past couple of years, this factual rendition was a gripping, detailed read that at times horrified me. Watts is infamous for murdering his pregnant wife Shanann and their two small children Bella and Celeste in cold blood. What makes this story so horrific was his ability to lie and accept sympathy and concern from others, including close family and friends, without so much as a tear.

This book detailed both Chris and Shanann’s lives before they met, during their relationship, the lead up to the murders and Court proceedings. It also revealed motives shared by Watts and deduced by law enforcement. However, given Watts’ propensity to lie, I’m not convinced the truth will ever be known.

This was also a fascinating look at how a seemingly perfect family can end in tragedy. The chronological details and insightful themes made this true crime a very difficult book to put down. I would definitely recommend to others who enjoy reading true crime.

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story breaks my heart over and over again. This book was great, very informative and captivating.

This book made me hate him even more, I won't even use his name. My heart breaks for the poor innocent children that were involved. I can't even imagine that pain. Loved the book though and how it was written with so many details. Recommended this in my true crime FB group.

I initially requested this book because I'd watched a live media plea from Chris Watts and knew then that he was hiding something. UK news didn't keep up with bulletins or maybe I'd not seen any to find out the outcome but I can assure you, this book goes into the nooks and crannies of a warped 'loving' father entangled in one of the worst love & murder cases. I found the book to be at a steady pace historically as the author builds a base for the run up to the crime which is easy to follow. Shockingly upsetting which played on my mind for days and the ultimate betrayal for someone who you'd never assume to hurt you !

I followed the Shanann, Bella, Cece and Nico Watts murder investigation as it unfolded. I remember watching Chris plead to the news crew to help find his family. I knew then something seemed off with him.

When I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I thought it was well written and I learned information I never knew. It was a good but sad read. I cried near the end. It is worth the read.

A lot of coverage for this infamous family annihilator. The book is okay for anyone not familiar with the case. But after listening to so many podcasts and watching documentaries, I was left feeling meh about this.

Shanann and Chris had a wonderful relationship and with their two children they seemed to be the all American family. But things were not as they seemed. Shanann loved to live beyond her means and tried to portray a luxurious lifestyle on her facebook live streams. Chris was an oil worker and was appeared to be the perfect husband always caring for his wife and children and doing anything that was asked of him.
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One summer Shanann takes the kids back to her hometown for an extended vacation. During this time Chris meets another woman and they start having a relationship. Upon Shanann’s return she can tell things are different between her and Chris. I don’t want to spoil anything but when Shannan and the kids go missing Chris becomes the number one suspect.
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This story took place a few years back and somehow I missed it completely. I came across this book on netgalley and the story sounded like a must read. After reading it the story is absolutely horrific and shocking. I also just found out that the story was turned into a Netflix documentary which I need to watch. If you are a true crime fan you will definitely want to read this one. Beware the story involves child violence.

The Perfect Father was so hard for me to read. I was familiar with the case as I had followed it on the news so it wasn’t like I didn’t know what to expect.

.The details were so painful to read. I can’t imagine a parent or spouse being able to commit these heinous crimes.

I found parts of the book feeling a little rushed but overall the author did a good job of telling the story.

I’m going between a 3-4 star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read The Perfect Father in exchange for my review.

WOW! With the media coverage, I thought I knew almost everything about this story. I was wrong. There were things in this book that I definitely did not know. It was clearly and compellingly presented in language that made me want to keep reading.

The story chronicles the entirety of Shannan and Chris's dating relationship, which seems to have a few red flags of its own. Throughout the book, I found myself in a troubling state of kind of identifying with and taking pity on Chris. I know this sounds horrible. There is a lot of focus on Shannan being controlling and pushing Chris into things during this part of the book. Maybe it's designed to help us see Chris as more human than monster. The sudden change from pushed around husband to murderer is a jolt. Reading the story of the murders was heartbreaking. It is slow and methodical, much like the murder itself.

This book left an impact on me. True crime fans, people fascinated with this case, and those who don't mind a little disturbing of a read that makes them question themselves will all enjoy this book.

It is incomprehensible what he did to his family, there are no words. I had requested this true crime book months ago but I wasn’t sure I could even handle reading it, but I wanted to see if this provided more detail about how these two met or what Chris’s upbringing was like.

This story is told in three parts- the first part goes into their childhood, how they met and what brought them to Colorado. Part two delves into their deteriorating marriage, the details of Chris’s affair and the weeks leading up to the murder. And then part three centers around the investigation, the recovery and statements given in court by all family members.

I struggled through part one of this book as it borders on victim blaming, talking about how controlling Shanann was, how she desperately craved attention on social media and ran the show making her husband’s life miserable. This really rubbed me the wrong way...this woman and her babies didn’t deserve for it to end the way it did. It also saddened me that her in-laws still don’t have anything positive to say about her even after everything that has happened. The details about the murders were hard to read and hearing from her family members broke my heart even more. If you do read this one know that it a HEAVY read and prepare yourself for some gruesome details.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this copy.

By now we all know this famous true crime case.
A horrible man who kills his family.
She just picked this up I was hoping to learn some new things about the case.
This book is more of a recap if you already know most of the details.

I would have enjoyed it more if that were the case.

If you have not researched the case then I recommend this book.

I have long been fascinated and saddened by the murders of a pregnant Shannan Watts and her three children by husband and father Chris Watts. I've read a lot about the case and listened to numerous podcasts. The Perfect Father was an in depth look into the case, it was easy to read and very informative. I can't say I enjoyed the story as its such an awful one, but I did appreciate the work that has gone into the book.

I've followed this story since the beginning. In this book, the author provides insight into the minds of both Chris and Shanann Watts. It interesting to read about their lives and watch the marriage unfold. This is a crime that can never be explained no matter what the stated reasons are. Simply a tragic story.

This is pretty much impossible to rate- which isn't a castigation of the author or anything. The book was easy to read if you have a morbid interest in true crime.

I love true crime novels, and was not familiar with this case going into reading this novel. This book has received great reviews and I was thrilled to get an eARC copy via NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading this book and following along as many questions are answered as you read along. Such dark and twisty revelations that will keep you hooked onto this story until you've turned the last page.

If you like reading true crime novels I definitely recommend this one.

The Perfect Father Review

This book was incredibly well written. It was informative and to the point. There were only a few parts that I found repetitive but I would just scroll through. What a horribly sad case.

SYNOPSIS:

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

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

I'd rank this book closer to 3.5 stars. The story itself is just so incredibly heartbreaking and outrageous. The book felt slightly jumbled between the timeline of events and the concentration on the Facebook posts. The book did provide a lot of information that wasn't really focused on in the media coverage, but it felt like the story would grind to a halt for pages of "now this is what her Facebook showed at the time" example posts. I'm a huge true crime buff so it wasn't as troublesome to me. I understand that these books are incredibly difficult to write well, but it would probably be a DNF to someone looking for a better story.

This was a well-written, objective book that gave information from both sides and perspectives. It gave new information that I was unaware of in this case and was a thoroughly enjoyable read!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I went into the book not knowing what it was about. I had not heard about Chris Watts and what he did. Overall this book tells the story of how Shannan meets Chris and their lives together until the night that Chris decided to murder her and their 3 children. The story is well written with a lot of information. I like reading crime books and this one did not disappoint.