I remember when this case was reported on in the news and read the stories. And then Chris was arrested and everyone was shocked that a father could do such a thing.
I was interested in this case and felt I could never get a full grasp of what really happened.
This book lays everything out, from the very beginning following Shannan and Chris when they first met, to their first date, right on up until the end when he committed the murders and went to trial, and finally, the aftermath of the devastation these crimes have caused.

In the first half of the book, we get an inside peek into the lives of Shannan and Chris. Shannan was initially a shy girl but soon broke out of her shell when she began to make friends. She went on to have a large friend group, made a lot of money doing various things, and was highly motivated.
Chris had dreams of working for NASCAR and became a mechanic, he was always quite shy and introverted and lived a quiet life.
Shannan and Chris met and soon began dating, got engaged and married. Shannan knew Chris was the right one for her when he helped to take care of her when she was going through a flare-up of Lupus. Chris was very subservient in the relationship, with Shannan being the more stern and bossy get-shit-done-and-do-it-right type. She told Chris what to do and when to do it. Chris would later resent this.

One thing all his friends said about Chris was that he was a great father to his young daughters, that he loved them very much.
In part 2 of the book, the break down of their marriage and the eventual crime is detailed. It seems Chris could never stand up for himself or his family and this is seen when we hear that Shannan would often criticize him in front of his daughters. Or his reluctance to say no to posting his life on social media at the behest of Shannan who was constantly posting and made a living from selling Thrive products. We also see this with the #NutGate incident when Shannan and the girls visited Chris’s parents without Chris present. Young Celeste has severe allergies to tree nuts of all kinds, ahead of visiting Shannan asked Chris’s mom to get rid of anything containing nuts. While visiting Bella’s and Celeste’s cousins were over, they were crowded in the kitchen when one of the cousins reached in the freezer to grab an ice cream that contained tree nuts. Celeste was right beside that cousin and could’ve died if she consumed any of it. Shannan went wild, while Chris’s mother downplayed the incident. Shannan took the kids and left and called Chris to tell him to speak to his parents about the incident. Chris never had that conversation to stand behind Shannan or Celeste. Chris could never stand up for himself or confront his parents.
This further weakened their relationship.

But Chris already knew he no longer loved Shannan and was cheating on her with a co-worker who he lied to on numerous occasions about the divorce proceedings- none were in place at this time as Shannan wanted to mend their relationship. As they became more distant Shannan could detect a change and thought there may be another woman as Chris wouldn’t touch her and no longer cared about the baby she was growing. In fact, he told her he wanted her to get an abortion.
After coming home from the work trip Chris already had a plan in action to murder his wife and daughters.

Part 3 details the murders in shocking clarity. How off Chris seemed about his wife and daughters being missing, the emotional coldness. Right from the beginning close friends of Shannan’s suspected him. None of it made sense. Shannan’s phone and purse were home, Cece’s epi-pens were home, the car with the car seats was still parked in the garage. Soon the media were one it, following every step in the case, Chris makes an emotional plea for them to come home. Chris’s mistress is shocked to find out that his wife and daughters are missing and that Shannan was pregnant- a major detail Chris hadn’t told her.
Soon the police are onto things, suspecting Chris.
Chris fails a polygraph. He tells detectives that Shannan, after an emotional conversation, suffocated their daughters, when he came across this he strangled Shannan. Then he disposed of their bodies, burying Shannan in a shallow grave and shoving Bella and Celeste in oil towers belonging to the company he worked for.
Detectives knew that Shannon wouldn’t kill her girls, they knew Chris was still lying.

Part 3 of the book focuses on the confession, the recovery of the bodies, the autopsies, and the court case. Chris actually revealed to his father while detectives looked on that Shannan killed the girls, he killed Shannan and disposed of their bodies. His father believed him and the Watts family have still maintained that Shannan killed the girls, not Chris, despite the evidence and later confession in which Chris detailed how that night really played out and how he killed the girls. Chris was arrested and charged with 3 counts of first-degree murder, 2 counts of first-degree murder of a victim under the age of 12 by a person in a position of trust, 3 counts of tampering with a deceased human body, and 1 count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy. Chris was placed in a Colorado prison but had to be moved as he was frequently being harassed by prison inmates. Shannan’s family didn’t want Chris to go on death row opting for a life sentence. Chris pleaded guilty to each count brought against him. The nine counts would run consecutively, Watts will be spending a total of 84 years with no possibility of parole.

This book does a great job of laying out the events that took place to help the reader understand how someone could do something like this. We really get a sense of who Shannan and Chris were as individuals, as a couple, and as parents.

This isn’t a one-sided perspective either, we have Shannon's account through texts she sent to friends, and posts she made on social media, we have accounts given about Shannan and Chris from friends that knew them, the people they worked with, their parents and Chris’s mistress whom many assume is the reason Chris committed the murders- so he could start fresh and be with her. We also have the detectives, the autopsies, and the evidence stacked against Chris.

Many could argue that Shannan was a controlling bitchy wife who drew her husband away from her, or that Chris’s mistress may have put him up to it. Some still believe that Shannan killed the girls.
What’s so unusual about this case is that Chris looks like such a nice guy, he and Shannan had a ‘perfect’ marriage, he was such a great father to those little girls. No one saw it coming. He wasn’t the typical killer. He wasn’t a violent person.
All these things don't make what he did any more or less ok. No normal person strangles their wife in front of their children, and smother the kids and disposing of their bodies like garbage instead of getting a divorce. It's unjustifiable.
For me, the most shocking part of this is that Chris’s parents still maintain that Shannan killed the girls, not Chris. Even with the confession he gave after the trial was over.

All in all, this book was a fascinating read that really showed you step by step how everything happened. There are some graphic depictions especially in the recovery chapter and detailing of the autopsies.
Really great writing, I highly recommend if you are interested in the case.
4 stars.

**ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

John Glatt’s riveting account of the true-crime case of Chris Watts will leave you feeling sickened and shocked.

Shanann and Chris Watts seemed to have an ideal marriage: an openly loving relationship, thriving careers, two beautiful daughters, a wide social circle, and a Colorado home that anyone would admire. They were even expecting their third child—a son who would complete their family.

Yet, shortly before sunrise on August 13, 2018, Chris methodically and heinously murdered his pregnant wife and two young daughters.

As distraught family and friends rushed to Chris’s side to be with him, what was to follow would crush and horrify everyone he ever knew.

Within twenty-four hours, Chris made a full confession to the police. He confessed to strangling Shanann and suffocating his daughters. He drove to an oil site he worked at, dug a shallow grave for Shanann—threw her body into it, and then dumped his baby girls into separate oil tanks.

Brilliant and thorough, John Glatt’s writing and details deliver a compelling, gripping read. However, the retelling of what the innocent victims endured, is heartbreaking. The Perfect Father may still be a disturbing read, for even the staunchest of true crime enthusiasts.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for John Glatt’s read of, The Perfect Father.

Opinions expressed are my own.

In a tragedy such as what is contained in this book, everyone wants to know why. What happened? Where did it all go wrong? Dissecting their lives like this just seems so intrusive, I'm having a hard time getting through it. I know people project perfection into social media, post infinite and intimate details about their life but still. I think we've all known a Shannan on Facebook - ceaselessly posting and promoting and I will be the first to admit I usually mute people who do that. That isn't what I'm there for personally. The Perfect Father to me portrayed a summarized version of a husband and wife - through Facebook, family, texts, letters, and the accounts of others so I think it needs to be taken with a little grain of salt. What it does boil down to though, is that they were human. Chris just happens to have made choices that he and many others will never be able to recover from. I cannot even fathom what these families - especially Shannan's have gone through. The scope and repercussions of losing your family like that are unimaginable. I am truly sorry for their loss even though words and condolences will never fill that hole.

After reading this book I am still on the fence on how to feel about actually reading it - something I've never really experienced before. I feel very unsettled after reading it like I'm the one that put their lives under a microscope in every aspect. It's also a feeling like I'm just jumping on the bandwagon of pain for this family although my sister and I followed this case when it was ongoing since we're around 40 miles away from Frederick, CO. I remember hoping that the Watts family would not fall into the percentage of murders where someone in the family is responsible. My sister and I were completely blown away that Chris could actually do something like that to his family, regardless of facts. I believe Chris's account that the book mentions twice, I don't have a shred of doubt that he did it.

The town of Frederick is not in the Rockies - the way the author describes it makes it sound as if it's a mountain town like Breck or Vail but it is definitely not. Close to, yes... in? Nope. A trivial thing but as a native, it's an irritating statement.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC copy of this tragic and horrific book. I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in true crime and the ability to read about tough subject matter that really happened to someone.

I had completely forgotten this was an actual case, I remember reading about it in the news. It sounds weird to say that enjoyed it given the subject matter. It was very informative and I learned a lot more about the case than I ever could on the news. Very well written and I appreciated the timeline of events. A book and case I won't forget anytime soon

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This book covered the horrifying case of Chris Watts, who murdered his pregnant wife and two young daughters in order to try and start a new life with his mistress. I read about this crime in detail when it happened, so I already knew a lot about it. This book was well-written but obviously quite disturbing. I was a little annoyed because it almost felt as though the author was defending Watts during the first half of the book - constantly commenting on how quiet, submissive, and nice he was, while Shannan was made out to be a demanding shrew. But that stopped halfway through the book. A well-done look at the awful crime, though I feel a few more details could have been included.

This is a detailed look into the Chris Watts case. There was so much more information that wasn't covered in the media frenzy that became if this horrific crime. I and 3 other colleagues do a library podcast called the Long Overdue Podcast and I am looking forward to talking about this book in an upcoming episode for our true crime segment called Dewey Like Murder?! This will be a perfect book to talk about once I have it on order for the collection!

Chris Watts had it all or so it seemed. With a beautiful, successful wife, two young daughters who adored him, a lovely home and good job, the world should have been at his feet. His wife, Shanann, worked from home selling a medicinal skin patch to improve quality of life and, as with everything she cared about, was very good at her job. Her handsome husband was everything she ever wanted, describing him as the love of her life. Her two young daughters had a happy childhood, although, like their mom, both had health issues, and were doted on by their parents. Living, as many families do, with a life played out on social media, they were described by all who knew them as a happy, loving family, and nothing could have prepared them for the story which was about to emerge.

Shanann and her family's story was beyond shocking, leaving deep traumatic wounds for everyone who became involved either willingly or unwilling in what happened. John Glatt writes an excellent account of a murder case which shattered lives, left families with unanswered questions, and was covered extensively, both nationally and internationally, on all media outlets.

I hadn't read about this before and so was shocked by the venom and rage hidden away behind the facade of an idyllic family life. It was written in a style which flowed and gave as much detail as was possible from all sides of a story which unsurprisingly was met with disbelief by all those involved in any way.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone interested in modern day true crime stories. This is a first class read which has the power to shock and amaze.

Synopsis: In the early morning hours of August 13th, 2018, Shanann Watts was dropped off at 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. In this first major account of the case, bestselling author and journalist John Glatt reveals the truth behind the tragedy and constructs a chilling portrait of one of the most shocking family annihilator cases of the 21st century.

I heard about this story before, the videos and articles were heartbreaking. This book allowed me to see what was not tackled and shown by media, and it broke my heart further. I got so anxious and curious as I started reading this book. I feel so sad about every detail and revelation. They seemed to be happy and perfect, but it is all a front, and it is sad. I am not trying to sympathize with Chris; what he did is awful, wrong, and incredibly evil. But this book elaborates Chris life, the before and during, and even after, and I also felt terrible for him. The author did an excellent job of describing the experiences of the Watts Family up to the littlest thing. Very informative, and the analysis is spot on. The story is frightening and painful, but a very interesting read.

I thought I knew this case pretty well, but there were so many details in this book that I had not heard before. It was an amazing, sad, horrible story and I didn't want to put the book down. I have several other books by John Glatt on my want to read list, I really want to push those to the top and begin reading them right away.

A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this publication, in exchange for an unbiased review.

St. Martin's has done it again. A great book. Like all true crime books though, its heartbreaking.

Set some time aside to read this (broad daylight recommended) as you wont want to put this down. Very well researched which all true crime novels should be. Highly recommend.

I read this incredibly sad book in a day and a half because I simply could not put it down. Author John Glatt did an excellent job chronicling Chis and Shanann Watts' lives from their childhoods, courtship, marriage and very tragic ending for Shanann, her two young daughters and unborn son. I was familiar with this case but this book gave a lot of details that I was not aware of. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this very sad book which was very well researched and well written in exchange for an honest review.

I am a true crime addict and knew about this case from the media. This book brought to light new information about the family and those involved with the family that I had not heard before reading. If you are a true crime enthusiast pick this book up! The author did a great job with this disturbingly tragic event. I rate this four stars and received this from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

An informative, disturbing look at the case of Chris Watts.

A heartbreaking tale to read, but a fantastically in-depth, well written and informative piece on this horrific crime. It is clear the John Glatt has put a great deal of research and heart into this book.

Shanann, her husband Chris and their two young daughters, Bella and Celeste live a perfect family life. They have a beautiful.home. go on nice family vacations and seem to have it all. Shanann gets involved with a pyramid scheme selling a supplement and is so good at encouraging her friends to also try it and join, that soon she is on the level of getting a new car and great getaways. Chris is also in on this, but not quite with the enthusiasm of his wife. Shanann writes her daily blog, praising the supplement and her husband, saying how blessed she is that they have such a perfect marriage and how he is the perfect husband and father. Then Shannan and the girls go missing.
This book is a true crime story and will keep you reading late into the night. Sad, but entriguing.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an honest review. A Perfect Father is a true crime story about Chris Watts who murdered his pregnant wife and two young girls. Shanann was a vivacious energetic young women who meets and marries Chris Watts. His marriage seems to be perfect and all who know him think he is the perfect father. Chris was an extreme introvert who was more than willing to let Shanann rule and schedule his life until one day he wasn’t.
John Glatt did a fantastic job telling the story of this horrible murder scene. He shows the emotion or lack of, and the facts of this time. It’s a page turner and hard to put down.
#ThePerfectFather #StMartinsPress #netgalley

The Watts family murders were sickening and horrifying, and just never made complete sense to me. I had hoped to get more of an understanding of why Chris Watts murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters from this book, but it did nothing. The book was a sloppily written hodgepodge of the author’s notes of tediously-recounted Facebook posts, text messages, notes, and phone calls, with very little narration. There was somehow too much detail and yet not enough at the same time.

But the main reason for my low rating is the victim-blaming. If I hadn’t known the full story before going into this book, I probably would have thought that Shannan Watts had murdered Chris, not the other way around. The author seemed to really dislike Shannan, and I was horrified at the amount of victim-blaming present throughout the book, especially the first half.

Riveting, chilling, gripping. All words that perfectly describe this book. The writing is so smooth that you get completely engrossed in it and only put it down once you have finished it.

Although this case is undoubtedly fascinating and horrifying, I wasn't really impressed by this true crime book exploring the case.

It was easy enough to read and follow, but it read just little snippets of information right after another without anything piecing it together. It's unclear as to whether the author found these quotes and pieces of information through other sources or through his own interviews. While some of me appreciated the fact that the author didn't impose himself into the telling of this story, I did feel like there was hole missing this book where the author should have pieced together information more.

I also wished that it would have explored the psychology of Chris Watt's more and perhaps the effects of the the "Thrive" drug he was using and how it could have affected him.

An interesting read for sure, but it just left me wanting to know more.

Chris Watts and his annihilation of his family was headline news for quite some time here in North Carolina when in happened in 2018, so I knew that eventually I'd be reading some sort of expose on the details of a crime that was shocking in its out of left field depravity. John Glatt's account, The Perfect Father, is the first of those that I've come across. It's a strange combination of a book that is incredibly distressing but tough to turn away from. It's the literary equivalent of "rubbernecking" when driving by accidents on the highway. We have a horror for what's happened, but also an innate need to know the hows and whys.

Glatt's account worked for me insofar as it was just a simple recounting of the facts as they were: Chris and Shanann's childhoods, how they met, their marriage, and their decision to have children. Glatt also does a fine job contrasting the "perfect" life that the couple portrayed on social media with the problems behind the scenes (bankruptcy, a tendency to continually live above their means, and marital issues that Chris seemed incapable of vocalizing or confronting.) Post-murder, many of their social circle and even Shanann's own family had trouble correlating the reality to the idyllic social media portrayals, describing Chris as "the perfect father" and "a good man." While Glatt's account doesn't drive us completely to that elusive "why" answer, this is more likely because Chris Watts himself seems confused as to why and has continually changed and lied about the events.

Recommended for true crime enthusiasts, with a warning that the description of the murder and aftermath is incredibly disturbing. Watts' crime was beyond description, and it was made even more horrendous by his cowardly attempts to accuse Shanann of a hand in it during his interrogation. This case is unfortunately one of the more graphic reminders that in the age of social media we are all mythmakers, and sometimes the truths hiding behind that veneer are too terrible to believe.

**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press**