Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Perfect Father

  • The True Story of Chris Watts, His All-American Family, and a Shocking Murder
  • By: John Glatt
  • Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
  • Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (113 ratings)

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
The Perfect Father cover art

The Perfect Father

By: John Glatt
Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £15.99

Buy Now for £15.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

My Daddy Is a Hero cover art
The Doomsday Mother cover art
Deadly American Beauty cover art
Depraved cover art
Imperfect Justice cover art
Laci cover art
Conviction cover art
If I Can't Have You cover art
A Stolen Life cover art
Sandy Hook cover art
Green River, Running Red cover art
If You Tell cover art
American Black Widow cover art
Bone Deep cover art
The Delphi Murders cover art
Cruel Deception cover art

Summary

In the early morning hours of August 13, 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.

In this first major account of the case, best-selling 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.

©2020 John Glatt (P)2020 Tantor

What listeners say about The Perfect Father

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    80
  • 4 Stars
    20
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    71
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    72
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well written

I’m an avid true crime reader and found this book a good source of facts. Heart breaking facts 😞.

Such a harrowing tale of a family devastated. I cried several times listening and felt guilty that my hobby of true crime reading is actually 2 families real life tragedy. Think I will stick to old crime tales.

Well narrated and written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the most detail I ever had on this shocking event

the detail puts everything together. rip shannan..bella..cece and nico....Will chris ever tell the truth one day

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A very true encapsulation of the Watts case.

I have followed this case since the day it began in August 2018 and read many books, seen movies and videos, I have also read the Discovery files. This book is expertly written and narrated and does a great job of portraying all those involved, a gripping listen/read.
Great job!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nothing we don’t already know, but very well told.

This audiobook will tell you the full story of the Watts murders as it is known publicly. Very sad.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good read

Well written book and just the right amount of information about a huge case

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Well delivered

This is a good synopsis of the case and story. Well narrated and well written. I’ve seen some reviews highlighting victim blaming with regards to Shanann - if you read the case papers and do a little digging there is no victim blame nor shaming. Chris watts is a monster. No excuse. This is a very good book if you have some detail background on the case. If you don’t have a background on the case then do your digging, listen to the interviews and interrogations as well as search/watch the social media posts - then listen to this book. Horrible situation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Very well written book, in depth information!One of the best out there about Chris Watts

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A vile monster, who lies and lies

loved this book, which is very interesting to listen to.

this monster just lies and lies, blaming everyone else for his actions, mainly his beautiful wife shanann. He planned this horrendous murder and because he got caught, he is all of a sudden a god botherer. he should have received the death penalty. he never deserved Shanann or those beautiful children. have you never heard of divorce. I hope they all haunt him every day for the rest of his life. and his stupid parents, the apple didn't fall far from the tree how proud they must be to have the devil for a son

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not nice hearing bad storyies about shanann


Seems to be one sided and listening to this shanann is not a good person while chris is the evil one good narratation and great book otherwise



Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Accurate Well Written Account

The narrator has a, good voice but his reading, at the beginning, is hesitant and jerky but he improves. The is a factual account of the Watts family murders and the author doesn't put forward any psychological theories or opinions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful