The Perfect Father: The True Story of Chris Watts, His All-American Family, and a Shocking Murder
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- Create Date：2021-04-27 10:52:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John Glatt
- ISBN：1250782686
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Summary
In The Perfect Father， New York Times bestselling author John Glatt reveals the tragedy of the Watts family， whose seemingly perfect lives played out on social media--but the truth would lead to a vicious and heartbreaking murder。
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。
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 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， and boiling rage。
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。
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。
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 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， and boiling rage。
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。
Reviews
Bella
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I can not even rate this book of the true story because the case is so devastating， how Chris went from this great guy to a murderer。 Since I started this book I have not been able to put it down。。。 it just draws you in with the question of why。 Why did this happen？ Why did he snap on her and her daughters， after saying how much he loved them all。。。。 You can not comprehend occurrences like this。。。 This book is going to make me cry。。。
Cat Hall
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I guess the best thing to say in this situation is how many times can you read a book about Chris Watts without the information becoming old or you not learning anything new or becoming bored with the news and the answer to that question is really never at all。 Even though this book talks about the same exact story as the news， YouTube videos and interviews that we've seen countless times you do get a little bit more understanding of what exactly each side went through to come to the point where I guess the best thing to say in this situation is how many times can you read a book about Chris Watts without the information becoming old or you not learning anything new or becoming bored with the news and the answer to that question is really never at all。 Even though this book talks about the same exact story as the news， YouTube videos and interviews that we've seen countless times you do get a little bit more understanding of what exactly each side went through to come to the point where this horrible act was committed and how Chris really did try to play down the fact that he had really taken their lives acting as if they were just missing and talking about how he wanted them to just come running into the room and knock him over with hugs when in reality his wife had just been buried in a shallow grave after being strangled by the man she loved whilst her 2 daughters， Bella Marie， 4 and Celeste Cathryn， 3 had been smothered before being dumped into oil tanks。 And the whole time， Chris was showing his duping delight smile; he was glad that they were gone and it meant that he could move on with his life with his new girlfriend/mistress and forget that he had a family。 That man really doesn't deserve anything less than life in prison for what he's done and being forced to live with the reality that he'll never see the light of day again。 This book for Shannan， Bella， Cece & baby Nico will live on forever and I'm so pleased that John Glatt decided to write this one as well！ 。。。more
Oliver Go
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After reading a good story like this one， I can't help but suggest that you publish your book in NovelStar。 For sure a lot of readers will love your work。 After reading a good story like this one， I can't help but suggest that you publish your book in NovelStar。 For sure a lot of readers will love your work。 。。。more
Micheal Williams
，
Please publish your work on NovelStar。 For sure a lot of readers will love your work。 There are also a lot of talented writers in the platform that you might want to work with。
Cynthia Nicola
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Sad but good read。 It really is always the husband！
Cynthia Rennolds
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A True Crime MysteryAs no one seems to really have a full picture of what occurred。 Chris Watts admits to killing his pregnant wife and two daughters but changes his story regarding the details so no one ever feels they have the complete story。 This book details what is known and brings up the questions of what isn’t known。 Well written and well researched。 I would have liked some additional psychological understanding of the murders。
Katy Budget Books
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Karen B says: A most recent crime as of late 2018; father， Chris Watts & the disappearance of his pregnant wife & 2 toddler aged daughters。Shown as a power couple by wife， Shanann’s constant media postings; but behind closed doors is a whole other side of what toxic love is。Did Chris snap？ Or were his actions premeditated？ John Glatt is an excellent journalist/author for capturing the true sides of evil & presenting his findings in books that read like fictional mysteries。
Blake
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Well written and told the story from both sides。 Many of the details are hard to read， but the story is well told and informative。
Ronnie Cramer
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John Glatt is a terrific writer and I've enjoyed many of his books over the years， but I don't like reading stories about children being hurt or killed so I knew I wasn't going to like this one。 Sure enough， it was an unpleasant experience， so I'm giving it two stars solely because of content; the research and writing are top-notch。 John Glatt is a terrific writer and I've enjoyed many of his books over the years， but I don't like reading stories about children being hurt or killed so I knew I wasn't going to like this one。 Sure enough， it was an unpleasant experience， so I'm giving it two stars solely because of content; the research and writing are top-notch。 。。。more
Jan
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When I read this book， I was already really familiar with the case。 That being said， I didn't really learn anything new。 If I had not known the story of this case， I may have found it more interesting。It was informative to the case with the facts， dates， etc。 The issue that I have with this book， is that I don't believe that the author interviewed Christopher Watts （I could be wrong， but did not see any notes of such） and he repeatedly explained how Christopher suppressed this anger， buried his When I read this book， I was already really familiar with the case。 That being said， I didn't really learn anything new。 If I had not known the story of this case， I may have found it more interesting。It was informative to the case with the facts， dates， etc。 The issue that I have with this book， is that I don't believe that the author interviewed Christopher Watts （I could be wrong， but did not see any notes of such） and he repeatedly explained how Christopher suppressed this anger， buried his feelings because Shannan did this or that。 It seemed that he was blaming the VICTIM for her own murder。 It actually felt like he was justifying Christopher's reasons for killing her。 Though he could never come up with an explanation （0r excuse） as to why he killed his daughters。 Knowing more details about the case （because of other outlets）， it is clear to everyone that this man is a psychopath。 He lied to everyone - his parents， mistress， co-workers & yes， even Shannan。 。。。more
BookishGirl
，
This was such a harrowing read。 He could have just left and start a new life but he chose to annihilate his whole family。 The laws in America are baffling me。 The number one cause of spouse killing is either insurance money or spouse doesn’t want to pay the alimony and child support。 So they would rather kill them than to pay for it。 It’s so sad those poor children， they didn’t deserved it at all。
J。H。 Moncrieff
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I can't believe John Glatt wrote this。 The Watts case is one of the most horrific murder cases in recent years， and instead of properly sympathizing with Shanann Watts， the pregnant young wife and mother who was brutally murdered by her cheating husband， Glatt defames her character and basically puts the blame for her own demise on Shanann。She broadcast the family's personal milestones and lives on social media。 （Gasp。） She had a strong personality， and apparently her timid， quiet husband was bo I can't believe John Glatt wrote this。 The Watts case is one of the most horrific murder cases in recent years， and instead of properly sympathizing with Shanann Watts， the pregnant young wife and mother who was brutally murdered by her cheating husband， Glatt defames her character and basically puts the blame for her own demise on Shanann。She broadcast the family's personal milestones and lives on social media。 （Gasp。） She had a strong personality， and apparently her timid， quiet husband was bowled over by her--even though he managed to find the gumption to actively pursue both her and the co-worker he was screwing behind her back。 Doesn't sound too timid to me。 She got angry at her in-laws when she felt they'd endangered her child （double gasp）。 Seriously？ For these "crimes，" she deserved to be murdered？It's bad enough that Watts executed Shanann and her daughters， but for Glatt to portray the victims as a controlling shrew and two burdens who were always sick is immoral and unforgivable。 Why is victim blaming always our first instinct？ Why can we never just blame the killer？This portrayal of Shanann and her daughters is cruel and unfair。 It's also not accurate。 Look at how many friends Shanann had--friends who raised the alarm for her almost instantly， and who would not give up until they found her。 That kind of support isn't given to nasty people。 Shanann had many good friends who stuck their necks out for her， while her husband appeared mysteriously "unemotional" about her disappearance。 The level of support she had gives lie to many of the claims about her in this book。Besides the completely biased sources， like Chris's family， who never got along with Shanann and who still apparently blame her for the murders of her children， the majority of this book was a regurgitation of Shanann's social media posts and videos。 Nothing new was revealed， except a whole lotta victim blaming。 For shame。 。。。more
Amanda Lehew
，
As good as a true-crime novel can be。 John Glatt is a good author and is able to tell the story of Shanann Watts and her children without glorifying the monster。
Ceri McCormack
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I have long awaited this book having pre ordered back in October and I definitely wasn’t disappointed。 I’m sure most people have heard of this awful crime， in case you haven’t this book chronicles the case of Chris Watts and the murders of his wife Shan’ann and their daughters Bella and Celeste and unborn son Nico。 The whole case is just unbelievable， I just can’t get my head around how someone can murder their entire family especially someone who is usually so mild and placid。 It’s almost like I have long awaited this book having pre ordered back in October and I definitely wasn’t disappointed。 I’m sure most people have heard of this awful crime， in case you haven’t this book chronicles the case of Chris Watts and the murders of his wife Shan’ann and their daughters Bella and Celeste and unborn son Nico。 The whole case is just unbelievable， I just can’t get my head around how someone can murder their entire family especially someone who is usually so mild and placid。 It’s almost like he snapped and became someone else。 Anyway back to the actual book。 I’ve read a few of John Glatts books and anyways find them informative。 This book is very well researched as you’d expect from an investigative journalist。 He examines their whole lives from birth to Shan’anns death， their relationship and her personality and her work which was online sales basically and utilised social media to present a picture perfect life in order to make sales for a product called Thrive。 The catalyst to the murders appears to me （and most people I would imagine） to be the affair he started with a colleague from work and the fact that Chris fell head over heels for her。 It appears Chris thought if he could rid himself of his current family then he would be free to start a new one with his girlfriend。 I read this book in 2 sittings （I had a break for a run followed by dinner， the essentials） as I was so absorbed in it。 Most of the facts in this book are well publicised online so I read this already knowing the truth about the crime but Glatts way of writing constantly holds your attention regardless and presents things in an easy to read way。 He also makes you feel like you personally know Shan’ann， and the kids。 Chris always feels like a bit of a mystery but that’s the type of person he isA full five stars for this informative and interesting read even if the subject makes the average person emotional and angry！ 。。。more
Mindy Deeter
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I gave this book 5 stars because honestly， it was appropriate to see a True Crime writer actually stick to facts， even if the unpopular thing to do is to point out the wife’s flaws and behavior。 He’s not saying he condones what happened。。。 nor is he saying anyone deserved what happened to them。 But， he does not sugar coat her role in what drove CW to his state of mind。 Did she deserve to die？ Or the kids？ NO NO NO NO NO！！！ Absolutely not！ But I did learn quite a bit about her demeanor throughout I gave this book 5 stars because honestly， it was appropriate to see a True Crime writer actually stick to facts， even if the unpopular thing to do is to point out the wife’s flaws and behavior。 He’s not saying he condones what happened。。。 nor is he saying anyone deserved what happened to them。 But， he does not sugar coat her role in what drove CW to his state of mind。 Did she deserve to die？ Or the kids？ NO NO NO NO NO！！！ Absolutely not！ But I did learn quite a bit about her demeanor throughout their marriage。 。。。more
Karen Bullock
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5 stars for another fantastic retelling of yet another horrific life altering moment。I call it fantastic because when you read a non fiction/true crime by John Glatt， you are not just getting cold hard facts similar to a police procedural but instead a story， that unfolds with a beginning， idle and unfortunately a tragic ending。This story seems to be about toxic love; 2 people from the same state， similar in their shyness who get together and families clash about the couples final decision to mo 5 stars for another fantastic retelling of yet another horrific life altering moment。I call it fantastic because when you read a non fiction/true crime by John Glatt， you are not just getting cold hard facts similar to a police procedural but instead a story， that unfolds with a beginning， idle and unfortunately a tragic ending。This story seems to be about toxic love; 2 people from the same state， similar in their shyness who get together and families clash about the couples final decision to move away。Shanann， seemed to grow out of her shy self and surged forward with goals and ambitions to better herself and her spouse。 There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that， right？ By the time Shanann， found her true calling， she was at the top of her game in sales and promotions， a dedicated mom to her 2 beautiful daughters and a husband， Chris， who seemed to enjoy the back seat of success。Dozens of marriages have 1 dominant partner and the other less “in front/social” then their partner- opposites attract。Chris， seemed oddly shy and preferred to stay in the shadows and maybe that is where things went wonky; too much time standing in someone else’s shadow can cause stress/duress。As you read through the three different sections you will see the deterioration and literal breakdown of their partnership/marriage and this is most likely when Chris just SNAPPED！But Chris， cannot blame it all on his wife， he could have at any given time stepped up， stood up for himself， been more assertive。It is clear that he premeditated Shanann’s demise as well as the girls。The lying and laying the foreground work of “establishing” time frames and relationships to 1 person while still married is that proof。Terrible， horrific， unimaginable evil。Did he get the sentence he deserved？ You decide。 I am still on the fence if I agree with the courts。 。。。more
Devan M。
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First of all， this book is interesting and a fast read。 I have an interest in true crime like many people， and I have found this case particularly interesting since the family was reported missing at first。 I think this is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the story of the Watts family murders。That being said， there were several things about this book that I did not appreciate。 First and foremost was the portrayal of Shanann， the wife and murder victim， as some sort of hysterical and co First of all， this book is interesting and a fast read。 I have an interest in true crime like many people， and I have found this case particularly interesting since the family was reported missing at first。 I think this is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the story of the Watts family murders。That being said， there were several things about this book that I did not appreciate。 First and foremost was the portrayal of Shanann， the wife and murder victim， as some sort of hysterical and controlling woman。 It sounds like she had a strong personality and perhaps could be a big overwhelming， but I think it’s unfair to label her as manipulative just because she was quite fiery。 A strong woman is not a hysterical woman。 An ambitious woman is not a crazy woman。 It almost seemed like the author was trying to defend Chris Watts to an extent。Secondly， and to a much lesser degree but still worth mentioning， Thrive is an MLM scheme based on predatory business techniques and the author presenting the company like its products actually work and can be good for you is gross and misinformed。 Please do your research into this company and make your own judgments。 This of course is not me making a value on Shanann or her choice of employment， but something I picked up on while reading as it was mentioned a lot。 。。。more
Claudette Germain
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Unthinkable true crime novel about a man （Chris） that kills his pregnant wife （Shannan）， his two daughters （Bella， Celeste） and his unborn son （Nino）。 Not a pleasant read but I continued to read because I wanted to know what made him snap。 A sad read。
Montanasmith
，
If you’ve seen the documentary you have read the book
Ashley
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ugly Tears。 I knew so much about this case， I’ve followed it since it hit the news。 I knew almost everything that was written， but there were pieces here and there。 I wish they had more about SW， as it’s hers and the children’s story， but I understand why here family didn’t/wasn’t ready to discuss the dirty details。
Beth
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Wow。How do you rate a book that was decently written but appealing all the same？ I have to look at the writing and story telling vs the words and actions。。。。Chris watts is a deplorable human being。 The story is tragic and disturbing。。。。the fact that he can’t give a 100% straight answer as to what actually happened and in what order is nauseating。 I enjoy true crime for a variety of reasons， one being to explore the way the killer（s） brain operates and how they evolve。 However， after reading this Wow。How do you rate a book that was decently written but appealing all the same？ I have to look at the writing and story telling vs the words and actions。。。。Chris watts is a deplorable human being。 The story is tragic and disturbing。。。。the fact that he can’t give a 100% straight answer as to what actually happened and in what order is nauseating。 I enjoy true crime for a variety of reasons， one being to explore the way the killer（s） brain operates and how they evolve。 However， after reading this book I don’t care if I ever hear Chris watts name ever again。。。。he is the devil incarnate and should rot in prison。 I do look forward to checking out more books by this author though。 。。。more
Sarah Couture
，
J’ai écouté de nombreux podcasts ainsi que la série Netflix au sujet de cet horrible crime。 Je croyais ne plus rien avoir à apprendre sur cette histoire。 Ce livre est très complet et donne un aperçu plus global de l’affaire。 De plus， je n’ai pas senti que l’auteur penchait d’un côté plus que l’autre。 Il est assez neutre et parle des deux côtés。
Danielle
，
The story is intense and horrific， especially the last hour of it。 It's super slow though。 The first 4 hours or so is just a play by play of social media postings。 This is done to share the before story of this family but it's is really obnoxious and boring。 Their story could have been told faster and in a better format。 In fact it almost degrades the life of these victims because it feels very superficial。 Life is more than just our social media postings。 It's a shamet their story was so poorly The story is intense and horrific， especially the last hour of it。 It's super slow though。 The first 4 hours or so is just a play by play of social media postings。 This is done to share the before story of this family but it's is really obnoxious and boring。 Their story could have been told faster and in a better format。 In fact it almost degrades the life of these victims because it feels very superficial。 Life is more than just our social media postings。 It's a shamet their story was so poorly told。 I also feel like we just got this superimposed view of the murderer， just surface level and it fails to reveal the monster he really is。 COMMENTS BELOW。MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS。。。。 。。。。。 。My heart goes out to those who loved Shanann， Celeste， Bella， and Niko for all they have endured and continue to endure because Chris didn't just leave his unhappy marriage。 He CHOOSE to eliminate his family。 。。。more
Amanda Huber
，
I cried so much reading this。。。 heartbreaking， make sure you have kleenix with you！！
Imani
，
This seems like a rather lazy effort by a writer who did not include any detail that was not already available on social media。 So this reads more like a collation of internet comments， than a thorough examination of true motivations and the anatomy of a horrific crime。He also includes "facts" which are not true。 For example， the neighbor recanted claims that the Watts' always used to have loud arguments。One thing that strikes me: if the genders of the victim and murderer in this case had been r This seems like a rather lazy effort by a writer who did not include any detail that was not already available on social media。 So this reads more like a collation of internet comments， than a thorough examination of true motivations and the anatomy of a horrific crime。He also includes "facts" which are not true。 For example， the neighbor recanted claims that the Watts' always used to have loud arguments。One thing that strikes me: if the genders of the victim and murderer in this case had been reversed， we'd all be saying: Of course the wife snapped after years of psychological abuse at the hands of a husband who was a controlling monster。What a terrible， tragic mess。 Every single person in this story has suffered irredeemable loss。 Even after reading this， I *still* don't understand why he did it。。。 。。。more
Cambria
，
In the beginning of the book someone close to the murderer said that they always thought Watts was autistic。 and the author chose （irresponsibly chose imo） to put that in the book。 Why？ What purpose did it serve？ To excuse him for being a murderer （along with it being Shanann's fault）？ Because those damn autistics running around murdering people willy nilly？？ GTFOH with that bullshit。 Autistic people are more likely to be the victims of violence， than be perpetrators。Also the victim blaming vibe In the beginning of the book someone close to the murderer said that they always thought Watts was autistic。 and the author chose （irresponsibly chose imo） to put that in the book。 Why？ What purpose did it serve？ To excuse him for being a murderer （along with it being Shanann's fault）？ Because those damn autistics running around murdering people willy nilly？？ GTFOH with that bullshit。 Autistic people are more likely to be the victims of violence， than be perpetrators。Also the victim blaming vibe， was exhausting。 。。。more
Court
，
4 STARSIn The Perfect Father， New York Times bestselling author John Glatt reveals the true story of a Colorado family whose storybook life turned into a nightmare。。。。THE PERFECT FATHER was an addicting， disturbing read。 As a true crime fanatic， I had heard about the crime （it was all over the media） but wanted to know more。 I won't go into details of the crime because I'm sure most of you are familiar with it。 Even so， this book made me feel physically ill and there are definitely somethings th 4 STARSIn The Perfect Father， New York Times bestselling author John Glatt reveals the true story of a Colorado family whose storybook life turned into a nightmare。。。。THE PERFECT FATHER was an addicting， disturbing read。 As a true crime fanatic， I had heard about the crime （it was all over the media） but wanted to know more。 I won't go into details of the crime because I'm sure most of you are familiar with it。 Even so， this book made me feel physically ill and there are definitely somethings that I will never "unsee。" This one is dark， y'all。The only reason that I didn't give THE PERFECT FATHER 5 stars is because of the author's （intentional or unintentional） bias towards Chris' wife， Shannann。 Glatt set up the narrative from the very first page that Shannann was super controlling and constantly belittled Chris， essentially implying potential motive for his actions。 。 。 。 Yeah， hard no to that。 What he did was straight up inexcusable。 Although I was stunned and appalled， I couldn't put THE PERFECT FATHER down （I read it over the course of a day！） Glatt did an excellent job stringing this crime's narrative together and making it compulsively readable。 Thank you to the author and publisher for my finished copy to review！ THE PERFECT FATHER is out now。 。。。more
Jessica Owens
，
Appears to be well and thoroughly researched。 Content involved in this case is heartbreaking， shocking， and sickening。 I also wonder if the author wasn't slyly trying to infer that perhaps the murderer Chris Watts wasn't somehow mentally or physically affected by the high doses of Thrive products he was consuming。 He also subtly infers that there may be more to the mistress' story than is being let on。 I appreciate the author's choice to not include what could just be conjecture on these points， Appears to be well and thoroughly researched。 Content involved in this case is heartbreaking， shocking， and sickening。 I also wonder if the author wasn't slyly trying to infer that perhaps the murderer Chris Watts wasn't somehow mentally or physically affected by the high doses of Thrive products he was consuming。 He also subtly infers that there may be more to the mistress' story than is being let on。 I appreciate the author's choice to not include what could just be conjecture on these points， though I would be interested in further exploration into these avenues。 。。。more
Jaclyn
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This is a tough but quick read。 The author shows the good and the bad side to the victim， which I think is valid， though I worry if it is victim-blaming， idk。 It doesn't pull punches and tells some of the really sad details of the case。 I did learn more about this case， so if you want to know more， I would def。 recommend it This is a tough but quick read。 The author shows the good and the bad side to the victim， which I think is valid， though I worry if it is victim-blaming， idk。 It doesn't pull punches and tells some of the really sad details of the case。 I did learn more about this case， so if you want to know more， I would def。 recommend it 。。。more
Leslie Morgan
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