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My Daddy Is a Hero

How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer

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My Daddy Is a Hero

By: Lena Derhally
Narrated by: Tanya Eby
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About this listen

A husband. A father. A killer.

Chris Watts was a family man. Everybody, including his family, believed that. Yet, on August 13, 2018, he murdered Shanann, his pregnant wife, and two young daughters.

As terrible as his story is, it is also a warning because to this day, living behind bars, Watts is still acting out the character traits that made him kill in the first place.

In this, the first and only psychological exploration of the Watts family murders, psychotherapist Lena Derhally has pieced together the crime, the events leading to it, and most of all, her beliefs about the "why". She explores the childhoods, families of origin, meeting, and early relationship of Shanann and Chris Watts. She also examines Watts's double life and duplicity regarding his well-publicized affair with a coworker.

The audiobook includes an in-depth look at community psychopaths, the different subtypes of narcissism, how to prevent this type of violence, and interviews with a neuroscientist, a criminal psychologist, and a journalist. Using her knowledge of attachment theory, Imago relationship theory, and psychopathology, Derhally draws a profile of the real Chris Watts and - just as important - she warns listeners that he is still a danger today.

©2019 Lena M. Derhally (P)2020 Tantor
Crime Murder Psychology Psychology & Mental Health True Crime Marriage Crime Psychology
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still a heartbreaking story those precious babies, didn't deserve it neither did shannan, he says he has been saved, but he will face his maker

more details I didn't know about

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I enjoy that it went into the psychology and the time line not just from using on the actual crime itself I learnt a lot more about the monster than I knew before

Didn’t drag told all the facts which was great

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I thought this book was really well researched and helped resolve some of the pressing questions that many of us have had as to how on earth this terrible crime could happen. Turns out Chris Watts was a narcissistic psychopath hiding in plain sight, there were telling clues but still, no one could have predicted he was capable of this.
The narration was really good, I’m not sure why another reviewer didn’t think so. I found her expressive and easy to listen to.

Great book & Narration

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Interesting and well written. I like how we got the story in the beginning then given the psychological insights later. Another terrible narrator who thankfully sounded better at the end. There’s no need change the voice when quoting a male researcher!

Unbelievable tragedy

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read others this is the best one.
facts and personal opinions plus expert analysis

best book on this case

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