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Secrets in the Cellar

The True Story of the Austrian Incest Case That Shocked the World

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Secrets in the Cellar

By: John Glatt
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
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About this listen

Josef Fritzl was a 73-year-old retired engineer in Austria. He seemed to be living a normal life with his wife, Rosemarie, and their family - though one daughter, Elisabeth, had decades earlier been "lost" to a religious cult. Throughout the years, three of Elisabeth's children mysteriously appeared on the Fritzls' doorstep; Josef and Rosemarie raised them as their own. But only Josef knew the truth about Elisabeth's disappearance....

For 27 years, Josef had imprisoned and molested Elisabeth in his man-made basement dungeon, complete with soundproof paneling and code-protected electric locks. There, she would eventually give birth to a total of seven of Josef's children. One died in infancy, and the other three were raised alongside Elisabeth, never to see the light of day.

Then, in 2008, one of Elisabeth's children became seriously ill and was taken to the hospital. It was the first time the 19-year-old girl had ever gone outside - and soon, the truth about her background, her family's captivity, and Josef's unspeakable crimes would come to light.

©2009 John Glatt (P)2013 Tantor Abductions, Kidnapping & Missing Persons True Crime Disappearance
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wow what a story!!! unimaginable for a father to do that..... heart breaks for this family 💔

unbelievably tragic

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The only way to even begin to describe these crimes is horrific and inhumane. The absolute horrors and atrocities he committed, against his own child no less, defies human belief.

I have seen some criticism of this book that Glatt focuses too much on the life of the offender opposed to the victims. Personally I do like hearing about the background of the offender to see if there is something that happened that could alter them so drastically to allow them to commit these crimes.

I cannot even begin to imagine the strength and courage it took to raise the children in those conditions in the cellar. Hearing descriptions of how the children were so excited about small things like a car and trees made me cry. The things I take for granted every day was the most exciting thing in the world for these kids.

I hope the family are able to continue healing and working through their trauma together to be able to live the rest of their lives free and on their own terms

monster

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What a story!!!
Incredibly well told
Well written
Everyone should read this book
And all true!!!
They do live amongst us !!!!!
I can’t imagine living thru this nightmare

Highly recommended

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You always know what you will get with John Glatt - true crime with a journalist’s focus on investigative reporting and how to keep the reader interested. The Fritzl case is a shocking one and Glatt does a good job of exposing the depth of Fritzl’s depravity without being salacious or disrespectful to the victims. The information is alarming and exposes how much people chose not to see or act on throughout the decades which these crimes covered. Glatt sets the scene well and draws on another famous Austrian case as further context, highlighting the bizarre circumstances of the Fritzl victims’ experience watching television while captive. It’s such an extraordinary case and there is little information about what happened to the survivors, but I hope they all have gone on to live healthy and happy lives.

John Glatt knows how to write true crime

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such a sad story of a very strong woman. would recommend listening to her story

Great listen Sad story

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Very sad story, it was well read and I would recommend it to everyone. Hard to believe there are people out there this messed up.

Definitely worth paying for the credit

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I had heard of this story when it first broke, but l never new the details or circumstances of the horrifying event. I could not believe her courage and her strong will for her children. I would recommend to anyone.

Very sad but thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Can’t believe it really happened. I’m so glad that the evil person finally got what came to him

Horror story

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What disappointed you about Secrets in the Cellar?

I will try to be short and to the point. It is obviously a tragic thing what happened to Elizabeth and her children. I am interested in her story - I admire her strength, as I am sure many others do. It would have been moving and far more interesting to hear how she overcame what was clearly a living hell.

That is the story I wish this book told.

I don't believe this book did Elizabeth Fritzl justice. The story focused on Josef Fritzl. His childhood, his mind, blah blah blah. I actually found it rather frustrating that the focus was on him. 'Secrets in the Cellar' is a narrative into a disgusting human's mind. If that is what interests you, then you will actually thoroughly enjoy this book.

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Gildart Jackson?

Many people seemed to enjoy the narrator Gildart Jackson - I found his 'accents' and overall performance rather intolerable. I almost didn't finish the book because I found the narrator so difficult to listen to.

Any additional comments?

After reading only really positive reviews, I was convinced that this would be a great book.
I can appreciate that the high expectation may be why I didn't enjoy it. However, I listen to many books in this genre, and I simply did not enjoy this book at all.

A Further Injustice to Elizabeth Frizl.

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