You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
486 reviews for:
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
Valerie Bauerlein
4.43 AVERAGE
486 reviews for:
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
Valerie Bauerlein
4.43 AVERAGE
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
dark
informative
medium-paced
I remember hearing and seeing headlines about this event - rich people, murder, insurance money, cover-up. I wouldn't have had much motivation to read a dense non-fiction book about it, but it had good reviews from people I trust. I am glad I did.
The book follows not only the murder trials but generations of corruption by a single family in a small South Carolina town. The author artfully crafts all the decisions and allowances in the past that allowed this family to go unchecked and grow with greed and conceit. How deep "the good-ol boy" network still snakes through our town and lives. How many lives and families it has torn apart just to be swept under the rug. Shameful.
The book follows not only the murder trials but generations of corruption by a single family in a small South Carolina town. The author artfully crafts all the decisions and allowances in the past that allowed this family to go unchecked and grow with greed and conceit. How deep "the good-ol boy" network still snakes through our town and lives. How many lives and families it has torn apart just to be swept under the rug. Shameful.
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
This was an incredible read. The case on its own is fascinating, but Bauerlein did an excellent job of unraveling this complex and twisted tale from start to finish. She is able to drop you right into these scenes like a fly on the wall and builds up the tension and mystery like a thriller. I also really enjoyed how she captured the absolute movie-feel of Creighton Waters's epic takedown of Alex Murdaugh on cross-examination . Really, really great read!
dark
informative
medium-paced
dark
emotional
medium-paced
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
This was so good. I went in after reading an EXCELLENT review by my best friend and probably would have skipped it without their endorsement because I have a general discomfort with true crime media. But man, this was thorough, clear-eyed, and horrifying in a way that felt revelatory (and dare I say self-reflective for Americans?) instead of gleefully voyeuristic. It’s a really good detailed account about the corruption of influence, wealth, and immunity to consequences while avoiding the usual pitfalls of copaganda and sensationalism, at least to my sensitivities.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
This is fantastic narrative nonfiction true crime. I remember a few headlines from this case a few years ago, but never really followed it. I had no idea there was a family history of crime and cover-up, and this gives such a good look at exactly what this small town was going through.