A review by likecymbeline
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty by Valerie Bauerlein

4.5

This true crime reminded me of listening to Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, given that the trial central to this book hinges upon a history of wealth and corruption within a family line. This is true Southern Gothic, where the setting is crucial to the events that unfolded. If there weren't already such a divide in poverty and power, we wouldn't have this story. This man who will do anything to protect his pride and name and money, up to annihilating his wife and son. And oh, how he loses and loses that money, spending not just beyond his means but beyond what he steals (and he steals a lot).

While the trial went on a little long for my tastes, it was also fascinating to see the plays and all the attempts to win sympathy for Murdaugh, when anyone listening or with a bit of outside knowledge is simply filled with hate by the time we reach that point. Otherwise, I liked the level of detail provided, whether about the clients he scammed or the exploits of his forefathers and his sons. They lived in a world that let them get away with anything, and it's a just comeuppance to see it all revealed, but at the cost of so much suffering.