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

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧 Narrated by Valerie Bauerlein and Maggi-Meg Reed

I’ve always enjoyed true crime podcasts and documentaries, but I’ve hesitated when it comes to nonfiction books. Devil at His Elbow might’ve just changed that for good.

Narrated by Valerie Bauerlein herself, along with Maggi-Meg Reed, the audiobook pulled me in immediately. Their delivery was immersive and compelling, but what really stood out was the writing. Bauerlein managed to take one of the most shocking true crime stories in recent memory and craft it into something that felt less like a timeline of facts and more like a haunting, cinematic story.

I have watched documentaries on the Murdaugh case before, but this book goes beyond anything I’d seen. The level of detail and depth of reporting is staggering, yet it never felt overwhelming or clinical. Instead, it read like a southern gothic tragedy unfolding in real time, with privilege, corruption, and generational decay at its core.

If you’ve followed the Murdaugh case or even just have a passing interest in true crime, Devil at His Elbow is worth your time, especially in audiobook format. It’s a standout in a genre I never thought I’d find myself reaching for, and now I’m hooked and searching for more.