Tangled Vines by John Glatt is a superb read and well worth the time spent! Great plot and characters.

This is the first book by author John Glatt that I've read. This book does not cover the trial that that has been shown in several documentaries, but Glatt does an impressive job diving into the Murdaugh family history. There is an extensive network of characters, both in terms of multi-generations of Murdaugh family members, and other key players in the community around them throughout the decades. It also includes all the victims of extremely questionable deaths and their family members. Glatt does a fantastic job breaking down the series of events throughout history and makes things very digestible for readers, even those who may not be as familiar with the Alex Murdaugh double-murder case or be major true crime fans.

I’m not sure how or when I first heard about the “Murdaugh mystery,” but my guilty pleasure in both reading and podcasts is true crime, so I fell into it and got deep into the various crimes, scandals, and trials, If you have been asleep for the past couple of years, here is the basic outline: in the Low Country of South Carolina, many decades ago, the Murdaugh family began the law firm that would rule the area right up until about 2021. They were incredibly wealthy and powerful both socially and politically.

In 2021, Alex Murdaugh, the current patriarch of the family (generally called “Alec” or “Ellick” – go figure) found (ahem) the bodies of his wife and younger son just outside the kennels at their hunting lodge. Both were dead from gunshot wounds. Two different guns—more than one shooter? A few months later, Alex called 911 from the side of a road, saying he’d been shot in the head. WTF?

Then there were the earlier tragedies. Younger son Paul was in legal jeopardy (despite the efforts of Daddy and Granddaddy) after he had been driving a boat drunk and ran it into the side of a river bridge, killing a young woman named Mallory Beach. The police treated him like the local prince he was, Was this a cover-up? (Duh). The whole law enforcement response the night of the crash was a mess: “…dispatchers gave out the wrong location fourteen times to various emergency services, wasting valuable time to save Mallory Beach.”

Then there was the housekeeper who died falling down the steps of the house at the hunting lodge. She “fell over the dogs,” although that was a little suspicious. Then there was Stephen Smith, the young man who may or may not have been in a relationship with older son Buster. This death was ruled a hit and run, although it was suspected to be a homicide, it was never investigated as one. Ruled a hit and run? Why? “…she stated it was .a hit and run because he was found in the road.”

Then the money and drugs became hot news. Alex had blatantly embezzled and downright stolen millions of dollars. Alex said he was an addict…but the more likely story seems to be the family was just evil, and their lavish lifestyle had been funded for years by an elaborate drug trafficking and money laundering scheme.

Following s bizarre trial, Alex is now in prison for the murders of his wife and son. The deaths of Stephen Smith and the housekeeper don’t seem to have been finally resolved, but tons of money has been generated for the local economy via crime tourism, podcasts, etc. This book is not the only one that will come out of this mess, but it will be hard for others to top the storytelling by John Glatt (a prolific and well-known author of true crime books). Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of Tangled Vines (a shocking and extremely entertaining and informative book) in exchange for my honest review. I thought I knew a lot about this story before I read the book, but wow did I learn a lot. Five stars.

Although I’ve followed the Murdaugh case for a while and watched most of the murder trial, I learned quite a bit from John Glatt’s book. This book provided so much history of the Murdaugh family to really help me understand the power they held over the lowcountry.
I saw another reader say that a family tree would be a helpful visual and I agree.

Going through the events chronologically, putting the pieces together to see what was happening publicly at each point when Big Red steals another family’s money, with social media posts woven in—that was fascinating to learn.

Overall I enjoyed reading but wondered at times if the book felt rushed? Perhaps too soon? I’d like to read the final published version as it sounds like it will include the trial and aftermath. I liked the book very much and felt that with more time, I likely would have given 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free advance copy to review.

Too soon? Or not soon enough? The Murdaugh cases are some of the most confusing in recent years because the information about the family and all the bad things they did or had happen to them came out in drops, with most of it becoming available at Alex Murdaugh's murder trial. Glatt has traced this family and filled in many of the blanks but the biggest ones- the motivation, the truth (yes, the truth)- are still questions. That's not Glatt's fault but rather because Alex Murdaugh isn't telling and because of the culture of secrecy that grew up around this family over the years, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, Well done true crime,

I love a good True Crime book and this one does not disappoint. I followed the Alex Murdaugh case from the start and this was a very complex case to solve because everyone seemed to be afraid of them and nobody wanted to stand up to them to tell the truth. The book started out slow until the family dynamics were explained which was confusing because all the men were named Randolph and nicknamed "Buddy," except for Alex. The whole family seemed very dysfunctional and Alex was a real mess who was addicted to opoids, stole clients' lawsuit money, stole from the firm and then murdered his own wife and son. This book contains a lot of information that I was not aware of and it was a very informative and interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this very interesting book.

Whoa....being a south carolina transplant this book gave so much history and perspective about the Murdaugh family. I loved it and will definetly recommend to true crime lovers and southern history lovers alike.

Thank you to netgalley/author/publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review early.

GOSH, I've been on such a true crime kick lately, and this was definitely one that I remember popping off in the media as it happened because it was so insane. I am so thankful to St. Martin's Press, John Glatt, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital access to this one before it's projected to publish on August 8, 2023.

The mighty, unstoppable Murdaughs of South Carolina's low country have been ruling the swampland for more than 100 years and after three suspect and untimely deaths rock the small town, speculation gets tossed over to this seriously sinister family and you'll be shocked to learn how evil this patriarchal member, Big Red, or Alex Murdaugh truly is.

This book provides critical context and backstories into the lead-up of he criminal trial and is very eye-opening regarding how corruptly sanctioned government entities can be across our country.

This is a fair and interesting account of the Murdaugh saga. I have followed this case from the start and learned a few things myself, particularly about the family tree. That had always confused me.

I know a lot of people think this book is premature and I don't and also think there will be more story to tell eventually and I'll be interested in that too.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I definitely recommend. If true crime interests you at all, this case is a gold mine. The truth really can be stranger than fiction!

This really is a detailed, exhaustive account of the case. It was really hard to follow in drips and drabs in the news so this really filled in the blanks. It was a little dry.

If you are a fan of true crime and haven’t read books by John Glatt, you must get this book! I began my true crime journey as a teenager who had read all the books that appealed to me in the teen section so my mother directed me to Ann Rule and Danielle Steel, which started a decades-long love for reading crime.

In Tangled Vines, author Glatt details the Murdaught family crimes, featuring crimes that captivated America quite recently.

Among the lush, tree-lined waterways of South Carolina’s low country, the Murdaugh name means power. A century-old, multimillion-dollar law practice has catapulted the family into incredible wealth and local celebrity—but it was an unimaginable tragedy that would thrust them into the national spotlight. On June 7th, 2021, prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh discovered the bodies of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, on the grounds of their thousand-acre hunting lodge. The mystery deepened only months later when Alex himself was discovered shot in the head on a local roadside.

But as authorities scrambled for clues and the community reeled from the loss and media attention, dark secrets about this Southern legal dynasty came to light. The Murdaughs, it turned out, were feared as much as they were loved. And they wouldn’t hesitate to wield their influence to protect one of their own; two years before he was killed, a highly intoxicated Paul Murdaugh was at the helm of a boat when it crashed and killed a teenage girl, and his light treatment by police led to speculation that privilege had come into play. As bombshells of financial fraud were revealed and more suspicious deaths were linked to the Murdaughs, a new portrait of Alex Murdaugh emerged: a desperate man on the brink of ruin who would do anything, even plan his own death, to save his family’s reputation.

Out on August 8.

This book provided more in depth information on this fascinating true crime narrative.
I recommend this highly.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I’m a big fan of John Glatt and always enjoy his books on true crime cases. Imagine my happiness when I saw he was doing a book on the Alex Murdaugh case as it was my obsession this year, as I watched every minute of the trial. The book is really good and does a great job telling a very, very complex and multi-layered story in a readable, easy to follow way. I especially enjoyed the background details on the family and town. If you were into this case or enjoy true crime stories at all, I highly recommend this book. 5 stars.

A true crime look at the Murdaughs of South Carolina. I saw a lot of this on tv and through social media but I wanted to see what all was in this book. It’s a lot about Alex Murdaugh’s family. I don’t really think all of the extended family line details were that important though. I wished there was a little more at the end but maybe that was all this author could really go into details about.
Overall, it was good but not great. It was very to the facts, cut and dry. If you haven’t learned much about this family via social media/tv then you could learn a lot from this.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an arc copy. This was my honest and voluntary review.

This book is a very good overall accounting of the retched Murdaugh family. Early on, it could benefit from a family tree because they all have the same name (Randolph) / Buddy and it's hard to know which person is being discussed. It does do an excellent job of filling in the blanks from what people have seen on the news and shows. It would be great if the author had a few more answers, but perhaps they are not available. A bit of a dry read since it is very clinical, but certainly gives the reader a flavor of the crimes and at least partially, the misdeeds that were rampant with Alex. It is shocking that he could have done all of these things, but he was deviant for a very long time. I enjoyed this book and the information it outlined.

John Glatt has expertly written a compelling and engrossing story of the South Carolina Murdaugh family saga. The rich details and background heighten the drama as the book vividly progresses to the controversial trial. Now to catch my breath as I just quickly devoured this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and St, Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

If you think you know all about the Murdaugh Murders in South Carolina, think again. The legacy of corruption and abuse of power of this family in this small SC town goes back generations. John Glatt does a great job tracing the history all the way back to convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh's great-great grandfather. This gives a deep look into how this family got away with so much for so long.

Things I like: This is an inside look into the "good ol' boys" club in rural, southern America that penetrates every part of the judicial and law enforcement communities. It reads like a tale from long ago, but Alex Murdaugh (the one who eventually brings down the dynasty) was just on trail THIS YEAR!
John Glatt does not pull punches when describing every member of this family going back for generations. He does try to balance his scathing opinion with accounts from family and friends, but overall, his disdain is clear on the page.
As a true crime fan, I have devoured the podcasts, documentaries, and news stories about this case since Alex was first found on the side of the road allegedly shot in the head while trying to change a tire. This book reads like a compilation of all of those sources. There were a lot of things I already knew, but Glatt focuses the majority of the book on the financial crimes and legacy of corruption instead of the more recent "mysterious deaths" so there was plenty of new information to make me clutch my pearls.

Things to Consider: the opening timeline of the generations jumped around a little bit and, since everyone is named either Randolph or Buster, keeping track of the generations and who did what was a little hard. It would be super beneficial for a family tree to be included (not sure if that is in consideration for the physical copy).
There are many breaks within each chapter (as it jumps around) throughout the book which makes it read a little choppy and like a news report instead of a cohesive story like some true crime books are.
Once the financial crimes come out, having a chart of those would also be helpful for those of us who aren't super good with numbers. It gets a little confusing about who is in league with the Murdaugh's and who is their friend. I definitely think knowing a fair bit about this case before reading was helpful.

Overall, I would recommend this book to true crime fans. Even though it is a bit lengthy, it was a quick, comprehensive read that kept me wanting to keep turning pages.

Randolph “buster“Murdaugh was the king of the flatlands in South Carolina he was also the first full time prosecutor and would stay the local DA for 14 terms he built a legacy that his son Buster would follow but unfortunately the legacy would stop with him not running the flatlands just being the lawyer because young Buster had a son named Alex who would take the family dynasty down to the dirt. True to form however he would do it in a big way because the Murdaogh’s do everything in a big way. When reading this book I couldn’t wait to see this family taken down they wild upholding the law as long as it was the poor, immigrants or minorities in the book the last foster to be a lawyer brag about sending people to death row and needless to say only one of those was a white man. There is a lot of “who shot John“ going on in this book they get their comeuppance and maybe not justice but they certainly get taken down a couple notches. This is a true crime book but also a feel good nonfiction read I think John Glenn did a wonderful job with this book he obviously did some great research and his storytelling is top-notch I truly enjoyed it and although they do have some sad stories because unfortunately what started their downfall was Alex killing his friend who happened to be a homosexual and although he didn’t get caught right away he would get caught and kudos to the police for that. I want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s press in Minotaur books. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thanks so much for the review copy. I learned a lot about the Murdaugh’s history. What a twisted family. I know others will enjoy learning more about their background, too.

I just thought I knew the story of Alex Murdaugh. This book provides a history of the family and the sometimes less than legal dealings with the family over 100 years before we learned about the Murdaughs. I was afraid that I wouldn't learn anything new but I was very interested in details of the family that I hadn't heard before reading this book.