This is an exceedingly tragic story. This is a story that needs to be told, but it requires finesse which the author did not provide in any way whatsoever.
I cannot get past the victim blaming, condemnation and sensationalism the author is putting forth. No one deserves to be murdered regardless of what someone thinks of them as a person.
I did not finish and I do not recommend it. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

We normally love all the books by John Glatt, however, this one is both confusing and boring at the same time.

With all the juniors and seniors and nicknames, this is a maze to read through. Yes, I realize that this is how the family is structured, but Glatt needed to figure out a way to make sense of all of these people and he did not.

Also, the pace is so slow - which is unusual for Glatt.

I barely finished this.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: August 8, 2023
The Murdaugh family was associated in South Carolina with wealth and privilege. A family of lawyers, politicians and powerful men dating back over a century, they had their hand in every pot, and were the people you turned to when you needed a favour, but also the people you didn’t say “no” to. On June 7, 2021, Alex Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, and adult son, Paul, were found shot to death on Murdaugh’s property. Fingers pointed at Alex, but the family influence ran so high that it was hard to secure evidence proving Alex’s part. However, investigators discovered other things in their search- including years and years of manipulation, corruption and money laundering.
“Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege and the Murdaugh Family Murders” is the newest release by true crime writer John Glatt. I read both “The Doomsday Mother” and “Golden Boy: A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite” and find his stories to be engaging and addictive. I always appreciate when someone with a despicably elitist, entitled and arrogant attitude is taken to task, and I can always trust Glatt to do just that.
I don’t know much about the Murdaugh family, or their influence, but this novel provided me with all of the background information I needed. Although the ARC I received does not have the outcome of the murder trial (as it had not happened yet- the published version should), I still found the story compelling.
There are a lot of characters at play here. Not only the entire Murtaugh clan (mostly the males) and their extended families, but any politician or legal official that had their hands in the Murtaugh pockets, as well as any clients they swindled. It’s quite the list to get through, and it is both overwhelming and daunting, but if you can muddle through even with just a basic understanding of the major players, “Vines” will keep you entangled (pun intended).
There’s something about a spoiled rich boy getting his come-uppance that just gets me right in the happy place. I felt the same way about “Golden Boy” although I feel terrible sorrow for the families who unfortunately found their way into the twisted, sordid lives of the Upper Class Sociopaths (that sounds like the name of a rock band…..but I digress….). Glatt’s novel is appealing to anyone who is familiar with the Murdaugh trials and to anyone who is simply learning about them for the first time. I am always on the lookout for Glatt’s digestible, generalizable true crime stories, and he continues to deliver!

Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders by John Glatt is a good book that unfortunately isn’t up to date, as the trial and verdict took place after this was finished.

If you’ve not been fascinated by this tragedy from the first news reports, this is a great book to read to find out about the events and deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh and how Alec Murdaugh single-handedly brought the legacy of Murdaugh control over the low country of South Carolina tumbling down.

The book starts out with the original Randolph Murdaugh and details the building of the legal dynasty through not necessarily legal or moral means.

Mr. Glatt gives good details on Alex’s rise and documents his downfall by drugs, creating not quite illegal, but definitely immoral accounts (Forge) and tells how he stole millions and millions of dollars from innocent victims.

It also details the death of Stephen Smith and the allegations and heresay that Buster Murdaugh was involved with him romantically and in his death.

Details about the tragic events that ended with Mallory Beach’s death and eventually Paul and Maggie’s murder by Alex Murdaugh are provided in this sad tale of drugs, wealth, and Southern familial dynasties.

Who hasn't heard of Alex Murdaugh and what he did?

Glatt takes us back to the beginning of the Murdaugh Dynasty with Alex's great-great-great grandfather and how their fortune was made. Glatt, then, takes us through to the Murdaugh downfall.

With this being an ARC, of course there are a few grammatical errors and spelling errors that I am sure will be fixed by the time it is released. It is well researched in the first part of the book. The rest is more of a rehash of what all Murdaugh is accused of, and what all happened.

Murdaugh would have went to jail for life, probably, just based off of all the money he stole from unknowing victims. There has to be evil in a person that does the things he did. 'Tangled Vines' shows what kind of a sociopath, that's me saying he is one, Alex really is. It shows how he and some of his family, just assume that they are entitled to whatever, just because of their name.

I feel sorry for Buster, who is left. I can't imagine what he goes through on a daily basis. I, also, feel sorry for Paul. They both had parents, that seem to me, to not care really about either one of them. Alex during the trail, I watched it, seemed to me a self-centered person, and this book just confirmed my suspensions.

I wish Glatt would have waited a little longer before he wrote this book. To me, the information is to fresh and new. The book mainly covers his financial crimes and the murder charges. Hopefully, the final draft will include Alex Murdaugh's trial and decision. If it does though, it will be a big book.

Tentative publication date: August 8, 2023

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Glatt for the e-book ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#netgalley
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Patience is a virtue. In the case of John Glatt's Tangled Vines, I would say some patience would have gone a long way.

Tangled Vines follows the very recent story of the Murdaugh family in South Carolina. The family story reads like fiction as they have ruled part of South Carolina for about 100 years as the leading lawyers in the region. They were powerful, crooked, and willing to crush anyone who got in their way. Ultimately, like all empires, they fell in spectacular fashion. There is no shortage of intrigue as embezzlement, drug trafficking, and murder are present in multiple instances.

The major problem with the book is that the subject is still too new and unfinished. Glatt's narrative reads like a recitation of facts rather than a full story. Also, it is missing major updates which happened recently. Someone is going to write a definitive account of the Murdaugh family and it will be a must read. Unfortunately, Glatt's feels too rushed to be that book.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press.)

Utterly fascinating in-depth look at a Lowcountry dynasty - if ever the word “absolute power corrupts…” the Murdaugh murders and fraud is a story so disturbing and so blatant it is almost unbelievable - highly recommend this one!

Back just as the Murdaugh mother and son were murdered, I had discovered a local South Carolina podcast that was already talking about the possible coverup in a boating death caused by a Murdaugh son. The story already had all the hallmarks of a true crime mystery — prominent family, a legal system bought and paid for, little people like the girl in the boat, the housekeeper and a gay friend’s suspicious death. Week after week more suspicious facts were coming to light (Insurance fraud! Secret drug addictions! Possible drug running rings in the SC coastal islands! A phony attempt on Alex Murdaugh’s life! A suspicious hit-and-run death!). It initially seemed impossible that the father might be the main suspect. But, oh my, did that ever change. The case eventually received international coverage and multiple covers of People magazine. Prolific true crime author John Glatt has put all the facts together in a tale only a little less tangled than the kudzu vine it initially resembled.

Glatt has added the dubious history of the Murdaugh dynasty in the first few chapters, telling the stories of too many ancestral Murdaughs named Buster. When Alex (pronounced Ellick) is finally introduced, we already know he’s from a long line of entitled alcoholics and bullies. As a teenager and college student, Alex knew he always had a “get out of jail free” card due to his family’s outsized influence.

This book also extensively chronicles the misdeeds and alcoholism of the murdered son Paul, suspicions about older son Buster’s involvement in the hit-and-run death of his friend, Maggie and Alex’s laissez faire attitude towards their sons underage drinking and abuse, and so many instances of Alex committing fraud and illegally profiting off clients and his own firm. Some of this was reported in news coverage and Glatt builds a timeline of such corruption to the point that it’s no surprise someone would get murdered. The surprise is that the Murdaughs didn’t get away with all of it.

Unfortunately, the narrative is dry and Wikipedia-like. There are other true crime writers (Gregg Olsen comes to mind) who can weave a story with a foreknown guilty verdict into a more suspenseful narrative. Unless you’re a die hard “fan,” this book can become boring. And, it’s really not finished. The story of the trial and verdict are missing — I know this is an ARC, but the finished version needs a few more chapters before publication in a month. 3 stars for the extensive research only.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!