Join Mandy Matney on her journalistic journey into uncovering some of the darkest kept secrets in the Low-country of South Carolina. Through her tenacity to protect her story, her sources, and her own well-being, Mandy Matney battles the male-dominant, money-driven world of journalism and news to bring the secrets of the Murdaugh dynasty into the sunlight.
As a journalist first, podcaster later, and now an author, Mandy Matney brings the reader with her as she recalls standing up to her boss, protecting her integrity, connecting to victims, and reaching her goals. Her motivations and integrity never waver.
Blood on Their Hands is about so much more than the Murdaugh's and their fall in the Low-country. It's about a woman speaking out. It's about gaining someone's trust. It's about savoring the wonderful people and Spanish Moss around you. It's about shining the light on issues people are afraid to discuss. And it's about supporting on another in our journeys in this wild world.
I received this book prior to release to review and share. If you haven't already pre-ordered or at least put on your to-read list, I highly encourage you to do so! You won't want to miss this one!

I was quite interested in reading this, and I was hoping for well-written narrative nonfiction about the Murdaughs and their crimes. The book was okay in that regard, though not as detailed as I might have liked. What I didn't care for as much as the "memoir" aspect of the book, as it felt self-indulgent to me and often had a "look what I did" kind of tone. The writing also didn't work for me. Perhaps I was just looking for a different kind of book (more straight-up narrative nonfiction or true crime fiction) so the memoir aspects of this one just proved to be off-putting.

That pesky podcast girl is at it again! Except this time, Mandy Matney speaks her mind in her first published book, Blood On Their Hands. Matney, creator of the #1 hit Murdaugh Murders Podcast, has built a loyal group of listeners who have been highly anticipating this book for months. Matney’s reputation of calling out the “good old boy network” holds true to form. The Lowcountry investigative journalist remains undeterred from potential backlash as she spits the truth for the sake of justice and victim advocacy. She gives backstories and more detailed insight on her work that helped bring down the Murdaugh dynasty, the powerful family of solicitors of the South Carolina 14th Circuit for more than 85 years.

Blood On Their Hands is also a memoir that will delight her fans. Matney recounts workplace hurdles where the scales of journalistic integrity were tilted to her older, male counterparts. Unable to align her values with this type of workplace culture, Matney forged (no pun intended) her own path to career success. Readers learn how her first podcast was recorded from her kitchen table, how she met her husband, David Moses, and planned a non-traditional wedding in the middle of the Murdaugh saga.

The book is more than a memoir. It’s also a story of the formation of Matney’s deeply rooted friendship with journalist Liz Farrell. This part of the book will be relatable to those who are fortunate enough to have the Thelma to their Louise, the Lucy to their Ethel, or the friend who always has your back, like one who would never let you oversleep on an important day. Matney and Farrell’s friendship will last forever, just like Alex Murdaugh’s two life sentences.

While Matney’s role in the early reporting of the Murdaugh’s corruption, financial crimes, and murders solidifies her as a generational reporter, she is not afraid to show vulnerability in addressing her own mental health in the book.

Admittedly, Blood On Their Hands will resonate more with those readers who have followed the Murdaugh storyline. Otherwise, a reader with little knowledge of the cruel corruption and legal shenanigans may be perplexed by Matney’s colorful middle names for some of the good ole boys.

In a recent webcast Happy Hour, Matney professed that she hopes her book inspires others to stand up for themselves, trust their gut instincts, and surround themselves with a good support system. Blood on Their Hands does just that.

Blood on Their Hands was a very interesting and compelling read. I loved the deep background the author provided and the thoroughness of reporting.

Five big fat stars for Blood on Their Hands by Mandy Matney! I have been invested in the Murdaugh saga since moving to Beaufort in 2019, and have been disappointed in the majority of national and even local media coverage of the events starting with the boat crash and leading up to the murder trial. Most outlets were big on headlines and skimpy on details. I had high hopes for Mandy’s book however: I was hooked from page one and actually read the entire book the first day. Mandy leads the reader behind the scenes through the myriad of shocking deaths, financial crimes and legal tom-foolery as they unfolded, one headline at a time. If you are on the fence about Alex Murdaugh’s true guilt or innocence, you need to read this.

I have been following Mandy Matney and the Murdaugh Murders Podcast (MMP) from the beginning She hooked me with her reporting a skills and her honesty in telling the story. I wanted to hear the background story of what she went through in putting herself in the public spotlight, while exposing the good ole boy system in the South. The bood did not disappoint. The book is a combination of true crime/memoir. Loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this title. If you have listened to Mandy Matney's podcasts about the Murdaugh murders in South Carolina, this will feel like you are sitting down with her for a cup of tea. If one is not familiar with the Murdaugh murders, Mandy's extensive and impeccable research gives a comprehensive, in-depth summary of the crimes that have riveted thousands of people. Mandy also gives insight into her journey as journalist and the obstacles the good old boy network continues to place in front of young (and female) journalists. Mandy writes as she talks, folksy, yet strong. Her prose is extremely readable, and I look forward to anything she may write in the future.

From the publisher: The highly anticipated inside look at the collapse of the Murdaugh dynasty by the celebrated investigative journalist and creator of the #1 hit Murdaugh Murders Podcast, Mandy Matney.

I am not a podcast listener and so have not heard any of the Murdaugh Murders Podcast (MMP), an extremely popular podcast that has often been ranked #1 ranked on Apple Podcasts. I requested an advance reader copy of Blood on Their Hands expecting it to be true crime nonfiction about Alex Murdaugh. It’s not. It’s a memoir by a journalist who wants us all to know how hard she has worked to be successful and how many people got in her way.

Mandy Matney is a good writer with a major chip on her shoulder. She wants to be a good journalist fighting the good journalist fight and shining a light on crime and corruption. She has faced sexism in the workplace – welcome to being a working woman, Mandy – and feels she has been betrayed by a number of colleagues she trusted. As I read this book, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sally Field and her “I can't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!” speech when she won an Oscar.

I don’t question that Matney has put in the work to become a respected journalist, but to me, a reader unfamiliar with her and her work, she comes off as whiny and bitter in this book. Alex Murdaugh, his family, and the aura of invincibility around them needed to be investigated, and it seems like Matney and colleagues did good work. But, for example, Matney acknowledges that Will Folks gave her a job when she needed one, and the support and leads (and paycheck) she needed to investigate Murdaugh, but she also writes near the end of the book, “Looking back now, I can see that the relationship was a bad fit from the start. Will threw me a lifeline when I was desperate for a way out of The Packet, but I think I gave him too much credit for ‘saving’ me. I excused the rumors about his unsavory reputation because of how much I wanted to believe he was a good guy. I ignored the times his judgment felt off because I was eager to grow with the company. But our early talks about my earning equity at FITS never panned out, and as MMP took off, I began to realize Will saw me more as a competitor than as a teammate. I see now that I never needed a man or an institution to lend my work credibility – I just needed more confidence in my abilities. I’ll always be grateful to FITS for being a stepping stone at a crucial time in my career, but I wish I could go back and tell my former self to get out as soon as things started to curdle.” (p. 251 of the ARC). Way to throw someone under the bus who by her own admission gave her a lot of information and contributed to her ability to write the podcast stories about the Murdaugh family. Matney didn’t do herself any favors with me as a reader with this section. She could have said it was time to move on and left it at that.

Please note that your reaction may vary. Readers who love Matney and her podcasts may love this book. If you are a fan of Murdaugh Murders Podcast, give it a shot. If you are not, this might not be the Murdaugh book for you. I read an advance reader copy of Blood on Their Hands. It is scheduled to be published on November 14, and the Galesburg Public Library will own it.

Matney retells the Murdaugh saga from the beginning in this comprehensive book of all that went wrong in Hampton, SC, and surrounding areas. Her press pieces put the family's (and their cronies) many crimes in the news. Besides recounting the recent crimes, she goes back and tells how this family was able to rise to such prominence. She also tells about the barriers she encountered in reporting on the stories and in establishing her career. It's a great book for true crime fans.

A fantastic and propulsive read. Part memoir, part true crime tale, and a searing indictment of modern corporate newsrooms all in one great book. Matney and Murnick work together to share just how Matney found the Murdaugh case and the obstacles she faced as she broke it open. Along the way she encounters rank sexism from her boss and colleagues and all sorts of crooked small town characters. A must read for fans of her podcast or true crime in general.

This well-researched and immensely creepy book by Mandy Matney is like traveling through a swamp on a hot August day.

Matney is an excellent journalist who traces the Murdough family back to their beginning roots as a powerful family in South Carolina.

A few deaths - and questions that were never answered - start the book. The power of this family builds as does their immunity to every thing and everyone.

This book is a terrific glimpse into an American family that has dominated our political sphere for decades.