I was hesitant to request this book, mainly because the Murdaugh family saga has been covered by the media as nauseam. I was intrigued enough to request the book and I'm glad I did. Right from the start this book was hard to put down.

The book gives a great history of the Murdaugh family - tracing convicted killer Alec's father and grandfather's lives. This background gives the reader a glimpse into what gave Alec his foundation. It's a history of bending the rules to benefit the family, insurance fraud, ignoring conflicts of interest, and outright law-breaking. The family's handling of the boating accident that the younger son was responsible for is despicable, and the author holds nothing back. It's easy to see why Alec thought he could get away with murder.

I would highly recommend this book if you have an interest in reading every interesting detail leading up to the arrest and conviction of Murdaugh. A must for fans of true crime.

This is a true crime horror story about an entitled monster named Alex Murdaugh. Born to wealth, power, and privilege in South Carolina, Alex was the latest in a long line of lawyers who treated Hampton County as their own personal fiefdom, a refuge from what they saw as the tragedy of Reconstruction.

Alex may have been the worst of the lot, a man who had no difficulty lying, cheating, stealing, and, eventually, killing to get what he wanted. He was also a drug addict who managed to conceal his addiction from people who might have stopped him from doing so much damage.

Although The Devil at His Elbow is well written and thoroughly researched, I could not finish it because the subject matter was just so deeply unpleasant. If I had realized how unrelievedly evil the main subject was, I would never have started this book.

The final straw for me was the description of the lonely death of Hakeem Pinckney, a deaf-mute paraplegic, who suffocated when his respirator came unplugged in the wretched nursing home to which he was consigned. Hakeem had a loving mother who could not take care of him herself because she had been severely injured in the same accident that crippled her son and she was too poor to afford better care. What made this sad situation even more tragic was the fact that Alex Murdaugh, the lawyer entrusted with their legal and financial care, was buying luxury items, eating gourmet meals, and traveling first class to sporting events and extravagant vacations with the money he embezzled from the Pinckneys and other clients too poor, young, or uneducated to understand their rights.

Even knowing that Murdaugh was, eventually, convicted of his crimes was not enough to make this book readable for me. In the six chapters I was able to finish, there were no heros, just victims and monsters. Other readers, with stronger stomachs, may find The Devil at His Elbow enjoyable; I could not.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I gave The Devil at his Elbow three stars for the high quality of the writing and research; I could not give it more because I couldn't finish reading it.

This is a case I didn’t really know anything about going in, I knew the basics, but I never realized just how deep the case went. I found this book to be very informative and I found myself wanting to keep reading to see how everything unfolded.

The Devil at His Elbow by Valerie Bauerlein is an intriguing read of the Alex murdaugh murders.
This true crime story was utterly compelling and honestly heartbreaking at times.
The writing sucked me in and held me captive till the very end.

Thank You NetGalley and Ballantine Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

As a true crime fan, this book checked off all the boxes for me! Just WOW!!! The Murdaugh murders were something else and you will learn so much about this case and all the people who’s lives were ruined.. You get a good look at who Murdaugh truly really was.. For all my true crime buddies, this is a must read!

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for the advanced reader copy!!!

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Devil At His Elbow By Valerie Bauerlein
Publication Date: August 20, 2024
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group | Ballentine

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

As a true crime fanatic, the story of the Murdaugh murders really captured my interest. I watched every minute of the trial. I watched every documentary, show, and daily trial analysis video on YouTube about this case. I watched every post-trial interview I could find with anyone involved in the case. Y'all, I even bought (and read) Becky Hill's book (one star - I do not recommend). I could talk all things Murdaugh for hours on end and I considered myself to be pretty knowledgeable about this case and its history.

Despite how knowledgeable I thought I was about this case, this book told me so much more information that I actually started taking notes as I read. Bauerlein's riveting tell-all book is, without a doubt, THE definitive book about Alex Murdaugh's 2023 trial.

But she doesn't just stop there. Bauerlein digs even deeper, taking you along with her as she explores the history of the Murdaugh family in the Low Country area of South Carolina. Where their family name became synonymous with power, with wealth, with corruption...Where Southern charm led to lies, manipulation, rigging the system, and deceiving cover-ups for generations.

Bauerlein takes the reader along to learn more about the investigation into the murder of Stephen Smith, long thought to potentially be associated with the Murdaugh family. She shares extensive information about the boat crash in 2019 that killed Mallory Beach, when an intoxicated Paul Murdaugh was at the boat's helm, and the crash's aftermath in the lives of the other passengers. Bauerlein shows how the decision by Mallory's parents and attorney Mark Tinsley to rightfully go after the Murdaugh family following the death of Mallory, pulled the string that slowly began to unravel the secrets of the Murdaugh family.

I thought I'd read this one for a little while today, get some stuff done, and finish the book tomorrow. Nope. This book quickly became unputdownable for me. Literally -- unputdownable. In fact, I unexpectedly read it in one sitting and got nothing done on my to-do list today. And I'm not even mad about it. This book was THAT GOOD.

Honestly, I was shocked by how much I learned in reading this book. I appreciated the deliberately intentional writing style of Bauerlein as she wove together the pieces of this story and the voluminous amounts of corruption and f*ckery and disregard for human decency within this one family. I didn't think it was possible for me to think less of Alex Murdaugh... But I was wrong. So very wrong.

If you don't know much about this case, this book is a must-read for you. If you know anything about this case, this book is a no-brainer for you. And if, like me, you think you know everything about this case, you don't. You're unknowingly lying to yourself and you need to pre-order this book right now so you can read it as soon as it comes out. Basically, the short version of my review is this: EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK. The End.

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Random House | Ballentine, and Bauerlein for gifting me this advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. This was my most highly-anticipated true crime read of the year, and it did not disappoint! Thank you Bauerlein for shining your journalistic light into this darkness, and especially for empowering so many people to finally feel safe enough to voice the ways they were victimized within this Murdaugh saga. Brilliant.

#TheDevilAtHisElbow#ValerieBauerlein #NetGalley #ARC #NetGalleyReviews #fivestarreads #truecrime #MurdaughMurders #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #thrilleraddict #booklover #greatreads

This is a fantastic coverage of the Alex murdaugh murders which have been all over the media. I’ve watched all the documentaries and real all the books about this case and it’s a ton of fun.

This was an outstanding true crime story recounting the numerous deceptions, deaths and cover-ups that took place in the lives of The Murdaugh Family. I find this book to be an absolute enthralling read. I had followed the Murdaugh family court sage in South Carolina but after reading this book, I never realized the depths of the deceptions that took place in that part of the state. I was shocked at the number of secrets and number of people they hurt along their way to wealth and power. My heart breaks for the families that were entangled in their lives. I would absolutely recommend this true crime novel. Valerie Bauerlein produced an excellent book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for the advance reading copy.

I went in thinking that this would be a book on the study of the infamous South Carolina attorney and murderer Alex Murdaugh, but it was so much more. Author Valerie Bauerlein dives deep into the entire history of this family. Dating back to the 1800’s to present day, spanning over four generations of Murtaugh’s. All of the trauma, deceit, lies and intimidation this family has caused is mind blowing.


Their southern hospitality was known all over the county. They would give you the shirt off their back, some said. But behind closed doors they harbored deep, dark secrets. Each decade and each generation had their own scandals including embezzlement, money laundering, suspicious deaths, outright murder, and fraud but Alex Murdaugh completely outdid all of them.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author. True Crime lovers, I would add this to your TBR list now, it is really worth it. There is a lot of information to swallow, but Valerie Bauerlein does an incredible job with her timelines to help us devour it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

As a daily follower of everything Murdaugh, I was so excited when I saw this book was available! There is so much behind the scene information the author provides that answered questions I didn’t even know I needed answers to! Bauerlein exposes secrets from the investigation that never came up in the trial, nor in the many documentaries I have watched. She paints a deep picture of the corruption of a family who hid behind their arrogance for decades.

The Devil at His Elbow offers an in-depth and gripping account of the Murdaugh family saga and the shocking events that culminated in the tragic night that captured national attention. Although I remember hearing about the case, I had never closely followed the details or knew the full extent of the story. This book meticulously details the generations of the Murdaugh family and the complex web of events that led up to that fateful night. The author’s thorough research and compelling storytelling provides a comprehensive understanding of the factors that shaped the tragedy. It also offers a revealing portrait of Alex Murdaugh, giving readers insight into what kind of person he truly was. With its detailed investigation and compelling narrative, The Devil at His Elbow is a must-read for anyone interested in true crime

Thank you to the publisher Random House Publishing Group / Ballantine Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley

Excellent recounting of the Murdaugh saga. Really explores the "why" behind the murders which is what I was most interested in. I would highly recommend.

This was such a well researched, fascinating book about a true crime case I had read about alot in the news. It tells the story of the Murdaugh family of SC, a wealthy family of lawyers who basically rule their community with their money, power and fear of them. Alex Murdaugh is truly an evil, heartless man and as I read one thing after another of how he hurt people in so many ways, I could not wait for him to get his karma. The author had great facts, interviews and drama to keep this story moving, even though I knew how it ended I was riveted. Hopefully Alex Murdaugh will never see the light of day again.

4 stars

Valerie Bauerlein did a fabulous job with this book. So much detail and information. I have listened to documentaries about this family and the trial. But The Devil at His Elbow was almost like being in the midst of everything. So many tragedies plaguing this family, all at the hands of one man who had been allowed to do whatever he wanted without any legal action. The Murdaugh family had made the rules for decades in their small town and Alex was coddled and raised to act and be better than everyone else. One bad decision after another led to the entire downfall of a family empire.

This book was very informative and easy to read. Although I knew the basis of the story, this book really provided a lot of information that I had missed I’m glad I decided to read it.

I thought I already knew all there was to know about this family dynasty but I was wrong. And moreso, the writing is strong and compelling, reminding me of the writing of THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, where you fall headfirst into story and can't put it down.

Bauerlein has done an admirable job of unpacking as much as possible from the tragic story of the Murdaugh family. Alex Murdaugh's crimes came out in bits and pieces in his trials (and continue to do so). To be honest, I don't think anyone will ever know exactly what went wrong and what happened but this is a good start. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a well written work of true crime for fans of the genre.

Wow.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a true crime book before this one. I honestly don’t like to dwell on the horrible things that human beings are capable of. However, I knew I wanted to read this based on what little I knew about the case. A few years ago, it was impossible to escape the news of the Murdaugh Murders and Alex Murdaugh’s fall. And while I knew enough to know he was not a good man, I had no idea just how bad he was.

I devoured this book and I do feel a little guilty about it because it’s a horrible story of a horrible man and a horrible family who did horrible things to good people. But it’s similar to a train wreck that you can’t look away from. The author did an amazing job laying out the family’s history and providing so many important details and then weaving everything together.

This book left me with a desire to know more. If this were fiction, I’d say they were too many plot holes left at the end. What really happened to Stephen Smith and Gloria Satterfield? Where are the guns? Why was there a Capri Sun in the gun room? And we may never know. But because I read this book, I know I’ll check in on this case from time to time to see if more discoveries have been made and some of the lingering questions answered.

I definitely recommend this book for any true crime fans or anyone who is just interested in learning more about this particular case. It will be published on 20 August 2024. A big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

this is the true story of the murdaugh family.a family of lawyer from south carolina i own tangled vines as well its so intresting to read about the rise and fall of the murdaugh family. normally i dont like to review true crime but this one was well done.

I was familiar with the Murdaugh murders but I had no idea it went that deep. It was incredibly shocking to learn that a family like this still exists in these times. The author really did their research and did an amazing job telling this story. I am still in shock after reading how terrible this family was. A perfect read for anyone interested in the case or true crime.

The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty" by Valerie Bauerlein is a masterfully written account that gripped me from the first page to the last. This book delves deep into the dark and twisted saga of the Murdaugh family, a powerful legal dynasty in South Carolina whose influence spanned over a century.

Bauerlein's meticulous research and compelling narrative style bring the Murdaugh family's story to life, highlighting their rise to prominence and the shocking downfall that followed. The timeline of events is presented in a clear and engaging manner, allowing readers to understand the complex web of power, corruption, and deceit that led to their demise.

The book explores the Murdaugh family's deep roots in the legal world, starting with Randolph Murdaugh Sr.'s establishment of a law firm in the early 20th century. Bauerlein expertly details how the family's influence grew over generations, with each Murdaugh wielding significant power in the region. The author doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of their legacy, including the alleged corruption, cover-ups, and legal manipulations that became synonymous with the Murdaugh name.

One of the most compelling aspects of the book is its exploration of the tragic and scandalous events that culminated in the downfall of Alex Murdaugh. Bauerlein's portrayal of Alex is both nuanced and gripping, capturing the complexities of a man who seemingly had it all but whose actions ultimately led to devastating consequences. The book provides a thorough examination of the pivotal incidents, including the mysterious death of housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, the fatal boating accident involving Paul Murdaugh, and the shocking murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

Bauerlein's writing is both informative and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the Southern Gothic world in which the Murdaughs operated. The author skillfully balances the detailed factual reporting with a narrative that reads like a thriller, making this book a page-turner that is hard to put down.

Overall, "The Devil at His Elbow" is a must-read for anyone interested in true crime, legal dramas, and Southern history. Valerie Bauerlein has crafted a powerful and unforgettable story that sheds light on the dark underbelly of a seemingly untouchable dynasty.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Ballantine Books and author Valerie Bauerlein for the Advanced Reader Copy.