The Family Man: Blood and Betrayal in the House of Murdaugh
by James Lasdun
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In March 2023, Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife and younger son at Moselle, their home in South Carolina's Lowcountry. By then, the story had become headline news across the country, with its revelations of corruption in high places, massive fraud, opioid abuse, fake suicides, suspicious accidents, and the generational recklessness of the wealthy legal dynasty at its center. Having covered the case for The New Yorker, where his article became the magazine's most read story of the year, the acclaimed novelist James Lasdun brings his long-standing interest in the darker drives of the human psyche to an investigation into the serial embezzlements, fatal boat crash, and other events leading up to the slaughter at Moselle. "Justice may have been served," Lasdun writes in the preface to The Family Man, "but the human element of the story didn't seem to add up."
Having traveled extensively in the Lowcountry, Lasdun draws on original interviews (including with Murdaugh's notorious "Cousin Eddie"), transcripts of phone calls Murdaugh made from prison, the literature of criminal psychology, and the murder trial itself. Deeply researched, sharply written, and with the page-turning intensity of a Southern gothic novel, The Family Man constructs a masterful portrait of Murdaugh and the mind-boggling crimes that wreaked havoc on his community.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781324075325
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- James Lasdun
- Publisher
- W. W. Norton & Company
- Published Date
- May 5, 2026
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 432
- Physical Info
- 1.5 in H x 9.1 in L x 6.4 in W (1.25 lb)

4.5 stars rounded up.I came into this with a morbid curiosity in knowing more about the Murdaugh Murders. The headlines, livestreams, interviews, and podcasts all spread information with a nonlinear timeline and conflicting details, and I could never fully wrap my head around the chaos of everything that happened and what led up to it.Lasdun scratched that itch and then some. This tome captures the Murdaugh controversies going back to the grandfather. Then it goes through property settlements, the infamous boat crash, the family dynamics, and of course, the murder itself. In between, it humanizes everyone involved, including Alex/Alec himself, and provides unique insight into court dynamics, jury experiences, and even some rarely discussed details about the "brotherhood" within law firms.Did I walk away with a clear understanding of why the murders happened? Do I now know for certain who all was involved? No. I'm probably further away from either of those answers than ever. But I think that's exactly what Lasdun would have wanted. He introduced novel hypotheses that really make the reader question how a "Family Man" can flip into a "family annihilator."Highly recommend for anyone who is interested in true crime deep dives; even if you are unfamiliar with the case, worry not, Lasdun will catch you right up.
I have followed the trial of Alex Murcaugh and read another book about him and the trial. James Lasdun has this underlying belief that maybe Alex is not guilty or some alternatives to what happened. It can be loo long at some points but it's worth reading. I found his psychological analysis of men who kill their families interesting. But I read The Devil at his Elbow by Valarie Bauerlein a better read. Now that the South Carolina Supreme Court has reversed the decision of the trial court it will be interesting to see what happens. Alex has no money, so I'm not sure how he is going to finance another trial. He's already in jail for life because of the financial crimes. The only reason he would have for being found not guilty of the murders or some lesser offense would be to get the insurance money. Otherwise, makes no sense. But his ego is such that he may just want to prove himself right.
Though familiar with the case already, I thought this would be an interesting read that would add some new insights. It was not.I found this to be a meandering, redundant, poorly organized summation of the Murdaugh murders, frequently interspersed with the author's musings of his own struggle to come to an opinion of the accused's guilt or innocence.This could possibly have been a two star rating, but for the HORRIFIC EDITING.
I hesitated to pick this up since I’ve read a lot about the Murdaugh case, but I’m glad I did. It was thoughtfully presented and held my attention throughout.
Really enjoyed this book for its different perspective - a deep dive from a new angle - the psychology of family annihilators.
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