The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty

"Valerie Bauerlein's blistering, unforgettable account of the Murdaugh saga leaves no stone unturned, helping us finally truly understand the man at the center of one of the century's wildest crime stories."--Robert Kolker, author of Hidden Valley Road and Lost Girls Power, privilege, and blood--this is the definitive and thrilling true story of Alex Murdaugh's violent downfall, from a veteran Wall Street Journal reporter who has become an authority on the case. Alex Murdaugh was a benevolent dictator--the president of the South Carolina trial lawyers' association, a political boss, a part-time prosecutor, and a partner in his family's law firm. He was always ready with a favor, a drink, and an invitation to Moselle, his family's 1,700-acre hunting estate. The Murdaugh name ignited respect--and fear--for a hundred miles. When he murdered his wife, Maggie, and son Paul at Moselle on a dark summer night, the fragile façade of Alex's world could no longer hold. His forefathers had covered