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This book should come with a warning: It will make you want to scream. Loudly. It is infuriating. How could one man be so evil and perpetrate his selfish crimes on so many innocent people for so long? And get away with it?

Masterfully written by Valerie Bauerlein, this is a deeply researched book told with a storyteller's touch that describes the powerful Murdaugh family of South Carolina and how for generations this legal dynasty scammed others in their seemingly unstoppable quest for power and wealth. But it was only when manipulative and cunning Alex Murdaugh took things too far, including massive theft from trusted clients that totaled in the millions of dollars, an out-of-control opiate addiction, and an attempted cover-up of a young woman's death caused by his son that the family faltered and then fell—after 100 years.

But the worst crimes of all were the murders and unexplained "accidental" deaths of four people close to Alex Murdaugh, among whom were his wife and son. Alex Murdaugh was a cold-blooded murderer. And he thought he could get away with it because in his mind he was above the law.

For generations, the Murdaugh family dominated tiny and desolate Hampton County, South Carolina, as well as four surrounding counties. Seemingly everyone—from sheriffs to judges—were cowed by them, owed them favors, or just wanted to be part of their good old boy network. The Murdaughs got away with everything—perhaps even murder—until suddenly it all crumbled.

This is the masterfully written, chilling account of how the entitled and brutal Murdaugh family built up their crooked, deceitful empire and how it all disintegrated with blood on their hands. It's an epic American saga and it reads more like a page-turner of a novel than a nonfiction book. Highly recommended.