Swamp Kings

The Story of the Murdaugh Family of South Carolina & a Century of Backwoods Power

By: Jason Ryan

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The stranger-than-fiction story of the now-notorious low country clan, in all its Southern Gothic intensity—by an author with unparalleled access to and knowledge of the players, the history, and the place.

The most famous man in South Carolina lives jailed in the state capital. He stands accused of a staggering amount of wrongdoing—ninety-nine crimes and counting. Once a high-flying, smooth-talking, pedigreed Southern lawyer, Alex Murdaugh is now disbarred and disgraced. For more than a decade, prosecutors claim, Alex was secretly a fraud, a thief, a drug dealer and an all-around phony. On the night of June 7, 2021, they claim, he also became a killer.

The many alleged crimes of Alex Murdaugh, revealed piecemeal over the last two years, have appalled the general public. Yet his implosion—the spectacular manner in which he has turned his vaunted family name to mud—has also proved mesmerizing. With every revelation, Murdaugh is further shown to be a man without bottom. Every new disclosure eclipses and redefines what’s already known, making this a gothic crime story for the ages.

Yet even more remarkable is the fact that none of this bad behavior is unprecedented. In Swamp Kings, Jason Ryan reveals it is only the tip of the iceberg, and that when it comes to this family, history has a way of repeating itself. For every alleged, headline-grabbing crime associated with Alex Murdaugh, mirror-image incidents have played out within his family’s past, including parallel instances of fraud, theft, trafficking, calamitous late-night boat crashes, and even murder.

Spanning a century of misdeeds and set amongst the swamps, pines, and poverty, Swamp Kings weaves together the jaw-dropping narratives of generations of Murdaughs, culminating in the trial that transfixed the nation and shining a bright light on the swamp kings of Hampton County—and their numerous victims—at last.

©2024 Jason Ryan (P)2024 Spotify Audiobooks

OMG!

I've lived my entire life in the Lowcountry, and even I was saying, oh my gosh, I can't believe he included That!

ALL the dirt is out on the table.

my only complaint about the performance was the mispronouncing of certain names...Edisto, Combahee and McCloskey.

Context!!

For those like me who followed the Alex Murdaugh trial, this excellent book offers context. Context to help explain the Murdaugh mindset. A mindset and sense of entitlement perpetuated for generations. Highly recommend.

A tale of multigenerational privilege and corruption culminating in exposure

This account tracks in detail the accomplishments and predations of the men of the Murdaugh family, who for 100 years held sway in the Low Country of South Carolina as powerful and accomplished prosecutors and plaintiffs’ attorneys. Sometimes the details can become a bit overwhelming, leading to temporary confusion about the exact timeline. Also, the family’s prediction for certain names and nicknames, particularly Randolph and Buster, occasionally left this listener puzzled as to who was being discussed.

However, the excellent performance and the dramatic way in which the themes are clarified balance out these flaws.

This is a book for afficianados of the crimes of Alec Murdaugh who want to know more about the legacy that produced a man of such confident corruption and power, a true example of truth eclipsing fiction.

Amazing research spanning many decades

Most of us know some, or a lot, about the Murdaugh story. What amazed me was the corruption of the family that went back at least four generations.
Completely engrossing, I learned so much about the family’s entitlement. I highly recommend this book.

Lacking

No info about the trial(s) at all. I enjoyed the background information but the end needed to be more robust.

Mesmerizing....BUT

There were more than a few digressions into social commentary and unrelated matters that dangerously skirted the precipice of a politically correct scold. It seemed like the author wanted to blame the area, the people and the history for the acts of a singular monster. Almost one of those anti-southern tropes modern journalists and authors, inflict upon the reader to demonstrate how "enlightened" they are. But that said, I thought it was extremely well researched, and, well the Gothic evil of it all renders the tale completely gripping. Ignore the virtue signaling and just be amazed by narcissism, greed, wickedness and corruption run amok. The curse of money and vanity.

Excellent

Well researched and thorough. The narrator was has a good voice. Easy to listen to. Recommend!

Enjoyed all the history

Loved the stories of the lowcountry, some are a bit disturbing but all over all a great book. If you’re from the area the pronunciation of Edisto Beach and Wofford College will drive you bananas! The narration is a bit flat for a while but picks up.

Wonderful history synopsis

I enjoyed hearing all the history come together into one place. The author did a great job at compiling the story line.

interesting

I thought too graphic about the torture and killing of animals by that John character and skipped that whole chapter. other then that it was informative and interesting. I did learn more why Alex was Alex. sounds like he came by a rash of privilege and above the law heritage. he definitely is where he belongs.