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Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty
Years before the name Alex Murdaugh was splashed across every major media outlet in America, local South Carolina journalist Mandy Matney had an instinct that something wasn’t right in the Lowcountry. The powerful Murdaugh dynasty had dominated rural South Carolina for generations. No one dared to cross them. When Mandy and her reporting partner Liz Farrell looked closer at a fatal boat crash involving the storied family’s teenage son Paul, they began to uncover a web of mysteries surrounding the deaths of the Murdaughs� long-time housekeeper and a young man found slain years earlier on a backcountry road.
Just as their investigations were unfolding, the brutal double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh rocketed Alex Murdaugh onto the international stage. From the newsroom to the courtroom, Blood on Their Hands is a propulsive true crime saga, an empathetic work of investigative journalism, and an excoriation of the “good old boy� systems that enabled a network of criminals.
Just as their investigations were unfolding, the brutal double murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh rocketed Alex Murdaugh onto the international stage. From the newsroom to the courtroom, Blood on Their Hands is a propulsive true crime saga, an empathetic work of investigative journalism, and an excoriation of the “good old boy� systems that enabled a network of criminals.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2023
407 people are currently reading
2441 people want to read
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November 13, 2023
I don't know...how I slogged my way through this book.
I feel like my first statement should be that this is NOT what I was expecting. I was expecting a book that encompasses the entire story of the Murdaugh's since there's no question that Mandy was one of the best, if not the best journalist investigating the family. However, the book I read was not that. It’s a memoir by a journalist who wants us all to know how hard she has worked to be successful and how many people got in her way.
I'm also going to give the disclaimer that I used to be a huge fan of Mandy's work because back when the murders occurred and the story was just coming out, she was the best and most unbiased source there was.... However, as she's risen in fame, I've noticed that both her team and her fans have become a little bit, dare I say, "cult-like." What was once unbiased reporting has given Matney a level of fame that I believe has begun to skew some of the work on the Murdaugh case. I know that as soon as I post this review, someone is going to try to come at me about this too. However, this is a review of Blood on Their Hands, not a bash Mandy Matney session.
The way some of the sensitive information was handled in this book made me cringe. I quite literally felt the need to reach out to people that I know who were mentioned in this book to make sure they consented to their story being used so openly (I'm sure they did, but coming from the general area, you tend to fear for your safety still no matter who might be behind bars currently). The fact that one person was quoted saying "my family would kill me if they knew I was speaking to a reporter about this," was incredibly concerning to me as both a reader and a person from the general area. Even if that person consented, knowing the area and how much corruption there is, it should have been handled more tastefully. That person likely still has family living there. Matney mentions the fear she and Liz felt when they visited where Stephen was found and discovered they were being followed. However, she had the ability to leave. Imagine if she'd been stuck in Hampton like so many victims of this story. Imagine if she’d been in Libby’s caregiver’s shoes in this story, a woman who was absolutely terrified to speak out for fear of retaliation.
The bashing of former employers frustrated me. I agree that Will Folks may not be the best guy out there, but I felt that Matney threw him under the bus and wrote him off completely when he really did give her a lot of good information and sources (by her own admission) during her time at FITS. Sure, she used that information and made her own way, but still. That didn't do this book any favors for me as a reader. It just made her come off as whiny, bitter, and selfish.
Much of Blood on Their Hands focuses on Mandy's rise from first moving to Bluffton (in what world is Bluffton a small town?!) to where she is now and the sexism she faced in the past. I agree that the issues facing journalists, especially those unwilling to let their opinions be bought, is important. However, that's not the book I wanted to read when I picked this up, nor is it what was advertised. On top of that, Matney came off as tacky and distasteful, making herself sound like the hero of the story when in reality, the people who were brave enough to speak to her (or some other form of authority) in the first place despite knowing the danger they could be in are the true heroes.
So much of the latter half of the book focuses on the trolls and people who didn't like her and again, that's an important topic, but it's not what I wanted to read about here. A lot of this book came off as a whiny and selfish (Did I mention whiny and selfish yet?) money grab, using the chaotic and twisted story to increase Mandy's fame (which I guess makes sense, but again, it's not what was advertised). There are so many passages in this book that made me want to throw it across the room because it was also extremely anti-men all the time. For example, Matney recalls what I consider throwing a tantrum because Eric Bland wasn’t giving her information, despite her self-given title of expert, because he was a man.
My overall feeling of this book is summed up well by Matney's old boss at The Island Packet. "You have the talent to write for the New York Times, but it's your attitude that's the problem."
The Murdaugh story is incredibly complex. We're talking generations of corruption, theft, drugs, etc. None of that was present in this book. There's barely any mention of Randolph III and zero mention of Randolph I or II. There's no mention of how this family made their fortune or the dichotomy that exists between the rich and poor in Hampton County. All of this is context that readers and followers of this story need to make sense of why things were/are the way they were/are in this story. There's no mention of any of the accomplices the Murdaughs had over the years or any explanation of how these stories intertwine or how they're relevant to the people still living in that area. For someone who has put so much time and energy into this saga and so much emphasis on telling the stories that matter, I would have expected this book to contain more of that than a superficial retelling of the first part of the story.
I felt like the stories of the victims of this real-life tragedy weren't given the justice they deserved. This book SHOULD have been more focused on the stories of how Hampton got to where it is, how we got to the point where all of this chaos happened, and most importantly, it should have focused on humanizing the victims of the story. Sure, it can be said that most of the victims in this story weren't innocent and that some were nearly as bad as Alex, but their stories are more important than the money grab that this book is.
Overall, I wouldn't have finished reading this book if it weren't for the fact that I'd said I'd review it. I was expecting a true crime book, not a memoir from a whiny reporter. I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know from early episodes of the podcast and watching Alex's murder trial. For all the international attention that this saga has gotten, readers need more context to understand the story for all that it is.
I feel like my first statement should be that this is NOT what I was expecting. I was expecting a book that encompasses the entire story of the Murdaugh's since there's no question that Mandy was one of the best, if not the best journalist investigating the family. However, the book I read was not that. It’s a memoir by a journalist who wants us all to know how hard she has worked to be successful and how many people got in her way.
I'm also going to give the disclaimer that I used to be a huge fan of Mandy's work because back when the murders occurred and the story was just coming out, she was the best and most unbiased source there was.... However, as she's risen in fame, I've noticed that both her team and her fans have become a little bit, dare I say, "cult-like." What was once unbiased reporting has given Matney a level of fame that I believe has begun to skew some of the work on the Murdaugh case. I know that as soon as I post this review, someone is going to try to come at me about this too. However, this is a review of Blood on Their Hands, not a bash Mandy Matney session.
The way some of the sensitive information was handled in this book made me cringe. I quite literally felt the need to reach out to people that I know who were mentioned in this book to make sure they consented to their story being used so openly (I'm sure they did, but coming from the general area, you tend to fear for your safety still no matter who might be behind bars currently). The fact that one person was quoted saying "my family would kill me if they knew I was speaking to a reporter about this," was incredibly concerning to me as both a reader and a person from the general area. Even if that person consented, knowing the area and how much corruption there is, it should have been handled more tastefully. That person likely still has family living there. Matney mentions the fear she and Liz felt when they visited where Stephen was found and discovered they were being followed. However, she had the ability to leave. Imagine if she'd been stuck in Hampton like so many victims of this story. Imagine if she’d been in Libby’s caregiver’s shoes in this story, a woman who was absolutely terrified to speak out for fear of retaliation.
The bashing of former employers frustrated me. I agree that Will Folks may not be the best guy out there, but I felt that Matney threw him under the bus and wrote him off completely when he really did give her a lot of good information and sources (by her own admission) during her time at FITS. Sure, she used that information and made her own way, but still. That didn't do this book any favors for me as a reader. It just made her come off as whiny, bitter, and selfish.
Much of Blood on Their Hands focuses on Mandy's rise from first moving to Bluffton (in what world is Bluffton a small town?!) to where she is now and the sexism she faced in the past. I agree that the issues facing journalists, especially those unwilling to let their opinions be bought, is important. However, that's not the book I wanted to read when I picked this up, nor is it what was advertised. On top of that, Matney came off as tacky and distasteful, making herself sound like the hero of the story when in reality, the people who were brave enough to speak to her (or some other form of authority) in the first place despite knowing the danger they could be in are the true heroes.
So much of the latter half of the book focuses on the trolls and people who didn't like her and again, that's an important topic, but it's not what I wanted to read about here. A lot of this book came off as a whiny and selfish (Did I mention whiny and selfish yet?) money grab, using the chaotic and twisted story to increase Mandy's fame (which I guess makes sense, but again, it's not what was advertised). There are so many passages in this book that made me want to throw it across the room because it was also extremely anti-men all the time. For example, Matney recalls what I consider throwing a tantrum because Eric Bland wasn’t giving her information, despite her self-given title of expert, because he was a man.
My overall feeling of this book is summed up well by Matney's old boss at The Island Packet. "You have the talent to write for the New York Times, but it's your attitude that's the problem."
The Murdaugh story is incredibly complex. We're talking generations of corruption, theft, drugs, etc. None of that was present in this book. There's barely any mention of Randolph III and zero mention of Randolph I or II. There's no mention of how this family made their fortune or the dichotomy that exists between the rich and poor in Hampton County. All of this is context that readers and followers of this story need to make sense of why things were/are the way they were/are in this story. There's no mention of any of the accomplices the Murdaughs had over the years or any explanation of how these stories intertwine or how they're relevant to the people still living in that area. For someone who has put so much time and energy into this saga and so much emphasis on telling the stories that matter, I would have expected this book to contain more of that than a superficial retelling of the first part of the story.
I felt like the stories of the victims of this real-life tragedy weren't given the justice they deserved. This book SHOULD have been more focused on the stories of how Hampton got to where it is, how we got to the point where all of this chaos happened, and most importantly, it should have focused on humanizing the victims of the story. Sure, it can be said that most of the victims in this story weren't innocent and that some were nearly as bad as Alex, but their stories are more important than the money grab that this book is.
Overall, I wouldn't have finished reading this book if it weren't for the fact that I'd said I'd review it. I was expecting a true crime book, not a memoir from a whiny reporter. I didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know from early episodes of the podcast and watching Alex's murder trial. For all the international attention that this saga has gotten, readers need more context to understand the story for all that it is.
Read
December 1, 2023Not rating b/c I DNF'ed around 20% on the audiobook. Leaving a note more than a review: this is simply not the true crime/narrative non-fiction I wanted to be. It's a... personal memoir? by the journalist and I'm simply not interested in her girlboss career trajectory or her love life. What a missed opportunity to write a comprehensive book in a narrative journalistic style on the Murdaugh case given she was the on-the-ground local reporter and all... instead this is more like a diary with a ton of telling and little on the actual case up to the point I stopped. I almost NEVER DNF, but I simply couldn't spend anymore time with it. Just noting this so others like me will know it's not the book they might have been looking for. Disappointed.
October 6, 2023
I am not a podcast listener and so have not heard any of the Murdaugh Murders Podcast (MMP), an extremely popular podcast that has often been ranked #1 ranked on Apple Podcasts. I requested an advance reader copy of Blood on Their Hands expecting it to be true crime nonfiction about Alex Murdaugh. It’s not. It’s a memoir by a journalist who wants us all to know how hard she has worked to be successful and how many people got in her way.
Mandy Matney is a good writer with a major chip on her shoulder. She wants to be a good journalist fighting the good journalist fight and shining a light on crime and corruption. She has faced sexism in the workplace � welcome to being a working woman, Mandy � and feels she has been betrayed by a number of colleagues she trusted. As I read this book, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sally Field and her “I can't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!� speech when she won an Oscar.
I don’t question that Matney has put in the work to become a respected journalist, but to me, a reader unfamiliar with her and her work, she comes off as whiny and bitter in this book. Alex Murdaugh, his family, and the aura of invincibility around them needed to be investigated, and it seems like Matney and colleagues did good work. But, for example, Matney acknowledges that Will Folks gave her a job when she needed one, and the support and leads (and paycheck) she needed to investigate Murdaugh, but she also writes near the end of the book, “Looking back now, I can see that the relationship was a bad fit from the start. Will threw me a lifeline when I was desperate for a way out of The Packet, but I think I gave him too much credit for ‘saving� me. I excused the rumors about his unsavory reputation because of how much I wanted to believe he was a good guy. I ignored the times his judgment felt off because I was eager to grow with the company. But our early talks about my earning equity at FITS never panned out, and as MMP took off, I began to realize Will saw me more as a competitor than as a teammate. I see now that I never needed a man or an institution to lend my work credibility � I just needed more confidence in my abilities. I’ll always be grateful to FITS for being a stepping stone at a crucial time in my career, but I wish I could go back and tell my former self to get out as soon as things started to curdle.� (p. 251 of the ARC). Way to throw someone under the bus who by her own admission gave her a lot of information and contributed to her ability to write the podcast stories about the Murdaugh family. Matney didn’t do herself any favors with me as a reader with this section. She could have said it was time to move on and left it at that.
Please note that your reaction may vary. Readers who love Matney and her podcasts may love this book. If you are a fan of Murdaugh Murders Podcast, give it a shot. If you are not, this might not be the Murdaugh book for you. I read an advance reader copy of Blood on Their Hands. It is scheduled to be published on November 14.
Mandy Matney is a good writer with a major chip on her shoulder. She wants to be a good journalist fighting the good journalist fight and shining a light on crime and corruption. She has faced sexism in the workplace � welcome to being a working woman, Mandy � and feels she has been betrayed by a number of colleagues she trusted. As I read this book, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sally Field and her “I can't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!� speech when she won an Oscar.
I don’t question that Matney has put in the work to become a respected journalist, but to me, a reader unfamiliar with her and her work, she comes off as whiny and bitter in this book. Alex Murdaugh, his family, and the aura of invincibility around them needed to be investigated, and it seems like Matney and colleagues did good work. But, for example, Matney acknowledges that Will Folks gave her a job when she needed one, and the support and leads (and paycheck) she needed to investigate Murdaugh, but she also writes near the end of the book, “Looking back now, I can see that the relationship was a bad fit from the start. Will threw me a lifeline when I was desperate for a way out of The Packet, but I think I gave him too much credit for ‘saving� me. I excused the rumors about his unsavory reputation because of how much I wanted to believe he was a good guy. I ignored the times his judgment felt off because I was eager to grow with the company. But our early talks about my earning equity at FITS never panned out, and as MMP took off, I began to realize Will saw me more as a competitor than as a teammate. I see now that I never needed a man or an institution to lend my work credibility � I just needed more confidence in my abilities. I’ll always be grateful to FITS for being a stepping stone at a crucial time in my career, but I wish I could go back and tell my former self to get out as soon as things started to curdle.� (p. 251 of the ARC). Way to throw someone under the bus who by her own admission gave her a lot of information and contributed to her ability to write the podcast stories about the Murdaugh family. Matney didn’t do herself any favors with me as a reader with this section. She could have said it was time to move on and left it at that.
Please note that your reaction may vary. Readers who love Matney and her podcasts may love this book. If you are a fan of Murdaugh Murders Podcast, give it a shot. If you are not, this might not be the Murdaugh book for you. I read an advance reader copy of Blood on Their Hands. It is scheduled to be published on November 14.
November 7, 2024
I can’t think of anything nice to say about this book. In fact, I’ve been coming up with alternative titles for it since I was about a third of the way into it. Here are a few tentative ideas:
Mandy Matney: In My Own Words By Mandy Matney, Millenial Journalist™️
How I Overcame the Strife of Being a Middle Class White Millenial and Why You Should Never Stop Singing My Praises: The Mandy Matney Story by Mandy Matney (Don’t Forget to Download my Podcast!!!)
Millenial Journalist in the Lowcountry: Why I’m the Only Reason Alex Murdaugh Faced Justice by Mandy Matney
…she really grated on me, can you tell?
Mandy Matney was there first. It was HER story. Without her, Alex Murdaugh never would have faced justice. Thanks to her (and you should definitely be thanking her� over and over, again and then again), he was convicted for the double homicide of his wife and son. Who knows how she ever managed to get that kind of work done; what with all the misogynistic and sexist bosses, unhealthy relationships with both men and alcohol, and Twitter scrolling. Sheesh, didn’t you know it’s tough to be a middle class, white female, millennial journalist down there in South Carolina?
This was absolutely not a “propulsive true-crime saga.� That’s what I thought I was getting - the Murdaugh story, their history, additional details of all the crimes tied to their family name� This was not that. This was the Mandy Matney story. None of it’s even all that interesting or well-written. 1⭐️
[EDITING TO ADD] If you’re looking for comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the Murdaugh family and their crimes, I highly recommend The Devil At His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty by Valerie Bauerlein.
Mandy Matney: In My Own Words By Mandy Matney, Millenial Journalist™️
How I Overcame the Strife of Being a Middle Class White Millenial and Why You Should Never Stop Singing My Praises: The Mandy Matney Story by Mandy Matney (Don’t Forget to Download my Podcast!!!)
Millenial Journalist in the Lowcountry: Why I’m the Only Reason Alex Murdaugh Faced Justice by Mandy Matney
…she really grated on me, can you tell?
Mandy Matney was there first. It was HER story. Without her, Alex Murdaugh never would have faced justice. Thanks to her (and you should definitely be thanking her� over and over, again and then again), he was convicted for the double homicide of his wife and son. Who knows how she ever managed to get that kind of work done; what with all the misogynistic and sexist bosses, unhealthy relationships with both men and alcohol, and Twitter scrolling. Sheesh, didn’t you know it’s tough to be a middle class, white female, millennial journalist down there in South Carolina?
This was absolutely not a “propulsive true-crime saga.� That’s what I thought I was getting - the Murdaugh story, their history, additional details of all the crimes tied to their family name� This was not that. This was the Mandy Matney story. None of it’s even all that interesting or well-written. 1⭐️
[EDITING TO ADD] If you’re looking for comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the Murdaugh family and their crimes, I highly recommend The Devil At His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty by Valerie Bauerlein.
December 10, 2023
Too much about the podcast host. I wanted a book on the Murdaugh family, not a memoir from a podcaster.
November 27, 2023
This is "The Mandy Matney Story." If you are interested in this case, you will need to read a different book.
December 6, 2023
I think at least to some degree, I misunderstood what this was.
I assumed it was going to be straight reporting on the Murdaugh family. I've read enough true crime (including which I finished immediately before I started this) to have a general idea of how these books should flow.
This is something much closer to a personal memoir for the author. The main character of the book is very obviously Mandy Matney, with huge chunks of the book dedicated to her personal and professional life completely unrelated to the Murdaughs. Which is, I don't know, fine, I suppose, if it's being used to add color to the actual reporting, which, to be clear, is very good and plainly the strength of the book. Unfortunately, the reporting on the facts of the case(s) probably composes less than half of the book.
The clear majority of the book is dedicated to airing personal grievances, both real and (often) completely imagined and score-settling. At one point Matney states that she realizes that she's not the real victim in this story, but if you read her book it's not at all apparent that she does believe that.
Every single criticism, setback, and busy signal she has ever received in her life is the result of sexism. Virtually anyone she's ever worked with or encountered while doing her job is out to get her, lazy, incompetent, corrupt, or perhaps worse than any of that, an "old white man" which is in and of itself, a bad thing, to the point that a potential source is all but dismissed because his voice makes her believe he might be old and white. Thankfully for everyone, she soon discovers that he is young and not white, and thus, I guess, inherently trustworthy (?)
The book eventually starts to read as a parody of an entitled millennial’s (and I'm a millennial!) cry-in, and it's just exhausting.
Thumbs up on the actual reporting though, seriously.
I assumed it was going to be straight reporting on the Murdaugh family. I've read enough true crime (including which I finished immediately before I started this) to have a general idea of how these books should flow.
This is something much closer to a personal memoir for the author. The main character of the book is very obviously Mandy Matney, with huge chunks of the book dedicated to her personal and professional life completely unrelated to the Murdaughs. Which is, I don't know, fine, I suppose, if it's being used to add color to the actual reporting, which, to be clear, is very good and plainly the strength of the book. Unfortunately, the reporting on the facts of the case(s) probably composes less than half of the book.
The clear majority of the book is dedicated to airing personal grievances, both real and (often) completely imagined and score-settling. At one point Matney states that she realizes that she's not the real victim in this story, but if you read her book it's not at all apparent that she does believe that.
Every single criticism, setback, and busy signal she has ever received in her life is the result of sexism. Virtually anyone she's ever worked with or encountered while doing her job is out to get her, lazy, incompetent, corrupt, or perhaps worse than any of that, an "old white man" which is in and of itself, a bad thing, to the point that a potential source is all but dismissed because his voice makes her believe he might be old and white. Thankfully for everyone, she soon discovers that he is young and not white, and thus, I guess, inherently trustworthy (?)
The book eventually starts to read as a parody of an entitled millennial’s (and I'm a millennial!) cry-in, and it's just exhausting.
Thumbs up on the actual reporting though, seriously.
October 18, 2023
Great book! I was lucky to have been chosen to receive an advance copy of this book. I have faithfully followed the Murdaugh Murders Podcast since soon after it was released. I was hooked at the first episode! The podcast provided an up close, inside view to the events surrounding the murders and exposed more corruption than I could have ever imagined.
Reading the book was like a walk down memory lane, but from Mandy's perspective, adding insight to the what, where and how these events affected her. Mandy offers a view to her life before and during her reporting on the many twists and turns she uncovered while investigating the Murdaugh family.
This book is a must read, if you want to know the REAL story of how the details of this unbelievable saga broke.
Reading the book was like a walk down memory lane, but from Mandy's perspective, adding insight to the what, where and how these events affected her. Mandy offers a view to her life before and during her reporting on the many twists and turns she uncovered while investigating the Murdaugh family.
This book is a must read, if you want to know the REAL story of how the details of this unbelievable saga broke.
October 17, 2023
This is a MUST READ book! It is insightful, well written, full of mind blowing facts. At times you can’t believe what Mandy and Liz uncovered.
If you’re going to read one book about this story, this is the book to read!! It’s coming from the only source you can truly trust!!
If you’re going to read one book about this story, this is the book to read!! It’s coming from the only source you can truly trust!!
November 15, 2023
I want to preface this by saying this is the first book review I’ve legitimately been scared to write and post. Not only because it’ll likely be an unpopular opinion, but because I know and have seen how Mandy takes to social media if you say anything outside of applauding her every move. I’ll also be transparent in saying that while I was a huge fan of Mandy’s journalistic talents and abilities in the beginning, I’m not a fan of her presence on social media and how she has handled certain things in recent years.
PROS: Very easy to read. She puts you right there with her throughout the book, like when she’s sitting at a coffee shop with Olivia. She made me feel like I was right there and could feel the emotion, see their faces. I also enjoyed hearing the story of how she and Liz became so close and began working with one another, setting out on a new adventure if you will.
CONS: (this is where my fear comes in) Very narcissistic read. The literal title of the book is about Murdaugh but somehow I felt like I was reading a journal about Mandy. I saw a pattern in the beginning where every company she worked for was wrong and she was right. She was poised and professional while claiming sexism and unprofessionalism toward everyone else. But I also have to give her a little bit of grace, because this is the type of person she seems to be. As an example, she likes to preach about mental health and how important it is to protect that. But then, on her social media outlets, she begins putting people down and messing with their mental health with her (and her supporters�) attacks.
This can be read all throughout the book as well.
I wasn’t a fan of how she spoke about both of the Murdaugh boys. Mandy claims to be a victim advocate, but then bashes the victim as much as she can. If she thinks that it will get her more clicks, likes, follows, and even purchases of this book. The way she puts Paul Murdaugh down in this book is actually a little scary. Especially in the first few chapters. The words she used to describe him were telling as to what her motive has been all along. Her disdain for the Murdaugh family shines through with her juvenile resorting to put downs and rude, descriptive words toward a literal victim - Paul Murdaugh. The way she talked about Maggie, the wife and mother. How anyone can stomach this book is beyond me.
I could go on, but I won’t. At the end of the day, this is definitely a book geared towards certain people. And I am not one of those people. I really think she has a talent. But I think she is using that talent for her own end game to make her come out on top whilst everyone else is just wrong and beneath her. And that really shines through in this book. Because of this, I do not recommend it.
PROS: Very easy to read. She puts you right there with her throughout the book, like when she’s sitting at a coffee shop with Olivia. She made me feel like I was right there and could feel the emotion, see their faces. I also enjoyed hearing the story of how she and Liz became so close and began working with one another, setting out on a new adventure if you will.
CONS: (this is where my fear comes in) Very narcissistic read. The literal title of the book is about Murdaugh but somehow I felt like I was reading a journal about Mandy. I saw a pattern in the beginning where every company she worked for was wrong and she was right. She was poised and professional while claiming sexism and unprofessionalism toward everyone else. But I also have to give her a little bit of grace, because this is the type of person she seems to be. As an example, she likes to preach about mental health and how important it is to protect that. But then, on her social media outlets, she begins putting people down and messing with their mental health with her (and her supporters�) attacks.
This can be read all throughout the book as well.
I wasn’t a fan of how she spoke about both of the Murdaugh boys. Mandy claims to be a victim advocate, but then bashes the victim as much as she can. If she thinks that it will get her more clicks, likes, follows, and even purchases of this book. The way she puts Paul Murdaugh down in this book is actually a little scary. Especially in the first few chapters. The words she used to describe him were telling as to what her motive has been all along. Her disdain for the Murdaugh family shines through with her juvenile resorting to put downs and rude, descriptive words toward a literal victim - Paul Murdaugh. The way she talked about Maggie, the wife and mother. How anyone can stomach this book is beyond me.
I could go on, but I won’t. At the end of the day, this is definitely a book geared towards certain people. And I am not one of those people. I really think she has a talent. But I think she is using that talent for her own end game to make her come out on top whilst everyone else is just wrong and beneath her. And that really shines through in this book. Because of this, I do not recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2023
I was obsessed with the Murdaugh trial. If you don't follow True Crime, than you still probably heard about this case. It's the rare case that broke through all the Trump to take the country by storm. In the summer of 2021in the South Carolina lowcountry Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were found dead by Alex Murdaugh husband and father of the victims. Over the next 2 years more and more crimes and misdeeds were uncovered involving this rich and extremely powerful family. When I was trying to fund more information in the early days of the case I stumbled across the Murdaugh Murders podcast which was created by Mandy Matney( I didn't realize she's younger than me until I read this book...not much younger but every year counts as I hurtle towards 40).
Mandy Matney her husband David and her fellow journalist Liz Farrell have been investigating the Murdaugh's since before the murders and even after the end of the trial they have continued to bring other Murdaugh victims to light. I would say the biggest victim of Alex Murdaugh is Hakeem Pinckney. Please look up what that piece of shit Alex did to him and his family. I hope all the worst things in the world happen to Alex and his co-conspirators.
Blood on Their Hands isn't really a True Crime book as much as it is Mandy's memoir of her reporting career both before and during the Murdaugh case. If that's not what want I'm sure their are a gang of books about the murders. This book is for those of us who love her podcast and want to get a more personal look at her background and all the sexism she had to deal with. So for that reason I'm not going to give a recommendation eventhough I really liked this book and thought it was a quick hard hitting personal memoir about a young journalist who fights for what's right and won't be intimidated by the powerful.
Mandy Matney her husband David and her fellow journalist Liz Farrell have been investigating the Murdaugh's since before the murders and even after the end of the trial they have continued to bring other Murdaugh victims to light. I would say the biggest victim of Alex Murdaugh is Hakeem Pinckney. Please look up what that piece of shit Alex did to him and his family. I hope all the worst things in the world happen to Alex and his co-conspirators.
Blood on Their Hands isn't really a True Crime book as much as it is Mandy's memoir of her reporting career both before and during the Murdaugh case. If that's not what want I'm sure their are a gang of books about the murders. This book is for those of us who love her podcast and want to get a more personal look at her background and all the sexism she had to deal with. So for that reason I'm not going to give a recommendation eventhough I really liked this book and thought it was a quick hard hitting personal memoir about a young journalist who fights for what's right and won't be intimidated by the powerful.
January 7, 2024
This was not at all what I was expecting and felt like it was thrown together very quickly to capitalize on the Murdaugh trial buzz.
Instead of focusing on the victims and their stories or even delving deeper into the history of Hampton County, she really made it all about herself. I didn’t read anything I hadn’t heard before. Ironically, she came off as very whiny and narcissistic, making herself the hero, like she owned the story. The focus on bashing her past employers was not a good look either.
As a Charleston/Lowcountry native, it was frustrating to read how a transplant reporter generalized all of South Carolina as “sexist� and the “good ole boy system� based solely on her short experience living in the Bluffton/HHI area reporting on Hampton County and the Murdaughs.
Instead of focusing on the victims and their stories or even delving deeper into the history of Hampton County, she really made it all about herself. I didn’t read anything I hadn’t heard before. Ironically, she came off as very whiny and narcissistic, making herself the hero, like she owned the story. The focus on bashing her past employers was not a good look either.
As a Charleston/Lowcountry native, it was frustrating to read how a transplant reporter generalized all of South Carolina as “sexist� and the “good ole boy system� based solely on her short experience living in the Bluffton/HHI area reporting on Hampton County and the Murdaughs.
December 25, 2023
Mandy announced she was coming out with a book, I knew I had to read it, AND it came out in November which is my birth month so there was double reason to read this.
I will admit that I was expecting something a little different based on the title, but at the same time, I wanted to see Mandy's perspective while she was reporting day in and day out, the things she had to deal with, the relationships she formed etc and this book gave me that.
I really liked hearing what was going on behind the scenes, from someone who was really there. It is more about her than the case itself, but I ended up not minding that as much as I thought I would.
If you're unfamiliar with this case and want a complete overview, then John Glatt's Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders is probably a better alternative to get you up to speed, but if you have been following it, then Blood on Their Hands is a book you could check out as well.
3.5
I will admit that I was expecting something a little different based on the title, but at the same time, I wanted to see Mandy's perspective while she was reporting day in and day out, the things she had to deal with, the relationships she formed etc and this book gave me that.
I really liked hearing what was going on behind the scenes, from someone who was really there. It is more about her than the case itself, but I ended up not minding that as much as I thought I would.
If you're unfamiliar with this case and want a complete overview, then John Glatt's Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders is probably a better alternative to get you up to speed, but if you have been following it, then Blood on Their Hands is a book you could check out as well.
3.5
October 29, 2024
I was a little shocked to find this book so highly rated, as it came across as a really long ad for the Murdaugh Murders Podcast (MMP).
I went into this book expecting insight into the Murdaugh Family and the crimes committed and instead, got a memoir about a local reporter’s life during that time period. Which would have been good if it was presented as such and I would have rated it higher. But it was NOT what the title promised. I could appreciate the fly on the wall aspects that added to my knowledge about the case, but not enough to recommend.
Mostly, I heard a lot of digs directed at her employers, co-workers, the intelligence of cops, Southern drawls, city folk, Covid coverage, and bad relationships. Some of it well deserved, but it came across as lots of whining. And hypocrisy. Plus this author is not humble about her podcast moving up the iTunes Podcast Chart. Lots of chat about how well her podcast was doing. Pages worth.
“BY SEPTEMBER 7, MURDAUGH MURDERS PODCAST HAD CLIMBED to #2 across all categories on Apple after we published our eight episode.�
“If my podcast hadn’t gotten so popular, there wouldn’t be all these shitty docuseries wannabes out there trying to make money off the same story.�
So how is this about the Murdaugh Dynasty having blood on their hands? A different title would have worked better. Maybe.
The book does end on a high note and was my favorite part...
“If somebody out here doesn’t think one little thing can make a difference - it can start a tidal wave.�
I went into this book expecting insight into the Murdaugh Family and the crimes committed and instead, got a memoir about a local reporter’s life during that time period. Which would have been good if it was presented as such and I would have rated it higher. But it was NOT what the title promised. I could appreciate the fly on the wall aspects that added to my knowledge about the case, but not enough to recommend.
Mostly, I heard a lot of digs directed at her employers, co-workers, the intelligence of cops, Southern drawls, city folk, Covid coverage, and bad relationships. Some of it well deserved, but it came across as lots of whining. And hypocrisy. Plus this author is not humble about her podcast moving up the iTunes Podcast Chart. Lots of chat about how well her podcast was doing. Pages worth.
“BY SEPTEMBER 7, MURDAUGH MURDERS PODCAST HAD CLIMBED to #2 across all categories on Apple after we published our eight episode.�
“If my podcast hadn’t gotten so popular, there wouldn’t be all these shitty docuseries wannabes out there trying to make money off the same story.�
So how is this about the Murdaugh Dynasty having blood on their hands? A different title would have worked better. Maybe.
The book does end on a high note and was my favorite part...
“If somebody out here doesn’t think one little thing can make a difference - it can start a tidal wave.�
December 7, 2023
"But at the same time, I knew this wasn’t about me at all. I didn’t want to write something simply to be part of the national conversation. I wasn’t publishing a story just to see my byline out there."
This was not a bad book. It just wasn't the book it claimed to be.
This was a clearly deeply personal memoir about Matney's journalistic career to date, and the sexism and issues she has faced in an industry that has changed vastly in the last twenty-five years. Yes, this career has clearly been defined by the Murdaugh family crimes and evidently Matney's dedication to reporting these from 2019 onwards has played a huge part in the way events played out, but this book does not focus on the crimes. For example, the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh for the murders of his wife and son barely even features; it makes up the epilogue.
There is some focus on certain victims, or their families, notably Stephen Smith's and (to a lesser degree) Mallory Beach's, as well as victims of the larger picture of corruption of Alex Murdaugh, such as a young boy named Hakeem. However, it wouldn't be fair to say this book is wholly about them either.
I hesitate to mention this final point, but there is a lot of commentary on professional relationships Matney has had with other journalists in the past, including previous employees, and unfortunately it does leave a bit of a bad taste. There's a time and place to air these sorts of grievances and I'm not sure this was the best place to do so.
This was not a bad book. It just wasn't the book it claimed to be.
This was a clearly deeply personal memoir about Matney's journalistic career to date, and the sexism and issues she has faced in an industry that has changed vastly in the last twenty-five years. Yes, this career has clearly been defined by the Murdaugh family crimes and evidently Matney's dedication to reporting these from 2019 onwards has played a huge part in the way events played out, but this book does not focus on the crimes. For example, the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh for the murders of his wife and son barely even features; it makes up the epilogue.
There is some focus on certain victims, or their families, notably Stephen Smith's and (to a lesser degree) Mallory Beach's, as well as victims of the larger picture of corruption of Alex Murdaugh, such as a young boy named Hakeem. However, it wouldn't be fair to say this book is wholly about them either.
I hesitate to mention this final point, but there is a lot of commentary on professional relationships Matney has had with other journalists in the past, including previous employees, and unfortunately it does leave a bit of a bad taste. There's a time and place to air these sorts of grievances and I'm not sure this was the best place to do so.
October 11, 2023
I was able to get an advance copy of this book (releasing November 14, 2023) and it exceeded all my expectations. Being a Murdaugh trial follower, I knew Mandy Matney would delve into the story. What she did was beyond that. She was able to carefully craft this saga into a raw, emotional thriller with so many twists and turns as she uncovered an unbelievable story of crime, corruption, paid favors, intimidation, drugs, shady business dealings, suspicious deaths and ultimately murders.
Page by page as Mandy laid bare her feelings and struggles, I felt her pain, and understood her persistence. This was a determined writer that shared her real struggles for acceptance and guidance in her journalism career. I know way too much about Catholic guilt and Mandy nailed it and shared it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. Mandy got to the heart of how she found this story and how she managed all of the unwanted, negative attention it brought to her doorstep. Nothing stopped her from digging deep to uncover all the crime and corruption in the low country and the Murdaugh family.
Reading how Mandy was able to search down leads, break huge stories while ruffling the good old boys is a great read. To think she managed all this while in fear for her own safety and mental health makes it all the more relatable.
Mandy Matney is a very courageous writer who looks for the sunlight buried under all the bad of this world and I would recommend Blood on Their Hands. The Murdaugh saga is wrought with twists and turns, if you didn't catch it on CourtTV and need a run down, of what happened and all of the in between then this is the book for you.
Page by page as Mandy laid bare her feelings and struggles, I felt her pain, and understood her persistence. This was a determined writer that shared her real struggles for acceptance and guidance in her journalism career. I know way too much about Catholic guilt and Mandy nailed it and shared it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. Mandy got to the heart of how she found this story and how she managed all of the unwanted, negative attention it brought to her doorstep. Nothing stopped her from digging deep to uncover all the crime and corruption in the low country and the Murdaugh family.
Reading how Mandy was able to search down leads, break huge stories while ruffling the good old boys is a great read. To think she managed all this while in fear for her own safety and mental health makes it all the more relatable.
Mandy Matney is a very courageous writer who looks for the sunlight buried under all the bad of this world and I would recommend Blood on Their Hands. The Murdaugh saga is wrought with twists and turns, if you didn't catch it on CourtTV and need a run down, of what happened and all of the in between then this is the book for you.
January 9, 2024
I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall, I��m glad that I read it, as it is well-written and gives a true insider’s perspective about the Murdaugh saga. However, I was quite frankly amazed and annoyed at how regularly the author complained about all of her hard work and the hurdles she overcame to get where she is today.
On practically every page, she felt the need to talk about how little sleep she consistently got, how every single boss she had was sexist or jealous of her and sought to undermine her, how she never took weekends off and rarely took vacations, how disappointed she was in basically all other journalists (and at some points, literally put in quotes what she would have said if she was in the shoes of certain journalists), and on and on.
I appreciate that she was a hard worker. I appreciate that she sought the truth. If she would have brought some of the above points up only a few times, it would have been fine. But the amount that she did so, in a book about several people who were victims of far far worse (i.e. murder and financial ruin), I found to be distasteful and to obscure many more important aspects of the book.
One of the rules of good writing is “show, don’t tell.� The author could have left out many of the statements explicitly highlighting how hard she worked or how awful all of her bosses and colleagues were, and we readers would have surmised all of that for ourselves. The effect would have been much better.
On practically every page, she felt the need to talk about how little sleep she consistently got, how every single boss she had was sexist or jealous of her and sought to undermine her, how she never took weekends off and rarely took vacations, how disappointed she was in basically all other journalists (and at some points, literally put in quotes what she would have said if she was in the shoes of certain journalists), and on and on.
I appreciate that she was a hard worker. I appreciate that she sought the truth. If she would have brought some of the above points up only a few times, it would have been fine. But the amount that she did so, in a book about several people who were victims of far far worse (i.e. murder and financial ruin), I found to be distasteful and to obscure many more important aspects of the book.
One of the rules of good writing is “show, don’t tell.� The author could have left out many of the statements explicitly highlighting how hard she worked or how awful all of her bosses and colleagues were, and we readers would have surmised all of that for ourselves. The effect would have been much better.
March 14, 2024
Even though I followed the Murdaugh murders and the crazy updates on the news, it was really interesting to see how this story gained traction due to the dogged efforts of a couple of small-newspaper reporters. And the amazing thing is that this story has still not ended. Alex Murdaugh is currently behind bars for the murder of his wife and son, and many many financial crimes, but the digging still goes on to several other unsolved murders surrounding that family. The justice system should be the same for all accused, but the chasm between wealthy, well connected defendants, and all the rest of America is chilling and heartbreaking. Mandy Matney did a beautiful job of standing up to corruption and cronyism by being persistent. Can’t wait to start listening to her podcasts.
October 8, 2023
I was genuinely surprised and thrilled by "Blood On Their Hands" by Mandy Matney, set to release on November 14th. It not only met my expectations but exceeded them. While I anticipated a deep dive into the Murdaugh saga, Matney's memoir goes beyond that. She takes us on her raw emotional journey, shedding light on the challenges of being a woman in the male-dominated culture of the South, and the hardships of uncovering the truth. As a young woman in the South, this book resonated with me deeply. Matney's narrative showcases her resilience and the emotional rollercoaster she endured to unearth this incredible story. If you're hoping for an all-encompassing focus on the Murdaugh saga, this book may not be what you're seeking. For that, I recommend the True Sunlight Podcast, formerly known as the Murdaugh Murders Podcast.
March 11, 2024
I was so disappointed by this book. Mandy Matney lead the charge in covering the Murdaugh murders both through her podcast and on twitter. Early on I generally liked her coverage and thought it was mostly accurate, but she gradually became incredibly biased and honestly, almost childish in her reporting. She whines and throws others under this bus throughout the book whether they deserved it or not. I thought this book would be more of an account of Mandy actually presenting the information she had from covering the case instead of talking about emotions and how awful everyone else treated her. I wanted to like the book but I had to force myself to finish it and I had to claw my way through so much complaining and bad-mouthing to get to the end. Not at all informative, and I feel like I gained nothing from this book.
January 15, 2024
Blood on their Hands
Mandy Matney
Well, I have to agree with a bunch of the reviewers here. This is NOT a true crime book, it is a book about how to investigate as a journalist, and how to get started as a journalist. The book is about Mandy while she was investigating the Murdaugh Murders.
I am not taking away from the hardships and how much work she put into her investigation, but it is not a straight-up true crime book. I don't listen to podcasts, maybe this is how they go. HOWEVER, I found it interesting but I did get tired of her whining about how everyone else was trying to make their name (I think that is the name of the game in journalism).
3 Stars
Happy Reading!
Mandy Matney
Well, I have to agree with a bunch of the reviewers here. This is NOT a true crime book, it is a book about how to investigate as a journalist, and how to get started as a journalist. The book is about Mandy while she was investigating the Murdaugh Murders.
I am not taking away from the hardships and how much work she put into her investigation, but it is not a straight-up true crime book. I don't listen to podcasts, maybe this is how they go. HOWEVER, I found it interesting but I did get tired of her whining about how everyone else was trying to make their name (I think that is the name of the game in journalism).
3 Stars
Happy Reading!
November 19, 2023
This is not a true crime book. It is about the author and her struggles and triumphs as a journalist and podcaster and her tenacity in exposing the good old boy network. Admirable but not what I was expecting or wanting to read.
November 26, 2023
I really loved the podcast and went into the book knowing that I might already know everything she had to share, so that's fine. But it's just.... her complaining. No doubt what she's gone through has been tough, but it doesn't make for a very interesting read.
January 20, 2024
So I didn’t read reviews and I thought the book was about the Murdaugh family. It was really about the life and work story of Mandy the reporter. Once I got over my disappointment of this, it was a good interesting read. I enjoyed the writing style and how vivid the story was. Great read overall.
February 7, 2024
tw: murder, family death, alcoholism, domestic violence, bad workplaces
This is quite bad.
The only reason I think I managed through this was because I was waiting for a few other audiobooks to come in through Libby and I needed something to fill my long commute home. This was very nearly a DNF, for a few big reasons.
I am not familiar with the podcast that Matney runs based on this subject. I am familiar with the subject matter. The Murdaugh case - famous among true crime watchers - is already kind of a messy case to begin with, but Matney makes the inspired choice to (between confusing elements of a confused story) to constantly and readily insert herself. Not Gonzo style - that might have been interesting - but instead in near grotesque jumps to personal, unrelated anecdotes.
I'm not sure who wanted a book based on the least interesting perspective in the room during the investigation and prosecution of an accidental death, double homicide and extensive fraud but I guess if you wanted that perspective, here it is. Matney inserts her own story alongside the narrative in the kind of podcaster-white-knight caricature that I've come to expect (for another case study, see Payne Lindsey); this wouldn't have been solved without Matney. Matney is a key point along which this entire case pivots.
There is more time spent in this book on the trip that Matney takes with her fiance to Jamaica than on the trial itself. For a double homicide. I exit this book knowing more about Matney and every time that she's been personally and professionally slighted than about any other figure in this story and this is supposedly about the Murdaugh case.
In ways that I can't quite articulate there's something very white feminism about this book; repeatedly Matney will bring up this story and relate it to the regional plight of people of color, but barely talks about the non-white victims of this case, she tells a very strange story about a Jamaican souvenir vendor that only just avoids pastoral stereotypes, and talks a lot in the slang of the girlboss - Murdaugh isn't lying, he's gaslighting. People can't disagree with her unless they're a part of the good ole boys club. It's just exhausting and narratively unfounded. I'm not saying that the men in her life aren't ignoring her concerns because she's a woman, I'm saying that she doesn't establish that that is why.
Unless you're a fan of Matney, I see absolutely no reason to read this book.
This is quite bad.
The only reason I think I managed through this was because I was waiting for a few other audiobooks to come in through Libby and I needed something to fill my long commute home. This was very nearly a DNF, for a few big reasons.
I am not familiar with the podcast that Matney runs based on this subject. I am familiar with the subject matter. The Murdaugh case - famous among true crime watchers - is already kind of a messy case to begin with, but Matney makes the inspired choice to (between confusing elements of a confused story) to constantly and readily insert herself. Not Gonzo style - that might have been interesting - but instead in near grotesque jumps to personal, unrelated anecdotes.
I'm not sure who wanted a book based on the least interesting perspective in the room during the investigation and prosecution of an accidental death, double homicide and extensive fraud but I guess if you wanted that perspective, here it is. Matney inserts her own story alongside the narrative in the kind of podcaster-white-knight caricature that I've come to expect (for another case study, see Payne Lindsey); this wouldn't have been solved without Matney. Matney is a key point along which this entire case pivots.
There is more time spent in this book on the trip that Matney takes with her fiance to Jamaica than on the trial itself. For a double homicide. I exit this book knowing more about Matney and every time that she's been personally and professionally slighted than about any other figure in this story and this is supposedly about the Murdaugh case.
In ways that I can't quite articulate there's something very white feminism about this book; repeatedly Matney will bring up this story and relate it to the regional plight of people of color, but barely talks about the non-white victims of this case, she tells a very strange story about a Jamaican souvenir vendor that only just avoids pastoral stereotypes, and talks a lot in the slang of the girlboss - Murdaugh isn't lying, he's gaslighting. People can't disagree with her unless they're a part of the good ole boys club. It's just exhausting and narratively unfounded. I'm not saying that the men in her life aren't ignoring her concerns because she's a woman, I'm saying that she doesn't establish that that is why.
Unless you're a fan of Matney, I see absolutely no reason to read this book.
February 22, 2024
We've all heard don't judge a book by its cover...this is a prime example. Based on the cover, and title, you would assume it's about the Murdaugh investigation. Wrong. This is nothing more than a self-serving memoir of the author. She finds every opportunity to blame "the good ol boy white man" for any shortcomings when, in fact, a previous boss pointed out that the real issue with her success is her attitude. If you are not interested in the author's career or love life, save yourself the time and avoid this book.
October 5, 2024
I'm gonna start out being empathetic for one second. Being a reporter, especially a female, without the support of a national-level budget or colleagues who believe in you SUCKS. Being the person in the weeds doing ALL OF THE WORK and seeing other national-level reporters yoink everything from you or call you "on background" and take hours of your time and not give you any credit for everything you've done for them to make THEM look good, it's demeaning and fucked up, especially when you care deeply about something and for them, it's just a passing story they need to cover. A lot of the treatment Mandy Matney faced from employers and other journalists was unfair and disrespectful. No disputing it.
THAT SAID. While her passion and determination are clear, she is also SO arrogant and boastful, and no, I am not sexist for saying so (though I'm sure she would accuse me of such, as anyone with a valid critique is just a big ole meany who hates women according to her). So much of this book is spent bragging about how amazing she is and how no one else deserves to talk about this case, and being mad at other journalists who get a scoop before her or who dare to write an article without reaching out to her, it's actually INSANE main character energy, which when you think about the fact that she is benefitting from the death of a teenage girl goes from simply annoying to outrageously gross.
She does kind of pretend that what she's doing feels a bit icky, and the one smart ethical dilemma she surfaces is how it does feel a bit exploitative to do this kind of work, but at the same time victims often need journalism and eyes on their story for justice, especially in a case like this where wealth and corruption cause the legal system to turn a blind eye. The work Matney did diving into this case is so important, yes, but her constant angling for credit and accolades and fame and fortune is insensitive, problematic, and fucking crazy. There is a line between getting the deserved recognition for the hard work you've done and making yourself the center of attention in a heartbreaking, devastating story, and Matney is SO far over the line and makes sure you know it on every single page of this book, which is roughly 10% the story of the Murdaughs and their victim(s) and 90% about Matney.
The book is advertised as being about the Murdaugh case, from the title to the book jacket summary. There is no indication that this book is Matney's memoir about herself as she covered the case. Had I known that, I would not have read it. I don't give a fuck about Matney or her life, and give even less of a fuck about her one bajillion complaints about every goddamn inconvenience or slight she faces. I also don't want to read MULTIPLE PAGES IN A ROW of her bragging about her podcast getting lots of downloads (which included one line that was just "omg omg omg omg omg omg!!!"). Like, yes, of course, be so proud of your success, you "pesky" lil bitch! But her sheer obsession with herself is hideous and her motivations � as much as she pretends they're about justice when they absolutely and admittedly are not � are so skewed.
I read this book because I heard Matney as a guest on a podcast and thought she had the clearest, smartest explanation of the case. I was so excited to learn more from someone I thought was THE definitive expert on the case. This book has nothing of substance that we didn't already know about the Murdaughs or their victims, and instead involves a lot of whining and personal drama and bragging from a narcissistic woman who is somehow a victim of everyone who speaks negatively to or about her. Credit where credit is due � Matney is a hustler and great at stalking and wooing sources, but she's not a good writer, and her personal story simply isn't compelling enough to include in a book that should be about something else entirely.
On a personal level, I identify with Matney and the frustrations she faced back in her local reporter days. I am a lady who reports on a very niche area and it's exhausting doing all of the work and not being recognized for it. I don't want people to celebrate me –I simply want my hard work to be credited instead of stolen. For the past decade, I've often been contacted by reporters from national outlets who need assistance making sure their coverage is correct. Sometimes my hours-long "on background" conversations or research results in a story where I am quoted word-for-word but with those words attributed to the journalist as their own instead of actually quoted. I've had entire pages of information copied from my website and pasted on competitor sites with zero changes. I'll research foreign-language websites for hours trying to find bits and pieces of information that I then have to translate and compile, only to see the same info posted by another reporter minutes after I share it. One time a journalist told me that at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, every single journalist on press row had their laptops open to my website for live updates –we were all sitting in the same arena but they trusted my insight over their own eyes. Chappell Roan would say I'm your favorite gymnastics journalist's favorite gymnastics journalist, so I fully understand where Matney is coming from as a person who has been there in a similar way.
When the Larry Nassar news broke in 2016, I got even more attention and requests for help and quotes and background, but this time about a heinous crime with hundreds of victims instead of the usual sports-related requests. I helped a few I respected, but when opportunities for book deals and documentary or talk show appearances came through, it felt so icky taking advantage of this tragedy for personal gain. In the end, I decided to write a national op-ed about my personal experiences with Nassar and how difficult it can be to recognize a predator, and I regularly made the rounds through a morning radio media tour with CBC Radio for which I was put on payroll to go over the facts of the case when there were updates. I was paid to do my job, but also felt disgusting that I was personally benefiting financially and in recognition from other peoples' trauma and turned all subsequent requests down. As a sports girly without any experience covering abuse and who had panic attacks and breakdowns thinking about crimes against women I had known since they were 11 or 12, it just wasn't for me, and I felt more comfortable sharing other reporters' work via social media than reporting myself.
Of course, there is a wide chasm between my decision to withdraw from all Nassar-related coverage and Matney's behavior in the Murdaugh case. These stories NEED journalists. Journalists need money and a healthy dose of self-promotion so these stories are getting the attention they deserve. Most good journalists thrive in that middle ground, doing their jobs and getting recognition and a paycheck and opportunities but without being self-obsessed twats about it. After reading this book, my sole takeaway is that Matney is a self-obsessed twat who cares more about herself and her personal gain from tragedy than about the tragedy itself. A shame, since I came into this with such a high opinion of her, but her product here is truly atrocious.
(As a random aside, something I find hilarious is Matney talking in her book about being OUTRAGED that WSJ reporter Valerie Bauerlein beat her to a book deal after Bauerlein, formerly a friend of Matney's, previously told Matney she deserved one, with Matney severing yet another relationship because of a perceived slight. Matney not understanding that multiple books can be written about the same topic is insane, but also Bauerlein is someone who can actually write and who made the story about the Murdaughs and not herself. This book is EMBARRASSING in comparison to Bauerlein's, making Matney's belief that she should be the one and only person allowed to write about the case even funnier.)
THAT SAID. While her passion and determination are clear, she is also SO arrogant and boastful, and no, I am not sexist for saying so (though I'm sure she would accuse me of such, as anyone with a valid critique is just a big ole meany who hates women according to her). So much of this book is spent bragging about how amazing she is and how no one else deserves to talk about this case, and being mad at other journalists who get a scoop before her or who dare to write an article without reaching out to her, it's actually INSANE main character energy, which when you think about the fact that she is benefitting from the death of a teenage girl goes from simply annoying to outrageously gross.
She does kind of pretend that what she's doing feels a bit icky, and the one smart ethical dilemma she surfaces is how it does feel a bit exploitative to do this kind of work, but at the same time victims often need journalism and eyes on their story for justice, especially in a case like this where wealth and corruption cause the legal system to turn a blind eye. The work Matney did diving into this case is so important, yes, but her constant angling for credit and accolades and fame and fortune is insensitive, problematic, and fucking crazy. There is a line between getting the deserved recognition for the hard work you've done and making yourself the center of attention in a heartbreaking, devastating story, and Matney is SO far over the line and makes sure you know it on every single page of this book, which is roughly 10% the story of the Murdaughs and their victim(s) and 90% about Matney.
The book is advertised as being about the Murdaugh case, from the title to the book jacket summary. There is no indication that this book is Matney's memoir about herself as she covered the case. Had I known that, I would not have read it. I don't give a fuck about Matney or her life, and give even less of a fuck about her one bajillion complaints about every goddamn inconvenience or slight she faces. I also don't want to read MULTIPLE PAGES IN A ROW of her bragging about her podcast getting lots of downloads (which included one line that was just "omg omg omg omg omg omg!!!"). Like, yes, of course, be so proud of your success, you "pesky" lil bitch! But her sheer obsession with herself is hideous and her motivations � as much as she pretends they're about justice when they absolutely and admittedly are not � are so skewed.
I read this book because I heard Matney as a guest on a podcast and thought she had the clearest, smartest explanation of the case. I was so excited to learn more from someone I thought was THE definitive expert on the case. This book has nothing of substance that we didn't already know about the Murdaughs or their victims, and instead involves a lot of whining and personal drama and bragging from a narcissistic woman who is somehow a victim of everyone who speaks negatively to or about her. Credit where credit is due � Matney is a hustler and great at stalking and wooing sources, but she's not a good writer, and her personal story simply isn't compelling enough to include in a book that should be about something else entirely.
On a personal level, I identify with Matney and the frustrations she faced back in her local reporter days. I am a lady who reports on a very niche area and it's exhausting doing all of the work and not being recognized for it. I don't want people to celebrate me –I simply want my hard work to be credited instead of stolen. For the past decade, I've often been contacted by reporters from national outlets who need assistance making sure their coverage is correct. Sometimes my hours-long "on background" conversations or research results in a story where I am quoted word-for-word but with those words attributed to the journalist as their own instead of actually quoted. I've had entire pages of information copied from my website and pasted on competitor sites with zero changes. I'll research foreign-language websites for hours trying to find bits and pieces of information that I then have to translate and compile, only to see the same info posted by another reporter minutes after I share it. One time a journalist told me that at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, every single journalist on press row had their laptops open to my website for live updates –we were all sitting in the same arena but they trusted my insight over their own eyes. Chappell Roan would say I'm your favorite gymnastics journalist's favorite gymnastics journalist, so I fully understand where Matney is coming from as a person who has been there in a similar way.
When the Larry Nassar news broke in 2016, I got even more attention and requests for help and quotes and background, but this time about a heinous crime with hundreds of victims instead of the usual sports-related requests. I helped a few I respected, but when opportunities for book deals and documentary or talk show appearances came through, it felt so icky taking advantage of this tragedy for personal gain. In the end, I decided to write a national op-ed about my personal experiences with Nassar and how difficult it can be to recognize a predator, and I regularly made the rounds through a morning radio media tour with CBC Radio for which I was put on payroll to go over the facts of the case when there were updates. I was paid to do my job, but also felt disgusting that I was personally benefiting financially and in recognition from other peoples' trauma and turned all subsequent requests down. As a sports girly without any experience covering abuse and who had panic attacks and breakdowns thinking about crimes against women I had known since they were 11 or 12, it just wasn't for me, and I felt more comfortable sharing other reporters' work via social media than reporting myself.
Of course, there is a wide chasm between my decision to withdraw from all Nassar-related coverage and Matney's behavior in the Murdaugh case. These stories NEED journalists. Journalists need money and a healthy dose of self-promotion so these stories are getting the attention they deserve. Most good journalists thrive in that middle ground, doing their jobs and getting recognition and a paycheck and opportunities but without being self-obsessed twats about it. After reading this book, my sole takeaway is that Matney is a self-obsessed twat who cares more about herself and her personal gain from tragedy than about the tragedy itself. A shame, since I came into this with such a high opinion of her, but her product here is truly atrocious.
(As a random aside, something I find hilarious is Matney talking in her book about being OUTRAGED that WSJ reporter Valerie Bauerlein beat her to a book deal after Bauerlein, formerly a friend of Matney's, previously told Matney she deserved one, with Matney severing yet another relationship because of a perceived slight. Matney not understanding that multiple books can be written about the same topic is insane, but also Bauerlein is someone who can actually write and who made the story about the Murdaughs and not herself. This book is EMBARRASSING in comparison to Bauerlein's, making Matney's belief that she should be the one and only person allowed to write about the case even funnier.)
January 24, 2024
I received an ARC via Netgalley for this book prior to its release 14 November 2023.
I have always found this case fascinating, and was excited to dig into this one. Unfortunately, I found it pretty repetitive and didn't provide additional information outside of the documentaries. If you haven't seen the documentaries, you may find it more compelling than I did!
I have always found this case fascinating, and was excited to dig into this one. Unfortunately, I found it pretty repetitive and didn't provide additional information outside of the documentaries. If you haven't seen the documentaries, you may find it more compelling than I did!
October 11, 2023
If you’re a Murdaugh Murders Podcast fan like I am, you will like the new book Blood On Their Hands, written by the podcast creator Mandy Matney.
I received an advance copy and finished within a few days. It’s extremely well written and very interesting. It’s also a quick read that moves really fast - perfect to enjoy over a long weekend.
I know a lot about the crime and story surrounding it, so I was excited that this goes a little further and gives a look at what it was like for the journalist(s) covering the story - Mandy, Liz, and the folks surrounding them.
Book is available Nov.14 and you can preorder now!
I received an advance copy and finished within a few days. It’s extremely well written and very interesting. It’s also a quick read that moves really fast - perfect to enjoy over a long weekend.
I know a lot about the crime and story surrounding it, so I was excited that this goes a little further and gives a look at what it was like for the journalist(s) covering the story - Mandy, Liz, and the folks surrounding them.
Book is available Nov.14 and you can preorder now!
November 5, 2023
Mandy Matney became well known because of her podcast Murdaugh Murders, and I have listened to her for many hours, as I became fascinated of the story of the wretched Murdaugh family of South Carolina. Briefly, the Murdaugh family ruled the legal wrangling in the Lowcountry area for generations, with one patriarch after another being in charge of the legal system. By the time Alex Murdaugh ascended to the position, his family had totally dominated the legal landscape in the southern part of the state for 100+ years.
At the age of 52, Alex’s wife Maggie and their 22-year-old son Paul were found dead at the family hunting lodge. Paul had been in the middle of legal wrangling over the death of his girlfriend in a boating accident that happened while he was driving his boat drunk. Could that have been the reason someone wanted him dead? And Maggie? Is it true she was pretty much living separately from Alex, and contemplating divorce? And could Alex have done the awful double murder? And was he really a thief, drug addict, and possible dealer? This is an incredible story, told well by Mandy, who has probably done more investigative research into this classically criminal family than anyone. For true crime aficionados, this book is a must read. Trust me, even if you think you know everything that happened, Blood On Their Hands will give you more info. Well done. With thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review, I give this one five stars for true crime writing.
At the age of 52, Alex’s wife Maggie and their 22-year-old son Paul were found dead at the family hunting lodge. Paul had been in the middle of legal wrangling over the death of his girlfriend in a boating accident that happened while he was driving his boat drunk. Could that have been the reason someone wanted him dead? And Maggie? Is it true she was pretty much living separately from Alex, and contemplating divorce? And could Alex have done the awful double murder? And was he really a thief, drug addict, and possible dealer? This is an incredible story, told well by Mandy, who has probably done more investigative research into this classically criminal family than anyone. For true crime aficionados, this book is a must read. Trust me, even if you think you know everything that happened, Blood On Their Hands will give you more info. Well done. With thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review, I give this one five stars for true crime writing.
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