Diane C

James Lasdun's The Family Man: Blood and Betrayal in the House of Murdaugh—like the best true crime writing--reads as compulsively as good fiction. The principal players in this family saga are well-fleshed out, both physically and to the extent possible, psychologically. Equally well-rendered are the myriad characters whose lives were affected by the larger Murdaugh story. The South Carolina setting—almost a character in its own right—is brought to life with a particularity that underscores how important the cultural and physical landscape where the "blood and betrayal" occurred is to understanding both how and why they happened. All of this makes for an immersive reading experience. Lasdun's book is also noteworthy in its format: he narrates it from a chronological perspective of his coverage of events as they occurred. His increasing horror and disbelief as the complicated story of Alex Murdaugh's downfall emerges mirrors the readers' own.