'Gothic crime story for the ages.' Alex Murdaugh's family history explored in new book.

One of the most well-known, modern nonfiction writers in South Carolina has turned his attention to the Murdaugh crime saga, much to the praise of reviewers and the anticipation of true crime fans and history buffs.

Early next month, Jason Ryan, author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, "Jackpot," will release his historical, true crime epic on the Murdaugh dynasty called "Swamp Kings: The Murdaugh Family of South Carolina and a Century of Backwoods Power" (Pegasus Crime – April 2, 2024).

Ryan, a former journalist and now an author/freelance writer, covered the six-week Alex Murdaugh double murder trial from "ground zero" in Walterboro, S.C., in the spring of 2023, and spent more than two years researching the Murdaugh family's personal, legal and political history, spending much time in Murdaugh's hometown of Hampton and elsewhere in the Palmetto State.

Alex Murdaugh was the scion in a family of legacy attorneys and prosecutors who made international headlines when he was charged with a plethora of financial crimes in 2021, then indicted the following year in the murders of his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul.

Murdaugh was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2023 before pleading guilty to a score of financial fraud charges.

But in the course of exposing Murdaugh's crimes, journalists and authors like Ryan uncovered an amazing and almost equally corrupt and compelling backstory.

In "Swamp Kings," Ryan reveals that "Murdaugh’s crimes are only the tip of the iceberg, and that when it comes to this famous 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," stated a marketing release.

"Swamp Kings" uncovers "how the mythology of the Murdaugh family, which depicts its patriarchs as noble and long-serving elected prosecutors, has concealed a dark family history of boating tragedies, extramarital affairs, substance abuse and long-standing corruption... ranging from moonshine to molestation to murder."

In what Ryan describes as a "Gothic crime story for the ages," the author dives deep into history to reveal how Murdaugh’s forefathers operated a robust favor economy that kept them in power for decades in the South Carolina Lowcountry, as well as how Murdaugh and his grandfather Buster––a longtime, legendary prosecutor––committed crimes of eerie similarity, though only Alex got caught and convicted.

"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."

What reviewers had to say about Swamp Kings

Pre-release marketing materials for Swamp Kings include endorsing reviews from big literary names.

“The end-all-be-all narrative of the Murdaugh murders. One of the best books I have read in ages.” – James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of "Black Snow"

“The tale of a Lowcountry crime dynasty operating with impunity under cover of the law. A grimly fascinating story, and as Ryan shows, Murdaugh summed up a long familial legacy. They were effectively a law unto themselves. The story unfolds with the care of a well-plotted procedural. A searing true-crime study indicting a legacy of crime stretching out over centuries.” –– Kirkus Reviews

“Jason Ryan has crafted the end-all-be-all narrative of the Murdaugh murders. Ryan’s dogged reporting and mastery of the intimate details shine through on every murky page. In his hands, this is a far larger story than just Alex Murdaugh. It is instead a generational tale of power, greed, corruption, and ultimately murder. This will not only be the definitive account of these crimes, but it is an absolutely amazing read. One of the best books I have read in ages.” –– James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of "Black Snow" and "Target Tokyo"

“Part "In Cold Blood," part "Prince of Tides," part "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," here is a deep family tale, draped in literal and figurative Spanish moss, that’s as dark and tangled as any Southern gothic novel. And yet sadly, it’s all true. Jason Ryan has brought tenacious and enterprising new reporting to a spectacularly sordid story that flashed through the national zeitgeist and then largely disappeared. As the pages keep effortlessly turning, the reader is made to see what the Greeks understood so well: Tragic events often have numerous and profound antecedents.” — Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of "Hellhound on His Trail"

More about the author

Jason Ryan is an author and journalist based in Charleston, South Carolina. He is a former reporter for The State andThe Beaufort Gazetteand has written for The Daily Beast and Agence-France Presse, including coverage of the massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and the ensuing trial of killer Dylann Roof.

Ryan is the author of Jackpot: High Times, High Seas and the Sting that Launched the War on Drugs; Hell-Bent: One Man’s Crusade to Crush the Hawaiian Mob (currently under option to HBO Max), and Race to Hawaii: The 1927 Dole Derby and the Thrilling First Flights that Opened the Pacific.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Jason Ryan releasing 'Swamp Kings' about Alex Murdaugh's crime saga