Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Audible sample
Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8? Hardcover – September 13, 2016
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
A SOUTHERN LIVING 2016 BOOK OF THE YEAR
An explosive, true-life southern gothic story, Murder in the Bayou chronicles the twists and turns of a high-stakes investigation into the murders of eight women in a troubled Louisiana parish.
Between 2005 and 2009, the bodies of eight women were discovered around the murky canals and crawfish ponds of Jennings, Louisiana, a bayou town of 10,000 in the heart of the Jefferson Davis parish. Local law enforcement officials were quick to pursue a serial killer theory, opening a floodgate of media coverage—from CNN to The New York Times. Collectively the victims became known as the “Jeff Davis 8,” and their lives, their deaths, and the ongoing investigation reveals a small southern community’s most closely guarded secrets.
As Ethan Brown suggests, these homicides were not the work of a single serial killer, but the violent fallout of Jennings’ brutal sex and drug trade, a backwoods underworld hidden in plain sight. Mixing muckraking research and immersive journalism over the course of a five-year investigation, Ethan Brown reviewed thousands of pages of previously unseen homicide files to determine what happened during each victim’s final hours. Epic in scope and intensely suspenseful, Murder in the Bayou is the story of an American town buckling under the dark forces of poverty, race, and class division—and a lightning rod for justice for the daughters it lost.
- Print length272 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherScribner
- Publication dateSeptember 13, 2016
- Dimensions6 x 1 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101476793255
- ISBN-13978-1476793252
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A deeply reported, and disturbing, true crime story that is as puzzling as it is intriguing. Ethan Brown’s Murder in the Bayou raises as many questions as it answers, but never ceases to enrage. This is a book about power: those who wield it, and those who, tragically, fall victim to it.”—Janet Reitman, contributing editor at Rolling Stone and author of the New York Times Notable Book Inside Scientology
"By way of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, Ethan Brown casts light on an America that many people would prefer to believe is not there. Murder in the Bayou reveals a complicated web of violence, poverty, drugs, and corruption--it's a brave feat of reporting."--Zachary Lazar, author of Evening's Empire: The Story of My Father's Murder
"Ethan Brown wades into the fetid political swamps of south Louisiana and emerges with a sordid yarn of sex, drugs and death. With a depraved and threatening cast of characters, Brown delivers a dogged, courageous inquiry into the murders of eight women. Even those accustomed to institutional corruption in the Pelican State will be shocked by this tale."—Doug J. Swanson, author of Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker
"Brown's writing is clear and approachable, and his research is meticulous...readers will be shaken by the unpleasant implications of a narrative bearing similarities to the first season of True Detective. Compulsively readable true crime provoking questions about policing, poverty, and the ritualized brutality of the rural South."--Kirkus Reviews
“Investigating what appeared to be a string of unsolved sex-murders that began in 2005, journalist Ethan Brown eventually uncovered a snakepit of small-town corruption in the bayou parish of Jefferson Davis, Louisiana. With its large cast of lost, doomed, and sinister characters, its dense atmosphere of menace and dread, and, at its center, a dogged reporter pursuing a mystery with the fearlessness of a pulp-fiction private eye, Brown’s Murder in the Bayou is a stunning work of real-life Southern noir.”--Harold Schechter, author of The Serial Killer Files
"Far truer than True Detective . . . part murder case, part corruption expose, and part Louisiana noir."--Boris Kachka, NYMag.com
"The depths of the corruption detailed in the book by Brown...will make your head spin for days after you finish reading it."--Uproxx
"[A] page-turning account...filled with vivid characters...startling and haunting."--Gambit Weekly
"Doggedly researched and sensitively observed."--Gothamist
"A gripping narrative that will revive curiosity about eight unsolved murders...Brown’s spare but effective prose and measured analysis of the evidence makes this a must-read for true-crime fans."--Publishers Weekly STARRED review
"Damn near hard to put down."--Sarah Weinman, editor of Women Crime Writers and author of Among the Wholesome Children
"A complicated web of intrigue and murder and one that will haunt you long after you put the book down.”--The Monroe News Star
"Explosive."--The Huffington Post
"Mesmerizing......a snarled web of power dynamics and deep-rooted corruption...symptomatic of a kind of system-wide brokenness that applies all over the country. ...Brown is able to show each individual victim as a real person, who is mourned and who couldn't be silenced as easily as their murderers seemed to think. "--Rolling Stone.com
"Sweeping, rigorously reported...the story has all the elements of a sordid Southern Gothic."--The New Orleans Advocate
"A real-life Southern Gothic story, Murder in the Bayou uncovers what became one of the most suspenseful and mysterious investigations of the decade."--Deep South Magazine
"Brown is a man on a mission...[he] is especially enlightening when it comes to this region... [he] gives the victims more respectful attention than they probably got in real life."--New York Times
Lovers of True Crime and Southern Gothic will be entranced by the intrigue, investigations and institutional corruption in Murder in the Bayou....Brown does an incredible job of humanizing the victims and exposing corruption."--Southern Living
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Scribner; American First edition (September 13, 2016)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1476793255
- ISBN-13 : 978-1476793252
- Item Weight : 15 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #854,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,614 in Criminal Law (Books)
- #3,261 in Murder & Mayhem True Accounts
- #19,313 in Sociology (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Ethan Brown is the author of four investigative reporting-driven books about crime and the criminal legal system: Murder in the Bayou, Queens Reigns Supreme, Snitch, and Shake the Devil Off.
He has written for New York magazine, The New York Observer, Wired, GQ, Mother Jones, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and The Village Voice.
He also worked for nearly a decade as a mitigation specialist for attorneys representing indigent defendants facing the death penalty in the Deep South and elsewhere.
Currently, Ethan is Enterprise Editor of The Appeal, which produces original journalism about the most significant drivers of mass incarceration, state and local criminal legal systems.
A five part docu-series based on Murder in the Bayou premiered on Showtime on September 13, 2019.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They describe it as a well-researched, investigative story that keeps them hooked until the end. However, opinions differ on the storytelling quality - some find it well-written and insightful, while others consider it poorly written and hard to follow.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging and easy to follow. It provides a comprehensive review and background information about the unsolved murders of women in Jennings, Louisiana. Readers find it an interesting read and a must-read for locals.
"...Excellent read, highly recommended - because of its immediacy, I would recommend reading as soon as possible." Read more
"Very interesting read if you enjoy true crime and/or are from Louisiana...." Read more
"...I good read and excellent way to help bring peace to those involved." Read more
"Interesting book but I don't like the way the author wrote it. I feel like the story could have been much better if it was written better...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's intriguing story and thrilling events. They find it compelling and entertaining, with surprising twists and turns that keep readers hooked until the end. The book blends elements of drama based on real-life events in an easy-to-read manner.
"The book presents the research of the author in a pretty clear and interesting way...." Read more
"...presented, giving the facts that the author has discovered in an entertaining and easy to read manner." Read more
"This book is amazing! So much information it was mind blowing! Captivating! I couldn't put it down. So much corruption in a small town...." Read more
"I loved the book It was soo interesting I know the town where these murders took place so I look at the town with new eyes..." Read more
Customers have different views on the storytelling. Some find it well-researched and insightful, providing a comprehensive account of the story. Others feel some facts are incriminating, with unsubstantiated allegations and lack of actual evidence presented.
"...There is nothing wasted in this book. Beyond the meticulous research and well written text, here are some other things that stand..." Read more
"...This Book and the TV Series both give great insight on these Jeff Davis 8 girls, and the circumstances that are known and what is believed to have..." Read more
"...narrative, involving drugs, prostitution, deceit and layers of political corruption. I agree that it was likely NOT a serial killer...." Read more
"I was most interested in the patterns expressed by Brown. He delivers investigative form as well as the elements of drama based on the real life..." Read more
Customers have different views on the writing quality. Some find it well-written and presented, while others consider it poorly written, confusing, and hard to read. The language and subject matter are also criticized as raw and rambling.
"...of pages of documents and interviews to research this, and its very well done - one of the things I hate the most about true crime books is how they..." Read more
"...Overall good story, poorly written." Read more
"...The writer is very clearly a journalist and his writing is concise and readable...." Read more
"The book presents the research of the author in a pretty clear and interesting way...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016This is a concise book, just over 200 pages, and one of the best true crime/investigative books I have come across. Brown spent years and combed through thousands of pages of documents and interviews to research this, and its very well done - one of the things I hate the most about true crime books is how they tend to sprawl through 500-600 pages when they could have gotten there much faster. There is nothing wasted in this book.
Beyond the meticulous research and well written text, here are some other things that stand out:
* Brown actually creates and stands behind his theories. Does not put a lot of options in front of the reader for them to decide - he makes a stand on what he thinks is the truth, and its convincing.
* Interviews the likely murderers multiple times.
* Calls out a current House Representative and Senate Candidate for connections to the prostitution and drug ring in Jennings.
One of the rare books that is unfolding as you read it. The murders are still being investigated, the corrupt officials in Jennings are still in place, and Boustany is running for senate. Excellent read, highly recommended - because of its immediacy, I would recommend reading as soon as possible.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2017Although a convoluted story with a large cast of characters, Ethan manages to stay on track in his storytelling. It is a deeply disturbing narrative, involving drugs, prostitution, deceit and layers of political corruption. I agree that it was likely NOT a serial killer. Law enforcement was not only sloppy & incompetent, but utterly uncaring when it came to investigation of these deaths. Poor women, drug addicts, & prostitutes are already downtrodden, and usually abused. So, what did their so-called protectors do but add insult to injury? And the hotel link to Big G and more powerful politicians. Wow. My stomach actually turned when I read it. I want to thank Ethan Brown for caring about these women enough to tell their stories. And for being willing to shine a light on the deep corruption that we know exists here in Louisiana. Still.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2024Very interesting read if you enjoy true crime and/or are from Louisiana. Best way to get the full picture of this very scary true story is to obviously read this book, and also to watch the corresponding HBO/MAX TV docuseries on this case, which is also named Murder in the Bayou. This Book and the TV Series both give great insight on these Jeff Davis 8 girls, and the circumstances that are known and what is believed to have occurred surrounding their deaths. Would love to have this case solved one day soon!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2023I was most interested in the patterns expressed by Brown. He delivers investigative form as well as the elements of drama based on the real life happenings in a small town. Brown invites you to use your own means of resolution to assist him in this investigative journey. I myself have given the information in this book some thought and have come up with ideas on my own. I good read and excellent way to help bring peace to those involved.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017I ordered Mr. Brown's "Murder in the Bayou on my Kindle and began reading, but this is one of those books that just NEEDS to be a Hardback for me! I went the very next day and bought the hardback at my local bookstore. When I dived in to read this book, it became all encompassing and had me flipping pages back and forth because I wanted to make sure I put faces to the names to humanize these women. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how much work Mr. Brown had put into corroborating everything he wrote (i.e...legally obtaining police and court records, physically meeting and listening to the players in the underside of Jennings, LA) . Mr. Brown followed the corruption from the "wrong side of the tracks" all the way to high ranking officials in the State of Louisiana! It was pointed out the corruption crossed jurisdictions into Calcasieu Parish, which most parishioners (I'm one) already know. You will be suprised by the level of corruption, the devaluization of human lives, and the devastation of a community in the grips of those who took an Oath To Protect and Serve!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2020Interesting book but I don't like the way the author wrote it. I feel like the story could have been much better if it was written better. It was very confusing and hard to keep up with at times. He went between nicknames to last names to first names which made it difficult to keep up with the characters. Overall good story, poorly written.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2016This book has opened my eyes. I have been naive up to this point, corruption and abuse of power are still alive and thriving in 2015. As I read this book I couldn't help but think, how is this happening in this day and age? And to realize that the people who were linked to these eight, defenseless, troubled victims still hold power in law enforcement as well as political leaders is appalling. Ethan has done an outstanding job investigating and his book delivers powerful, appalling, shocking twist and turns that Hollywood would envy. The sad fact is that this is not a movie, this really happened, and the people responsible are still out there free and in charge. The case has once again gotten the attention that it desperately needs in order to finally find the murder, (murders). I am watching carefully as I am sure many are now to see what happens next.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2024I'd watched this story in a TV documentary, but this book goes into chilling detail of the crime & corruption. This book was hard to put down!
Top reviews from other countries
- Peter H.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Great author
Shocking story but the author keeps you in the story with his great detail to the facts.
- Carol F.Reviewed in Australia on August 28, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific but heartbreaking story!
This book is a real page-turner!
A dreadful tale but very interesting and well written.
- Isabella MarshallReviewed in Australia on January 6, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic impressive writing
Such a amazing novel I finished it in 3 days because it was so compelling. I love Ethan Brown's journalistic style of writing and you can tell he put a lot of research and care into the book as you really feel like he cares so much about the Jeff Davis 8 victims and their families. Only negative is it was too damn short only under 300 pages haha I wanted more!! Hoping to buy Shake the Devil off by Brown as well.