Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story
Max Marshall
A brilliant young investigative journalist traces a murder and a multi-million-dollar drug ring, leading to an unprecedented look at elite American fraternity life. When Max Marshall arrived on the campus of the College of Charleston in 2018, he hoped to investigate a small-time fraternity Xanax trafficking ring. Instead, he found a homicide, several student deaths, and millions of dollars circulating around the Deep South. more
289 pages, Hardcover
First published Harper
3.53
Rating
3545
Ratings
483
Reviews
Max Marshall
1 books 33 followers
Community reviews
Wow, I really did not like this book and really thought I would. There is a great book in here but this author couldn't (or wouldn't) locate it. The author is extremely biased in favor of frat boys, he won't call out sexual violence, racism, or abuse. The pacing is off, he thinks his readership is not intelligent so he constantly slows down to explain things. Also the big twist of the story is broadcast for so long it feels so obvious once we get there. more
I rarely rate a book below three stars. I prefer nonfiction to fiction, and true crime is a favorite genre of mine. The title captured my attention and I ordered it on audiobook. I had to wait awhile to receive it and many other listeners/readers are waiting in line behind me. The content is incredibly disturbing, particularly fraternity hazing and the dealing of illegal drugs in stupendous amounts. more
Bro, you need to read this book. Trust me, bro. Max Marshall's Among the Bros is basically what I expected and that was a good thing. Marshall tells the story of a drug ring which developed at a southern college that ended in a murder. If you are looking for a straight true crime book then this actually isn't it. more
Don't be alarmed by those searing eyes on this creepy cover. This was a super engaging and fast-paced story of a drug ring at at College of Charleston fraternity. The descriptions of the people involved were compelling, the timeline was well laid out, and the background and information on fraternity life at C of C was fascinating. I picked this up after being frustrated by the three former fratboys that moved in next door to me and are incapable of acting with any amount of decency. I was provided a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for my review. more
In "Among the Bros," Max Marshall navigates the troubled waters of fraternity life and crime with the finesse of a dilettante rather than the acuity of a seasoned journalist. Marshall's narrative, regrettably, revels in the clichéd and gilded tropes of drug dealer bravado and collegiate debauchery, foregoing a critical analysis of the events and their wider societal impacts. His fixation on the protagonists' privileged backgrounds and scandalous exploits suggests a veiled glorification rather than an objective critique, which diminishes the work's potential to resonate with a discerning reader seeking a penetrating exposé of campus life and its darker undercurrents. A skilled journalist might have transcended the superficial allure of fraternity notoriety, delving instead into the systemic issues that enable such crimes to flourish. By critically examining the intersection of privilege, education, and legality, a more nuanced story could emerge—one that challenges the reader to confront uncomfortable societal truths rather than simply consume a narrative of excess and entitlement. more
2. 5 rounded downMax Marshall is clearly a good writer and researcher, but this reads like a very long magazine article: engaging but shallow. Marshall outlines a world of insane amounts of straight, white, male institutional power and privilege that is sickening to read about. He lets the subjects and their culture damn themselves through their own words and actions, but that’s undermined by the fact that, despite portraying a world of intense misogyny and racism, it never shows any interest in what it might be like for the women, girls, or people of color who have to deal with these assholes. The way it stays so firmly in the perspective of rich white guys…is that an intentional choice to show how narrow and insular their world is. more
What in the actual hell. This story is unbelievable and highlights how wealthy white men so frequently avoid the consequences of their actions. Also, this cover is brilliant. . more
I can't recall the exact constellation of events that put this book on my radar, but I'm a sucker for a good nonfiction. The story of frat boys being at the center of a drug ring, laundering money through their chapters disguised as alumni donations. That's a story worth reading. At time this did read like a collection of tangents and not the straight forward narrative I assumed that I was getting myself into, but those tangents were certainly related and offered tidbits of information that were definitely still informative. I'm not a nonfiction reviewer, I just know what I like when I read it, and this just one of those things. more
I hated everything about this book, from the artless cover to the horribly written story about an ugly train wreck of a subculture to the terrible author photo on the back flap. I only finished it because I paid full price at an indie bookstore, and I’m giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because I was somewhat interested in the actual underlying story, although the author (a “bro” himself) made it very hard to stay focused on it. He seemed to randomly switch between first name and last name when referring to the key players, which only added to the chaotic reading experience. His writing strategy seemed like nothing more thoughtful than just stringing a stack of research notecards (run-on style) together, with several irrelevant details shoved in, all to terrible effect. Granted, he had a lot of detail to include, but the end result was frustrating and highly unsatisfying. more
An enthralling tale of a fraternity Xanax drug ring and murder. Fast paced and easy to read. That being said I was confused during parts because the time line jumped around a bit. As someone who had never heard about this (I rarely watch the news) I still found it interesting and a little mind boggling that this actually took place. I flew through the book. more
This book caught my attention because of the cover and the title. I loved the contrast of the serious, old fashioned portrait with a pink polo with the popped collar. Then finding out that it was a true crime story about a ring of drug dealers in the elite world of fraternities definitely had me interested. The story was compelling and I did get through the book rather quickly, but I was also left wanting more from it. It was fascinating to see how this group of guys went from smaller dealers to being involved with creating and distributing massive amounts of Xanax and other drugs. more
This would have made for a very interesting article or two. I was interested to hear the rest of the details so I finished but I was not a fan at all of how it was written. The author inserted himself into the story so much and in ways that were totally unnecessary - did I need to hear “when Mikey and I were in school” every time he wrote about Mikey being in school. Did I need to hear about his buddies’ reactions to things (multiple times). Nope. more
Among the Bros recounts the nefarious activities of a fraternity at the College of Charleston around 2018. It seems the bros threw wild parties, took advantage of drugged women, and sold piles of drugs. It exposes the privileged life of wealthy families and their ability to escape severe punishment. It's a compelling and easy read that left me wanting more depth. more
I enjoyed this book and learning about these terrible humans. It was probably especially fun for me hearing so many addresses and streets that were in the neighborhood I lived in in Charleston. It’s not really that crazy of a story and I’m sure this sort of thing existed at basically every school in America but it was interesting to hear how widespread and deep the ring was. I think maybe this investigation would have been better served written by someone who wasn’t the same age as the perpetrators and also wasn’t in a fraternity, himself. You could tell many instances where the author definitely thought the fraternities - and the guys in fraternities - were cool and a common good. more
When they’re first starting out in the profession, nearly every journalist wants to try their hand at narrative storytelling. The advice they’re given is to capture color — *really* absorb the details and use them to enrich the writing. As we know, all horrible outcomes stem from good intentions. And this piece of wisdom has created an army of journalists who write lines like “James, who loves his steaks medium and has a 10-handicap, always wanted to be a surgeon. ” It’s color for color’s sake; it does nothing to advance the core story. more
I wanted to read Among The Bros by Max Marshall, mostly, because I love to see the elite face the consequences of their actions. I’m not sure that was accomplished here. Max Marshall did his research, documented at the end of the book. He did give me many details, but the writing didn’t get me involved. I felt it was like reading a text book. more
3. 5THIS WAS WILD DAMN I did not know college students were running drug rings at this scale. The writing style got a bit annoying towards the end with the big reveals (author was also in a fraternity and does a lot of self insert) . more
1. 5 stars. Hate the authors writing style. It feels like a college paper being written the night before. Very very redundant with its information. more
*2. 5 stars*This really was not what I was expecting at all. I thought this was going to be a story about hazing in frats and like the toxicity that can come from fraternities, but though there was a tiny bit about hazing, it was mostly about selling drugs in frats. And while I think that’s interesting, it felt like a footnote to a much better idea that just never came to fruition in this book. This was SOOO boring. more
A very quick read and more than a little unsettling. Rich, white fraternity boys capitalized on the need for Xanax and cocaine on their College of Charleston campus. Mind numbing that 80 percent of of legislators and 85 percent of Supreme Court justices come from this talent pool. Even more disturbing is the lack of empathy for those who die due to addiction - it is almost like an inconvenience to the party schedule. Although I certainly don’t celebrate anyone’s death the story of Patrick Moffley and his family’s behavior- having another huge drug and alcohol fueled raged on their farm as a “life celebration" when he was gunned down in a drug related robbery did not make me sympathetic to their plight. more
Not for me. The journalistic style wasn’t even serious writing, as if he was cashing in on being of the same generation and background as his subjects. Everything about the story itself just disgusted me. Middle section was Drugs 101 and I work in healthcare but it was a LOT. Hated it. more
A few of these dudes lived in my neighborhood and the kid who got killed lived at the end of my street. But the only thing I can confirm is that Professor Creed 100% rode a bike to class and wore Godzilla socks. more
Hey bro, guess what. I just watched the longest and most tedious episode of ‘Entourage. ’Having gone to a Big Ten university and read a lot of dark academia, I thought there would be a lot to like about ‘Among the Bros. ’ Fun-loving princes on a beautiful campus. Check. more
Judging by Max Marshall's college graduation year, I assume he and I are around the same age. That could be a big reason this book resonates with me because it's based in 2013 when I was also a university student. I went to Southern University, an HBCU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana known for having LSU. I remember websites like Total Frat Move and Greek Rank. I remember the storied message boards of the early to mid-2010s, remnants of the 2000s. more
I just want to say that I love true crime and I'm always intrigued by college kids, colleges, and professors (in both reality, fiction, and nonfiction). College campuses and towns are frosted bubbles where you think you know what's going on, but things are never what they seem. Among the Bros exposes the drug world of fraternities in South Carolina. It focuses on a variety of boys (bros) that dealt with cocaine, Xanax, and marijuana. And alcohol, so much alcohol. more
First, I wish we could have a scale of 1-10 or 1/2 star options, because 4 seems too high for this but 3 seems too low. I work at a university in South Carolina, so I was not the least bit shocked by any of the revelations here, but I suspect a lot of people will be. Marshall's writing is far from great, but it gets the job done. It feels as if he wavers between trying to be a journalist and slipping back into his own frat bro days. Organization is lacking at times. more
This was such a page-turner, and it had really compelling analysis — it’s of course a smaller-stakes story in the grand scheme of organized crime, but Marshall makes the stakes feel real. First book of the year and a great one at that. more
The subject of this book intrigued me, but I disliked almost everything about it. The writing was disjointed and the people involved disgusted me. I finished it, but it just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. more
2. 5. A captivating and easy read, but it’s pretty toothless about addressing the subjects at hand. As far as I can tell, from reading this narrative of the events, a black man was, potentially, falsely accused of murder (even if it seems he did steal Xanax from the victim) and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Meanwhile, except for Mikey, all the other (white and wealthy) players (including the possible murderer) seem to gotten off Scott free, and Max Marshall has little-to-nothing to say about that… beyond pointing out how most republicans (and politicians in general) are fraternity alumni. more