Bonfire of the Murdochs, by Gabriel Sherman

An excoriating portrait of a very unhappy family.

​Rupert Murdoch built a global media empire with far reaching political and cultural influence from his father’s inheritance. He intended to make Keith Murdoch proud and achieved extraordinary wealth and power. The question of who would eventually inherit and lead the Murdoch family empire was one that would fester among three key siblings - Lachlan, Elisabeth and James. (Prudence, from an earlier marriage with Patricia Booker, showed no interest in the family business, and two daughters with Wendi Deng, Grace and Chloe, were kept at arm’s length.)

Bonfire of the Murdochs is a riveting drama of how a powerful father pits his three children against each other. Lachlan, Elisabeth and James all try to prove their worth to a ruthlessly cold, calculating man who sees everyone as disposable. The betrayals, exploitation and emotional manipulation beggars belief. Rupert is often cowardly, creating emotional train wrecks  but running away from the scene of the crime and getting others to clean up his mess. He suggested Elisabeth should tell brother James to step down from his position after the  company’s phone hacking scandal. The two siblings wouldn’t talk for years afterwards.

Based on 150 interviews, journalist Gabriel Sherman has written a nightmare tale of wealth and the destruction it wreaks.

Bonfire of the Murdochs, by Gabriel Sherman. Published by Simon & Schuster. $36.99

JUNE 2026