The True Story of the Manson Murders - Helter Skelter

I read this book a long time ago and enjoyed it then too. I also saw the movie based on this book. Because this case was so complicated and long it's a good idea to read the book first then see the DVD.

I was disappointed that there was no indication that the kindle edition lacks photos. It was frustrating to come across the note saying there should be a photo but isn't due to permission restrictions.

One of the best true crime stories. Vincent Bugliosi lucked out with the Mason member willing to testify against them. This book thoroughly describes what happened. After this, you have no doubt about Mason involvement, how he was the master criminal ordering the murders and how his supporters where so enthralled by him.

Must read..

Interesting story about a true event in our history. It is written in a way that makes it a page Turner. All of crimes now this event is almost forgotten. Very interesting on how the evidence was gathered.

I was happy to receive this book so quickly, though I was a little unhappy (on my own account) that I did not think on the fact that this book was autographed by the author FOR the person who had it autographed, but even still I would have purchased it so I am still satisfied. No harm, same meaning, thank you for this book kind sir, and thank you for your career path! God Bless You and your family.

This book keeps you wondering and pondering. Why did these people, some of whom were nice people, do it?. The book is factual, but still a good read too. There is tempo in it. I will not quickly forget it. It also shows how careful suspects are told their rights and how much time is taken to assure that they did it ... a terrible, terrible story however

I have found the story of the Manson family very interesting. Bugliosi writes in language you can understand. The book held my interest and was a quick read. I recommend his book on the OJ Simpson murder trial, Outrage.

I had always wanted to read this book. I grew up in the 60's & 70's. It is very well written and full of things I'd never heard about. This story is still as unbelievable today as it was 40+ years ago.

Not knowing anything about the Manson story I got this book. This is a good book, but I guess I'm just used to all of the bad stuff that has happened in the world over the last 14 years, that this crime is pretty much standard procedure it seems like anymore. Book is good if you are into courtroom crime drama books.

If you never read it before it's a 4 easy ... It was a re-read for me. Almost a procedural, but a fair amount of stuff that never makes it to any of the video re-hashes. It'll also make you wonder just how the hell they all got life sentences for it, even though they did it. In today's wimpy judicial climate the ACLU would have had them walking ...

My Aunt and Uncle were one of the houses they broke into but didn't hurt the residence before they started their murder spree. So my Uncle had never read the book so I got it for him. I had already read it right after it came out.

I must say I was very disappointed with this book. I don't generally pick up non fiction, but this story seemed very compelling. However, when I started reading it, I fount myself dozing over the tedious and excruciating details... Overall, the book reads more like a police report, and I lost interest in it very quickly. I used to always criticize people that posted reviews of books they never finished, but now I somewhat understand... It's not often that I don't finish books, so when it does happen, it's for a good reason, and that alone is telling. It just wasn't a good "fit" for me personally.

I enjoyed reading this book from the prosecutor's point of view in what was such a historical trial and moment in history. The many different emotions of fear, triumphs, and frustrations are felt throughout this book. I was only 3 when the Manson murders took place, but I got the feeling that the family and Charlie were talking in code to each other throughout the trial. What they were saying started reminding me of a yellow house in a cul-de-sac on La Tijera Blvd. in Westchester. From the clothing that was worn, such as white collared long sleeved button down shirts, with a black vest, blue long sleeved dress shirts with rolled up sleeves, and black pants. Shorter golden blonde haired man standing behind taller curly brown haired man with mustache staring into the family room. Was it Lynette who wore the dark blue pants, scarf on head in the kitchen at the Ranch house? Nice hands on the hip pose. Crashing family b-day parties was quite a feat back then! Especially when it's a DAY TIME HOME INVASION! I found it interesting how Charlie claims he crucified himself when actually he crucified Jenny on a wood plank in the hallway. Saws, hammers and all! Must have had something to do with little girls who run down the hallway and hide in their closets. You sure taught her a lesson! Talk about a nail! I'm sure it had nothing to do with the jewelry which was stolen from the back bedroom and the Star of David necklace that was given. Don't you hate it when Gramps yells out that "I'll get you back for this you Bastard!" I'm sure you hate it when a mother defends her religion and her little girls as you rape them in front on the family. Oh and "I said don't touch her!" I suppose that's why she was held by her arm down the hallway as she was forced to look at Jenny in her closet, then was knifed on her own bedroom floor at the foot of her bed. Talk about a bleed out! I'm sure it had nothing to do with checking her pulse several times in fear she may come back to life. Was it her white blouse and black skirt and heels that pissed you off? Was it a murder for hire? I'm sure it was Pa (Bzzzy) in the killer black suit with the loaded display cases in their sexed up bedroom. Interesting grenade next to the tomato. Nice black bag too. I love watching the 3 Stooges! Good thing the boys were told to use Clorox to clean up their mess. Hey Pa, what's in that blue cooler you sat next to? Sure was a blast you were having with Jenny naked on your lap, as her sister Jeanie begged you to stop. But too bad 'ol black beard was in the way as she held on to his leg. "Is okay if I sit down next to you? I know I've seen you & Bzzzy playing sexy games in the bedroom." Dang, did I cut the cheese when you're having at it in my back door? Have to wonder when 2 neighbors in the cul-de sac are involved. I can't imagine that the Manson family would think about pulling some little girls legs under water in an attempt to drown her in the neighbor's pool. Hey, what's in the box? Who the hell would mail someone's head UPS anyway? Must be a toxic threat of do not tell, or pay us all you have if you don't want "someone" to suffer the same fate. Who drove the clown car anyway? The one that picks up little girls on street corners with the license plate # NLH 727. Westchester sure was an adventure, especially driving purple dune buggies in the field or older military type men stalking "someone" in their brown and beige SUV on the 101. LAX cover up or just a government property thing? Gee, you think that this hasn't been any sort of witness intimidation?? Maybe Virtual World Computing is preventing me from making phone calls and e-mail messages. But hey, I guess this is all just "homicidal idealization" coming from a psychopath. Nothing like luring the little girls to the field behind the church and doing donuts and figure 8's. Having your head held down in someone's lap and being told that their penis tastes like oranges because "it tastes like what ever your favorite food is" is quite a tree picking experience. I hope I didn't leave my panties behind! Or was it from one of the other children there? After all that rapid gun fire, I'm sure this is a big bomb that just went off! I was so fascinated with what the Manson family was hiding, that I couldn't put the book down, "til it was done!".

Borrrrrring. Told from the point of view of the prosecuting attorney. Easy to get lost. Story jumps all over the place. Hard to even keep track of the people involved, since they had so many nicknames and each are referred to, so you don't know who they are talking about. 600+ pages. Could've cut that in half and had a more stream-lined book. No pictures! I guess there were copyright issues or something. Totally lame.

The books paper cover had a small smear on the back as if someone tried to wipe away a stain. It was also wrinkled on the edges. It seemed like the book had already been used but I had ordered it brand new.

On Wednesday, August 9, 1969, it was quiet in the canyons above Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Four years prior, Watts had exploded in violence - now it was just hot. Then between 12:30 and 1 A.M., a few heard a scream and several gunshots. Slightly after 8 A.M., Winifred Chapman got off her bus and walked to 10050 Cielo, formerly occupied by Candice Bergen. She first found the extension phone - dead, then blood in the living room. Screaming as she ran out, observing a body and more blood on the grass, as well as another body in a white Rambler parked outside. She then made it to a neighbor, who called police - it was 8:33 A.M. Walking back to 10050 Cielo, they saw the phone lines were down - cut. Police found five bodies, and a caretaker living less than 100 feet away who had heard nothing.

Unfortunately, police (were called three times - arrive about an hour later) were not helpful - perhaps shaken by the scene, one pressed the driveway gate button - obliterating what very likely was a bloody fingerprint of one of the killers. Four detectives were dispatched, arriving within the next hour. Pieces of evidence were moved, 45 blood samples were taken - but subtypes checked on only 21, creating problems later for those trying to re-create the murders. Six hours went into fingerprinting the site - 50 from the residence, guest house, and vehicles, with 25 from unknown sources. The coroner arrived about 1:45 P.M., and determined that there was no evidence of sexual molestation, three of the victims had been shot (probably a .22 revolver - does not eject spent shells), four had been stabbed and or struck over the head repeatedly with a blunt object. And the word 'pig' had been scrawled in blood on the front door. Nothing was missing - except Sharon Tate's red Ferrari.

One of the bodies was not identifiable at first - turned out to be that of a friend of the caretaker, William Garretson, whom he had visited for about a half-hour that evening. Garretson was soon cleared by a lie-detector test, but that then raised the question of 'Why hadn't he too been killed?' (Subsequent testing confirmed that anyone in the guest house could not have heard a .22 firing, or even any screaming when the stereo was on #4 or #5 - as he had said.) And Sharon Tate's red Ferrari was found in a garage, where she had taken it for repairs.

Only 24 hours after the discovery of the Tate victims, two homicide detectives from the L.A. Sheriff's Office approached Sgt. Jess Buckles, one of the L.A.P.D. detectives and told him something curious. On 7/31, they had investigated a homicide in Malibu in which the victim (Hinman) had been stabbed to death. On the wall, not far from his body, were the worlds 'POLITICAL PIGGY,' printed in the victim's own blood. The suspect had been driving a car belonging to the victim and was arrested prior to the Tate homicides. However, it was possible he hadn't been the only one involved in the Hinman murder. He'd been living at Spahn's Ranch, an old movie ranch with a bunch of other hippies. L.A.P.D., however, was not interested - convinced the Tate murders were drug-related (two of the victims had ingested drugs).

Sunday brought the discovery of two bodies at the LaBianca residence in Hollywood. The victim had his hands tied behind his back, a cord tightly wound around his neck, 12 abdominal stab words, a small knife stuck in his throat, a carving knife protruding from his stomach, and the letters 'WAR' carved into his flesh. Rosemary LaBianca had been stabbed 41 times, and a lamp cord wrapped around her neck. There was writing, in what appeared to be blood, in three places - 'DEATH TO PIGS,' 'RISE,' AND 'HEALTER SKELTER.' Unlike at the Tate scene, no drugs were found.

Again, no signs of a struggle (except for the overturned lamps), nor evidence that robbery had been the motive. (Rosemary's wallet and wristwatch were determined to be missing, but much more valuable items hadn't been touched.) Two of the Tate victims also had cords around their necks. And writing in blood in both scenes, as well as the Hinman case. But L.A.P.D.'s Sgt. Buckles still didn't think it important enough to check out the Hinman murder. Panic --> heightened sales of guns, security services, locksmith service requests, and guard dogs. And after Garretson had been cleared, police focused in on possible drug crime motivation.

Monday, 9/1/69, ten-year-old Steven Weiss found a gun on the hill behind his home. Having watched 'Dragnet' on TV, he knew it should be handled careful - thus, he carried it home carefully by the tip of the barrel. There his father called police. Upon arriving the officer touched it all over with his bare hands. L.A.P.D. then filed it away as 'Filed Evidence' in a manila envelopes. Two days later, 300 flyers were sent out to various law-enforcement agencies - alerting them to the importance of finding it. No one sent they flyer to the evidence department, and the gun remained there. Of the 131 revolvers fitting the description of the gun, 105 were found and checked out, 11 polygraphs had been administered - all negative, fingerprints of 140 suspects checked out - nothing panned out.

On October 15, after most of their other leads had evaporated, LaBianca detectives checked with L.A.S.O. homicide detectives to determine if there had been similar crimes. They then learned of the Hinman murder - and found the similarities striking. Just a week prior, the isolated Barker Ranch in Death Valley had been raided and netted 24 members of a hippie cult known as the Manson Family. Charges ranged from arson to grand theft. Many had previously been arrested at Spahn's Movie Ranch in Chatsworth. Interviews of those arrested netted a statement by Susan Atkins claiming to have stabbed Hinman in the legs. Eleven day later, LAPD detectives followed up.

Atkins was booked. Her day job was carrying messages for prison authorities. At night, she talked with her two new friends and became known as 'Crazy Sadie.' (She'd used the alibi 'Sadie Mae Glutz.) On November 3, Susan's reply for 'What are you in for?' was 'First degree murder - Gary Hinman.' One thing led to another, and Manson was interviewed - denying any involvement. However, the detective also noted Manson's use of leather thongs as laces and in stitching - he took a sample with him back to L.A.

None of the LaBianca detectives mentioned any of this to the Tate detectives. Meanwhile, Susan Adkins continued talking and also implicated herself in the Tate murders. 'There were four of us - two men, two women,' the intent was to shock the world. 'You have to have a real love in your heart to do this for people.'

Charles Manson had also been talking - to a motorcyclist friend, bragging that he'd killed five people just a few days after the Tate murders. Two more days and detectives had pieced an overview together. Bugliosi was assigned as lead prosecutor and began a long, difficult task - impeded by a general lack of physical evidence to back up Sharon Atkins' and others' testimony, sometimes uncooperative detectives, usually uncooperative Family members who also sometimes convinced others to recant their testimony, the disappearance of several family members shortly after the indictments had been handed down, Manson's maneuvers to create a 'team defense' that would help him shift the blame to others, Texas authorities who did all they could to prevent Charles Thornton being transferred back to LA. (he'd been identified as the male in the Tate murders, along with three females), and the possibility the Manson would realize how weak the case against him at that point was - and take advantage of his right to demand trail within 60 days of arrest. (Eventually Manson did just that, and a March 30 trial date was set.) Finding evidence/interview notes from all the different jurisdictions and locations also created complications/additional work. Still another problem - the nonsensical motive offered by Manson family members; Bugliosi's experience had been that providing a credible motive, though not legally required, was very helpful in obtaining a conviction.

Manson's early years had been far from idyllic - his mother was in and out of jail, and uncle used him to break into buildings via skylights, he was passed back and forth among relatives, and by age 13 had committed his first armed robbery. Soon afterwards came two failed marriages, two illegitimate sons, more jail time, and innumerable escapes. Now, in jail, he was taking full advantage of his notoriety - interviews, statements of support from counter-culture representatives, even being named 'Man of the Year' in one instance.

Evidence was found documenting Manson had been in the L.A. area during the days the murders were committed, and that he'd conducted a 'murder school' at the Barker Ranch in Death Valley.

The actual trial began 6/15/1970. Threats to the jury, word games, domination of a probation officer by a parolee, repeated firings of defense attorneys by Manson et al. July 21 - jury and alternates selection completed, 4,500 pages of transcript completed. Manson carved an "X" into his forehead, and his female co-defendants created similar markings using heated bobby-pins - showing their domination by Manson. The trail was marked by incessant trivial defense objections from Manson's attorney, witness threatening, Bugliosi being followed at night, the attempted murder of a former Family member/witness, the disappearance of a defense attorney (murdered - body discovered too late to tell), Overall it took 7 months to get to the jury decision-making, and that required another 9 days. Bugliosi spent hundreds of hours preparing his closing statements.

The Spahn Ranch burned to the ground in a forest/ground fire. Squeaky Fromme, another Manson Family member, had nothing to do with Manson's August 1969 murder spree, attempted to assassinate President Ford in 1975. Mary Brunner, one of the first members of the Manson Family, was arrested in 1971 for robbing a gun store as part of a plan to bust Manson out of jail. Paroled in 1977.) Tex Watson was extradited after a 9-month struggle, and then convicted of first-degree murder, also receiving the death penalty.

Forget In Cold Blood.

Helter Skelter is the daddy of them all in True Crime.

I admire Vincent Bugliosi and have read his other books. Helter Skelter is a really, really good and exhaustively informative book about the most infamous mass (not serial) murderer in the United States. For many years, I hadn't really known the details of what went down during the Tate-LaBianca murders until I finally read the book; that's the best part of Helter Skelter because it simply explains. And also, the story is very labyrinthine because there were so many people involved, a lot of things going on, and a multitude of factors in play. One thing is for sure: Charles Manson was in the right place at the right time to make it happen just like his hero Hitler. The trial is even more interesting to read than the murders, and some parts of it are amusingly funny. But make no mistake about it: the murders were senseless and needless and they didn't have to happen.

All in all, Helter Skelter is by far the gold standard of True Crime books.

The best researched and written book on Manson and his crew. Don't give Manson too much credit for brain-washing his disciples. They were stone cold killers at heart who enjoyed the murder and mayhem, despite current pleas for forgiveness. Plenty of Manson followers chose to split when they got wind of what he was planning. Like Forest Gump, Manson had a knack for running into, and even manipulating rock stars, movie producers and more, using the girls as honey. This isn't a story about the excesses of the 60's, flower children or alternative commune living. This is about a crew of thieves, murders, manipulators and losers who ended up getting what they deserved.

The definitive account of the Tate-LaBianca murders is Helter Skelter, written by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry. It's hard to imagine a more knowledgeable source: Bugliosi was the prosecutor who successfully convicted Manson and his girls (some of them, anyways) for the murders and sentenced to death, later commuted by the California Supreme Court to life in prison. While most of us are familiar with the broad outlines of the case (particularly the parts that concerned Sharon Tate, the extremely pregnant wife of Roman Polanski), Bugliosi fills in all the details: the people at the Polanski/Tate residence besides Sharon who were murdered, and the LaBiancas, and the grisly details, and a general idea of why. He can't give us exactly why, because only Manson knows and he never told before he died.

The book takes us through the process from start to finish: the discovery of the bodies, the investigations, the eventual linkage of the two sets of murders, how the Manson Family's involvement was discovered, how the motive was unearthed, the charges, the trial, the sentencing, and the aftermath. If you're looking for a narrative perspective from the perspectives of the killers, that's not what you'll find here. It never really gets in the heads of Manson or his girls, and it couldn't, because they never really opened up to the prosecution team. There are still questions by the end of it, but they aren't questions that can be answered from the outside.

Helter Skelter is a big book, over 600 pages, but it reads fairly quickly. The writing is nimble, and though it doesn't scrimp from talking about some details of blood type analysis or fingerprinting as it applies to the case, it doesn't get bogged down in technicality. The biggest single flaw of the book is Bugliosi's self-aggrandizement. He clearly did a phenomenal amount of work and won a case that could have easily gone the other way if Manson hadn't been a difficult client for his lawyer to work with, but he definitely spends more time than is really necessary bemoaning the investigative deficits of the police and making sure the reader knows how much of the case was 100% a result of his own handiwork. By the end I'd started literally rolling my eyes whenever Bugliosi gave himself a big pat on the back. At the end of the day, it's an incredibly detailed account of the crime for anyone who's interested in reading one, though if your interest is in true crime generally rather than this crime specifically it might not be the best investment of reading time.

I was hesitant to buy this audiobook as I thought it would be a dry court room play-by-play and though it is its
also far more and its NOT dry ! in part , because of the narrator. Another reason I was hesitant is the subject
matter itself , I know about Manson and his followers more as a pop-culture touchstone than anything else but I
DID know his story is an ugly , bloody and cruel one (far moreso than I had originally thought)and im not too
keen on such things. The description of the crimes is harrowing to listen to , all those murders and plotted
murders and Chucks early years were wrenching to listen to as well but these people were adults when they wrought
these awful things and wholly capable of discerning right from wretchedly,wretchedly wrong ( Chucks hypnotic
magnetism notwithstanding ).Some of them repented of their deeds in prison and have made strides to live useful lives.
This audiobook runs for 23+ hours and I had to take breaks from it from time to time but it is worth what I paid
especially since I plan on listening to it again sometime down the road.
Vincent Bugliosi was 35 years old when he did all this and that amazing to me as he was so young ( im 49) . Hes
done a couple other books one of which is an indictment of Pres. Bush jr regarding Americas overthrow of Hussein
, I dont know if thats an audiobook but if it is I may get that one too , his prose is engaging and though wordy'
its not boring or exasperating .This audiobook is worth the money.

To borrow from Manson's favorite group, this is more than "the act you've known for all these years."

Usually, when anyone writes about the Manson Family, it's "Charlie's girls" that get all the attention. Not with this book, a memoir of prosecutor and victim's advocate Vincent Bugliosi. The lives of the women slain are presented in sympathetic detail. Here Sharon Tate is more than a starlet. She's also a daughter and sister who began the last day of her life tending to a stray kitten behind the house on Cielo Drive. Abigail Folger wasn't just a coffee heiress, she's committed to her work with Los Angeles' underprivileged. And Rosemary LaBianca wasn't just the wife of a grocer, she was a millionaire entrepreneur back in the days when businesswomen were rare.

"Reverseable error" haunts him throughout the book. You can tell the responsibility he feels to get these killers convicted and to do it right. I wonder how he would feel today, knowing that Leslie Van Houten has been approved for parole and, if Gov. Jerry Brown approves it, will be released and walking free.

It's not a perfect book -- Bugliosi goes off on tangents that now, decades later, feel irrelevant. Example: one police department investigated the Tate killings and another handled LaBianca. I admit I didn't care about their turf war or how Bugliosi felt about it. And anyone familiar with Bugliosi knows he wrote with swagger. The exasperated, "are you me?" attitude I saw throughout his book on the JFK assassination Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy is here in full flower.

But that didn't stop this book from being a highly readable, real-life nightmare that will stay with me for a long time.

This true crime classic was published in 1974. The author, Victor Bugliosi, was Deputy District Attorney in L.A. and responsible for prosecuting the Tate-LaBianca murders. As this book was published a fairly short time after the actual events, it has a real immediacy, and Bugliosi's insider knowledge makes the reading experience extremely interesting.

The book opens with the murders, which are difficult to read about even after so long. On Saturday 9th August, 1969, screams and gunshots were heard from 10050 Cielo Drive. The bodies of actress Sharon Tate, heavily pregnant, Abigail Folger, heiress to a coffee fortune, Voytek Frykowski, a playboy, Jay Sebring, a celebrity hair stylist and Steve Parent, only eighteen, and caught up in events after visiting William Garretson, who lived in the nearby guest cottage to keep an eye on things for the owner of the house and care for his dogs, were discovered the next day by housekeeper Winifred Chapman. Garretson had not even heard the shots or screams reported by nearby neighbours, possibly as he was playing music loudly, although he did recall that the handle of his door was turned down, as though someone tried to enter the property. Luckily for him, he escaped further notice, although by sheer fact that he was nearby, he was considered the prime suspect at the time.

On Sunday 10th August, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca returned home to Los Angeles after visiting Rosemary's son in Lake Isabella. Dropping her daughter home, they picked up a newspaper from the stand and returned home. The next day their bodies were discovered when their son returned home and was concerned something was wrong at the house. Like the murders at Cielo Drive, the murders were savage and words were written, in blood, at the scene - including the infamous, "Healter Skelter," (spelt incorrectly) at the LaBianca home.

In July of that year, a music teacher, Gary Hinman, had been stabbed to death at his home. Like the scene at Cielo Drive and at the LaBianca house, words had been written in blood. However, the connection between the murders were initially ignored. In fact, apart from connections not being drawn, there were mistakes made during the investigation - including police officers obliterating prints at the Tate house and a gun found in the area, and handed in, being logged and forgotten about. The detectives leading the Tate murders were experienced, but set in their ways. Those involved with the LaBianca murders were younger, better educated and, although less experienced, more open minded. Indeed, they were the first to link the LaBianca crime with the Tate murders and even suggested the words written at the scene were from the Beatles latest album, the "White Album."

We read of evidence gathered, interviews and the rumours, and fear, that swept Hollywood. There were suggestions that the murders at Cielo Drive were linked to drug use and the victims were looked at by the press as `freaks' and their murders viewed with a lack of sympathy. Meanwhile, chillingly, a news report on the mass murder included both a short report on the murders of the LaBianca couple alongside mention of a raid on an isolated ranch owned by George Spahn. A group which had been stealing cars and converting them to dune buggies

The book then introduces those responsible for the terrible crimes. Gradually, the detectives become aware of Charles Manson and his `Family'. Largely this is because of members of the family themselves - Manson who bragged to biker Danny De Carlo and Susan Atkins, currently in prison after a raid on the ranch where the family lived, who told more than one other inmate that she had been involved in the killings.

We then meet the author himself. Victor Bugliosi finds he is in charge of prosecuting the Tate-LaBianca murders and painstakingly sets about trying to build a case against the suspects and finding evidence. We follow him to the Spahn ranch, interviewing suspects and coming into contact with Charles Manson for the first time. The police are under immense pressure to wrap the case up as quickly as possible and Bugliosi resists giving deals to Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian, which might see them literally getting away with murder. Indeed, when he finally takes the cases before the L.A. County grand jury on December 5th, jurors are stunned by Atkins nonchalant testimony, while recounting the horrific murders she openly admitted to being involved in.

The book then moves on to the preparation for the trial. Bugliosi's work is hampered with problems he has with the detectives investigating the Tate murders. He finds the LaBianca detectives far more conscientious and asks them to help him in the task of securing evidence and strengthening their case. He has the difficult task of convincing the jury of Manson's domination over the Family. Meanwhile, Manson himself is acting as his own attorney, while endeavouring to bring the Family members under his control, even in prison. Not everybody is behind bars and many potential witnesses, such as Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, are living in fear and have received death threats, which makes Bugliosi's harder.

Surprisingly, despite being on trial for his involvement in vicious murders, much of the press and public seem to be enamoured by Manson. This love affair with the press is gaining the Family more converts. While the author seems perplexed by this, he is even more confused by the possible motives for the murders. He discovers that Manson quotes constantly from the Beatles and The Bible; plus he borrows various terms from Scientology and has an obsession with the Third Reich. Can Bugliosi convince a jury that the murders were committed because Manson believed the Beatles were sending him coded messages through the "White Album," to begin a racial war in the United States?

The trial itself is covered in great detail; from choosing the jury, through Manson's courtroom antics. Victor Bugliosi was the prosecutor of the Tate and LaBianca trial and so is expertly placed to put us at the very heart of the case. It is obvious that fear was very real - members of the Family were camped outside the Court and carrying weapons openly. Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Steve McQueen were said to be future targets, as well as those already involved in the case - from Bugliosi himself to possible witnesses. Indeed, before the end of the trial, there will be more crimes committed, including murder... The author's central role in the proceedings helps give the book immense detail and also tension - as the author was truly dedicated to getting the victims of the Tate - LaBianca trial justice.

The epilogue sees the author musing that, even though the defendants had been convicted, events were not yet over. How many murders did Manson and members of the Family commit? At the very least, there was also the murder of Gary Hinman and Donald "Shorty" Shea, as well as the attempted murder of witness Barbara Hoyt, the possible murder of one of the attorneys in the trial and threats to those involved in the case. Other things covered here, albeit briefly, is the trial of Charles "Tex" Watson, plots by the Family to free Manson and the others and the author's musings on Manson's beliefs.

In 1975 this book won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime Book and I can easily see why. I have read this before, but found it even more engrossing on re-reading it. It would really be interesting to have the author update this book, as I would be fascinated to hear what he thinks about the case now. At the time he wrote this, the author did not expect Manson to be released from prison, but he did not oppose Susan Atkins release when she was seriously ill (which was denied and she died in prison in 2009) and other members of the Family are still incarcerated. I would certainly have liked to have had, perhaps, a new epilogue or an updated preface to this edition. Still, I recommend this to anybody interested in true crime

I ordered this book on my Kindle just a few days ago and I’m already more than halfway done with it! If you’re into True Crime novels, then this is a book for you! You will not want to put it down! As I was reading other reviews on this, I saw that the store user Tom W. Chilek has said “Such chilling words which began, and subsequently made known, the brutal and unspeakable crimes of the Manson Murders. Vincent Bugliosi's account of the murders and "The Family" was well written and very detailed” I could not agree more. This is one of the best crime books that I have ever read. Not only did this book teach me about Manson’s madness and his thinking process when committing the crime, I was able to see how other people reacted to his malicious crime. The paperback version of this book has plenty of captivating illustrations but as others were saying “No photos, no illustrations, footnotes are a mess. Very disappointed. This is a review ONLY of the Kindle edition. The book itself is awesome.” (the store User Bobby T). To me, one of the most important parts of a book like this is photos from the scene and the evidence that goes along with it. People say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The picture in this novel is worth more than a thousand words. They tell a gruesome story to help us comprehend Manson’s sickening behavior. If you’re a visual learner like myself, the pictures would have been a great addition to the Kindle​ version. I will be returning this version of the book to buy a physical copy of it instead. I am disappointed that the store may not let me return it because it has been almost a week since I ordered it. When reading this book, I do feel like I upgraded my knowledge about the Manson Murders. I know that people may not be interested in reading this because the event is over and Charles Manson is deceased, but some people may feel that this book can help us learn to spot more criminals like Charles. This book was so detailed that it may be easy for some people to get lost in the story. There are also so many people mentioned in this book and what their role was, that it may be hard to keep track of who is who sometime. I feel that many years after his crimes people are still in shock of his actions. It is also interesting to see what the criminal justice system was like back then. Overall, one of the best True Crime books I have ever read.

Really, from the first page on I didn't want to put it down. Not only is it a time capsule of an era, it is a well paced, well written story. I kept telling myself "I'll just read one more section, then I'll grocery shop, do the dishes, go to sleep etc..." and then one more section turned to two, then three, and so on. I'm into non-fiction, but have never really been drawn to the serial killer genre, usually preferring lighter or more uplifting subject matter. I picked this up on a whim at a thrift store because it was the only non-fiction and I felt a morbid fascination upon reading the description.

The morbid fascination stayed throughout my reading this bizarre, true story and now that I've finished I don't think it's going away anytime soon. Before reading, I knew Manson was in jail for murder, had followers and an obsession with the Beatles. That's about it. Needless to say, I learned a lot. I didn't know, that although Manson masterminded the murders he didn't physically commit them but had his so-called "family" members do the dirty work for him. The fact that so many young people became blindly devoted to him and would kill for him in such a savage manner is what makes this story truly strange and creepy. What does that say about human nature? I have definitely been double-checking that my doors are locked upon picking this up.

I was rooting whole-heartedly for Bugliosi, the prosecuter, throughout the investigation and trial, appreciating his desire for justice and feeling his frustrations with the legal system and the LAPD. I am not into detective stories, legal jargon or courtroom dramas, but this case was an exception considering the Manson family was so disturbingly intriguing and that I really wanted to see them brought to justice.

This book made me sad, angry, and disturbed by my own morbid fascination with the whole ordeal. There is a part of me that knows I am just gawking at the awfulness. I feel ashamed of that when I think the victims could have been me or my loved ones. This darkly captivating book ultimately has me questioning the complexities of human nature, and myself.

I bought this book in the 70's when it first came out. But, alas, in paperback, and the glue is now all dried up and the pages are falling out. This is a can't put down book that I highly recommend. I think I'll buy it for my library in hard cover. Did you know that Jerry Brown just denied Leslie VanHoughton parole? I don't think any of them should be paroled. You may think so too after reading this especially if your are too young to remember or weren't born when it happened.

WARNING!!! Do not read certain parts of the book unless you truly want to know AND remember horribly gory and over the top violent and incredibly disturbing details for the rest if your life! I had to read this book (for a college course regarding evidence and thought I could handle it since I had read similar books, etc.). Over 30 years later, I am still HAUNTED by the HORRIFIC details of the murders, especially regarding poor Sharon Tate and her unborn child. I would avoid each and every reference to what happened during each murder, unless you are willing to live with those details in your mind for the rest of your life!!!

Even though this is a work of non-fiction and could be classified as a true crime novel, I would tell anybody that "Helter Skelter" is a horror novel. Heed the warning on the very first page of this 700-page tome- this book will scare the hell out of you.

As far as I've had access to the History Channel, I've known about the Manson murders. I feel like everyone pretty much knows. They've haunted me since childhood. At nine years old, I begged my mom to let me stay up and watch the "Helter Skelter" made-for-TV movie, but she gave me a resounding NO. My aunt then professed that she could barely stand being along when she was a child during the actual trial. Six years later, I picked up this book, "Helter Skelter", at a garage sale and asked my dad about it. He gave me a strange look and said, "I've read it, Jess. I'm not sure you'll like it." But I was curious. I'd seen the specials on TV, Manson's crazy Sirius Black mugshot eyes, the pretty hippie girls taking the stand, a beautiful pregnant blonde woman splayed out on the carpet, the bloody stains on her body pixelated away so little girls like me wouldn't have nightmares. I had nightmares anyway. But I was still curious. I bought the book and it sat on my shelf for three years until I finally got up the courage this summer to read it.

The verdict (pun unintended)? I'm glad I read the book. But I surely don't feel very good about it.

The novels literally starts at the Tate crime scene, and unfolds a picture so chilling, so nauseating, and so surreal that I keep wishing this was fiction. Sharon Tate, actress and wife of director Roman Polanski, three of her close friends, and a young man who was at the wrong place at the wrong time, all lay on the premises, brutally murdered. The crime scene encompasses the whole house- the living room, the yard, the driveway. Written on the wall, in Tate's own blood: "PIG." This is where the story starts. This is what we have to go by. This is the introduction to a story that rattled my bones.

I just need to say that the reason I prickled with goosebumps while reading this alone, outside on the porch, in the dark heat of summer, was because that scene was real but it read like fiction. Those little things- the way Jay Sebring tried to protect Sharon Tate, how Abigail Folger smiled at her murderer while she walked through the house, the little details. The way nobody lived to really tell the story. The way people had to find this scene and piece together what happened. That is the scary part.

After another brutal and sickening crime scene was found and speculation ran rampant, a young woman named Susan Atkins tells her cellmate in jail that she killed Sharon Tate. Then the novel really begins, and we discover that young women and men killed seven people in cold blood, under the influence of a man named Charles Manson.

Charles Manson is a figure in our culture who, to me, is unforgettable and frightening to the core. He had so much dominating influence over these kids that they treated him like a god. They cared for him, had his children, followed his orders, and eventually killed for him. I felt his influence, just as every other reader has. The part that cemented how dangerous he really is when the prosecuter and author of the book, Vincent Bugliosi, looks to see that his watch has stopped, and then looks up to see Manson smiling at him. This is real, it isn't fiction. Coincidence? Most likely. But still scary.

This book takes us through the crime scenes then through the investigation, all while giving us comprehensive background information on the victims and the killers alike. Bugliosi is not only a dedicated lawyer (what a crazy time-consuming job, sheesh!), he is also an efficient writer. I don't think there is anything in this book that could've been edited out. It is a long book, sure, but its a long and complicated event. I appreciate courtroom settings, but if you get bored with the legal jargon, maybe skip this one.

I get nervous writing these kind of reviews, because books like "Helter Skelter" blur the lines of reality and fiction. Would it be respectful to say that I enjoyed this book, even though it is about such horrible events? Can I say that I am fascinated by the Family without sounding like I am giving them unneeded attention? This book raises a lot of questions about morality and good vs. evil, and it might even make you question your own feelings about these people. I learned a lot from this book, but a part of me wishes I would've listened to my parents. They were alive when this happened, young but very much present. This wasn't just a book for them- it happened. And a part of me wishes I didn't have to face that reality.

There have been a dozen books about the insanity perpetrated by Manson and his deranged followers. This account is the overall best and most factually accurate account of the "family" and the crimes they carried out. Of course, you would figure as much, considering the man that prosecuted and put these people away, wrote it. This gives you the background, the crimes, the trial, and the aftermath, a full linear account. The book is well paced and a page turner for sure. It will not take you long to finish it. Be warned, you might not want to read this at night when you are alone. After you have read this and you want more, I would recommend "The Life and Times of Charles Manson" by Jeff Guinn, which is a much more fact-filled and extensive study of Manson and his crimes.

Growing up I would occasionally here Charles Manson references. What I gleaned from the usage of his name was that it was synonymous to crazy, psychotic and evil. In fact, I even made the off-the-cuff remark at times that someone was like Charles Manson although I didn't know who Manson was, what he did exactly, or even if he was still alive!

After reading this book I feel thoroughly informed yet more curious about the enigma known as Charles Manson. Vince Bugliosi did a good job of penning a story that was already written. The murders, Charles Manson, The Family and Manson's pervasive aura was already there and people's interests were already piqued; they only needed someone, preferably an insider, to put the story into print. Vince, being the prosecutor on the case as well as investigator, had just the in depth knowledge needed to write a book.

The first 550 pages flowed quite nicely and provided just about all of the details a reader could ask for. The book hit a bit of a snag once Bugliosi began writing about the penalty phase of the Manson trial. At this point some things became redundant and what wasn't redundant wasn't that insightful or interesting. Furthermore, it seems like Bugliosi took this opportunity to get on his soap box by quoting large portions of his closing argument. I think he saw it as his coup de grace but it was only a summation of what I'd been reading the entire book. No doubt, Vince Bugliosi was the arrogant and verbose attorney and that permeated the entire book. It was both overt and covert. A testimony to his self aggrandizement is the fact that he mentioned, at the beginning of the trial, that most of the legal community didn't believe that any of the Manson Family would be convicted due to lack of evidence. Well, due to Bugliosi's investigative skills and being able to see connections when no one else was, he was able to secure a conviction. Many times throughout the book I found him expressing in one way or another how others had missed things or hadn't done their jobs properly.

Don't get me wrong, he was a "brilliant prosecutor", to quote him, I was just hoping he wouldn't break his arm patting himself on the back. In fact, just discovering the whole Helter Skelter ideology made him darned good and made this book worth reading. There was one other rumination of Vince's that I found worthwhile. It is something that I'd also wondered about myself; which is: why was/is Manson so popular? Towards the end of the book Vince posed this question and gave some of his thoughts on it which I found pretty enlightening. He did a comparative analysis of Manson to the likes of Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy as well as Jim Jones and David Koresh, none of whom have reached the popularity and notoriety of Charles Manson.

Overall, the book is a must read. Manson is an indelible part of history and probably will never be forgotten. His name will be parroted for years to come as I did in my youth which makes this book a necessity, if only to know how Charles Manson and the Family came to be known.

This might possibly be some of the craziest 689 pages I've ever read. The story of the Manson Family and the Tate-Labianca murders is so twisted and outlandish that at times it's hard to believe the people who were part of The Family went along with all of Manson's requests.

I decided to pick this book up since while I had a rough idea of who Charles Manson was, I wasn't really sure what really happened, and what lead to his noteriety. Here's a little background care of Wikipedia...

"Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal and musician who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the murders of seven people, actress Sharon Tate and four other people at Tate's home, and the next day, a married couple, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, all carried out by members of the group at his instruction."

The story though goes beyond that, with multiple other murders linked to The Family, and details the culture and life that Manson created in the desert. Written by the prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi, he's able to give us in in-depth view of the whole story, starting with Manson's early childhood, and how his years in the correctional system lead to him not being able to function properly in society. Though the discovery of the Tate murders and how to police were lead to question and finally arrest Manson and others from his Family.

While the Wikipedia article gives a good overview of what happened, this book is a great look at the smaller details of the case and the life of Charles Manson.

One of the best true crime books ever written. Bugliosi presented a detailed, fascinating story of Manson, the journey from prison inmate to hippy guru, how he motivated his band of middle class young adults to do whatever he wanted, backgrounds of the killers, the backgrounds of the victims, the long, hard process of putting together evidence for the prosecution, the hard work of the complicated 9 month trial, and Bugliosi's chats with Manson.

It's just a great read. I was a little kid in Los Angeles when the murders and trial happened, and no crime has frightened Los Angeles (a place with more than its share of famous serial killer cases) more than the Manson Family murders.

If I should ever get in trouble, even a jay-walking ticket, I want Vincent Bugliosi as my attorney. The Manson Murders was his case to fame, and this book proves he knows his stuff. In addition to his total understanding of the law, he is an intelligent criminal investigator, and has the ability to organize the complicated and complex details into logical and readily understandable content. Bugliosi was the leading prosecutor in the Manson Murders, and this book is loaded with terrific details on the murderers' history, Manson Family association, involvement in crime, their psychological make-up, and the aftermath. I have read a number of true crime stories lately (see my review on the Black Dahlia Avenger), and this is the best I have ever read in terms of laying the story out in a manner that makes sense and enables the reader to follow along with Bugliosi's thinking. It is a thick book, almost 700 pages, but it is not a chore to read, it's an adventure. It's totally understandable why this is the #1 true crime bestseller of all time. Take what many believe to be the world's most horrific crime, report it with facts, intelligence, and chronological sense, and you've got a spell-binding tale. Far more spell-binding then the hypnotic subject, one Charles Manson.

It has been many many years since I have read Helter Skelter but I will NEVER EVER forget the lingering effect it had upon me. Like a previous reviewer mentioned I too was haunted by the thought of these lunatics bursting into my house and butchering me in a similar manner as the Tate and LaBianca murders. I was very scared by this book. So much so that (and I am not kidding) I slept with a knife under my pillow. It freaked me out that badly. For a period of time I read many true crime books on such figures as Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, The Hillside Stranglers, The Zodiac Killer, etc. and they all disturbed me in their own way but nothing in comparison to Helter Skelter. And then along comes the made for TV movie of the 70's which still scares me more than a dozen horror movies. I have found a website called True Crime Scenes and have seen the photos of these horrific events perpetrated by the Manson family. It was not until dawn that I could get to sleep after viweing this. I have since abandoned my interest in "true crime" stories. It was deeply depressing to see humanity reach such a depraved level that is more pure unrestrained animal impulses. Leslie Van Houten is saddened when anyone sees Charlie Manson as an "anti hero" and curses they day she fell in with him. John Waters has come out and publicly called for her release. Squeeky's out. Susan Atkins is dead. He has a very impassioned chapter devoted to her in his own book Role Models. It very interesting and very sad and he is very serious about wanting to see her released. Anyone interested in thi case Helter Skelter is the book to read....but plan on more than a few sleepless nights.

Helter Skelter starts out with a page that simply says "The story you are about to read will scare the hell out of you." That is an extremely accurate statement. No if's, and's or but's about it. This book is terrifying!

While I was born a couple of decades after Manson and his "Family" committed these murders, I still had a general idea of what exactly took place at the crime scenes and the havoc that Manson and co. wreaked (plus my interest in criminology had me seeking out tons of cases that were featured on the TruTV website a few years ago and this one was the most prominently displayed). While Manson and/or his followers are very rarely in the news nowadays (unless one of them is up for parole), the crimes committed were so horrific that they are still brought up today (mainly in procedural shows i.e. Criminal Minds, Law & Order, etc.).

Reading Helter Skelter, there was one thing that was stuck in my mind and that was the ages of most of Manson's followers. We're talking about young people from ages 16 to about 28. Now I'm 21 and I can't even fathom how a human being can commit an atrocious crime like this. Let alone when they are so young and have their whole lives ahead of them, yet let themselves be brainwashed by Charles Manson and his skewed perception of love. It's truly a shame and if not for them, then certainly for all the victims and their families.

Helter Skelter is definitely not a book for the faint of heart. It's gruesome, terrible, and unflinching. It doesn't shy away from the brutality that the victims suffered at the hands of their murderers. And like the first page said, this book will scare the hell out of you. I was extremely paranoid while reading this, always double and sometimes triple checking my locks. It just shows how human beings have the potential to be incredibly evil.

However, Helter Skelter is an extremely compelling read. While it didn't exactly fly by for me (but that's mostly because I had to keep putting it down to avoid jumping out of my skin too much everytime someone knocked on my door past 5:00PM), it kept me enthralled when I was reading it. While I didn't exactly enjoy it, I did find it to be a well-written read that was incredibly gripping. And while I haven't read much true crime, I can tell that Helter Skelter is true crime at its best.

An excellent book. I read it right after it was released and have read it over and over again! It is a shame Mr. Bugliosi did not prosecute OJ Simpson. Mr. Bugliosi definitely had his work cut out for him prosecuting Manson and his followers. The entire story is mind boggling and that someone could actually commit such brutal murders without giving it a second thought is truly frightening. Although the book is a long one it is a great one.

Today was decidedly a kickback day so I randomly pulled this book out and decided to reread it. It has been at least 10 years since I first read it and I have to say that it is every bit as terrifying as I remembered it to be. Bugliosi and Gentry go the distance in detailing the actions of the Manson family prior to their murderous and seemingly senseless rampage as well as documenting their activities on Cielo when they killed Sharon Tate and her friends and then went on to kill the LoBiancos. The details get gory at times but are essential when telling this story. The subsequent trial and the antics of the family recount a time when everything was peace and love but the Family was the antithesis of the era and put distorted and crazy behavior on view. During the period of the trial, the activities of the Mansons were covered extensively.
Once front page news, today the Mansons and their leader Charley are merely footnotes to the period. They come up for parole periodically and I am sure that many people who weren't alive or weren't old enough to experience it wonder what all the fuss is about. This book is so well written and detailed that it resurrects their crimes and offers explanation why some extremely dangerous people need to stay in prison. As I read it I felt sickened and then anxious. This is one of the most frightening books I've ever read despite the fact that a certain amount of the book deals with legal procedures and prosecutorial strategies.
It brings the past and present together and reintroduces Charles Manson and his groupies in startling detail.

This book is one of my all time favorites. It's a really long read compared to what I am used to, but it didn't feel long because of how it enthralls you. Vincent Bugliosi is LEGENDARY not only in the prosecuting the Manson family, but his way of capturing all the details of the entire case and process and putting them into this book. You SHOULD KNOW before you read it what you are getting yourself in to- it is in my opinion not for the faint of heart. I read things in this book that I would never have even imagined happening in real life because they are truly so monumentally wrong, but they did happen. And although it is abominable and disgusting, it is true. And it is somehow captivating to look inside the mind in such detail of the persons in this case. I did not want to put this book down, and when I finally did I missed it and will reread again in the future.

This is a comprehensive and enjoyable read about Charles Manson, The Manson Family and the famous murders they were involved with as told by his prosecutor. Helter Skelter was first published in 1974 and became a bestseller. Helter Skelter won a 1975 Edgar Award and enjoyed two television films (1976 & 2004). The author provides reputable details about one of the most notorious mass murderers of our age. Someone who may not have even committed a single murder (read for yourself). Helter Skelter is Manson's version of a race war as he saw it. While many procedural details about Manson's trial are included here the book never gets boring. It's what most people read when they want a book about Charles Manson because it's still considered the final word on the subject. It's factual and compelling at the same time. Manson is still imprisoned today with little chance of being released.

Buy this book.

"Helter Skelter" was an immense best-seller in the 1970's when assistant DA Vince Bugliosi published his account of the 1969 Tate/LaBianca murders, and the subsequent case and trial brought against hippie grifter Charles Manson and his followers. The murders terrified Los Angeles; Manson captivated and repelled an American society that seemed at the time to be coming apart at the seams. Bugliosi's book is a great read, well-researched (not surprising for an assistant DA) , but surprisingly well written and full of details about the lives of the various players in this sordid drama. It remains the undisputed go-to book for anyone interested in the hippy horror Manson Family. Not a book that illustrates the better angles of human nature, but difficult to put down.

I've enjoyed reading just about anything written by Vincent Bugliosi, and "Helter Skelter" is certainly no exception. Within these pages, Mr. Bugliosi paints an excruciatingly-detailed account of this unique and compelling murder case. You're able to almost get inside Vince's head and see up close how he successfully prosecuted this famous Hollywood case.

Hollywood seemed to be a fitting backdrop for the Manson trial too, because the whole case sounds like something directly from a screenwriter's notebook instead of a real-life tragedy. I guess that's what made the case and the trial so compelling -- it sounds too freaky to be real. I mean, lyrics from a "Beatles" record album becoming a major focus at the trial??

And the tremendous overkill tactics employed by the killers, as they obey their "master" with zombie-like precision. Just simply unbelievable! And yet it happened just the same.

"Helter Skelter: The True Story Of The Manson Murders", originally published in 1974, is "the #1 best-selling true-crime book in publishing history" (per the blurb printed on the cover of the 528-page "25th Anniversary Edition" of the book that I own, which came out in 1994 via W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.).

That '94 "Anniversary" edition is highly recommended by this reviewer due to its original 1974 content plus the inclusion of a new 26-page "Afterword" by author Vince Bugliosi, which was written in June 1994.

"Helter Skelter" tells the fascinatingly-bizarre tale of how a crazy man by the name of Charles Milles Manson ordered several of his seemingly-brainwashed followers (aka "The Family") to arm themselves with knives, ropes, and a gun and break into two Los Angeles-area homes on two consecutive nights in early August of 1969.

Manson's additional orders to his robot-like "family" members were to "kill everyone" who happened to be in those two houses. It didn't make any difference who they were or how many were there -- everyone in those two homes was to die, simply because Charles Manson wanted them to die.

At the end of those two senseless evenings of murder and mayhem, seven innocent people (who had never even met Charles Milles Manson) were brutally slaughtered. The seven vicious killings, known collectively thereafter as the "Tate-LaBianca Murders" or "The Manson Murders", sent Hollywood into a panic for many weeks afterward.

Three months after the killings, 35-year-old Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Vincent T. Bugliosi was assigned as the lead prosecutor for the State of California in the case against Manson and three of his "family" members (Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten).

Charlie Manson, himself, initially wanted to serve as his own attorney at his murder trial. Manson finally relented, however, and hired Irving Kanarek as his main attorney. Per Vince Bugliosi's comments in this book, Kanarek could easily have been identified by another name -- "Mr. Obfuscation" -- due to his continual frivolous objections and delay tactics utilized in the courtroom.

Kanarek, as pointed out in this volume, is a lawyer who once took 1.5 years on jury selection and pre-trial motions during a case where he ended up being fired by his client before the first witness was even called to the stand.

I took note of a laugh-out-loud passage placed in the book by Mr. Bugliosi regarding Mr. Kanarek -- "Kanarek once objected to a prosecution witness's stating his own name because, having first heard his name from his mother, it was 'hearsay'." <LOL>

Mr. Bugliosi, even within the grim subject matter that the reader encounters in a book like "Helter Skelter", which revolves around seven grisly murders, has the ability to interject a little bit of humor into his publications as well -- with the above Kanarek example probably being the best such instance of humor that I found in this book.

Turning an about-face now from that humorous anecdote mentioned above to the more serious nature of "Helter Skelter" --- As a result of Charles Manson's warped mind, these seven people died in August 1969 in California:

1.) Sharon Tate-Polanski (age 26). .... Sharon was eight-months pregnant when she was stabbed 16 times in the early morning hours of August 9, 1969. It's always been my personal belief that Sharon's killers should have been charged with eight total murders, instead of just seven....with #8 being the murder of the soon-to-be-born baby inside the womb of Mrs. Polanski.

2.) Abigail Folger (age 25). .... "Gibby", as she was affectionately known, was stabbed 28 times.

3.) Voytek Frykowski (age 32). .... Mr. Frykowski suffered the most wounds at the hands of Manson's relentless inhuman killing machines -- being stabbed a total of 51 times, shot twice, and repeatedly beaten over the head 13 times with a blunt object. The savagery of it is still mind-boggling today.

4.) Jay Sebring (age 35). .... Jay was shot once with Manson's very own "Buntline" revolver and received seven knife wounds.

5.) Steven Parent (age 18). .... Steven was the first to die at 10050 Cielo Drive in Hollywood's Benedict Canyon. The teenager was shot four times in his car as he was trying to leave the Tate property.

6.) Leno LaBianca (age 44). .... After Charlie Manson had personally tied up Mr. and Mrs. LaBianca with rope inside their home at 3301 Waverly Drive in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles, Manson sent his murderous monsters into the LaBianca house to kill them both. Leno was stabbed 12 times with a knife and was stabbed another 7 times with a fork. A knife was found lodged in Mr. LaBianca's throat, and the word "war" had been physically carved into Leno's stomach by his bloodthirsty murderers, while the double-tined fork used to create that word in the flesh of the victim was left protruding from Mr. LaBianca's abdomen following the grisly act.

7.) Rosemary LaBianca (age 38). .... Mrs. LaBianca was stabbed with a knife a total of 41 separate times. Both of the LaBiancas were found with pillowcases over their heads.

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RELATED "MANSON" TOPICS:

Mr. Bugliosi's best-selling book "Helter Skelter" has also been made into two television movies, produced in 1976 and 2004 (both of which have been made available on DVD; links below).

I highly recommend each of those film adaptions of "Skelter" too, with the original 1976 movie (starring George DiCenzo as Vincent Bugliosi and Steve Railsback as Charles Manson) being my favorite of the two versions.

Unlike the first film, the 2004 remake concentrates less on the actual court trial, spending more time on the activities of Manson and "Family" in the weeks and months leading up to the morbid events of August '69.

Both versions are worthy additions to the DVD-Video library, in my opinion. Mr. Bugliosi himself is credited as one of the three "Executive Producers" of the 2004 movie.

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I often wonder what would have happened if Charlie Manson and Family had heard the words "Not Guilty" when the verdict was announced in Los Angeles on January 25, 1971. Thankfully, though, they did not hear those two words spoken by the court clerk that day, due in great part to Mr. Bugliosi's fine work in piecing together the potential (albeit crazy-sounding) motive for the Tate-LaBianca murders.

But if Manson and his faithful gang of unfeeling killers had walked out of court free and clear, I wonder if other innocent people might have ended up like Sharon and Jay and Voytek, et al. It's a chilling thought....to be sure.

I'm just glad Mr. Bugliosi was ultimately successful in his prosecutorial efforts, and got the killers off the streets and behind bars where each of them belongs.

Anyone who reads the disturbing and chilling first chapter of "Helter Skelter" will no doubt want to keep turning these pages till the end.

David Von Pein
January 2006
March 2008

Though those involved in the slaughter at the Tate & LaBianca homes are now behind bars (thank you, God), at one point the entire city of Los Angeles was in terror until the author gathered all the evidence and wrapped it up, probably saving many more senseless deaths.

Some claim Helter Skelter was not the motive which the author claims, but that is irrelevant. The author explains, "all murders have a motive" and when he saw "Healter Skelter" written in blood at the LaBiancas, he settled on that for the trial. In time it is obvious that Manson was having some sort of mental breakdown as his senseless world was collapsing around him.

Feeling powerless for no one wanting to record his mediocre music, he lashed out by having his brainwashed, blindly devoted followers murder for him. Sort of like a childish temper tantrum gone wild. He was also terrified of revenge by the Black Panthers for shooting a black drug dealer who was angry because Manson ripped him off (like he ripped off anybody who trusted him).

I remember this misreable story back in 69-70... the women who acted like fools defending Manson in the court room & out on the street. Manson couldn't have cared less about them and they had no effect whatsoever on public opinion in favor of Manson. Anyone who defends Manson to this day should be in serious therapy. Maybe he provided some drug induced orgies where you got the clap, but in the long run what do you have? Nothing. Great Book!

The Charlies Manson case has always been a huge interest to me but I have never read a True Crime book about him and I am really glad I didn't until now! This is the best True Crime book I have ever read and this makes me happy and sad. LOL. I do not see how any other true crime book could compare to this or live up to this book. Maybe because of who the author was? I am not sure but I could not put it down!
Charles Manson is one of the "best" known serial killers to this date and I guess like Buglisoi mentions it could be because of the strangeness of his case. I am not sure nor want to guess here but if you have any interest at all in this case I really think you will love this book.
The ending provides you with how (up to the point of the book was written of course) everyone is doing now and what some of the family has been able to do with their lives. Children, jobs, marriages etc.. which I really, really loved about the book.
Great True Crime and so happy I read it!

Bugliosi is not a good storyteller. He takes a fascinating case and makes it utterly tedious by getting weighed down with minutiae. Also, I kept wondering about the psychological makeup of the murderers, but the author never addresses it. Also, Bugliosi mentions if every woman he references is ugly or attractive. It's really insulting to women.

The recent ID channel take on Jeffrey McDonald got me thinking of the very best true crime books I have ever read. This is definitely number one and the most frightening book I have ever read, and we're talking almost 60 years of reading! I lived in the San Fernando Valley when the murders occurred, which made it even more chilling. I've read several of Bugliosi's books as well and they are all good. I'm pleased to see there are more I wasn't aware of! Highly recommended but it is scary!

The book Helter Skelter by Vicent Bugliosi is not one for the faint of heart. This book will surely give you nightmares and have you at the edge of your seat begging for more. This real crime book ensues the devious and persuasive ways of Charles Manson along with every gruesome detail. This book does not depict the crime whatsoever; you read the case exactly as it was investigated and solved. If you don’t want to read about bloody murder cases with people getting pleasure from their violence then this book is not intended for you. The author is so descriptive and thorough with his writings. He does not miss a single idea that may be important to the case at hand. This book includes pictures and interviews with the real life murderers. The reader will be sure to feel as if they are right next to the detective interviewing Charles Manson or the coroner putting one of the victims into a body bag. This book makes you feel like an avid character in the book and it’s extremely understandable why it would be rated the #1 bestselling true crime book. The man within this book is still alive, so, you don’t feel too safe. If you believe that this could never happen again, you are certainly 100% wrong. It can and most likely will happen again; so be prepared to read and sleep at night with the fear of Charles Manson at the foot of your bed; because you may be next. In the story it states “Since we place so much value on human life, why do we glorify, in a perverse sort of way, the extinguishment of life? The answer to that question, whatever it is, is at least a partial answer to why people continue to be fascinated by Hitler, Jack the Ripper—Manson.” It’s crazy to think that people compare this man to Hitler, until you read the story and understand every reason why he is exactly like Hitler’s clone. Also, remember not to eat before reading these gruesome accounts; you might just lose your meal. Helter Skelter should be the definition of gruesome and horrific in the dictionary. It’s a great read, I promise on the idea of Charles Manson getting out of jail.

Vincent Bugliosi, the lead prosecutor, and co-author Curt Gentry write a disturbing yet intriguing account of Manson cases. Bugliosi and Gentry spare few details in describing the events before the murders, the murders themselves, as well as the successful prosecution of Charles Manson and members of his cult. The descriptions of how the Manson cult operated paints a picture nearly as tragic as the murders themselves. Although Bugliosi and Gentry make an excellent effort attempting to answer the question of "Why," such a question may be unanswerable. Bugliosi and Gentry also continually ask the question of how much control to cult leaders have over the followers? This is a provocative question that comes up during the trial. At the end of the book, this question is re-evaluated in light of more recent events such as David Koresh and Jim Jones.

The one minor criticism I have of this book is that it wasn't entirely clear on how the Manson cult was first brought to the attention of law enforcement as possible suspects. The book goes from the murders to ostensible suspects, which are the cleared and then the case goes cold. The book jumps from a cold case to Manson cult as suspects, without much explanation.

This is prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi's 1974 first-person account (with co-writer Curt Gentry) of the Tate/LaBianca murders committed by the infamous Manson Family. The compelling 600+ page narrative proceeds chronologically, starting with the discovery of the bodies at the Tate residence on Saturday morning, August 9th, 1969. It continues through the massive investigation and the eventual June to November 1970 trial of Charles Manson and three of his "Manson girls". Bugliosi was the assistant district attorney that was appointed as prosecutor, and he became actively involved in the LAPD's investigation, helping to link these murders with other crimes and eventually the Family. The authors excel at explaining police procedures and legal proceedings in plain language, though occasionally slow the pace of the story with excessive detail, mostly during the trial segment. The book contains over 50 pages of black and white photographs of the major characters and physical evidence, including the crime scenes. Bugliosi penned a 30 page afterword in 1994 with updates on most of the major characters. A national bestseller upon its publication, this is billed as "The #1 True Crime Bestseller of All Time". Like a previous reviewer, I became aware of this book after seeing recent media coverage of the 40th anniversary of the murders.

What do you say about a book that has sold 7 million copies? That is so unbelievable it has to be true? A name that 40 years later still strikes terror into people? That is the problem I am having as I am sitting here thinking about this review, I just don't know what to say.Before I read this, I thought I knew a lot about Charles Manson. I mean, I DID know a lot, but I didn't know as much as I thought I did. Everyone who has told me they read it has said it affected their life. That is was a compelling read, but they wouldn't read it again. I don't understand that. I think I will there is more to be learned. Mr. Bugliosi is an excellent writer, he tells not just what happened, but details his search to find out the motive behind it. He explains what Manson believed "Helter Skelter" was. The influence the Beatles had on him (one of the things I didn't know). In an afterward written 25 years after the case, he writes his beliefs about why "the nation continues to be fascinated with the Manson murder case. The five year anniversaries of the murders, are marked by articles, news reports, and television specials internationally." He also talks about how other mass murderers and serial killers, the mention of their names does not have the profound effect that the name "Charles Manson". Even today, his crime stands out.The book is written in eight parts (I think, I can't check because Tigger has absconded with my copy, he wants to read it and couldn't wait for me to write this). It logically progresses from the murders, to the investigation, then the killers, then gives background on Charles Manson and his 'family', his 'girls' as he called them. We read about his opinion of the establishment(no surprises there), other races and women. His total control over the people who followed him, who believed he was JC(Jesus Christ) to the extent of who was their lawyers, what they did and said in court. The book has tons of pictures, drawings, maps and about 10 pictures of Manson, each different from the other, including the most famous one, the one that caused his family to say, "Charlie made the cover of Life!".Before I read this, someone told me, any fan of True Crime books should read Helter Skelter, and I agree with that statement. I recommend this book.Written 08December2008

"If this was not a proper case for the death penalty, no case ever would be." In that one sentence, Vincent Bugliosi sums up exactly how horrific, senseless and sadistic these murders were. This is definitely not a case study for the squeamish, and Bugliosi leaves no stone unturned in his prosecution, as well as his investigation, of the Manson murders.
Co-author Curt Gentry narrates the first half of the book in the omniscient third-person, informing readers of the stark facts. On August 9, 1969, 10050 Cielo Drive went from being Sharon Tate's "love house" to a slaughter house where 5 victims (Tate, her friends Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowsky, and an unknown bystander, Steven Parent) were stabbed repeatedly, and in some cases, shot. The most horrifying image is the death of Sharon herself, who was nearly nine months pregnant, and in her most vulnerable state. The following night, August 10, Rosemary & Leno LaBianca were the victims of the massacre. Aside from the graphic nature of the crimes, messages had been printed in blood. Among them was a mispelled one: "Healter Skelter".
Gentry gives details on the LAPD investigation. At times, the police come off as the Keystone Kops with their obvious mistakes (for instance, an officer presses the gate buzzer at the Tate residence, obliterating the bloody fingerprint originally left there). In other instances, some officers are shown to be thorough in their interviewing techniques and investigations (most notably Dianne Lake, a former member of the Manson family).
When Gentry begins to unravel the horrors of one Charles Manson, a small-time pimp and criminal who had spent most of his life in federal prison, the narration is at its most compelling. Eventually, one of the perpetrators of the "Helter Skelter" murders, Susan Atkins aka Sadie Mae Glutz, blabs to her cellmates once too often, and (thankfully) gets the killers arrested. Bugliosi gets assigned to the case.
Bugliosi apologizes for the abrupt change in the narration, since he picks it up in the first person singular. However, his ability to relate the details of the case, the personalities of the killers and victims, the forgotten clues, interviews with understandably frightened witnesses, and his analysis of the dynamics of the Manson Family will soon make the reader forget this change in the "voice". Bugliosi is a trial lawyer who puts 150% into his work, and to read his account of why he had to prove motive, how he got the maximum amount of information from his witnesses, etc., is to read a masterpiece. It's rare to see any lawyer that dedicated to his job. Bugliosi not only has an eye for details that are seemingly unimportant at first, he also has the ability to articulate the main points of the case in a manner which is easily understood by someone unfamiliar with criminal law--a rare combination. The trial was almost as bizarre as the murder, with the defendants behaving as if they were unruly students in a classroom, and laughing at inappropriate times. The most unforgettable moment would have to be Manson's attempted attack on the judge, as his co-defendants admiringly looked on. Those 3 women, as well as the other Manson family members (including the prosecution witnesses), believed that Charlie had magic powers. Considering that he and his four co-defendants were found guilty and got the death penalty, only to have the death penalty overturned by the U. S. Supreme Court, it would seem that maybe Manson DID.
In the afterword, Bugliosi goes on to name other unsolved murder cases in which the Manson family members are suspects (there are possibly about 40 victims in all, or even more). His eloquent trial arguments are a reminder of what could have happened if this case had been assigned to a lawyer who DIDN'T always have his eye on the ball. The scariest thing about these cases is that Manson could have easily walked, given the initial lack of concrete evidence. Bugliosi is probably the all-time champion prosecutor when it comes to circumstantial evidence cases. For another one of these books, check out another one of his books, "Till Death Us Do Part". His final argument is so concise and thorough in the way it covers every possible issue, it must certainly rank among one of the finest arguments in U. S. history.

This true crime novel covers one of the most sensational American trials of the 20th century, that of Charles Manson and his "family", who were responsible for a series of gruesome murders in California at the end of the 1960's. Cannot properly call this a mystery since the outcome of the case and the identity of the killers is well known, rather this account of the Manson family written by the prosecuting attorney gives insight into the bizarre motivations for the murders. "Helter Skelter" covers the investigation of the murders and a detailed accounting of the trial, with great photo insert sections. If this story had been conceived of and written as fiction it would not be believable, here the truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
Charles Manson was the product of a severely dysfunctional childhood, and a life spent more inside prison or detention than out. This individual, like a cult leader of a commune, was able to attract young people to him and have them become so devoted to him they believe he's Jesus Christ returned and are willing to [destroy] any random individual for him on command.
I'm old enough to remember the Tate/Labianca murders when they were front page news, read the first edition of "Helter Skelter" way back, and really enjoyed this newer version with the added 1994 afterward by Bugliosi telling us where all the story participants are today. I had no idea that some of Manson's ideas are still around, unbelievable what attracts some human beings.

Enjoyed the structure of the narrative. As the reader you went on the journey with investigators as the discovery of the first victims unfolded. Then the narrator shifted to the prosecutor and the reader gets a front row seat to the prosecution building its case. Only gave my reading experience 4 stars because it was very disappointing that the Kindle version did not include any of the many photographs included in the printed versions. The description of the Kindle version notes the fact that no photos are included, but it is not prominently displayed. Had I seen that notice, I would not have bought this book for my Kindle.

Bugliosi holds nothing back and gets as graphic as the case requires; this is not for delicate dispositions, it is a raw, brutal and monstrous example of what depravities evildoers are capable of when the right (or wrong) mix of degenerates come together.... Manson trolled the streets for the homeless, runaways and neglected disenfranchised youth and made them his own "family" to use a comforting term is a grotesque parody of what family means to all decent people. None of these people on their own would have come together and created this multi-personality Hydra Manson created; he has a special gift for gaining trust and making his worst depravities become reality by virtue of the control he wielded over these lost souls. This is evil, and the right ingredients were concocted to effect one of the worst serial killings of the twentieth century. The background was that Manson was brought up to the house on Cielo by Greg Jakobson who was involved with Manson on some dune buggy deals, and when he found out that Manson fancied himself a country singer he brought him to Cielo to meet Terry Melcher, Doris Day's son and a then record executive who listened to Charli's "music" and promised him, more facetiously than real, a recording contract. This was simply passing the time, and a fatuous, meaningless conversation that Manson took to heart, very seriously. When the contract never transpired, Manson felt betryaed by Melcher and wanted to get back at the pigs/establishment he saw as standing in the way of his success. Although he spent time trying to find Melcher, and when he contacted the Doris Day house in Beverly Hills, he was rebuffed. Melcher wisely ran up to Carmel to hide out with his mother. Manson, however, did know that there were people, Hollywood people, living there, and he made his plans from that information, to send a message. He sent his team, Susan Atkins, Tex Watkins, Leslie Van Houten et al., to kill the pigs...unfortunately, the people were the worse for wear, and Frykowski, a big tough Pole, was no match for the violence he woke up to; being stabbed multiple times he quickly lost blood and then they turned their attentions to Abigail Folger and Sharon Tate. Jay Sebring (black belt in karate) gallantly tried to protect Sharon, but he was no match for the numbers of the group and their sheer bloodlust. Up until tbat night, Manson was viewed with some wariness, as he was obviously rather disturbed, but the full extent of his madness was not discovered until that August night. I lived at the bottom of the hill where the house was, and arrived home around midnight and saw the car parked at the bottom of the steep road that led yup to the house...I thoguht it was kids making out. A Boy Scout leader a few miles away in Beverly Glen heard the screams, but the canyons have tricky acoustics and we heard nothing, right below the house. My brother had lived at the house when Melcher was there and made some offhand references to crazy Charlie, but he was nothing to be feared until that horrific night. The next morning I was awakend by many, amny cars going up the street, which was unusual, since it was a steep street, and we never got traffic; I looked out the window and counted twenty or more police cruisers and ambulances constantly traveling in a grim convoy up the street, and helicopters flying overhead...this went on all day, and after that, the circus started with tourists coming fom all over the United States to see the "murder house." I had met Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski at a small dinner party and never forgot how stunningly beautiful she was; absolutely breathtaking in person, and so sweet. The trial and the frightening lack of remorse was haunting, and we all armed ourselves with guns, not knowing if they would be back; when they were caught in a stolen car raid at the Spahn Ranch, everyone breathed easier....a friend of mine had a cabin in the Sierras and her mother drove up by herself one time and said she saw a schoolbus with hippies in it and they stared at her and as she told me alter "Gave her the chills." The combination of these lost souls came together and created a monster that tortured and murdered many people, inclduing Shorty Shea and the La Biancas. Th trial and the crime itself is recreated in meticulous detail and you must marvel at the tenacity and the will of Bugliosi to endure this several month long trial...and emerge victorious. The Supreme Court, in a questionable decision, rescinded the death penalty; but for that, they would more than likely have been executed by now. So they still come up for parole and they still get denied, and long may that continue, because there is no doubt whatsoever, despite claims of new found Christinaity, they would do harm to others when they could...this is a horrific glimpse into the minds and wills of people who are beyond any help or humanity; they are monsters.

Little wonder that "Helter Skelter" is the top-selling true-crime book in publishing history. Here, more than 30 years after the decade of free love was essentially drowned in a literal pool of blood, the sense of horror then is resurrected in stark reality. The author, who also prosecuted the case, gives us not only a graphic description of the overkill of the Manson Family's victims but also lays out the legal complexities that threatened a successful prosecution. Of the former, the sheer brutality of Manson's henchmen, namely "Tex" Watson and Susan Atkins, is simply numbing while, of the latter, the legal issues educate us that the case then wasn't as open-and-shut that we perhaps have come to assume. The reason for the slaughter of the Tate-LaBianca victims is detailed, but whether evil or insanity fueled that reason is best left to the reader. Whichever, Charles Manson, or as he empowered himself as "Man's Son" to his susceptible clan, emerges not only as a vicious murdered but a master manipulator of other people's human failings. That there will always likely be those who pervert those failings to their own ends makes this book an important study in both human behavior and legal scholarship. Beyond that, the unmitigated brutality, i.e. overkill, of Manson's victims is paralyzing.

This book did not disappoint. While I certainly was disturbed by the evil of Charles Manson and his Hitler-like qualities he possessed over so many, you will find this book to be a very thorough treatment of the court case that put him in prison for life. If you like courtroom drama, pick this book up and read it.

I recently saw members of the Manson "family" interviewed on television, and I have no doubt that the remorse displayed by Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel is real, and that they now see the reality of what Manson was and still is, but I also have no doubt that they owe society a great debt, and must stay in prison for the rest of their lives.
But Manson? Manson is a different story. I don't get scared easily, but because he remains so paranoid and because of his virulent psychopathology, he is a truly frightening individual, and "Helter Skelter" is the best assessment of his life, psyche, and crimes ever written.
"Helter Skelter" is a blow by blow account of the gruesome Tate/LaBianca murders written by the man who, as the prosecuting district attorney, had the disturbing job of being forced to immerse himself in this grisly case for over two years in order to convict the killers. As a result, no one knew, and indeed still knows, the intimate details of this story better than Vincent Bugliosi, and that is why there was no one better qualified to write this book. It is a compelling story which is almost too horrific to be true, but the blood, gore, and savagely mutilated corpses testify to the harrowing sadness of the reality that these crimes really did occur. Indeed, no horror movie could be as frightening, as gory,or as disturbing as the Manson murders, and this book paints a compelling and graphic portrait as to why the perpetrators of these crimes should never be paroled from prison.

the store, you really need to add a descriptor category for Kindle books of "Photos: None". This appears to be an issue for True Crime category books in particular. I assume it's because many True Crime authors in the past did not get electronic reproduction rights to photos.

The print version is a five-star classic.

I fell asleep listening to every night! I found myself asking myself and those that know me best, do you think I could be brainwashed, do you think I could kill someone. While listening to this it literally took over 2 weeks of my life. When I wasn't listening to it I was googling Manson, the Family and murders trying to learn more. All I can say is I'm glad I'm not old enough to have lived through it.

There's lots of information, it's very detailed, so reading it is probably better than listening to it. But it's very well written. For as much information and as detailed and "characters" introduced Mr. Bugliogsi does a great job of transporting even this 30 year old back 40 years to make me feel as though I'm reliving it.

I started this book on August 9th, which is (coincidentally) the same date the book begins -- almost 50 years earlier. It was... an uncomfortable beginning.

Helter Skelter is, as it advertises, the true story of the Manson murders, going all the way from the night of the famous murders through the sentencing of the perpetrators. It's a very long book, clocking in at almost 700 pages, and I vacillated between being extremely appreciative of all of the details Bugliosi included, and slightly frustrated at its seeming inability to end.

Having been born in 1989, I knew little about the entire story of the Manson Family and the atrocities they committed; upon finishing the book, I certainly know more than I ever thought I would. Bugliosi explores, in detail, how the prosecution created their case, how the LAPD messed up the investigation, and how the members of the Family implicated themselves -- and what a fascinatingly frightening person Manson was (and, I suppose, is).

I did find Bugliosi's tone slightly annoying: because he was not an impartial observer, and because this is a memoir of sorts, it feels that he is building himself up as a character -- and I'm not sure I trust how good he was at doing the LAPD's work for them, or how often he actually managed witty one-liners.

In spite of this failing, the book really is fascinating. I strongly recommend it for those interested in true crime and all the gory details it entails.

I had this book since I was sixteen and have read and re-read and watched the movie. This book is what got me into studying Serial Killers (and how they became what they were). I've studied the Manson case extensively and come away with different opinion of them each time (all of them not good).
Essentially, all the Manson Family was, was a bunch of kids aged 15-28, all runaways that joined up with and let themselves be brainwashed by 5'2" Charles Manson. I think Susan Atkins once said he had the voice of an angel.
Between 1967-1969 Charles was preaching to his followers how he wanted to start a race war ... his version of "Helter Skelter" and that the Beatles were urging him to do it through the White Album. (How demented is this man?)
In 1969, Manson got tired of waiting and told his followers that the population needed a little help in starting Helter Skelter. So he sent out Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkle and Linda Kasabian (the only one with a valid driver's license and snitch) to a house he knew about in the Hills (10050 Cielo Drive).
There in the early morning hours, Sharon Tate's "Love House" (rented from Doris Day's son Terry Melcher and owned by director Rudi Altobelli) went from "Love House" to Slaughterhouse as Sharon and each of her 3 friends and a bystander (Folger, her boyfriend Frykowski, Sebring and Parent) were brutally and horrifically killed. Sharon was 8-1/2 months pregnant with her first child from her husband, director Roman Polanski.
The next night, Charles said it was too messy and he went along and brought along Leslie Van Houten. There a couple who owned a grocery store chain were killed in the same horrific way. In both residences the "Family" printed words on the walls and doors, including misspellings, with towels with the victims blood.
"Helter Skelter" is the story written by the Prosecuting Attorney, Vincent Bugliosi. He and his assistant investigated, and tried the four murderers in a California Federal Court and got the death penalty for each one for the Tate-LaBianca killings.
Today, the main people in the Manson Family (including the 1st in command Squeaky Fromme for trying to kill President Ford). In 1972 the death penalty in California was abolished and the Manson Family's sentences got commuted to Life. The Death Penalty was reinstated in 1973 or '74. Every now and then you'll hear about a Manson Family member come up for Parole and being denied. Most recently as (5/23/2002) Leslie Van Houten (participated in LaBianca murder) has come up for Parole and been denied, and now she thinks she has been unjustly denied Parole after all these years. The woman stabbed a person 13 times! And she wants a parole! Current California Governor Gray Davis won't allow it.

I've always liked just about anything by Vincent Bugliosi .... and his 1974 book "Helter Skelter" is certainly no exception. As the chief prosecuting attorney in the case of California vs. Charles Manson (and "family"), Mr. Bugliosi in this book gives us every excruciating detail of this fascinating murder case. You're able to really get inside his head and see up close how he successfully prosecuted this famous Hollywood case.

Hollywood is a fitting surrounding for this trial too. Sounds like something directly from a screenwriter's notebook. I guess that's what makes the Manson case so compelling -- it sounds too bizarre to be real. I mean, lyrics from a "Beatles" album becoming a major focus?! The tremendous overkill tactics employed by the killers, as they obey their "master" with zombie-like precision! Just simply unbelievable!

I'm just glad Vince was successful in his efforts, and got Manson and a few of his murderous "family" members off the streets. You'll want to keep turning these pages till the end.

"Helter Skelter" is a book recommendation of the highest order.

Here, in this book--Helter Skelter,--we have a panoramic view of the Manson Family's final carnage. This is an authoritative description of Manson and his family, the method and madness of the man they called god, Jesus, soul.

This is a ghastly description of the murders only as a member of law enforcement or seasoned prosecutor would narrate.
Bugliosi meticulously takes the reader through the crime scene; beat for beat, down to the cents in the victims' wallets. He highlights the mistakes made by the investigating agency, the cover-ups and beyond. After reading his account, you might as well have been in the court room and alongside the detectives.

The extent of hate portrayed in the overkill clearly leaves doubt that anyone could be brainwashed to commit such acts of violence without prior aberrant inclination, or psychotic / sociopathic predisposition. Manson was simply and clearly the switch that allowed the flow of bottled up rage that was already in his family members. He was the magnet that brought together a group of deviants.

Vincent Bugliosi, who prosecuted Charles Manson along with Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houton, and Charles "Tex" Watson, gives us an insider's look into the Tate-LaBianca murders of 1969. Described by Manson himself as a "judicial genius", Bugliosi personally (and tirelessly) gathered most of the evidence himself. He takes us through the murders, the manhunt, the capture, his struggle to build his case, and finally the trial. A very frightening read, when one considers the savagery of the murders along with Manson's dangerous (and powerful) personality. Also sad, not just because how you come to feel for the victims, but also because the flowerful 1960's ended this way. Sixty-four pages of photos and a 1994 update, which clears up some unanswered questions as well as detailing the post conviction lives of the killers, all of whom are still incarcerated save for Steve Grogan, who was convicted of a different murder. A must for any true crime buff, and you probably won't make it past the first chapter without checking to see if your doors are locked.

In the summer of 1969, I was enjoying the afterglow of having participated in the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Farragut, Idaho. For a couple of years, I knew next to nothing about Charles Manson and the murders he commissioned. By adulthood, I'd heard the story many times and when I read the descriptions of Manson in Helter Skelter and read the gruesome accounts of the murders, I was already grievously familiar with them.
BUT, I didn't know anything about the prosecutorial genius of Vincent Bugliosi. As I read more deeply into his book, I became more and more fascinated by his imaginative, dogged pursuit. He seemed as much an artist as an investigator as he envisioned scores of possibilities for how the crimes might have happened and as he began to formulate his theory of Manson's motive. Maybe orchestra conductor would be the more apt metaphor: reading Bugliosi's account of orchestrating the investigation and conducting the State's case at trial was akin to observing a great maestro work an orchestra through a complex symphony. I thought Bugliosi was brilliant.

The late 60s were full of destruction, rebellion and the end of the optimism and the idealism that America was almost attached to. Then the Manson family kills 8 people, which symbolizes the darker side to the hippie/LSD/youth culture lifestyle.

Vincent Bugliosi was Manson's attorney during his infamous trial. Here he documents every shred of evidence and every detail which went into the ghastly homicide, and the trial itself, which resulted in Manson and 3 members of his family (Sadie, Lulu, and Patricia) being convicted of murder and sentenced to death, which was later turned into life in prison, due to California's abolishment of the death penalty in early 1970.

This also gives an unbiast view of Charlie's life (by the time he was 32, he spent 17 years in jail), his aspirations to become a rockstar, the members of his "Family," why he and his family committed the murders, and, probably the most interesting yet odd part of the book, Manson's rather religious, dogmatic and supposedly prophetic interpretation of the Beatles' double-LP "The White Album." It is complete with rather bizarre lyrical references from the people he was after (the "Piggies") the revolt that blacks were going to plan against whites (The lyrics to "Blackbird" describe "Helter Skelter," which meant that blacks were going to destroy whites, led by "Rocky Racoon, who, strangely would be a 'coon,' not to be racist"), the Beatles as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (The avant-garde sound effects of "Revolution 9", and how the 5th 'horseman' was actually Stuart Sutcliffe, who was in the group but died of a brain hemmorhage in 1962), and how the Beatles were planning to sail across the Atlantic to make Charlie a rockstar (The lyrics to "Honey Pie," 'I'm in love but I'm lazy,' meaning that the Beatles were supposedly interested in Charlie but were too lazy to sail across the Atlantic to California to meet him). It's rather strange and laughable at the same time.

It also gives the viewpoint of Manson himself, with interviews, quotes, press releases and biographical information. His comments about Richard Nixon condemning him as a guilty man, while Nixon sends young men to Vietnam to get killed, was particularly interesting.

It's a very long, detailed account about the murders that would mark the end of an era, and one of the most notorious crimes in history. A book highly recommended for anyone interested in law, or anyone remotely interested in the Manson cult and/or ideology.

I realize it is strange to say this is the "best" book ever and one of my all-time faves . . . the subject matter is SO disturbing and the entire tale of Charlie Manson and his family is just plain creepy. But I am a fan of true crime books, and this is the best one out there. Bugliosi does such a fabulous job giving background info, delving into the lives of the Family, describing and detailing the two summer nights when they committed the Tata and LaBianca murders . . . it is so frightening and so disturbing . . . I suggest you DO NOT read this book late at night when you are in a hotel room or apartment all by yourself. You will swear something or someone is creepy-crawling around. To this day that simple phrase "creepy-crawling" makes the hair on my neck stand straight up.
Bugliosi does a wonderful job with this book -- I usually am not a fan of long drawn-out courtroom descriptions, but Mr. Bugliosi makes you feel as if you are right there and "in on the action." Of course, perhaps these courtroom chapters are fascinating because the defendants themselves were so strange, so odd, so malicious and without remorse, that everything they did was of interest. The book is the most frightening, disturbing, realistic, well-written, bone-chilling I have ever read . . . and it is all the more frightening because it actually happened. I first read this book about 4 years ago and have re-read it about 3 times since, and I feel like I pick up on something new each time.
This is one of those books you just cannot put down -- even though the descriptions are gruesome, the crimes heinous, the family's lifestyle so bizarre and disconcerting, Manson's hold on them so difficult to grasp . . . you keep turning the pages, reading faster and faster because you simply cannot wait to find out what happens next. I highly recommend this book -- as long as you do not scare too easily. This is one book that stays with you for a long long long time.

-From the day I read of the bloody murders at Sharon Tate's residence, I wanted to understand what happened and WHY?.
--Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor of Charles Manson and 3 of the girls that were his followers, in one of the most controversial trials in the U.S. shows why he must be such a good prosecutor. He guides us through the crime scenes, describes the police investigation, and finally his own investigation when Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkle, Susan Atkins, and Leslie Van Houten were arrested, and preparing for trial.
Not only do we learn WHAT happened, but Bugliosi makes his famous search to uncover the complex motives that allowed this to happen: Charles Manson's mission to cause "Helter Skelter"
Bugliosi clearly lived and breathed this case day after day, and he recounts it so vividly, the reader is part of the invesigation.
-He also gives us valuable information on the trial process. How he struggles to get crucial evidence and testimony admitted, and show the jury beyond any doubt what happened.
He certainly convinced me beyond a reasonable doubt.
-The story is certainly still relevant. The murderers are still in jail, repeatedly requesting parole, we need to reread this book to know they should never be freed.

Most of my complaints with this book center on the author. I've read other things by Bugliosi and not been impressed, so it shouldn't really have surprised me. The book itself is good, and chock full of information. Bugliosi, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired.

To start with, he's a poor writer; his writing is very choppy, and doesn't read well. He also often makes grammar and spelling mistakes. He several times uses the word "fixed" when he should be using "fix," for example. He also says "pleaded" when he should be saying "pled." Yes, a minor detail, but it bothered me a little bit when I was reading it. I think a better editor would have helped the book a lot.

In addition, Bugliosi is just plain obnoxious. For one, his self praise is really annoying and detracts from the message and the story he is trying to get across. It starts with his self praising bio toward the beginning of the book and continues throughout as he does everything possible to make everyone around him sound incompetent while making himself sound like God's gift to criminal law. It really, really got old. He also seems to give in to exaggeration a lot, which is not a good sign in a non-fiction novel. In particular the relish he seems to have for throwing others under the bus really makes him hard to like by the end of the book. This makes him hard to like, and it's always hard to read a first person book if you don't like the narrator.

Beyond that, he actually did several things that bothered me as attorney. For one, why is he collecting his own evidence and conducting searches himself? Is he trained properly to do these things? Beyond that it creates potential conflicts of interest - which he as much as admits to himself at one point when he says something about it making him both the prosecutor and a witness. Getting involved in evidence collection often gets lawyers into ethical quandaries and complicates things; it's inadvisable and inappropriate. With the background he has, he should have known better. It's ironic that he spends so much time lambasting others for their inappropriate and unprofessional behavior when he's doing similarly stupid inadvisable behavior himself.

I also question his legal conclusions sometimes - a lot of it is probably just things that have changed in the last 30 or 40 years, like missing what would now be obvious hearsay exceptions. I assume the law has changed in this area, but I think he was engaging in some self aggrandizement at times, talking about the time he spent researching hearsay exceptions that anyone who has graduated from law school and passed the bar would know off the top of their heads. The glaring legal issue was the statement that cops could smoke pot under cover and it wouldn't be a crime. I have no idea what he is basing that on, but I have never heard anything to make me think that is true - and I doubt it's changed much in the last 30 years. I am sure prosecutors look the other way, but that doesn't make it legal.

Bugliosi's self congratulations continues throughout, trying to use regular things like legal research and restating questions etc. into brilliant feats of a brilliant lawyer, when in reality they are things that any lawyer can/should be doing during the course of a trial.

I do appreciate that he makes an effort to explain some legal concepts, as the public often misunderstands what the law says and why things happen the way that they do. I do think his explanations were often lacking or incomplete, or he neglected to explain important things while explaining really minor details, but I did appreciate that he made the effort - and I am guessing lay readers probably got a lot more from the book because he took the time to do that.

Last, when he is setting the Manson murders in context he tries to sound like an expert on serial murders when it seems he doesn't really know what he is talking about. I am no expert, but I have a lay interest and some of what he says seems to contradict everything I've ever read from other experts in the field. He says Gacy is the only one with more than thirty victims, but Bundy (who he also mentions) had at least 36, probably more. He also implies that serial killers are usually stupid, which is incredibly inaccurate according to any material I have ever read.

When it comes to the actual story and the detail he uses in covering the Manson case, this is really a great book and highly recommended. Bugliosi does do a good job of creating suspense and making you feel thoroughly creeped out, and he provides a wealth of information on the case and all the principles involved. Just be ready to deal with Bugliosi's egotistical crap while you're getting that information.

Read this many years ago. I was backpacking the Sierras that weekend and missed most of the shocking news coverage. This is a brilliantly written and fascinating account of one of the great barbarisms of the hippie era (and Manson was part of that culture). Many parts of this book remain in my brain.

Despite its length (600 + pages) and punctilious court room detail in the second half, Vincent Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter" is a fascinating account of the two nights of savagery which shocked the nation in 1969: starlet Sharon Tate and her three house guests (plus an unfortunate young man who, like Ronald Goldman, was in the wrong place at the wrong time) on August 9th, then the LaBiancas, a middle-aged upper-class couple on August 10th. With his co-author Curt Gentry, Mr Bugliosi opens the narrative with the discovery of the carnage at the Tate residence, goes through the invesigation (the LAPD does NOT look good here), and closes with the nine-month trial where Charles Manson and his "Family" members were brought to justice. The story is haunted by Hollywood history. Sharon Tate was the beautiful wife of acclaimed director Roman Polanski (they met while filming his "The Fearless Vampire Killers"); but her chances of ever becoming a major star, had she lived, is today debatable. Before she moved into the residence where she was murdered, the house had been occupied by Terry Melcher, the son of Doris Day and producer Martin Melcher. (He had been living there with Candice Bergen, herself the child of a popular entertainer.) Manson was introduced to Terry Melcher by Gregg Jacobson, a talent scout who was married to Lou Costello's daughter. One of the TV crewmen who discovered the bloody clothes discarded by the murderers was named King Baggott. It's an unusual name, and I assume he was the son or grandson of the silent film star. On a darker level, one of Manson's "indoctrinated", Bobby Beausoleil, appeared (according to Mr Bugliosi) in a Kenneth Anger film; and one of Manson's victims, a ranch hand named Donald "Shorty" Shea, had aspirations to be a movie actor. Hollywood Babylon,indeed.The "star"of the story, even with Mr Bugliosi's first-person narrative in the major part of the book, is Charles Manson. Extremely enigmatic, with a rhapsodic influence over individuals as well as groups, he is simple and extraordinarily complicated. One thinks of Rasputin, but Mr Bugliosi successfully compares him to Hitler: both were frustrated artists, both had nagging doubts regarding legitimacy and ethnicity in their family backgrounds, and both were vegetarians who loved animals (according to one of Manson's followers, he once petted a rattlesnake). Manson's mystique is undeniable. Mr Bugliosi relates how in court one day with Manson time literally stood still -- i.e., Mr Bugliosi's watch stopped. Manson was giving him a strange little smile. But in the final analysis one realizes that Manson, for all his mystical blend of the Bible and the Beatles, was simply a person who liked to kill people.As other reviewers have stated, while reading "Helter Skelter" you may as well resign yourself to nightmares, as well as checking and re-checking your windows and doors. (Sometimes the most casual detail will turn your blood to ice: after butchering the LaBiancas, the killers raided their refrigerator and had a snack.) But stop reading? No, not once you've started. A gripping revelation of Hollywood's "creepy-crawley" underside, "Helter Skelter" gives the Bad and the Beautiful a horrible new meaning.

I have a love/hate relationship with this novel: it remains the one work that has frightened and disturbed me more than any other novel, and it is the reason I stopped reading true crime accounts! I find that I can handle even the most bizarre horror novel over the true evils that human beings actually commit.

I think we will always have a fascination with the Manson Family and their acts. The Tate/LaBianca murders remain some of the most bizarre and violent acts this country has ever seen. Bugliosi paints a realistic portrait of Manson's childhood, his gathering of his "family" and of the final murders themselves. It is chilling, it is disturbing. I will forever carry the image of Manson and his followers "creepy crawling" through people's houses (I slept quite restlessly for weeks after reading this). Bugliosi does not romanticize these people. Manson and his followers are presented as the disturbed, disillusioned people that they were/are. If you like true crime, if you are at all interested in Manson, and if you have nerves of steel, I recommend this one as one of the best true-crime accounts ever written.

"Helter Skelter" is the bible on the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. Bugliosi goes into great detail about the mechanics of the case - the murders, the autopsies, how the LAPD almost blew the case because the detectives working on the Tate and La Bianca cases, at that time two separate investigations, would not communicate with each other, etc.
Bugliosi shows how he was able to link the two murders together, gather evidence that had almost been destroyed, and how he tracked down the gun that was used in the killings (which was filed away at the only precinct NOT to have gotten a county wide memo about the gun!).
There are updated versions of the book, marking landmark anniversaries of that black night in American history and I wouldn't doubt that Bugliosi will have another update for the 35th anniversary next year.
Helter Skelter is the book to have about the case. Greg King's "Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders" is the book to have about the victims (more specifically, of course, Sharon Tate).

Whether or not you know anything about the Tate-LaBianca murders, you should read "Helter Skelter," an amazingly thorough account of the killings, the events leading up to and after the events, the completely deranged fantasies of Charles Manson, how he converted a legion of sheltered, middle-class kids into his lackeys and (in many cases) killers, and how they were convicted and sent to Death Row (sentences later commuted to life imprisonment). Though Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi's high-minded moralizing can get a bit annoying (but when has a prosecutor not been shrill and annoying?), one can only marvel at the sheer volume of work put into compiling the difficult-to-obtain evidence against Manson and the other killers. They should have had Bugliosi prosecute O.J. After you read the book, try to hunt down "Manson," a 1972 documentary film about the Family that was nominated for an Oscar. It's out of print, but more off-beat video places may have it in stock.

I first read "Helter Skelter" the same summer I read "In Cold Blood." Both books left indelible images in my psyche and ensured I would never look at the world of crime and investigation the same again.
I've never read a book quite like HS since. Bugliosi and Gentry have written a taught and gripping blow-by-blow account of the two seemingly unconnected streams of events, the Tate/La Bianca murders and Manson's cult, how they horribly intersected and the breathtaking resolution.
Bugliosi's reminiscences provide both the personal anguish that the investigation caused him and his family and the urgent immediacy that gripped him and the community to see that justice was finally done.
Unforgettable and unflinching, "Helter Skelter" forces us to look into the eyes of evil and learn more about ourselves.
See also my reviews of the "Helter Skelter" TV movie and the audio book version.

There are more than 200 reviews of this book already, so I won't rehash what's already been written. What I do want to say is this: I finally tackled knocking this off my to-read list this past month, and I couldn't put it down. It's an all-time best seller for a reason. The details are engrossing (not to mention just plain gross) and the description enthralling. It's very well handled material. The shift from third person to first is a bit jolting -- and I'm surprised I had never heard about it prior to reading -- but the author handles it well and makes the shift as painlessly as possible. My only complaint is that the court scene gets a bit verbose toward the end. I'd argue that some 50 pages could have been trimmed, but still, I could not stop reading. Definitely worth the time investment.

This is the best true-crime book ever written, imho. I actually read this in high school in the 1970s and did a book report on it for one of my history classes (got an "A"). It seemed like none of the other kids had ever heard of Manson or his "family". I read this book so many times the cover was in pieces. If you want to read a scary, gory, and TRUE book that will scare you, don't bother with any of the other books out there. Read this one. It will give you chills to realize how much control one man can have over other people. Of course, since the time of the Tate/LaBianca murders, we have been desensitized because of the Jim Jones, David Koresh, and other cults... But Manson's directives started them all. Very well written.

1969. What a year. The last year of a decade that began so innocently and by the end, America had lost its innocence, this crime and the story by the District Attorney who prosecuted the guilty in this tale, definitely represents the innocense lost in America. Vincent Bugliosi did an outstanding job to present to the world the bizarre and terrifying account of Charles Manson and his followers AKA "The Manson Family". In the late summer month of August of 1969, some of the followers committed a gruesome crime spree of cold blooded murder. Bugliosi does a thorough job of going thru the background of the guilty and the victims and the events that led up to the horrifying nights of death. The trial afterwards is no less interesting. Remember all of this happened 30 years ago, yet the book is still as gripping now as it was when it first was published. Highly recommended to all who like to read True Crime.

When you open the book, the first thing you come to will be a disclaimer that warns, "The story you are about to read will scare the hell out of you." This is no exaggeration! Don't make the mistake I did and read it alone in the middle of the night! I was so terrified that I was afraid to close my eyes.
Vincent Bugliosi does an effective job of putting the chilling story of the Manson murders into print. You will learn a few things about our country's criminal-law system as you read the book, so it's very educational.
The greatest tragedy in this true-crime story was that Sharon Tate worked hard all her life for stardom yet would find it only in death.
I cannot help but empathize with all the murder victims -- some of whose bodies will never be found -- but most especially with the Tate and LaBianca victims whose only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Pure and simple: a terrifying classic. Even after so many years and many reads and re-reads, this book continues to scare and baffle. An exhaustive, quick, and compelling read about The Manson Family murders in 1969. Countless twists and turns and shocks. Well-written, well-documented and nearly unbelievable. If you didn't know it all really happened, you wouldn't believe it. Fascinating.

As they say this is the best book on the subject. The writing and layout flow smooth and easy.

In the first group of photos there is a mugshot of Manson 6-29-66, Terminal Island. He looks, I kid you not, dead on Charlie Sheen! They should get Sheen instead of baby face Ryan Kwanten to play Manson in this new movie. Ryan Kwanten doesn't look anything at all like Charles Manson.

Questions
Why isn't the unborn child of Sharon Tate listed as a victim? She was 8 months pregnant!

Why is it that when the death penalty was abolished in '72 it was made retroactive (everyone on death row got off with life instead of death), yet when re-enacted in '77 it wasn't retroactive?

Seems to me that if you were convicted/sentenced while the death penalty was the law you should be kept to the contract of the law at that time. Especially in the cases of the Manson family. Letting that baby die in Sharon Tate's womb .....

If Manson and his "family" were so PRO-children as Bugliosi says they were, how could they have left that child to die? You think they would have taken it to raise as their own. Taken it as a souvenir.

Where were all the righteous vigilantes and our tough-on-crime justice system when you needed them? "Family" members continued to kill and commit violent crimes many years afterwards and were alway given light ,IF ANY, sentences. Why?

One Los Angeles district attorney a William Melcher and his wife were so sympathetic that he cleared "Squeeky" of an armed robbery charge saying that doing so was "my greatest satisfaction in three years as a prosecutor." Unbelievable! Shocking!

I'm surprised Polansky did nothing except put up a $25000 reward.

Charles said:
"I've had girls come to visit me with their babies in their arms and say, 'Charlie, I'd do anything in the world for you. I'm raising my baby in your image.' Those letters and visits used to delight me, but that's just my individual sickness. What sickness is it that keeps sending me kids and followers? It's your world out there that does it. I don't solicit my mail or ask anyone to come and visit me. Yet the mail continues to arrive and your pretty little flowers of innocence keep showing up at the gate.''

WOW! One of his lucid moments.

I read this book when it was first published having lived through the event. Reading it now was like reading it for the first time. I was pulled through the book and felt like I could hardly put it down. Highly recommended.

I can't really add anything more to some of the other five star reviews here on the store for Mr. Bugliosi's incredible work. Don't buy these right wing racist revisionists who want to paint Charles Manson as a "wrongly accused eco-terrorist". Manson and and his family did nothing discernible for the planet (apart from make it an uglier and more morally decrepit place) when he was on the outside his priorities where militia style white nationalism and serious crime. Most of Helter Skelter is trial testimony and actual confessions and recorded conversations with witnesses, victim's families and Manson family members so any question of "veracity" is easily squelched. This was a nasty, very racist and very hateful group of people who finally found a purpose together which was to parlay the hippie counter culture into an excuse to kill randomly. It did not mater that apart from Abagail Folger, a committed civil rights and anti-poverty worker who had an inheritance, most of those at the Tate house were not very wealthy or even rich, its just that they were there to be slaughtered. They became Manson's reflection of his unparalleled hatred for society. The most intense part of the book is definitely the last few chapters which tell of the many unsolved murders which are clearly the work of The Manson family, left to kill after the first group of butchers were incarcerated and where all the killers and family members are today. Its frightening to think of how easily these people killed-like barbarians. The last remnants now preach Manson's ATWA (Air Trees Animals Air) philosophy of saving the planet and he has countless fans and friends globally who support and indulge, his lively crazed personality as he continues his incarceration. Many of whom are just interested in the case and think he should get a retrial as they feel he had zero to do with the murders.Many simply admire him. Bugliosi explains why he is still a charismatic showman to so many and why many bigwigs in the media to this day seek him out-perhaps the most frightening part of the book is that fact in and of itself. I even begrudgingly admit that Manson is entertaining. This book is not to be read late at night!

I was only a toddler when this happened but now have read and re-read this book a few times and always find it VERY interesting and hard to put down. How they put all this together I find, just fascinating. Although they had a few "squealers" that gave them some breaks but they also had to work very hard to convince a jury of their guilt.
I have watched interviews on TV of Leslie VanHouten and Patricia Krenwinkel and even though they seem re-habilitated as long as there are Tate family members alive, I don't think they will ever be let out. And then there's Charlie, what a nutcase!!
How one man, (with the help of drugs) could have brain-washed so many people to do whatever he said is mind-boggling.
You won't be sorry you read this book, even though at times it will scare you half to death. It is very well written and extremely interesting.

I first read this book in high school and I picked it up and read it again recently. It is a very well written true crime novel and it is written by the D.A. who worked hard to put Charlie away. He does pat himself on the back but the author was faced with trying to solve one of the most bizarre series of killings in American history. When I first read the book it was remarkable to me how young and innocent the killers (the Family members) looked in the pictures. These were practically children, completely brainwashed into following Manson like a slave.

Bugliosi does a nice job unraveling the mystery and setting out the facts in the way a talented Prosecutor would. This book still gives me the creeps every time I see it and it still horrifies me to think what people will due when their minds are controlled by a sociopathic, delusional, institutionalized, hardened criminal con-man. They'll never parole those people because they keep going back to the crime scene photos-thank god!!

I have read this book twice. I actually have the 1978 1st edition of the book, so I need to get the new updated one. But all is the same anyway, same contents, just with a new afterward by Vincent from what I see in the discription here...P>Vincent Bugliosi's book tells the REAL TALE of what happened on August 9th 1969. There are alot of wish washy books out there on this case, but the authors tend to add a little spice to the real story. Not Vincent. His book is 100% accurate.
I did enjoy the book. It did literally scare the hell out of me. Could not sleep well after reading about the murders. The photo archives in the book is exellent! You really felt like you were there with Vincent trying to break the case.
I don't think this book will ever go out of print. It is literally the best true crime book of all time and I recommend it to everyone.

WARNING- This Book might trigger a long term fascination/obsession with this case.

Helter Skelter is an absolutely brilliant and engrossing True Crime book that reads as smoothly as a novel while exploring the countless aspects and characters in this case in an organized easy to follow fashion.

In my opinion the Manson Family phenomenom and the Tate/La Bianca murderers are the most interesting criminal case in American History.

This case encompasses not only the actual crimes but the worlds of Hollywood, the music business, the counter culture youth movement of the 60's with a little apocalypse christianity and white/black relations as well.

Truly amazing stuff and this book depicts it better than any before or since.

In the span of a couple of months the Manson Family managed to off nine different people in four separate cases. Everyone knows Charles Manson. However, do you know that Manson was on federal parole when all this and more was going on? What supervision. I personally believe that Manson never killed anyone himself. He shot drug dealer ("Lots of Papa") and thought he killed him but old Crowe survived. He whacked an illicit drug maker (Hinman) with a sword but others finished the job. I am convinced that Manson was/is mentally ill. He was nothing more than a small time whack job con man. His ego got away from him and thus life in prison. One of a kind. If you want a detailed account of the prosecution and investigation version of the Manson case this book is for you. You will be frustrated by poor police work by LAPD and LASD. Three bloody homicide cases with a variation of PIG written in blood at each crime scene? Hello. Probably a connection. A little boys finds the murder weapon and his father can't get the police to listen, the bloody clothes of Manson Family members are found by a news agency doing good "police work" and there's more. An accidental discharge of a police officer's shotgun at Barker Ranch. It seemed that the primary investigator was Bugliosi (the "Bug") himself. That's not the way investigations are supposed to work. Anyway, "Bug" got his murder convictions. Thank you Kitty L, Linda K, Al S , "Donkey Dan" and Paul W. Manson (now 78) is still in custody at Corcoran State Prison, Sexy Sadie" is dead, "Tex" Watson, the raving loon who did most of the murders, found Jesus, and in my humble opinion, Patricia K and Leslie V H should be released from prison. Back in 1977, Roman Polanski (the husband of Sharon Tate), imitating Charlie Manson, drugged and raped a 13-14 yr old girl and then fled L.A. County prior to sentencing. Reminds me of Manson raping 13-14 yr old Ruth Ann Morehouse. Polanski and Bugliosi were born on the same date a year apart (in '33 & '34), Manson in '34. Who will be the last man standing? Good book but see also Ed Sanders' The Family and Paul Watkins' My Life with Chas Manson.

CBS recently ran an absolutely awful made-for-TV movie allegedly based on this book. The movie was a pale imitation of this well written and thought provoking book. Indeed, in my mind, the only thing that book and the movie had in common was the title.
In the book, Vincent Bugliosi tells a tale of a bizzare murder and the extraordinary efforts of law enforcement to convict the culprits. As the reader, you "witness" the horrorific crimes through detailed descriptions of the crime scene. But, the violence discussed is not glorified but all too real. The reader also comes to understand the mind of a madman and his followers. And, finally, the reader can appreciate and applaud the efforts of Bugliosi to ensure that justice is served.
Helter Skelter is truly one of the best true crime books ever written.

Although there were a few problems that were not explored, I thoroughly enjoyed "Helter Skelter." One problem in particular baffles me to no end: I would like to know why Mr. Bugliosi included the following comment by Mrs. LaBianca and then did not follow up on it: At the very end of one of the second chapter (I think, I do not have the book in front of me) Mrs. LaBianca is listening to a car radio report about the Tate murders with her husband and daughter on the very night that she and her husband are to be murdered by the same killers, saying that she had had the feeling many times that somebody had been walking through her house and moving things around because objects were placed differently than she had left them many times. This is way before Mr. Bugliosi tells the reader that the Manson family "creepy-crawled" houses, that is to say, they would go through houses, move things around, and then leave, as a way of practicing, so Bugliosi says, for the murders that they would commit later on. The problem is, Bugliosi never really explores this idea of Creepy Crawling, and as I was reading the book, I kept waiting for him to bring it up in relation to the LaBianca murders because, as he tells us later on, Manson and several members of his family had frequented parties held by the LaBiancas' next door neighbor. Granted, this was before the LaBiancas had moved in, but nevertheless, Manson and several members of his family had at least been in their neighborhood before. So I was wondering if Mr. Bugliosi failed to leave out some information concerning creepy-crawling and the LaBiancas. Is it possible that Manson and his family had been inside the LaBianca residence before the murders? It seems likely considering Mrs. LaBianca's statement before her death and considering that the family liked to creepy-crawl. If I am missing something, and you decide to read Helter Skelter, pay attention to this and see if you can figure out why Bugliosi put this statement in there--it just seems strange because Mrs. LaBianca's comment makes no sense in the text unless Mr. Bugliosi means something by it.

This is a fascinating account of the Manson case from the eyes of prosecution attorney Vincent Bugliosi. Well paced, haunting, somewhat grissly, but suprisingly quite funny in places- (the defense attorney made over two hunderd objections on the first three days of the trial!). A real pager turner probably best read in the daytime so it won't give you nightmares. One quible though I feel the author has grossly misinterpreted the philiosophy of Friedrich Nietzche by affilating his philiosophy with the spread of Nazism. Yes Hitler (who shared with Manson many characteristic's; they were both loved animals more than humans, each a vegetarian, and had spent time as an "outsider" living on the fringes of society) had read his work. Yet those documents he read were greatly adulterated under the cursed hand of the authors sister, who, after the philosophers death re wrote his manuscripts to fit Nazi ideals in the hope of courting parties leader...

I just reread this book that decades ago got me started on my love of true crime. After all these years this is still a great book. Bugliosi is a master story teller in front of a jury and also in the writing of his books. This is a a complete and exhausting description of one of the most infamous crimes of all time. There is something about the Manson murders that makes it unique in the annals of American crime. Highly recommended to anyone who can still concentrate long enough to read a 700 page book (I know that is a small percentage of readers these days).

This is a most engrossing book written about the most complex, strange and brutal series of murders that took place in the '60's, with details of the "family" responsible for the crimes, the social and psychological tenor of the period, and the legal and judicial environment that ended with their convictions.

I have always been interested in books about true crime, and I had never been really impressed with a true crime book until I read Helter Skelter. I knew a little about the Tate-Labianca murders and the Manson Family, but after reading, I was afraid to go to the bathroom in the dark at night. On the first page reads, “The Story in Which You Are About to Read Will Scare the Hell Out of You”, and that is not an exaggeration. Bugliosi really needs all of those pages to go into the depth and gruesome details of the murders. I was surprised that since the story of Charles Manson has been told so many times, that Bugliosi portrayed the story as well as his opinion on the story in such a unique and subtle way. “Since we place so much value on human life, why do we glorify, in a perverse sort of way, the extinguishment of life? The answer to that question, whatever it is, is at least a partial answer to why people continue to be fascinated by Hitler, Jack the Ripper—Manson.” I highly recommend reading this book, but beware the story is not for the faint hearted.

I am enthralled with true crime, trying to understand how people can do the things they do, how they are eventually caught, etc. This is the absolute best true crime book I have ever read. It made my skin crawl to read about the actions of the Manson Family and made my heart break for the victims. There are no words to describe just how psychotic "the family" was as is evident not only in their crimes but in their actions at trial. A definite must-read for any true crime fan, even if you think you know all there is to know about the Manson Family.

This book is the definitive read on the Manson Killings.
It traces the roots of the Manson Clan and its various members, and manages to show its machinations behind the murders.
Bugliosi is prone to rambling, especially in some of his other works, but in this book he does not which is a real relief.
This is the sort of book that you will find difficult to put down and despite the sheer amount of facts that are put across it reads smoothly and sensibly.
It shows yet another instance of police buffoonery too - the police search for one of the murder weapons in the Tate Murders, finding out that they had it for months.
Thankfully though justice was served eventually and the Trial segment of the book is fantastically well written with enough twists and turns to satisfy any Perry Mason fan.
A must buy!

I have always had a great interest in Charles Manson, his family, and the murders. i knew only a little bit about them after watching the movie but after I read the book, I completely understood everything. I could not put the book down for even a second and I not only wanted to congragulate you on such a GREAT book, I wanted to also say that you must be a great lawywer to have gotten a conviction of death on all of these people. Too bad the supreme court thought the death penalty was cruel and unjust punishment. I think what Charles Mansons' family did was VERY cruel punishment to people he did not even know. He wanted to ignite Helter Skelter when all he really did was scare the crap out of the WHOLE state of California. Job well done on a great book

Charles Manson had a crazy life. His childhood was shrouded in mystery, and by all accounts he seemed to have developed his unique social skills at an incredibly early age, while bouncing around from one foster home to the next.

I recently finished listening to the audiobook, and must admit that this was one of the most enjoyable and entertaining audiobooks I've ever listened to. The narrator was great, and the story kept me on edge from beginning to end.

If you're considering listening to the audio (or textual) version of the book--I'd say give it a go, you certainly won't be disappointed.

When i tell people that this is one of my favourite books, i often get weird looks, because they know that it is about the Charles Manson murders. This is the main focus throughout the book, but it is so much more as well. Helter Skelter is spellbinding, and keeps you entranced throughout the book, from the murders, to the 'motive' to the courtroom scenes, as well as everything in between. It was recommended to me because i am a Beatles fan, and it is interesting to see how it was interpreted and twisted by Manson. With all the talk about violence in the media, violent toys, etc, causing these spectacular school schootings, it is interesting to see how the Beatles' music could be interpreted as being one of the causes to these murders.

This is an excellent book on one of the most horrific crimes ever committed even by today's standards. The research, details, and explanations are absolute top-notch. It is evident that Vincent Bugliosi is one the greatest prosecuting attorneys ever to step into the courtroom. The way he can rationally reconstruct the events of a crime and get into the heads of the criminals and lay out their motives is just amazing. The courtroom drama is re-created in dramatic detail so you can feel the tension, suspense and horror all throughout the trial. We also learn alot about cult psychology and how people can be driven to extreme bahavior. What's even scarier is that there are people in this world like Charles Manson's fanatical followers ready to do his darkest bidding.

I liked Helter Skelter, a very interesting book written by
Vincent Bugliosi. The book is about Charles Manson and the other
killers and victims of the Tate-LaBianca murders. The book
Helter Skelter also talks a lot about what happened throughout
Charles Manson's life. As I read, I wondered if the killings
were going to stop and if he was going to get caught. This book
comes with a 64 page photographic record of the victims, the
killers, and the evidence.
This book is for anyone who wants to learn why or how Charles
Manson became what he was. I would recommend this book to anyone
who likes reading mystery books and anyone who likes to learn
about the lives and minds of killers.

I started reading this book and was hooked after the first page. I have seen tons of documentaries on Manson, but of course they cannot compete with this great book. It was so gripping. I sometimes had to re read some pages because it was so incredible. I have read a lot of books, but none come close to this. This book will make you obsessed with the murders. A lot of people wonder why after almost 41 years later why these murders remain so interesting and intriguing, I was born in 1981 and have become fascinated with it. There just has not been and probably never will be any murder (other than the JFK assassination) that stands the test of time. Read this book.

My favorite book of all time. This one has it all,from the Beatles,to the the most beutifull women of all time,Sharon Tate. Vincent Bugliosi gives you a inside look into the murder of Sharon,her unborn baby,and all of the unlucky house guest that terrible August night.This could have been the murder of Candace Bergman and her boyfriend,Doris Days son,Terry ,but they moved out months before. We also get to read about the Beatles music from the "White Album." Charles Manson thought they were telling him to get ready for the African American's taking over The country. The songs,"Helter Skelter,Sadie,BlackBird," and alot of the other Beatles records are mention.The Beatles were even questioned about there music. Even Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys has his house taken over by the Manson Gang. The person I fill sorry for the most was the young man who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time,Steven.Nothing has ever been written about him,or his family. One of the greatest women,Sharon Tates Mom,Delores Tate,has fought for years untill her death to make sure none of these murders ever get out of prison. Sharon Tates Sister has taken over her quest.This is a long book,but even if you hate to read,you can't put this one down.

I've read this book at least a hundred times by now - it's that good, that fascinating. It's also fairly disturbing. Each time, I try to understand how Manson could have gotten such a hold on his "family" and each time I'm still puzzled - and I have a degree in Psychology! Mr. Bugliosi did a great job of writing the story, giving behind-the-scenes info, graphic (but necessary) descriptions not just of the murders but also of the lifestyle of Manson et al, and how the whole case came together and was fought by both sides. Well done!

Well, at first I would advise not reading this book in the dead of night, but I just could not put this book down. It's a heavy text, I believe it adds up to 600+ pages, but they fly by. Bugliosi is a fantastic prosecutor. He is meticulous when it comes to detail, but his reports are from from dry. He is not one to avoid his own personal errors, errors on behalf of his own mistakes in addition to those made by the LAPD and LASO during the investigation, and he does so, as I understand, from his fundamental belief in pursuing a fair and just trial for the prosecution and the defendants.

The horrific details of the Tate-LaBianca murders will shock even the most desensitized 21st-century reader inundated daily with media saturated in violence. But Helter Skelter is also a fascinating read because it brings to life the dark side of the Age of Aquarius. I can't agree more with the New Republic's assertion that Helter Skelter is a rare document of social importance. The 1960s free-love, hippie, anti-establishment and drug-laden subculture finds a dark side in Charles Manson's violent distortions of reality, and his haunting ability to brainwash susceptible youths on the fringes of society with a sense of purpose, albeit one with murderous intent.

Bugliosi writes with the pace of a thriller-novelist. He reminds me of Erik Larson's vivid recreations of 1930s Berlin in "In the Garden of Beasts" and "The Devil in the White City". This text is ripe with depictions of graphic violence, sex, and psychotic personalities that will surely disturb even the most seasoned horror aficionado, but the subtexts of the hippie/establishment struggle, vibrant arguments equalizing the Tate-LaBianca murders with American war crimes in VIetnam, will surely interest historians, sociologists, and cultural anthropologists interested in this turbulent period.

I can't recommend this book enough. It surely kept me up at night! A few deep breaths and a small nightlight kept nightmares at bay, but you can rest assured that all's well that ends well, with the exception of the poor victims of such horrendous crimes. I look forward to discussing this book with friends, colleagues and anyone else interested in the era. Enjoy immersing yourself in the minds of the prosecution, investigators, and, above all, cult leader Charles Manson, a.k.a. Jesus Christ, who managed to rise from the fringes of a downtrodden hippie group to one of the most fascinating characters of the 1960s.

This book is about the closest you can come - or would ever want to come - to understanding Charles Manson's warped ideology - an ideology that ultimately led to some of the most devastating crimes in American history. I found "Helter Skelter" to be an intriguing and emotionally draining read; once you become embroiled in the story behind the Manson murders, there's no escaping. As others have said in their reviews, this is a book that truly stays with you long after you've closed it, raising some important questions about justice and the very fine line that separates genius from madness. This is one of those rare true crime stories that seldom falls victim to sensationalism, but rather presents the case as exactly what it was: a complicated, mind-blowing, and senseless tragedy whose tremors are still felt today.

This isnt the 1st manson book I've read. But i found this one very stiff and repetitive. Its very difficult to make such a crazy real life story so boring. If you like very factual based books this is for you but I found it read like a text book.

I initially read this book as a 14 year old and due to the recent publicity regarding Susan Atkins, decided to read it again.

The book chronicles the true story of the murders of the LaBianca's as well as the murders commonly referred to the "Tate" murders. It also touches on the murders of Gary Hinman and Shorty Shea, who are often forgotten victims of the Manson Family.

Essentially, the murders begin with Charles Manson, a career criminal with a poor childhood who was practically raised in youth homes and detention facilities, etc. Despite his poor upbringing and limited education, Charlie was a bright man who had the ability to spot and exploit weaknesses in other people.

Upon his latest release from prison, Manson begins to attract a group of followers, mainly comprised of young girls, and a few young men, whom all seem to have dropped out of society and are experimenting heavily and frequently with drugs. Manson sees their dissatisfaction with society and using that, as well as sex and drugs further breaks down their morals and values until ultimately they look at him as Jesus Christ and look to him to make their every decision for them.

Manson, disillusioned with his failure as a musician, begins to envision a new future for himself and his Family, in part guided by the Beatles musics, which he believes is full of secret messages. Manson believes that there will ultimately be a race war with the black man being victorious. In the meantime Manson and his family will retreat to the desert where they will find a hole leading to the bottomless pit where they will live until the black man realizes that he is incapable of ruling/running society as a whole. At that time, Manson will emerge and become leader of the country, if the world. Charlie calls this chain of events "Helter Skelter".

When Helter Skelter fails to come to fruition in a timely manner, he decides to incite it himself, by murdering rich or upper class white people. His theory is that white society will believe the murders were committed by the black man, and will turn on the black man, thereby getting the race war rolling.

The book further goes on the describe the investigation (or lack thereof on the part of some officers) and ultimate arrest and conviction, as well as an epilogue and afterward in the book with updates.

I have read some of the reviews, and have to agree that in some instances, Vincent Bugliosi was perhaps too wordy and a lot of stuff could have been cut out.

I also noticed that many of the reviews accuse Bugliosi of manufacturing the Helter Skelter motive for his own purposes. While I have not read the other Manson books, I am not inclined to believe this. First of all, he got the idea from many of the family members, many of whom got on the witness stand and testified to Manson's belief system as well as his many statements that "the time for Helter Skelter is now", etc. I also noted that many of those reviewers expressed support for Manson with the oft repeated phrase "he wasn't there", "he didn't kill them", blah blah blah. For the record, he was an active participant in the Hinman murders, slicing his ear off. He was present and aware of what was occurring and ultimately was the one who ordered the kill. He was also present at the Shorty Shea murder, for at least a portion of it. Again, it was at his behest that Shorty was murdered. Further, he is the one who sent the murderers to the Tate residence that night, he is the one who told them to get their knives, he is the one who told Tex to murder everyone and make it gruesome. As if that weren't enough, the next evening, it was he who entered the LaBianca home first and tied them up and left them there with full knowledge of what would happen to them. For anyone who is aware of the law, if someone is killed at your request, if you participate in a felony (i.e., cutting someone's ear off, or say breaking into their home and tying them up), and ultimately those people die in conjunction with those some events in which you particiated, you are responsible as if you killed them yourself.

If anyone is in doubt as to Manson's control over the female defendant's in this case, one only need to read the vast material available regarding the trial and how he conrolled them in court, and how he attempted to control the trial. If they were unable, while their freedom and very lives were on the line, to exercise their own free will and make their own decisions, it's not a stretch to imagine that he was able to control their day to day actions, as well as order them to kill with the expectation that it be carried out.

Additionally, the former Manson Family members who were involved, many of whom are still incarcerated, to this day state that was the motive/theory behind the killings. If it was not Manson's true motive, then he failed to share that with other family members.

Further, in an interview with Charles "Tex" Watson, a reporter asked him if he had read Helter Skelter, to which Watson replied that he had and it was pretty accurate.

Either way, it is a very informative book, and while on the wordy side, provides a detailed and inside look at the trial and what was going on behind the scenes. Whether the reader chooses to believe in the Helter Skelter theory or not is up to them.

There is no need to read another book on Charles Manson after this one. You get a full explanation from the person most knowledgable on the crimes excluding those that took part in them. Bugliosi does an amazing job setting the scene for the crime, taking you through the entire search for evidence and the eventual conviction of Charles Manson and the members of his family. The book puts you in his shoes for the majority of the story. While in the process of reading it, I found myself always craving to get back to reading it. It grabbed my attention immediately and held on for the entirety of the book. I especially liked how he included a section on where the prominent members of the family and case wound up. All in all, this book is a must read for anyone with an interest in Charles Manson, or simply the True Crime genre.

I am 21, so I was not alive when Sharon and her friends lost their lives to these terrifying crimes. But I have become a fan of her and admire her very much. Bugliosi has written a truly scary and cold stone real book. This book gets in your head and stays there. I would close my eyes and see Sharon begging for the life of her and her child. And her innocent friends, who had not done a thing wrong. Nothing could have prevented this, and nothing can erase it. Sharon, Jay, Abigail, Steve, and Voytek will always have a special place in our hearts and their memory will live on. Thank you Mr. Bugliosi for writing a nail biting thriller that I did not want to put down, but when I did, it was on my mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Bugliosi's account of the trial and events leading to it. I'm only 28 and so I wanted to educate myself on the infamous Manson who I had heard so much about. The trial was apparently quite the suspenseful event as I realized after thinking I had seen it all halfway through but continuing to be blindsided by twists and turns. While the account would obviously have some biases since it is written by the prosecutor, it seems to be overall very thorough. Great and interesting read.

When Roman Polanski published his Mcbeth film, everyone wrote, the sombre of this film is due to the just suffered experience of the Manson massacre. That will probably be correct. He went through thus something. Not only that his highly pregnant woman was murdered and, besides, some of his friends: The gossip press in Hollywood at first assumed that the Polanski-scene necessarily had caused such an outrage, considering their drug abuse and their sexual liberality. Short-said: The victims are responsible themselves in this murder scenery. Thankfully Polanski points in his autobiography "ROMAN" to the author Vincent Bugliosi, who has investigated the things criminological correctly. Polanski complains very much, that the absolutely disoriented speculations of the press - Newsweek, Times, Life magazine - would never have experienced a regret, a reply, a taking back. He wishes heart-felt, that many people make themselves with the book of Vincent Bugliosi, finally, a correct conception of the Manson "Family" - the word "Family" Polanski (very much justified in this case) sets always in quotation marks...

I had a very old version of this story on cassette but this new MP3 has so much more material in it and is fascinating and deplorable at the sane time . Charlie Manson and his group lost touch with right and wrong and so many others suffered for it. What a great job the author did in digging out the truth.

Excellent Book! I literally had to tear myself away, and put the book down every once in a while. I've read the book at least 1/2 dozen times, and each time I see things in a new and different light.
A terrifying, frightening look into the "Manson Family" and the murders they committed. Too often true crime books focus solely on the killer and spend little or no time talking about the victims lives. I believe that Bugliosi and Gentry didn't forget the victims in this story, and portrayed them as they really were. The good and the bad.
This classic is definitely worth it! Pick up this book!

I have read numerous fictional crime stories that are interesting and readable, but Helter Skelter has them beat by a long shot! It is just plain engrossing in every way, and written wonderfully. It also puts the American Criminal Justice System under the microscope to a certain extent, and the portrait is not flattering! To call the U.S. Justice System a joke would be generous, considering the incessant abuse allowed by one of the defense attorneys and Manson himself, all in the name of constitutional rights and freedoms!! The portrait of Manson, the person (if you can call him that), is downright disturbing. ... In conclusion, I can't recommend this book highly enough, as long as you've got the stomach for it.

This is the definitive account of the longest trial in American legal history wherein four persons: Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten, were sentenced to death for the murders of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski, Stephen Parent, Leno La Bianca and Rosemary La Bianca. The crimes, collectively known as the Tate/La Bianca murders took place in Los Angeles in August 1969. Vincent Bugliosi's work is both focussed and orderly and he scores highly in bringing a convoluted and at times incompetent enquiry to the reader in a totally believable account. Stretching to 664 pages, some might consider the work too long winded but the story certainly licks along at a good pace. The lion's share of the time is given over to a day by day, blow by blow account detailing the court proceedings. These accounts are so good that in places you can believe yourself to be in the public gallery and can feel the tension and horror as this macabre tale unfolds.
The crimes, which rocked America in the late 60's and early 70's, are truly horrific. Bugliosi does not shy away from revealing the cold, callous and detached nature of each defendant; none of whom show the slightest remorse for their barbaric actions. Neither too are we sheltered from the abundant stabbings, shootings, hangings, and mutilations. There are ample official statements, legal examinations, cross-examinations and personal conversations to satisfy even the most curious. The reader's inclusion `in the court' so to speak, might for some readers prove too much, but by a combination of thoroughness, attention to detail and style the author takes us into the bizarre world of Charles Manson.
He is a `wannabe' but unsuccessful musician, drug user and, for more than half of his life, a frequenter of numerous penitentiaries. He is the self-styled guru of `The Family' where most of the members are young, impressionable runaways. Lost, lonely and anti-establishment they, by numerous avenues end up at Manson's door. Most are female, most claim to be in love with Manson, most claim he possesses special power or is the embodiment of Christ or Satan (terms Manson uses of himself). The late 60's mix of sex, free love and drugs are used to full effect and, more often than not, the girls are used to attract new recruits. In turn, through a dangerous cocktail of charisma, fear and violence, added to delusionary interpretations brought on by `hidden' meaning in a number of the Beatles songs, Manson creates a dependency upon himself and his words. In short - he controls their thoughts, actions and lives. He, Manson, plays the pipe, they dance in time until they kill to order, but as Bugliosi shows they too are willing participants in this `game'.
Crucial to the prosecution's case is the motive for the murders - Helter Skelter. Bugliosi shows that through his interpretation of the Beatles lyrics, his predisposition to violence, his anti-establishment and racism, Manson attempts to kick-start a race war in America. BR>If the book has a down side it would be that the real comparisons between Charles Manson and Adolf Hitler are pretty tenuous; Bugliosi's frequent portrayal of himself in the, `I'm always right' camp when comparing himself to his opponents in defence counsel, gets a bit irritating and the use of aliases with some of the main players in the `Family' can get confusing at times. That said, for any true crime buffs out there who like their reading material to be a real mix of the gruesome and the legal, this book is a must.
This review covers the 1974 paperback edition.

On The Very First Page Of Vincent Bugliosi's Novel "Helter Skelter" Is Simply Written "The Story You Are About To Read Will Scare The Hell Out Of You." This Was No Idle Boast.No Other Novel Scared Me More,Except William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist,A Horror Story Of Demonic Possession Sprinkled With Overt Satanism.But The Difference With Helter Skelter?
THIS IS A TRUE STORY !
In The Late 60's,Charles Milles Manson-An Aspiring Musician-Approached Doris Day's Son,Record Producer Terry Melcher In The Hopes Melcher Would Buy The Rights To His Songs And Have Them Recorded.Melcher Refuses.7 People Will Die Because Of His Refusal.
In The Interim,Manson Leads The Typical Hippie Life.With The Promise Of Sex And Drugs Manson Assembles The Infamous "Family"-An Assortment Of Like Minded Hippies Who Will Help Him Take His Revenge On Melcher.Little Does Charlie Realize Melcher Has Sold The House To Director Roman Polanski And The Actress Sharon Tate.
He Sends "Family Members" To "Creepy Crawl" The House And Kill Everyone In It.
The Shocking Aftermath Ended With More Murders And All Of Hollywood Living In Terror-From Peter Lawford To Candice Bergen To Dyan Cannon To Many Others,Including-Understandably-Doris Day As Well.
No One Felt Safe.
Until Vincent T. Bugliosi Was Assigned The Case That Would Bring The Whole Family Down.This Book Is His Account From Everything That Happened In Court,To Other Retaliation Murders,To A Who's Who Of Manson Cult Members,And It Will Take You Into The Minds Of Manson And All His Cult.
Manson Has Been In Jail Some Thirty Odd Years.He Has Been Interviewed By Diane Sawyer,Idolized,Crucified Figuratively Time And Time Again,Stabbed,Hung,And Had His Throat Slashed By Inmates-Manson Just Will Not Die,Literally Or Figuratively.Helter Skelter Unflinchingly Explains Why.
A Shocker And Page Turner.A Stunning And Brutal,No Holds Barred Scorcher.Buy It !

"Helter Skelter" is the first and only book I have ever read regarding Charles Manson and his followers, and after having finished it, I can't imagine ever needing to read another. Bugliosi goes over the Tate/LaBianca crimes in minute detail, and even covers earlier murders committed by Manson and the family that most people might not know about. Even though the basic details of the story and the outcome of the trials are already known, Bugliosi's telling is enthralling and at times I had difficulty in putting the book down. Highly recommended.

This book is not for everyone. It is extremely scary and disturbing. At the same time, it is a fascinating look at the police work and prosecution that brought the murderous Manson Family to justice. The book is hard to put down; the in depth discussion on presenting a criminal case in court and developing evidence to support the case is outstanding. The main complaint is that the book is a few hundred pages too long. The author seems a little too self-promoting, but then again he did get a prosecution on one of the biggest murders in history.

I have always wanted to read Helter Skelter and finally got the book. I remember hearing all about the murders on the news like it was yesterday. I'm just in to the first 50 pages and it is a page turner. Bugliosi did an excellent job putting it all together and I highly recommend his book.

I found this book very interesting and disturbing. It's all the details you would want to know about the Charles Manson case.
To think that one man could convince people to carry out such horrendous crimes. That he had such skill in story telling and making people follow him blindly. I enjoyed reading all the details of the case and how evidence would come up and start up new leads. Bugliosi did an excellent Job of walking us through the crime, and all the way through to the Trial.

I could not put the book down. It's a definite page turner, and has many photo's of the victims, the killers and the evidence. Not for the squeamish, very detailed.

I suggested to my 14-year old son, who wanted to read a non-fiction crime/courtroom book that he try "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi. He not only read the entire 400 page book, he was mesmerized and wrote the following review for his fellow teenagers:

From Douglas:
"Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi is about a madman, a cult, gruesome murders, and a spellbinding criminal trial. I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in true crime or suspence thrillers. This book is about a man named Charles Manson and a string of muders he and people he called his "family" committed. I am recommending this book to all teenagers who have never herd the name, Manson. I am also recommending this book for adults, for it is a hair-raising and gruesome experience that will leave you begging for more.
The book is written by Vincent Bugliosi, who was the Los Angeles County District Attorney, who prosecuted Charles Manson and his followers. He documents , in the book, how he became totally consumed by this extraordinary case. He writes about how Manson actually "played mind games" with him during the trial. Although these murders took place almost forty years ago, I believe that it is important for us to know about this case because Manson and his followers are still in prison and still come up for parole. It is also important for us to see how one man managed to control the minds and actions of so many, so that maybe we can prevent it from happening again.
This bokk is written in a very readable style; you won't be able to put it down. I highly recommend it to all teenagers, who enjoy crime stories - fiction or non-fiction. It's hard to believe it really happened!

I first discovered this book early 1992 in the UK and have read it at least twice a year since then. It fascinates me, horrifies me to think that such a thing might happen again, makes me think, there but for the grace of God go a lot of us .... but above all I wonder what has happened to those involved in the story - particularly Linda Kasabian, Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Outen, Tex, Patricia Krenwinkel, Sandy, Squeaky, Bruce, Bobby .... well, all of the family. PLEASE could an 'addendum' giving known information be included in future editions?

This book truly lives up to what Vincent Bugliosi says on the first page of his book "Helter Skelter-The True Story Of The Manson Murders"-- "This story you are about to read will scare the hell out of you." This is not only the best true crime book ever written, but it is the ONLY true crime story ever written. Mr. Bugliosi is truly a judicial genius, and should be highly commended not only for putting Charles Manson, Susuan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, and Charles Watson behind bars forever so they can never harm another living soul again, but for writing this fantastic but bone-chilling book.

This book is absolutely riveting! It seems that only a couple of books a year can hold my attention like this one - which is a shame. I always have a sense of loss after reading a great book. The whole Manson paradigm is so bizarre and twisted that it just blows your mind. I read this book over a long rainy weekend and could not put it down. If you like fascinating stories where reality is stranger than fiction, this is THE book you should read. Top notch!

Before I read this book I didn't really have that much knowledge about the manson murders, being that I wasn't even born when they occured. This book did an excellent job of presenting everything that happened in a completely logical and coherent order to someone who hasn't had any other information, or to someone who is looking for a COMPLETELY thorough and accurate account. Mr. Bugliosi (the prosecutor) is excellent in the fact that he is confident enough to attach his own opinions to the evidence, and he builds up such a powerful credibility that we feel privileged to hear what he has to say. This book brought me to a state of utter shock, it really illustrates the wicked animal-like quality of these people, and the hardest thing to contentd with is that they can be considered human beings. It is IMPOSSIBLE to leave this book without forming a passionate opinion about the case, and it is also the type of book that you absolutely cannot put down once you start reading it. If you're the type of person who thinks that it is better "not to Know" than please do not read this book, because it will definetely illustrate things that most people cannot even conceive of existing in their wildest dreams, let alone cold blooded reality. What plagues me most when I think of this horrifying account is that if there was ever a crime that deserved the death sentence this would be it, and instead these vicious murderers got to live the comfortable lives they should have never had a chance to discover, and being that their sentences were converted they even have the chance to receive parole. To live amongst the citizens they once promised to kill indiscriminantly. Charles Manson AND his "Family" have committed the most horrible crimes since Jack the Ripper, and this book is a gripping and fascinating account of as much of it as can be told.

As a fan of the true crime genre, I would rate this in the top 5 easily. Bugliosi is not just a good lawyer, he's an excellent writer. To this day, if I see an article he's written on current topics, for example O.J., George W. Bush's election, I go out of my way to read it. They always rock. Even if you don't agree with him, he makes his points clearly, and with depth. Helter Skelter is the last word on Manson. Bugliosi is a very on the ball observer. He has a good feel for the underworld Manson lived in, and the California of the time. This book hasn't dated a bit.

Helter Skelter may not have been the first True Crime book, but it defined the modern definition of what the genre should be. Anyone who likes True Crime owes a debt of gratitude to Vincent Bugliosi for establishing such a strong precedent. A detailed and enthralling account of the Tate-Labianca murders, the investigation and the trial. Bugliosi was there and makes the reader feel like they were. Don't let the amount of pages scare you, there is never a dull moment. A classic, cover to cover.

reading this book frightened me so much I had to check my doors at night, but that didnt stop me, as this book was gripping from beginning to the end. The book is comprehensive, but never dull. Bugliosi provides a fascinating account of the manson family, their victims, and court proceeings with such vivid detail you almost feel like you were there. This book is up there with the best ive ever read.

I first read this book as a teenager back in 1979, and I've lost track of how many times I re-read it, but it's got to more than a dozen times.

It's fascinating, and after reading it the first time, I wanted to become an attorney, so I could put away the bad guys (then I found out how much school that requires, so I moved on to something else).

This case is, unfortunately, still part of our national consciousness. My home is the general vicinity of where Spahn Ranch used to be, and whenever I have visitors from out of state, they almost always ask me to point out for them where it was.

It came at a time when the turbulence of the 1960's was culminating into the jadedness of the 1970's, and I think that has something to do with why it still grabs us so much.

One of the things I like so much about the book is the detail, the thoroughness, how Bugliosi tries to leave no stone unturned. The result is nothing short of a literary masterpiece in true-crime, and, in my opinion, it has never been matched in terms of good, page-turning writing, and it has stayed with me in a way that no crime story ever has before or since.

This was a very informative (and at times, scary) book on the Manson murders. It is written by the prosecutor of the case, Vincent Bugliosi. I had only very limited knowledge of the case so reading this book really gave me some futher insight. I am not sure how much "new" information this book may provide someone who is well versed in this case.

The only reason that I gave this book 4 stars is simply because it did drag at certain times but as a whole, this is a very well written book!

This book intrigued me from the first moment I started reading. I had never heard of Charles Manson or his murders before reading this book and immediately fell in love with the whole story behind it. Vincent Bugliosi presents the book honestly with clear facts. He doesn't shy away from uncomfortable topics and gives us the truth. I've read this book twice and would read it again anytime. I think this book would be of interest to anyone no matter what their usual, preferred reading is.

This warning appears on the first page of "Helter Skelter" and I never realized how true the statement would become. This is a TRUE story, and the events, characters, and descriptions are so frighteningly real you wish it were a work of fiction. A superb account of the criminal justice system, of cults, of the sway that one man can have over an entire group of people, and of the darkest sides of humanity. "Helter Skelter" is an excellent read and an enthralling story.

This book brought back history for me. I lived through this time I remember these murders and at the time felt so lucky that for the grace of God go I. It is a riveting account of very scary time in our nation's history. Every parent should read this book and realize that it could happen again. We can not forget Charles Manson and his family to prevent the repeat of history.

Old-school prosecutor, Anthony Bugliosi, worked ten years putting this all together in a book that reads fast. Bringing out all of the back stories of the Charles Manson "Family", and the horrendous murders they committed in California during the "flower years". Bugliosi successfully prosecuted them and got convictions on all of the prime movers in the "family". Some are in jail in California to this day. This was his first book, and many think his best work. Good read for those who like true crime.

Chief Prosecutor Vince Bugliosi and Curt Gentry have done a remarkable job on this, the most famous true crime novel of all time. The first page states "The story you are about to read will scare the hell out of you...." And so it does in page after page of a very hard to put down book. I've read this four or five times since it was first published in 1974. Every time I've learned more.
Whether or not you agree that the "Helter Skelter" philosophy was the only motive for the dreadful Sharon Tate Murders'you can see where Manson preached it to his young followers to make some kind of sense of what he asked them to do.
*CBS television is now at work on a new re-made miniseries of this 29 year old famous crime novel. It has promised that this version will concentrate more on how Charlie became the person he is and how he was able to brain wash these problemed young adults with his madness!

Excellent Book! I literally had to tear myself away from this book at the end of each day.
A terrifying, frightening look into the "Manson Family" and the murders that they committed. Truly a wonderful work of art.
Too often true crime books focus soley on the killer and spend little or no time talking about the victims. I believe that Bugliosi and Gentry didn't forget the victims in this story, and portrayed them as they really were. The good and the bad.
Definitely worth it to pick up this book!

I was a bit apprehensive about listening to / reading the book due to its length but I literally couldn't stop listening / reading. I listen when running and read whenever I have time and was transfixed by the story. The book was very well written and the audiobook couldn't have been better. I highly recommend!

I purchased this on my Kindle because I have a real passion for reading about true crime. The only reason I gave this 4 stars is because there are no photos in the book. It actually says,"Images in this book are not displayed owing to permissive issues." I wish I had known that before spending $9.00.

I am pleasantly surprised with this book despite being way out of my scope of normal reads. It was a lot and heavy at times. I can't say I will read another by this author but I was definitely interested in this subject.

Helter Skelter is the #1 best selling true crime book ever because of three things: It is the story of one of the highest profile murder cases in the world's history, even 30+ years after the fact, it is still an amazing and unique story, and finally, Vincent Bugliosi is a fabulous writer. Most books written by non-writers might tell a good story but not in a dramatic way that a true author otherwise might. Bugliosi has no problem doing that with his books.
I thought I had a pretty good idea of most everything that had happened during this whole ordeal that ended the era of "peace and love," but I didn't know the half of it. Bugliosi needs over 700 pages to vividly recount every second of what led up to the Manson murders and every detail of what was done to bring the killers to trial and put them away. This is without question the fastest and most intense 700 page book I've ever read (and I've read a few), and that can be credited to the sheer madness of this case and the brilliance of the deep-thinking, amazingly-talented prosecutor who closed the case and then wrote this book to tell everything about it.

Bugliosi is a great. A star prosecutor who almost single-handedly made sure Charles Manson and his clan of fake-friendly followers were locked up, to pay for their horroundeous doings. He is also an exceptional author, writing this downright creepy book about the murders, and every inch and move made after that noisy chaotic night at Cielo drive. This book is thorough like no other. It's no wonder it is the best selling True Crime book of my lifetime. He leaves nothing out, it is as if he himself is a god, seeing everything, knowing everything. I thank the heavens for this man, without him, the bloody madness would've perhaps never ended.

A really good true crime book. Bugliosi does an excellent job in detailing events from the murders through the trial. I read this book many years ago and on a whim decided to read it again. It's a compelling, fascinating read. The tension continues to build as the case is built against Manson and his followers.

The only minor criticism that I have is with Mr. Bugliosi's ego. He represents everyone involved in the case (except for himself, of course) as incompetent buffoons. Police, judge, forensic experts, coroners, attorneys, witnesses: no one is spared Mr. Bugliosi's wrath. After reading his account, you wonder how anyone in the whole history of jurisprudence has ever been able to attain a conviction without Bugliosi's assistance.

i read this book a little over a year ago when i was 14, this book was so good and it was told like a story not just from some 3rd person view, i felt like i was in the books world it was that good, this book kept getting more and more intriging as i turned the pages i think if i remeber correctly i finshed the book in 4 days, cause it was so damn good... i hella recomend this book to everyone, pretty scary too and i liked the pictures

bugliosi recreates the events of the manson murders and the trial in expicit detail and reiterates them nemerous times, although never becoming redundant or boring. helter skelter warrants the title of the best-selling crime book ever. bugliosi creates an incessantly fascinating timeline of the events occuring in the life of possibly the most dangerous man of our time--manson. you must read this book!!!!!

Yes, all the reviews are correct: This is an excellent writer detailing some of the most gruesome killings of all time. It is the fastest 650 pages you will ever read, I gaurantee it.

One note: This book might also be called "Vincent Bugliosi: The Man Who Brought Down Charles Manson And Lived to Tell About It." That is to say, Bugliosi is evidently proud (rightfully so) of his accomplishment as the lead prosecutor on the case. And he pretty much makes mincemeat out the intellect of the LAPD and the defense attorneys involved. But like any good prosecutor (and Bugliosi is most certainly that) he has quite a bit of evidence to back his charges of ineptitude. If I were Kanarek, or a Tate detective, I'd be pretty embarrassed knowing this book is an all-time bestseller.

But who are we kidding, this is the definitive book on Tate-Labianca. A truly fantastic read.

Helter Skelter goes into great detail of how graphic and horrific the Tate/LaBianca murders were. Bugliosi does an excellent job describing the crime scene and recalling how the murders occured. The Trial portion of the book is incredible. Bugliosi does a superb job on piecing together an airtight case for the prosecution. Bugliosi made a great sacrifice of his personal life while putting in time working on this case. Helter Skelter really helps explain how Manson created his "Family" and how he brainwashed his followers into believing his deranged philosophies. The only thing more riviting than this book is idea that their are still people who believe in Manson's teachings.

Even almost 50 years later this story fascinates me, I loved hearing Vincent's perspective on everything and the small hidden details of the trial along with facts from some of the most brutal murders in american history.

I read this book back in '84 in college and never again wanted to pick up another fiction book again. This book is a MUST READ. Not only is the story incredible but so is the fact that it is all real. This story of mind control of young, runaway kids back in the 60s by "guru" Charles Manson shows how vulnerable kids are when parents aren't around.
Each player in the case from the victims to the criminals to the prosecutors and everyone inbetween was put together excellently in the book. Never once did it get confusing as to who was who. This case still resounds to this day in the psyche of America and after you read this excellent book you will see why.

I have seen a lot of horror movies and read several horror books but none were ever as creepy and utterly scary as "Helter Skelter". Mr. Bugliosi did a fantastic job describing Manson's extremely disturbed mind and philosophy as well as that of Manson's co-defendants. Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Steve Parent, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski and Rosemary and Leno LaBianca unnecessarily and tragically suffered such brutal deaths, deaths not one of them even remotely deserved. I was glad to read that Mr.Bugliosi managed to win convictions for all defendants but very disappointed that California abolished the death penalty in 1972, thereby reducing their sentences to life in prison. They should have suffered the same fate as the Tate-LaBianca victims. This book was graphic in detail but not so much so that it prevented me from reading the whole book. I could not put it down. This book beats anything written by Steven King by a mile.

This is my second reading of Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter this time with the new afterword. I came across a copy whilst on holiday in florida this summer. I read the book when I came home and bearing in mind I was already familiar with the story, I made a major mistake of reading it in bed one evening and suffice to say I had the most awful nightmare. I did not read the book again at night time. A horrifying true account of murder which i still cannot comprehend how a persons mind can be in such a way as to carry out the most unspeakable of atrocities. In fact I watched a recent documentary in the Uk about Ted Bundy and as bad as it was I could not even compare it to Helter Skelter. Vincent Bugliosi's account of the events made unstoppable reading for anyone who is interested in true crime. I would recommend this one for the top of your list - If you can stomach it.

The first time I read this book was the summer before I started middle school, it scared me to death! I recently read it again and it still has the same creepy vibe it did way back then. I remember it taught me a lot about police procedures, investigation and the legal process as a kid. It is a must read even though years later the motive Bugolosi based his case on has been denied by many of the killers, the reader can make up their own mind. Read this with the doors locked and all the lights on!

This book is so good. It takes a little bit to get into it... maybe 100-150 of the 600 pages but it is 100% worth it. I was born in the 90’s so I obviously wasn’t around for any of this, but I have learned so much. I highly recommend it.

Mr. Bugliosi wrote the book on crime investigation in L.A. Reads better than a novel. Explores the life of Charles Mansion from his pre-Family days up to the brutal crimes, and the sick minds behind them. Some of the best non-fiction you'll ever read. Gives the victims a personality, not just bodies without a face. A great prosecuting attorney's handbook.

Last year I found this book and once I opened it I could not put it down. Bugliosi is excellent at bringing the details to life on the page. Not only do we get a first hand account of the trial, but he also explains much of the legal process in very clear and understandable terminology. I am now a fan of his work and will be reading everything I can of his.

Well written, great TRUE story, fascinatingly frightening. This book will chill you to the bone. It scared me worse than any other book I've ever read. It makes Blatty's "The Exorcist" seem like a Disney Book. Trust me, I do not mean to discredit Blatty because I loved his book, but "Helter Skelter" scared me to the very core.

I read this book a while ago now, & the parts i remember the most is when Charles Manson went up to Sharon Tate's house on the day she was murdered & knocked on the door, & asked if this person he was looking for was still here, Sharon replied, "no, he doesn't live here anymore", Manson replied, "ok" & left, but when Sharon peeked thru the curtains, she saw manson walking, then stopping to look back at her with a spooky stare. The other part is where the groundskeeper William Garretson heard screaming, then heard someone running towards his caretaker house, & try to open the door, but she turned & ran off, how close he was in been killed. All in all a TRULY FRIGHTNING true story account of one of the most disturbing crimes in human history.

Helter Skelter pulls no punches. It is explicit in places, so young people should not read it.
I liked reading this book, even though I have not read any book written by Manson's defence team
[to get a fuller picture of what happened].

This is a book that is thorough and burned into the American consciousness.

*

This is a terrific book by Bugliosi and Gentry of one of the most memorable and important crimes and trials of the 20th century. But the Kindle edition does not contain any of the, supposedly, 50 photographs and illustrations. The reasons might be legal, but the Kindle edition should clearly note this in their description.

No one-line summary could be more true. Such heinous crimes perpetrated by the mind of one insane drug-crazed hippy influenced by the Beatles could be nothing more but stretching beyond the realms of sanity. Curt Gentry and Vincent Bugliosi, more especially, my congratulations on having come up with such an extraordinary piece of work.

I highly suggest that everybody read this book. It is, without hesitation, a genuine masterpiece in real life horror.
The first page on the book reads: "The Story in Which You Are About to Read Will Scare the Hell Out of You". That is not an understatement. This book literally kept me up at night fearing that someone could just simply walk into my living room at any minute. It was so vividly described that it put the fear of God in me when I could literally picture the entire array of murders accurately inside my head. It is such a horrifying aspect, a sea of thoughts that will forever remain inside your subconsciousness. I guarantee that when you read the passages describing the horrendous Tate/LaBianca murders, you will gradually build the entire picture inside your brain, to the point where you will feel like you are there, looking down on an excruciating scene of human barbarity. Not ONE detail is left to the imagination.
You will feel like you are inside the investigation, working with Bugliosi to pinpoint these motives, journeying with the killers step by step as they act out there darkest fantasies. You will begin to second guess "The White Album" and be disturbed by Manson's seemingly psychotic interpretation of it. (Make a point to listen to this album afterwards, and you will feel transported back to the Spahn Ranch where the madness soon ensued) You will feel yourself singing crazy ballads with the Family, you will become ancy inside Susan Atkins' jail cell. You will be scared alongside Linda Kasabian on the long night ride to the Tate house. All these feelings and more will incorporate your senses whilst reading this horrifying story.
All I can do to recommend this book enough to you is to say that it stayed with me and disturbed me for years to come. Every time I read this novel, I become obsessed with the events, haunted when I'm lounging around "in the dead of night". Trust me, reading this book is like surviving the events yourself. With its graphic detail and play by play analyzation of every possible occurence, "Helter Skelter" is one of the best true crime novels ever written. I can't suggest a better title for you to read. Be warned, however: Only immerse yourself in this world if you have a desire to be constantly frightened and possess a strong tolerance for graphic descriptions of violence. Not a book for the kiddies!
Reviewed by J.C. Hoyt
Only the absolute BEST pieces of art recieve the highest rating on the universal scale of stars. Hint, hint.

Fantastic! I have read this book twice. I love the way the author narrates the real life drama of these murders, murderers and inefficiency of the LAPD. It is probably one of the scarriest books I have read so far. The author does a great job of explaining the psychological influences of Charles Manson and the crazy/hipnotic behavior of the Manson Family. He also paints a very clear picture of the long and difficult trial and the obstacles that needed to be overcome to convict Manson and his followers. It's a very interesting book from a psychological and legal stand point. I probably will read it again some time soon because the second time around helped me understand even more, the real-life occurences and legal complexities of this case.

This was an incredible book. I didn't know much about the Manson murders and have always been interested in true crime books. This book was so percise and descriptive at times I thought I was at the ranch or in the court room. I was never bored and could not put it down. I was amazed at the control Manson possessed over these people. It was so odd that all these broken people looking for someone to save them seemed to find Charles Manson at a time when he was looking for followers.
Very scary.....

Long book but It had all of my attention. I had to read a fiction book after this because it was so mind boggling. ( and I rarely read fiction) it was one i would constantly think about for a couple weeks. It's hard to bring up Charles Manson in a casual conversation without seeming crazy. Loved it.

I read a lot of true crimes and this one is the by far the best. It is filled with so many details. By the time you reach the end of the book, you will feel as if you been there during the investigation, and trails.

The chilling story as told by detective Bugliosi will scare and shock you to your utmost. There is an eerie sense all about you that keeps you wondering how such diabolocal people could exist in this world. In all its gorey details and brutally honest depiction of the Manson "Family" Bugliosi does not shield the reader from the horrrid acts committed. He is forthright in his personal fellings toward the murders and his perception of the Manson "Family" including their theology that "Helter Skelter", the final war between the balcks and the whites, is the most outrageous in all of history, which made everything in connection to the murders just as strange.

This book has all the painfull details of the most gripping crime of the pass 100 years. Not scent jack the ripper has there been anything more wacked out. It is a real page turner that you will not be able to put down. You will never think of the word "Family" or "Love of Family" the same way again. This is NO bedtime story. You will be checking your doors and sleeping with the lights on after the first 5 pages. This as got to be one of the best true crime books you will ever read.

I read this when I was 14 and never turned back. Bugliosi's writing is amazing. I have re-read this 3 times over the last 15 years and I never re-read books. Every time I read it I take away something new or a different thought. Wonderful book!

I love true crime thrillers and man this did not disappoint at all. It was truly horrifying and kept me up a couple nights. I would completely recommend this to any true crime lover. I just wish we could get further into Manson's psyche but oh well.

A close friend of mine was reading Helter Skelter about a year and a half ago, and up until then I honestly had never even HEARD of Charles Manson. One night, my friend read to me a couple pages of while Manson and Bugliosi were in court, and he read to me some things that manson had said. It was all really intriguing so a few months back I happened to see Helter Skelter in chapters, and on a whim I picked it up. I could NOT put it down. I have never read a true crime book, or anything even close to a book like that...and it was amazing. Amazing in a very scary, messed up way. I recommend this to anyone who is a little intrigued as to who Charles Manson was and what views he had. It was a really good book.

I loved the book "Helter Skelter." Vincent Bugliosi did an excellent job writing this book. It was great because Vincent Bugliosi knew it all. He was the prosecuting attorney, knew all the facts, and is on top of at all an excellent writer. Manson was a crazy cult leader who commanded his followers or "family" to kill for him. The amount of murders still to this day is unknown. The largest spree of murders happened in August of 1969. Sharon Tate and four of her companions were savagely murdered for prize and pleasure. The following night a millionaire couple was again savagely murdered. The Helter Skelter was suppose to begin, but the hard work of detectives and the drive of a leaving family member led the murders to Charles Manson. This book is great for anyone intrested in the criminal mind, and reasons they did it.

I remember last year around Halloween I read an article about the best books to read for Halloween. Even the article's author conseded that this was a strange choice (it's not fiction) but had a good point. The first 10 pages of this book are truly terrifying and I guarantee you will be affected. It is also very hard because you can't help but feel desperate for the victims because terror was a part of what these killers meant to put into their last moments of life. And as most who know about this case it was one of the most horrible crime scenes to ever be discovered.

I am 13 and have read Helter Skelter for the first time. The murders were described in extreme detail. I had nightmares every night while reading the book. This book has showed me the horrifying dark side that is in some people, and showed why this monster, (Charles Manson)could have ordered the murders. It was also fascinating that the murderers in Manson's "family" were hypnotized to do Manson's deed. I would reccommend this book only to mature readers.

Vincent Bugliosi does a wonderful job of describing in detail, the essence behind Manson's theory of "Helter Skelter" and the murders that this theory spawned. Once I started, I could not put this book down, even though the material sent a chill down my spine. I learned a lot about Manson and his followers, as well as the trial itself. A great book. Scary, but great.

Any California parole board member who is even THINKING about letting Charles Manson out of prison should be forced to read this book. The book should have been subtitled "Diary of A Madman," for that is exactly what Manson is - nothing more, nothing less. Vincent Bugliosi, I salute you for getting - and keeping - this monster and his insane followers off of our streets, and then having the guts to write about just how deeply and perversely the human psyche can sink.

I thought this book was magnificent. The way Vincent Bugliosi described everything in such depth. I found some of it to be dragging in the beginning, but am I glad I didn't give up on this one. The chilling reality is what got to me the most.

I remember the coverage of these awful events when they happened, but had forgotten or wasn't aware of a lot of the details and/or false reporting by the media. This book is enthralling for many reasons- it's amazing what people will do while under the influence of someone else and even more amazing how religion is usually twisted into everything, whether good or bad. Shows how easily fairly intelligent people can be brainwashed into thinking and doing things most would never consider. Fascinating, appalling, and unbelieveable all rolled into one.

In the early months of 1976, my high school sociology teacher told us of a fascinating and horrifying book called "Helter Skelter" that had commanded his rapt attention for months. Published in 1974, "Skelter" was Vincent Bugliosi's riveting true-crime rendering of the notorious Manson family and their murderous crime spree in August 1969. Bugliosi, significantly, was the prosecuting attorney of Manson and his malignant minions and he succeeded - brilliantly - in ridding our society of these senseless savages.
I was seventeen years old then, and although I was no stranger to the extremes of human aberrations, I was mute with horror at some of my teacher's revelations. (Sadie Mae Glutz's weird name - and the equally goofy name she gave her newborn son - were the least of her post-partum peculiarities.....Manson family females had to wait until the slobbering canines devoured their meals before they could nourish their own inner children......) Several months later, as a freshman newly transplanted at the University of Kansas precisely seven years after the abominable crimes, I purchased a paperback copy of "Skelter".
The prodigiously gifted prosecutor has created a spellbinding re-creation of the events surrounding that long-ago August weekend. Moreover, he has delved into the pathology of Manson and exposed the mass murderer for what he is: a manipulative, savvy, cold-blooded and narcissistic individual - someone who does not deserve to taste freedom - ever.
If you think you know everything about what it takes to convict a criminal - especially someone who (cleverly) avoided the crime scene - "Skelter" reveals the protracted, painstaking and dedicated efforts put forth by Bugliosi to convict these deviants. In those pre-O.J. days in L.A., Bugliosi was fortunate to have a jury who listened - without bias - to the truth, to the overwhelming evidence, and to a talented prosecutor's stunning summation. Happily, Bugliosi was victorious, but his accomplishments didn't end with the 1971 verdicts......
Read "Skelter" and learn about the vast research and skill employed by the prosecutor to vanquish his foes (which included a Judge Ito-like milquetoast who referred to Manson's chief assassin as "poor Tex" and nearly derailed the conviction of Charles Watson).
Yes, "Skelter" is much ado about Vincent Bugliosi - and rightly so. The prosecutor will forever have my respect, loyalty and admiration for removing these vicious killers from our midst. However, there are valid sociological lessons to be derived from his narrative. Most of Manson's followers (including the would-be messiah himself) endured difficult childhoods. However, a whole lot of us endure wrenching situations. Many seductive and charming people use these traits to lure vulnerable people to their licentious lair - but that doesn't give us license to commit unspeakable crimes. In the end, neither Manson nor his "family" elicit sympathy - not from this reader.
In March of 1978, after suffering a nervous breakdown and subsequently enrolling in an out-of-town college that fall, I was accosted on a daily basis by every Hairy Krishna, Moonie, self-professed religious zealot and would-be spiritual savoir on the campus. I couldn't speak very well back then, but I still refused these transparent ministrations - forcefully. Yes, I was disenfranchised. Yes, I was unbearably lonely. Yet I remembered something a wise priest once said, "Remove yourself from the occasion of sin, lest you fall into sin."
We should all, no matter what our religious preferences may or may not be, steer clear of false prophets. In the pantheon of sin, Manson was among the very worst of offenders. Not only did he lead his starry-eyed disciples into evil, he exploited them for his own aggrandizement. To be a destroyer of humanity (a transgression that can never be repaid - not in this life) must surely rank among the worst crimes of all.
My eternal thanks and gratitude go to Vincent Bugliosi for providing the victims and their families a most precious gift - justice. It can never bring back their loved ones, but as Doris Tate (Sharon Tate's mother) said, "After the convictions, we slept through the night for the first time since Sharons' death." The value of justice can never be adequately measured, just as the lives of those innocents lost can never be restored.

"Helter Skelter" gives you fair warning when opening its cover. It tells you that you are about to have the hell scared out of you. And it's not kidding.

Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi wrote this granddaddy of true crime back in 1974 and even after 30+ years, "Helter Skelter" remains a true crime classic. The book is a hefty one (over 700 pages)and dissects not only the crimes, but also Charles Manson's background and the Family's various travels and journeys, including run-ins with the law prior to the infamous nights in question. The trial is also covered, which could be in excruciating detail for some.

Even with the glorification of violence today, "Helter Skelter" remains a true story that is so frightening because it could have happened anywhere, to anyone.

Read this excellent account, but be sure that the lights are on and all the doors and windows are locked.

I read this book for the first time in the early '80's as a child. I picked it off my aunts dusty book shelf. I took it home to read and it scared the pants off of me it was so chilling. Such an evil story.

I am an attorney and an avid reader. When I read this book a number of years ago, I became engrossed in it and lost track of the time. At about 2 AM, I got to the part where the Manson family's "creepy crawling" episodes were being described and I began to hear "things that go bump in the night." It is the only time I have had that experience.

I couldn't put this one down! I thought I wasn't a true-crime reader, but Bugliosi's book was so enthralling. It's a real-life horror story and I was amazed at the amount of depth with which he recounted the history.

When they say that this book will scare the hell out of you they are making an under statement. I have wanted to read this book for about 3 years and my parents finly let me read it about a week ago. I am 13 now and the lights are still on.AND THEY ARNE'T GOING OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders' is an examination of Charles Manson and his cult and the bizzare trial that occurred during the late 1960s and early 1970s. I read the book to see what the Charles Manson hype was all about. There was some interesting moments, but most people in this generation would not be impressed with someone like Manson. It is surprising that he was able to hold the power over those people like he did.

This book really had my skin crawling late at night while reading it. It scared me so much that when my cat jumped onto the bed I evacuated my bowels. But I was so scared that Charles Manson was hiding under my bed that I just had to lay there in my own filth. Once the morning sun came up and I was finally convinced that Manson wasn't hiding behind the chair in the corner of the room, I shoulder rolled out of bed and took the fastest shower I have ever taken in my life. After three weeks on the run, I ended up in a little logging town outside of Boise. I lived there for about three years, when I accidentally stumbled across the book at a local library. It brought back all of those same feelings back, and I messed my pants again something awful. If you've got a strong stomach, a strong mind, and a good clean pair of pants, I'd suggest this book to anyone who wants insight into a horrific time in American history. But if you are like me and turn your britches into brown paint every time you read it, you may want to read something a little tamer.

This book was a fast and intense page turner. It was scary and interesting since watching and reading the case in the news. The book was well written by the prosecutor. I recommend this as a read because it was one of the crimes of the century.

I was suprised this book appealed to me since I don't typically like horror, blood and gore, or dark mystery novels. What made Helter Skelter different for me tho, was its REALITY; knowing everything shocking I was reading actually occured. The author takes the reader through a very involved history of Manson's roots, digging deep into the psyche of his groopies; those who were willing to sacrifice their bodies and minds to this cult-like lunatic leader who finally came to also request his followers to murder...horribly. If you only read one (1) thriller in your life, Helter Skelter should be the one.

This is an in your face account of the Manson family murders. Brought to you straight from the courtroom as Vince Bugliosi, the prosecuter who tried Manson and his "family", tells you this horrific story piece by piece. Complete with a photo album of the killers and their victims. How did Charles Manson make these people kill for him? What was the motive for all these murders? The cold, but true answers are told in "Helter Skelter"

In the begining of the book it reads "This book will scare the hell out of you" and was that ever an understatement. Charles Manson and his crew will always be the ultimate in evil. The only time you will put this book down is to sleep, that is, if you can.

This book was an interesting read if you like true crime stuff. I find Charles Manson a very interesting person and I believe him to be a genius as well. I can't say if this book is all facts or not since I wasn't alive in the 1960s, but eitherway it's a great book.

Helter Skelter is an excellent read regardless of your background, or knowledge of the Manson case. Whether you enjoy true crime or not, you will enjoy this book. Very well written, very informative, and highly recommended!

This book is great from beginning to end. it gives a really detailed description of the murders, the murderers, Charles Manson, the Family, Manson's beliefs, and how the police connected the crimes to him. Anyone who likes true crime will love this book and i would recommend it to everyone. i would also recommend the movie...but id suggest reading the book first because its is a lot more detailed than the movie is and it gives u a better idea of what really happened.

This book is certainly not a Pulitzer prize winner, but it is definitely a must read for any true-crime fans. I found myself unable to put the book down for hours. Bugliosi carefully unwinds the horrific details that surround these infamous murders. This book is much more than a gruesome exploitive account. I found myself understanding the late sixties as the tumultuous period that could host this episode in history.

I have read a few books over the years about Charles Manson & his "family", and none of them compare to this one. In fact, this book is what made me a fan of "true crime" books.Vincent Bugliosi did an excellent job in his telling of the crimes & the trial afterwards.This book is best described by one of the first pages in it...."The story you are about to read will scare the hell out of you."

I Thought that the Book Helter Skelter, was very informative as well as vivid in telling about the true Manson crimes.It was a great description of the various people and deaths of the people there in Los Angeles, Cali. This book also is a great account of the death of the actress, Sharon Tate. This is a great book to help you find out more about the Manson crimes, the many deaths, and the use of the HELTER SKELTER to posses the murders.

A far better book about the Manson family murders has received little publicity. "The Family", written by Ed Sanders, actually preceded Bugliosi's Helter Skelter. Bugliosi's story concentrates on his (the prosecutor) involvement in the case and on the evidence presented at trial.
In his book, true-crime author Sanders traces Manson from the date of his release from prison at 32. "The Family" explores the psychology that made Manson "the Messiah" to more than two dozen teeny-boppers -- rootless kids who were willing to have sex with whomever he aimed them at. Eventually, Charlie's LSD crazed mind ordered his most faithful followers to commit murder.

The Family, by Ed Sanders is available at the store.com

one of the best true crime books i have ever read. wow. this is just spectacular. very detailed, very interesting yet also a bit scary. it is incredibly well written, makes you feel like you're a part of the investigation. couldn't put it down.

This book was haunting, but regardless I couldn't put it down until the end. It is however pretty graphic at times, and I am not one for violence so it may not be for everybody. But deffinatly worth the time because I learned a lot about the people involved and the cases themselves.

I read this book when I was 8 years old and I just read it again from a more mature perspective. I enjoyed it but I highly doubt the complete accuracy of it. For one thing, the author seemed to play high and mighty quite a bit. While criticizing the work done by LASO, LAPD, and other attorneys at multiple points, he portrays himself as intimidating Manson (something that hardened criminals and correctional officers to this day can't do) and even putting a judge in his place (read the chapter about the Tex Watson trial). Furthermore, he makes factually inaccurate statements such as "psychologists are not doctors and cannot make medical diagnoses." Although psychologists are not medical doctors, they are "doctors" and as far as "medical diagnoses" are concerned, he was referring to Schizophrenia in this case and psychologists are absolutely qualified to make such a diagnosis. While I fully believe that the crimes themselves were not sensationalized or minimized, I have no doubt that Vincent Bugliosi's portrayal of himself was sensationalized and his portrayal of others minimized.

I was 14 when this horrific crime took place. I first read this book many years later, in 1985. I've reread it since, just this year. I think this is the best true crime masterpiece I've ever read, and I've read a lot of them. Anyone interested in true crime should read this. It puts you there. Manson is not human. READ THIS BOOK!!!

I was getting really into the story, but when I hit page 304 I got an unpleasant surprise. Pages 305-336 were missing! Instead, a set of pages (298-304, which included several pages of photographs not given page numbers) was repeated. The first page 304 was followed by the repeated page 298-304, and the second page 304 was followed by page 337! I called customer service, and they are sending me a replacement, but I have no idea if the defect was isolated to one book, or an entire printing of them. Buy the book by all means - I'm finding it fascinating. But when you get the book, check to see that all the pages are there, so you catch a problem before you get into the story... cause believe me, that's no fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. With the 30th anniversary upon us, it was exciting to finally understand the crime of the century and this madman named Manson. I had always heard things but never truely understood the depth of this man. Scary and sick. I HIGHLY recommend this book.