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Summary: Fact-based account of the investigation and Manson trial
Review: After all these years, Helter Skelter still strikes me as one of the best well written books on how to successfully investigate, and bring to justice a manipulator and killer.
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Summary: A truly gripping book on an almost gripping person...
Review: The book Helter Skelter by Vince Bugliosi is perhaps one of the best tru-crime books I've ever read. From the story itself, to the incompetency of the LAPD; from the chilling descriptions of the murders to the way the book is set out, you just can't put it down. It's amazing how clsoe to Manson and his three co-defendants Bugliosi gets. If you're interested in true-crime stories, and even if you're not, this is a book to read, if simply to find out how horrifyingly brutal and cold humans can be.4 Stars, and don't forget to check out the photos.
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Summary: Horrifyingly Accurate
Review: 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.
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Summary: Wow.
Review: My father suggested this book to me--why I don't know, I'm only 17--but I haven't been able to put it down. I was not alive when Charles Manson was not in prison, and I've seen several specials on TV about him ("Portrait of a Killer," etc, etc), but this book answers all the unasked questions I had--when did all this take place? Why? Who exactly was killed and who exactly did it? All I knew was that Sharon Tate had died in a bad way and that Charles Manson, a total wacko with a swastika on his forehead, was responsible, and that some women and a girl named "Squeaky" were somehow involved. With Bugliosi's brilliant book, ALL BECOMES CLEAR. If you have any questions at all lingering about the Manson case, read this book. Caution, though--the statement on the first page behind the cover is utterly accurate--it will scare the hell out of you. I salute Bugliosi for his portrayal of the whole thing and I only wish I could get in touch with him to explain how much I admire him.
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Summary: Outdated, Innacurate, Self-agrandizing: Watch the Movie
Review: I realize that this is the first book a person will come to when searching on MANSON. However, you should really just skip it and watch the Made-for-TV movie which cut out all of Bugliosi's egotisical grandstanding and actually did a much better job of revealing what it was like to be in that circus of a court-room. The film also accurately depicts how much Bugliosi relied on the statements of tripped out Family members who did not participate in the killings in order to construct his "Helter Skelter" theory of the Crime. Do yourself a favor and buy CHARLIE'S FAMILY by Jim Vanbebber available here at Amazon.com in addition to this book. The two will show you the opposite ends of the theoretical spectrum on the Manson case.
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Summary: Still the #1 seller on the Subject BUT: Terribly Outdated
Review: This will ALWAYS be the first book people pick up on the subject of the so-called "Manson" Murders. Author Bugliosi is now a paid Talking Head on Court TV and anyother cable Network that will cut him a check and he is STILL fundamentally misinformed as to the reasons these horrible killings took place. He bases his theories on interviews he conducted with Manson Family members, most of whom were tripped out of their minds during his sessions. He largely invented the entire Helter Skelter connection after encouraging one Manson follower to interpret the Book of Revelations. How's that for dependable detective work?? In my humble opinion, John Lennon's Estate should sue Bugliosi for all the damage he did to the Beatles as a result. I realize you will probably buy this book but you should buy a few others, most notably CHARLIE'S FAMILY by Jim Vanbebber available here on Amazon.com. It was published late in '98 and is currently the most accurate represenation of what went on. Buy them both, read them both and don't be surprised if you start wondering what story exists BETWEEN these two books. If you are a True Crime Buff, you should be ashamed of yourself if this is the only book you read on the subject.
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Summary: A stunning, comprehensive, breathtaking book.
Review: 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?
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Summary: Coming down fast....
Review: Every time I read this book, it still gives me a jolt. Not just because it's a good, engaging story -- Bugliosi and Genry have created a very readable and absorbing book here, despite its size -- but because it's the story of one of the more debased chapters in American criminal history. Charlie came out of nowhere and made himself into the darkest sort of legend, and the book is very good at making us understand just how charismatic he could be. And how dangerous, and also how ireedeemable. There are many people, I've heard, who like to defend Manson (they consider him "a political prisoner") and use such snide remarks as, "he didn't really kill anyone" -- although I presume they do not also blame the Vietnam War on the generals who never lifted a gun, but directed the whole battle? Bugliosi may not be a saint, but he did a splendid job of standing in the way of a man who forfeited his right to be a citizen of humanity. The most amazing thing about the story, of course, is how far beyond belief it goes. But the evidence is all there, in horrible detail. Some people have said that fiction is given such total license because the truth is always going to be weirder. Here's the proof.
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Summary: Let Helter Skelter creepy-crawl its way into your life!
Review: I first read this book when I was 14 (what were my parents thinking?) and have read it generally once or twice a year for the past 11 years. I think the reason this book is so fascinating, not just to me, but to so many others, is because it combines so many elements: 1) A gruesome multiple murder, 2) The victims were (mostly) famous, 3) The murderers were young, and mostly women, 4) They took place in the "make love, not war" hippie era, and 5) The murderers were part of a "cult" which fascinated people--how could someone be ordered to kill, and actually do it willingly, joyfully? The last part of the book, which details the origins of Manson's philosophy (Bugliosi speculates at least in part from a group known as The Process), is a little boring, and I've since read other books that suggest the motive is less fanciful than "Helter Skelter" and more ordinary, like perhaps robbery, but hey, the book would be a lot less incredible if it were something so everyday. Very absorbing and highly recommended.
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Summary: A frightening, destructive close to the idealistic 60's
Review: "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.
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