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Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

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The 1 True Crime Bestseller of All Time—7 Million Copies SoldIn the summer of 1969, in Los Angeles, a series of brutal, seemingly random murders captured headlines across America. A famous actress (and her unborn child), an heiress to a coffee fortune, a supermarket owner and his wife were among the seven victims. A thin trail of circumstances eventually tied the Tate-LeBianca murders to Charles Manson, a would-be pop singer of small talent living in the desert with his "family" of devoted young women and men. What was his hold over them? And what was the motivation behind such savagery? In the public imagination, over time, the case assumed the proportions of myth. The murders marked the end of the sixties and became an immediate symbol of the dark underside of that era.Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, and this book is his enthralling account of how he built his case from what a defense attorney dismissed as only "two fingerprints and Vince Bugliosi." The meticulous detective work with which the story begins, the prosecutor's view of a complex murder trial, the reconstruction of the philosophy Manson inculcated in his fervent followers…these elements make for a true crime classic. Helter Skelter is not merely a spellbinding murder case and courtroom drama but also, in the words of The New Republic, a "social document of rare importance."Some images in this ebook are not displayed due to permissions issues. Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (December 17, 2001)


Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 17, 2001


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 1001 KB


Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled


Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Excellent Read
This book is very detailed about the murders that the Manson family committed. Also, details the trial and updates on the family members.
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2022 by Amazon Customer
    • Fascinating Read and So Familiar!
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!". ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2013 by Stealth Cat
    • Still holds up after all these years.
Truly remarkable book. I have a lot to say about the production value of this edition, however. It's not evenly printed, so some pages are very faint. The photos are REALLY faint. And come on, with a book like this, the photos are one of the reasons to buy it. I'm not talking about grotesque images, I'm talking about what the players of the story looked like, etc. They really could have gotten that better. Print is a little small and compact and crowded. However........great book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2022 by TigerStone
    • A Comprehensive View - Means, Motive, and Manson
This account is not quite as engrossing as some of Bugliosi's other books, such as "And the Sea Will Tell." It still rates five stars, but it takes a little more effort to get through, in part because there are so many names a reader has to keep straight. There were so many victims, perpetrators, witnesses, and investigators. Bugliosi does provide a Name Key at the front of the book, giving thumbnail sketches of the "cast of characters." It's helpful to refer to this Key often. The other reason this book isn't quite as informative as Bugliosi's other true crime accounts is that he doesn't provide as many legal insights as he did in his other works. There is a lot of insider information about the legal maneuvering involved in bringing Manson and three female co-defendents to trial. But Bugliosi doesn't delve sufficiently into such points as why Manson was deemed to be the most guilty of all the perpetrators, even though Manson himself didn't personally commit any of the Tate/LaBianca murders. It's not that Manson shouldn't have been held ultimately responsible. But I'd like to have read more about the legal theory backing such an assignment of guilt. Bugliosi does devote a few paragraphs to the topic, mentioning the care he took as prosecutor to emphasize the rules of conspiracy to the jurors. He didn't want any juror holding out to exonerate Manson just because Manson didn't physically stab or shoot any of the victims. However, I'd like to have read an in-depth discussion of this point because it touches on so much of the high crimes that have characterized the last 100 hundred years - from the crimes adjudicated at the Nuremberg Trials to several of the more sensational matricides and patricides committed by teens recently. In several of the latter cases, the juvenile partner who did the actual killing was deemed to be much more responsible than the instigating youngster who merely provided access to the house and who stood by while the slaughter occurred. In view of the conspiracy rules applied in the Manson case, why would this be so? This book nonetheless provides a valuable demonstration of the often tragic consequences of carelessness. The blurb on the back cover cites the "meticulous detective work" involved. This would lead you to believe that members of the various police departments really exerted themselves gathering evidence. However, that's not true. The detective work referred to is probably that done by Bugliosi himself and his staff. Bugliosi stepped outside his role as prosecutor to become chief homicide investigator as well - a real Perry Mason generalist. He showed exemplary determination in his efforts to leave no stone unturned - literally - in order to locate evidence and testimony. Meanwhile, many members of the different police and sheriffs' offices were notable for their failure to follow through with leads, and for their failure to communicate with each other. Inter-departmental competition and just plain indifference was often to blame. It becomes apparent that if various individuals, from Manson's parole officers, to a whole hierarchy of officers and investigators had earnestly and intelligently done their jobs, at least some of the murders could have been averted. So this book provides a lesson in how things in law enforcement could be improved, but probably haven't been since this book was first published in 1974. Bugliosi goes beyond exploring "just the facts, ma'am." He devotes pages to an explanation of Manson's motivating philosophy, a roiling stew of such disparate ingredients as songs from The Beatles' "White Album" and quotes from the Book of Revelation. Bugliosi further spends the better part of a chapter examining how Manson could have gained such a devoted following. He covers some of the elements that make any successful cult leader, but then is left with some X-factor that he believed Manson must have possessed in order to have had such influence. Sometimes the reader might feel that Bugliosi goes too far in admiration of Manson, characterizing him as having such qualities as "Intelligence...searing insights... mental deftness." There are also several extensive sections of photographs (albeit rather grainy ones) reproduced here. Some have key elements whitened out to avoid personalizing the gore too much. Finally, there's an "Afterward" in this edition that updates (as of 1994) readers on the lives of both the guilty and the innocent involved in this shocking saga. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2012 by R. Schultz

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