The definitive Charles Manson book. Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney on the case, so you have to deal with some self-congratulating along the way, but the in-depth Manson family discussion and the descriptions of the crimes are mind blowing.
— David
The history behind the Manson "Family" is no less frightening than it was 50 years ago. Bugliosi outlines their actions, motives, and loyalty in 650+ incredibly detailed pages. More than a tale of murder, it also covers LA in the late 1960's and the psychology of cults. Read this one with friends, because you'll definitely want to unpack all of the harrowing details.
— ChristyThe #1 True Crime Bestseller of All Time—7 Million Copies Sold
In 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."