Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

This book is really good, but I should have listened to the previous comment about the KINDLE VERSION being difficult to read. The footnotes are not accessible and where pictures should be it just says "can't put photo" or something. I bought this one week ago exactly and it will not let me return it. I wish I could return it and get the hard copy, it is really a good book but I do not enjoy reading it on the kindle because I feel like I am missing a lot and that is no fun.

How Vince Bugliosi ever kept track of all the characters in this hideous crime family is almost beyond belief. Lots of characters and all of them with at least two aliases. As a retired police officer, I'm amazed at the indifference of the LAPD Detectives regarding investigating obvious leads. It almost appears they were rebelling against the efficiency of ADA Bugliosi. Have worked closely with many DA's and ADAs and the determination and attention to detail of this man is beyond description. There are very few human beings that could have stitched this presentation together and then delivered it to a jury with amazing efficiency. Belated congrats, Vince. Wish I could have shaken your hand. NYSP Sgt/Station Commander (Ret)

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. His book presented a wealth of interesting information that you never hear about in any television documentary. By reading Mr. Bugliosi's captivating book, the reader, not only gets a better understanding of murders and the crazy, insane motive behind them, but a better understanding of all the people, good and bad, that were involved. It's fascinating to read about all the hard work Mr. Bugliosi put into the Tate - LaBianca investigation which allowed him to successfully obtain death penalty convictions of Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houton, and a few years later, Charles "Tex" Watson. The Manson Murders were terrible, tragic event and it utimately became Mr. Bugliosi's story, which was again, wonderfully told by him. I can see why it is considered the best crime book ever written. I highly recommend this book. :)

I am trying to replace all of my hardcover and paperback books in e-format. I bought this book in paperback back in the early 70's when it was first released.

I did not know that most, if not all, of the photos in the original paperback book are not included in this version, apparently due to permission issues, per the statement at the beginning of the book.

This information was NOT included in the book details on the Kindle app shopping page - and it should have been included.

The footnotes are included at the end of the book. Including them at the end of each chapter would have been a better choice, but at least they are there.

what permissive issues could ban all photos...a crock to scam full price from Kindle users. Buy a used ppb edition for 35 cents...far more gratifying. Dont let them get away with this.

Vincent Bugliosi said it best, “… The singularity of Manson’s evil and the particular brand of demonic murders he authored have not again been inflicted upon our nation. We can only hope that the ensuing years will be the same.” He wrote those words in June 1994. It appears in the afterword of the currently available version of “Helter Skelter”.

We continue as a society to be fascinated by the actions of Charles Manson and his followers, who are collectively known as ‘The Family’. And who better to tell that story than prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi himself? Although Vincent himself has passed away, his story lives on. In my humble opinion, works like “helter-skelter” are absolutely important to the future of society as a whole. As my mother would say, those who failed to observe the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. Although, I’m sure she took that quote from someone else.

Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor in the Manson trial, does an excellent job laying out for the reader all of the important elements of the crime, the prosecution, and the defense’s actions during that famous trial. You cannot separate an understanding of Charles Manson and an understanding of the trial. The two are inseparable. The vivid descriptions of the witnesses, crime scenes, evidence, and the courtroom drama served to encapsulate one of the longest and most expensive trials to ever take place in US history.

I would argue that without Mr. Bugliosi’s book, a gaping hole in the recollections and recounting of the Manson trial would exist. We would also lose a haunting look at the mind of a madman and those who would unquestioningly follow him.

Truth in advertising, I’m an author who writes about serial killers. Because of this, the studies of the most infamous killers of the world is an important aspect of what I do. No serious study of violent crime in the US would be complete without looking at Charles Manson and The Family.

They say that time heals all wounds. However, I don’t think the nation ever completely recovered from the wounds inflicted by Charles Manson and his followers. We still seem to be just as fascinated today with what happened on those two days back in 1969 as the nation was during the time of the trial. I’m not sure if that’s a testament to our love of the macabre or fascination with courtroom drama.

For anyone interested in Charles Manson and the events surrounding the Tate and LaBianca murders, “Helter Skelter” is a must-read. I found it to be well-written and chock full of detail that no movie could ever quite cover as well is Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry did.

The story has been written in a way to walk the reader through 100's of people and yet always is able to bring you straight back to the main characters that unfortunately made this book possible. I was born in 1970 and can remember people talking about Helter Skelter, Manson, Susan Adkins, etc from a young age. Since I started to read this book as an adult I have tried to be more aware of what and who is around me. So even though some of these people have died and others are still locked up it was a bit spooky. The author wrote like a true prosecutor by telling what facts there are and when he did bring up something that was not factual he told you as well as explained why he felt it necessary to add it to the story. I feel I have a better understand of Manson's childhood. I also feel the LAPD fouled up big time and we were fortunate others did their jobs or many others may have been killed by this group. I highly recommend this book for a mature audience who enjoys learning about the Manson Family and is also interested in seeing how California's court system worked back then.

So have you ever read a book where there is all this hype and everyone seems to like/have on their reading list and you read it and are like "It was okay, I guess?" That was this book to me. How the author made an interesting story and topic so boring is beyond me... The author was the persecutor for this case and I guess all the reading and writing of boring legal documents bled into his writing style for this book. He was repetitive at times which made it confusing and hard to follow at times. He also used this book to bad-mouth the LAPD and make him look good. The LAPD certainly screwed up this investigation but just the way he phrased things made me dislike him or get annoyed with him. If anyone has a suggestion for a book on the Manson Murders or The Family, please comment below because I would love to read an interesting, well-written book on the subject. I tried reading this book multiple times before just switching over to the audiobook which still put me to sleep at times and took forever to get through.

I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

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 Amazon.com

I LOVE true crime novels, and TV, and movies.

The high point for novels, artistically, is probably, "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. "Helter Skelter" is not the same type of novel artistically, but the facts and the trial are hair-raising and jaw-dropping in a way that "In Cold Blood" is not.

"Helter Skelter" blows back your hair and drops your jaw. The defendant attacked the Judge: literally attacked the judge mid-trial. Witnesses had suspicious accidents. A lawyer died.

The Manson Family was a crazy cult, that's for sure. What blows my mind is how poorly equipped the justice system was to deal with this cult. I don't think it was their fault; they learned from this horrible horrible trial.

It seems that "criminal harassment" did not exist at the time, and it didn't. That was the problem, in my opinion. It wasn't the fault of the justice system, and they learned from this. But the account of this trial is still disturbing, b/c of the people cowed and scared to get involved and to do justice.

Things have improved so much since the Manson trial. It is fascinating to learn about how that trial happened, though.

There were many brave people who were focused on the victims and who marched along, all the while feeling the sharp threat of personal harm.

Anyone who is interested in true crime should read this book - it will surprise you.