Helter Skelter

Almost Perfect on Nook

Great read. Would have given 5 stars if the Nook would show the images. "Images in this book are not displayed owing to permissive issues" That is frustrating.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

EBOOK OMITS PHOTOS

I acknowledge that this story is horrific enough without the photos, but I was surprised when my ebook edition omitted them. I could understand the technological issues attendant with including color photos, but the pics in the "dead tree" version are in black and white, so I don't understand why they weren't included in my ebook version. I checked out the paper book while at Barnes and Noble. The photos are not grotesque. Certain aspects of the crime scene photos are prudently obscured. But what I found fascinating were the photos of the young women who committed the murders. Fresh-faced teenage girls smile out from the pages. Manson looks like a feral leprechaun and one wonders why anyone would follow him anywhere much less murder for him. The inclusion of the photos in the (not inexpensive) ebook version would have made this a better product.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Great Book

I would recommend this to anyone that is into detective based novels or interested in psychological thrillers. Very chilling everytime I read the words that come from the manson family. Horrifying that this crime actually happened.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Morbid yet Fascinating

Usually nonfiction books don't keep my interest, but Helter Skelter was a real page turner. It described the Manson Family in great detail, not to mention the murders they committed. Charles Manson was an incredibly twisted character, and manipulated the minds of his followers. The author, Vincent Bugliosi, was one of the members the prosecution. His vivid imagery makes you feel like you're really at the scene of the crime. As if imagination isn't enough, Helter Skelter contains pictures of the victims, where they were found, and those who took their lives. It was eerie looking back through the photos of the killers after reading their responses in interviews with investigators. The one that stood out to me the most was Susan Atkins. She bragged about the murders. Atkins talked about how good it felt to stab people after describing how she murdered pregnant actress, Sharon Tate. If you enjoy crime stories, this one's a must read.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A must read for any true crime fan

Helter Skelter is about Charles Manson who in 1969, along with his family of followers struck fear in the heart of all America. The darker side of the hippie movement the sixties were known for. Vincent Bugliosi does a great job leading you through the events and subsequent trials. Be aware though that the NOOK version of this book does not include any of the photographs, maps etc. that the book version does. These are important to the story and i was very disappointed to find them not available.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fascinating, yet sloppy

While the subject matter of this book is very engrossing, and all of the pertinent elements are presented in a concise and cogent manner, the author has some rather annoying habits. First, he is not consistent in the use of names of people. Sometimes he uses first names and other times he uses last names. To further confuse the reader, he sometimes uses their true names and other times he uses their aliases. Since their are a very large number of individuals involved in this vastly intricate plot, this can be very aggravating.

Despite these fairly minor infractions, however, I was highly entertained and would recommend it to anyone.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great introduction to a chilling and bizarre mass murder led by a 'right-wing hippie'

If you only know the name Charles Manson by vague associations with a shaggy beard, creepy eyes, and the notion of evil, this book might surprise you. Indeed, before Manson was any of that, he was a hippy father figure for many wayward youth -- mostly women -- in late 1960s California, and he was a man who was pretty close to not being convicted of anything more than auto theft. Bugliosi, the prosecutor in the Manson trial gave one of the first accounts of the Manson murders following the conviction of Manson and his followers. Bugliosi's tale is indeed told like a district attorney uncovering evidence. The advantage of this for the reader is being privvy to all of the ins and outs of the investigation and trial: the pain-staking evidence gathering that was often hindered by LAPD's lack of internal communication and drawn-out courtroom proceedings that were often hijacked by Manson's obstructionist attorney, the three women in their early 20s who killed for Manson (Susan Atkins, Leslie van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel) and Manson himself. Although it seems a given now that Manson was responsible for mass murders, it was hardly expected that he and "the girls" would be convicted for killing actress Sharon Tate (Roman Polanski's wife), her friends, a grocery store chain owner and his wife, and a young man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The biggest drawback of this book is that it does not go in depth into the motives of Charles Manson and his followers. We get that they at some point accepted him as a religious figure, as is what happens in cults, but we don't get how these young women and men became so dissolute that they could kill for Manson, at least not in anyway that seems convincing. 'Helter Skelter' is a great introduction to the events that led to these horrific murders, as well as to this period in history. (It is said that these murders put an end to the hippy era because of Manson's association with the movement, marginal though it was. Bugliosi refers to Manson at one point as a "right-wing hippie," because of his authoritarian inclinations combined with the hippie lifestyle this ex-con adopted in the late '60s). But reading the book leaves so many questions in the reader's head--maybe as many as it answers. Did the victims really not know the killers? How much responsibility did Manson have for the murders? Why on earth would people believe him when he said there would be a race war called Helter Skleter (were they just that drugged out)? What motivated young women and men from middle class families to uproot and live with Manson? i.e. How bad could their family lives have been that a gnomish bearded man who insisted on directing them in orgies seemed like a better life choice than going to college and leading a "normal" life? Bugliosi's book is a great introduction to this truly gruesome and unparalleled point in history, but you will finish it wanting to learn a whole lot more.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow!

This book goes into great detail about the Manson murders during the 60s/70s. It starts off with the Tate and LaBianca murders, and the reasons for why it took so long to connect the murders, let alone solve them. The first time I took a look at the book and didn't want to pick it up because it was over 400 pages. But then I started to read it and could not put it down! I read it in 2 days. I recommend this book to anyone wanting some thrill, as well as information reguarding Manson and his crazy thinking.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

True Crime At Its Best

This is the most complete true crime novel ever written. It takes you inside the murders and the lives of everyone involved. Usually in books like this, the portions about the court procedings are slow and boring. That's not the case here. The trial is very interesting to read about. A great book all around!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of the best true crime books ever!

While many non-fiction books are written from second hand information this book was written by one who was actualy a major character int he case and who was responsible for helping end the reign of terror by one of the evilest men in history. Bugliosi's book was wonderful and I'd recommend it for anyone interested in a 'scary as hell' story (just like the warning in the beginning of the book) and a lesson in police and prosecution procedures. Warning: Do not read this book at night. Every few minutes I would get up to make sure the my windows were locked.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Cool!

I was prepared to have nightmares while reading this book but it was actually ok! I enjoy fiction trial books and the fact that this one was about a real case made it that much more cool. :) I am hoping to do more reading on Charles Manson in the future - he's scary and fascinating all at the same time!

Could not put it down

This book is great from start to finish, and I had a hard time putting it down. The author is very detailed regarding the events that took place giving the reader a feeling of actually being there. I don't think it could have been written any better.

Great book

This is a must read for anypne!! But its fraky because it reeally happened, but he diddnt realy kill the people girls did

Page Turner

I never write reviews. I have to say, this book is unbelievable. It is "real" not fiction and written by the actual prosecuter. So, it's so interesting. It's fascinating beyond belief.....excellently written too. Only thing is that the pictures aren't available with the Nook version.

Best crime book ever!

This book was by far the best book I have read. I love that it is written by someone who was actually involved in the whole thing and not someone who just heard about it. I chose this book because ever since I found out about these murders, I have always wanted to know more about them. And it just so happened that I had a book project assigned in my English class after I purchased the book. I find this book 10 times better than any TV show or anything else about Charles Manson because like I said, it was written by somebody involved in the trial and everything else. I cannot really compare this book to any other crime book I have read. This was such a thrilling and suspenseful book. The book had so much information , It actually felt like you were a detective in the 1960’s trying to solve the case. Even after reading the 600+ pages, I am still stuck with the same question every other person who has read the book is. What kind of sick people do something like that and end up so happy about it? I still do not understand why people do such cruel things. I think this book has a huge ability to make the reader keep turning the pages. It seems like every time you find out something that happened, you want to know more and more about it. I do find it confusing though how every time they committed a murder, they didn’t get caught within the next couple days. They left so many hints, and so many obvious things. What I love most about the book is Bugliosi and Gentry’s style of writing. They make sure that you know just as much as they do about the murders. The part of the book I enjoyed the most would have to be when Bugliosi and Gentry interviewed Danny DeCarlo. Danny was the club treasurer from the Straight Satans motorcycle gang. He gave the police most of the information they would find out about the murder. He also gave them a tour of Spahns Movie Ranch. That is where Charles Manson and his “family” lived. The creepiest and craziest family member in my opinion, would have to be Susan Atkins. She is the one who said she enjoyed killing people. And that it felt so good stabbing somebody. There is one good thing that she did though, while she was in jail on drug charges, she bragged about the killings she had done to a cell mate. That cell mate ended up telling a LAPD officer what Susan had told her. And that is how the Manson Family got caught for all the murders. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of reading it.

Why are most disturbing things fascinating?

When I first began to read this book, I thought it would take me forever to read because it wouldn¿t catch my attention like other books seem to have done. I chose it because the reviews looked good and I enjoy reading crime books to learn about what happened¿even if it is dull. When I begin a book, I follow it to the end no matter how boring and endless it may seem. This was not the case with this book. From the very first page I was entranced and soon finished this book in a few days. I¿m used to the violence and human brutality from reading and watching true crime novels, but this book was so descriptive. It never left anything to the imagination no matter how tiny the fragment was. You¿re practically placed in the scene as the murders occurred watching helplessly as this gruesome act of violence is played out.
I never really knew too much about the Manson family murders so I wanted to find a book that would tell me some information. And who better to learn from than the prosecutor of the Charles Manson case? I got the story I wanted to learn, but after reading this book I feel like I know more than I wanted to. Never the less, I had an amazing time reading this book because it was just so descriptive. I even had to put the book down a few times because I had to stop and just assure myself that I was okay and that I could continue reading. This is a truly haunting book.

True Crime Lovers, Highly Recommended

This book tells the story of the Manson murders in great detail. I have read this book multiple times over the years and still am amazed at the story!! The depth of the evil that went on was amazing!! Any true crime lover will make this a staple of their reading. This author was intimately involved in the trial and was able to give very graphic details.

Not a good read

Was excepting more of the accuall account of the murders

Very engrossing

Really a good and entertaining read.

Wow! That was scary and intense

The first half of the book will make you feel a little paranoid, given the brutality of the Manson murders and the pure randomness of them as well. It's a long book, but extremely fast paced, and Bugliosi does a good job of keeping the reader gripped. Manson is an infamous icon, and this is his legacy, for better or worse...