Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I will be honest, I usually find nonfictional dull and miserable to go through. However, this writer is skilled in his delivery of detail and portrayal of events. I am only in the first part of this book still, but felt compelled to let the online community know just how interesting this book really is. Definitely a bit creepy and sad that its all real. But great read.

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!

The best true crime book ever written. I've read it twice over the years. Be prepared to be shocked. It s hard to wrap your mind around the lunacy of it all.

This is a great book if you are interested in any sort of crime, especially true crime. This book gives you a lot of incite on the Manson Family and its even better because it was written by the prosecution in the Manson Family murders. I think one of the most interesting person of the Manson Family has to be Susan Atkins. She is very complicated and she seems to be open to talking about what happened on August 8 and 9 1969 as if she sort of brags about it. If you are looking for a great true account of the Manson Family and the murders you should read this book!!

Excellent read. A must for true crime fans.

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.

Helter Skelter is perfect if you just want to lesuire read of if you want to be educated on a infamous murder. Vincent writes beautifully and allows you to feel the emotion envolved in the actually crime itself. Someone recommded this book to me and in a second i will and have recommded helter skelter to anyone!!!

Written in such a way so as to put the reader there - at the scene of the murders, in the get away car, on Spahn Ranch. Fanatic read!

Even the sample leaves one speechless.

Couldn't put the book down. It was so intriguing and very well written. I read the book in 3 days!

Helter Skelter is by far the best true crime book ever written. Vincent Bugliosi wrote a masterpiece. George Vreeland Hill

I've been fascinated by this case since the murders of Sharon Tate and her friends first occurred. Bugliosi's dedication to give as full an account of the crime as he understood it and the characters involved as well as his dedication to giving the perpetrators a full and fair trial has always impressed me. I first read this soon after the book was published, not long after I was married. My copy of the book was lost years ago, and it was a delight to read it again. As one who has followed the West Memphis Three case since the last nineties, I so wish that Bugliosi had been assigned that case. Had that been true it's likely that three innocent men wouldn't now have false "convictions" hanging over their heads in spite of having been set free. Reading "Helter Skelter" now has been a new experience with the knowledge I now have of how cases can be derailed and those on the fringe of society can end up being scapegoated to merely close the case. My respect for Bugliosi is so much greater now than it was when I first read this in the seventies.