Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

HELTER SKELTER is an exhaustive account of Charles Manson's crimes, as well as the investigation and trial that led to his conviction. The story is told in the affable voice of Vincent Bugliosi, Manson's prosecutor. Bugliosi provides information on a host of characters involved in the crimes--from the wealthy and glamorous victims to the hippie-cult perpetrators, along with Hell's Angels, cowboys, Scientologists, and so on. As such, HELTER SKELTER transcends its subject and becomes an unparalleled portrait of Southern California culture at the dazed, confused tail end of the 1960s.

"'Helter Skelter', the perennial true crime best-seller, is a peculiarly satisfying hybrid of the [true crime] genre....Vincent Bugliosi, the legendary Los Angeles district attorney who convicted Charles Manson, tells his own story with an unaffected swagger and treats what he did not see with scrupulous care. The result is a very deft fusion of solid storytelling and prosecutorial ire....Bugliosi aggrandized a savage con man into the arch-conspirator of the age; Manson, naturally, admired him in return. The author deserves thanks for insuring that Manson will undoubtedly never leave jail, but - Hans Joos (New Yorker, 8/19/96)

"'Helter Skelter', the perennial true crime best-seller, is a peculiarly satisfying hybrid of the [true crime] genre....Vincent Bugliosi, the legendary Los Angeles district attorney who convicted Charles Manson, tells his own story with an unaffected swagger and treats what he did not see with scrupulous care. The result is a very deft fusion of solid storytelling and prosecutorial ire....Bugliosi aggrandized a savage con man into the arch-conspirator of the age; Manson, naturally, admired him in return. The author deserves thanks for insuring that Manson will undoubtedly never leave jail, but - Hans Joos (New Yorker, 8/19/96)

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