Helter Skelter

The True Story of the Manson Murders

By: Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Now available for the first time in unabridged audio, the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime is brought to life by acclaimed narrator Scott Brick.

©1974 Curt Gentry and Vincent Bugliosi, Afterword 1994 by Vincent Bugliosi (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“One of the best crime stories ever written.” (Chicago Sun-Times)

Excellent

This is one of those books where you fall right into the story without even trying, and you want to stay there, as horrible as it is. Very easy to "read", fascinating and sad, and as a parent it really made me recommit to keeping our family close and loving so that neither of our kids ever felt the need to run off and join a "family" like Charlie's.

Probably the Best Audio Book Ever

I knew the story of The Manson Family and always wanted to read Helter Skelter but never had the time. Thanks to the glory of audiobook and Scott Brick’s flawless narrative, I was finally able to jump in. The story is so incredible it could be fictional, but it is not. This book is an American history icon and will be reviewed for generations to come.

MANSON TRIAL UPCLOSE~ long but very good~ wow~!~

PLOT: NON fiction account of the Trail of Charles Manson and the FAMILY.

1969~ young Vincent Bugliosi is assigned the job of prosecuting Charlies Manson and Family Members for Murder. this is about 25 hours long. Gives you background Charles Manson who spent half his life behind bars. with the serial killings TATE and LaBianca killings. the police believe the main motive is DRUGS. But a fingerprint leads them to the Spahn Ranch and a group of HIPPIES living there. As Manson and his "FAMILY" a group hippie type kids who live for drugs, free love and *thrive* under the direction of Manson, they are soon released for lack of evidence on a car theft charge. Charlies moves his Family to the BARKER RANCH and destroys an earth moving machine and soon are back in POLICE custody. As Bugliosi gathers the evidence to prove Manson is involved in the killings he seeks the MOTIVE FOR MURDER. Manson believes he is the Jesus Christ and hears MESSAGES from the Beatles White Album to make Helter Skelter (war) and the ONLY surviors will be HIM and HIS family. With the testimony of family member Linda Kessabian the Trial moves forward. the trial takes over 8 months and Bugliosi is excellent as he pieces the motivies and proof of why and how the family were *managed and motivated* by Manson do his deadly deeds. This is first facinating how the poorly educated Manson learned the clever art of manipulation. and he was a master at it. BASED on the court documents we hear things not seen in any of the movies about Manson. This is a very good audio about the events leading up to and conviction of the Family. the reader is also very good. FACINATING~~~ A REVEALING LOOK A THE MIND AND MOTIVE OF CHARLES MANSON AND HIS KILLING FAMILY.

Very glad I read this one. Surprisingly we'll done

If you could sum up Helter Skelter in three words, what would they be?

To describe this book in three words I would say GRITTY for the feel of it. Then RIVETING to speak to it's ability to hold the reader's attention and lastly RESPECTFUL as it seems to want the story told truthfully and unembellished in order to preserve it. As tragic as this piece of history is I would not want it lost or forgotten.

Who was your favorite character and why?

While Manson is obviously the star of the show here the author was the prosecutor assigned to the case and is in my opinion the real hero. Manson is as intelligent as he is twisted and very nearly successfully navigates the system to freedom on more than one occasion though I am not convinced he truly desired to be free. Either way Bugliosi is determined to bar his path.

Which scene was your favorite?

One encounter I found particularly interesting was when Manson was starring down individuals in the court though I will say one example of this did not seem to jive.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How one man terrified a nation!

Any additional comments?

I've seen Helter Skelter sitting on bookshelves my whole life and I never thought much of it. I never really knew more than Manson was a crazy, jailed, and bad man. I always assumed Helter Skelter was written from his point of view and therefore was more propaganda than truth. Boy was I wrong. This book gives an amazing insight to the man and his "family". On another note; if you find yourself Googling places mentioned in the book as I did know that 10050 Cielo is now 10066 Cielo.

The story I never knew.

While we have all got some knowledge of the Manson murders, this book gave all the background to how everything came together, and I was fascinated.