Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.51k reviews for:
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
Curt Gentry, Vincent Bugliosi
4.05 AVERAGE
1.51k reviews for:
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
Curt Gentry, Vincent Bugliosi
4.05 AVERAGE
Very, very detailed account about the murders by, and more importantly, the prosecution of, the Manson Family. I loved being taken step by step through the investigation and watching the case grow stronger and stronger. At times Bugliosli was tooting his own horn a lot, but as far as I'm concerned he deserves to brag.
Really interesting and comprehensive, but the writing gets a bit clunky at times. It drove me insane how Bugliosi switched back and forth from using first names to last names constantly and with the Manson girls he would switch back and forth between their Manson names and their legal names. But the theme that serial killers thrive because cops are shit at their jobs persists throughout the ages!
I am so crazy I can remember almost exactly when I read this. It was either November or December of 2007.
I think it's 4 stars, maybe 4 and a half. I did love it but I think my only problem with it was I wanted to know more about the case. I know the author wrote this huge book about his personal involvement with the case(he was the prosecutor in the Manson trials)
I guess I really wanted to know everything about what happened in that cult. Something about the Manson family has always intrigued me. It's like no matter how much I know about it, it's never enough. It always seems like a huge mystery to me. I always wonder what those girls went through and how they went from "misunderstood" teenage girls(hippies, even) to murderers.
This book was great and it did give me a lot of information. It creeped me out and was so well written.
The only thing that kept me from giving it the full five stars was that I was left craving more information.
But yeah, I recommend it.
Oh! There is a movie coming out called "Martha Marcy May Marlene". It's not about the Manson family but it seems to about a similar cult(the leader is a Charles Manson type). It looks so creepy and I have no idea when it comes out but I saw the preview and I'm dying.
I think it's 4 stars, maybe 4 and a half. I did love it but I think my only problem with it was I wanted to know more about the case. I know the author wrote this huge book about his personal involvement with the case(he was the prosecutor in the Manson trials)
I guess I really wanted to know everything about what happened in that cult. Something about the Manson family has always intrigued me. It's like no matter how much I know about it, it's never enough. It always seems like a huge mystery to me. I always wonder what those girls went through and how they went from "misunderstood" teenage girls(hippies, even) to murderers.
This book was great and it did give me a lot of information. It creeped me out and was so well written.
The only thing that kept me from giving it the full five stars was that I was left craving more information.
But yeah, I recommend it.
Oh! There is a movie coming out called "Martha Marcy May Marlene". It's not about the Manson family but it seems to about a similar cult(the leader is a Charles Manson type). It looks so creepy and I have no idea when it comes out but I saw the preview and I'm dying.
This book is in my top 3 favorite true crime books. Written by someone who had first hand experience in the case and trial was captivating. Extremely thorough and well-written.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I read this more than 20 years ago, when I should have been working on my MA thesis. I remember the day so well. Dread + avoidance + guilt + sick fascination. I did eventually finish the thesis—years and a different topic (and a divorce) later.
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
This book is absolutely fascinating. I enjoyed it very much.