Helter Skelter

The True Story of the Manson Murders

By: Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 26 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

heading

loved it. narrator was great. enjoyed the authors candor. thankful for the end section on where everyone ended up

Great read for any crime buff

Helter Skelter is a great look inside the story of the Manson family. Bugliosi provides a detailed first-hand account of the prosecution of Manson and his co-defendants. I enjoyed that the focus of this book was not so much on the crimes and their gore, but on the difficulties the prosecution faced and overall, the trial itself. While this book is very long and cannot be completed in one sitting, I felt like no extraneous details were included and the book kept my attention the whole time as long as I broke up the story into 1-3 hour chunks. The names were at first difficult to keep up with, but unfortunately this is the nature of the Manson family member's aliases. It got easier as the book progressed.

A well told true story of the Manson Family beginning, murders, trial, and afterword.

Well written and easy to follow and understand. However, I do recommend obtaining the physical copy to help with names and places (which can only be expected with nonfiction). Other than that, I was very satisfied with the way Bugliosi and Gentry told the horrific story of the Manson Family.

The truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God!

What made the experience of listening to Helter Skelter the most enjoyable?

Vincent Bugliosi was focused. Right is right and wrong is incredibly wrong.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vincent Bugliosi. It is hard for me to imagine his concentration level and he was able to
stay focused. Fantastic

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

Again, it would have to be Vincent.

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

The Wyatt Earp of L.A.

Any additional comments?

I was saddened by the fact that his job was made that much harder
because law enforcement agencies from different jurisdictions didn't
communicate.

Incredible story, a fantastic read, wonderful job by a wonderful prosecutor.

Where does Helter Skelter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

So far I've listened to about three audiobooks, this one ranks at the top with the best of them.

What other book might you compare Helter Skelter to and why?

This book is like any other true story, biography you might think of. It is about a sick and twisted man, and horrific crime and an amazing trial.

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

The narrator did a fantastic job overall.

If you could give Helter Skelter a new subtitle, what would it be?

Crime and trial of the century.

Fantastic listen

if you've ever wondered about the details of this historic murder case then this is the book for you.

The best true crime book out there

This was my first true crime book and is still my favorite. Bugliosi does an amazing job of detailing each crime and giving a background on each victim and suspect. It so well organized and the pacing of the book never feels boring. Scott Brick is one of the best narrators and provides an excellent performance here. The Manson family did unspeakable things, but at least some justice was served. Bugliosi's personal involvement in the story and storytelling ability makes this a must-listen to any fan of true crime.

Impressive and excellent

I first started reading this book in the 80's but it was so upsetting that I stopped after the first few chapters. I guess I've changed over the years, because this time I was totally enthralled.

I came away from this experience realizing that 1) Vincent Bugliosi was a genius at law; 2) the LAPD blew this case so much, it was almost unbelievable (like shaking-your-head unbelievable at how inept they were, or were they simply lazy and didn't care?); 3) there was a lot that happened behind-the-scenes that I never knew - example: I didn't realize that Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, the girl who attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford, was a linchpin in the Manson "Family" and took his place as head of the Family after he was jailed - 4) there were many more people killed by the Family than those in the Tate/LaBianca murders. Bugliosi goes into great detail about those in the epilogue portion of the book, stating that perhaps as many as 60 were murdered by them through the 70's; 5) also realizing that if it weren't for Bugliosi's independent investigation at the time, Manson and his family would have gotten away with murder.

This is a good book to have in your car while you're commuting because it's long and there are lots of details, Scott Brick did an outstanding job of narrating it, especially with the sometimes endless details about the case - altho I have to say it was seldom that I was bored with those details. I've served on juries, and it's hard to imagine being sequestered for the 9 months it took for the trial to end.

The details of the Tate-LaBianca murders can be difficult to hear, but I highly recommend Helter Skelter.

A totally compelling perspective!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Helter Skelter to be better than the print version?

Considering that I have very little time to read printed editions, I always consider the Audible version of a book to be invaluable.

What other book might you compare Helter Skelter to and why?

believe it or not, I consider the parallels between Charles Manson and Adolf Hitler to be significant (and rather scary).Who would have ever considered that to psychopaths of this magnitude could have risen to the public forefront in the same century!

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to Scott Brick, but I will be on the look out for more of his work!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Once I started listening to this book, it was VERY hard to put it down.

Any additional comments?

This is an awesome piece of history performed by a wonderful reader. Definitely worth the time!

Still Shocking, Still Fascinating

Absolutely the most compelling and important book about criminal law, the justice system, and of course heinous crimes.