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)

Evil controller

It amazes me how Manson was able to have followers that would die or kill for him. Sad they chose him to follow.

Helter Skelter

Great read. Quite lengthy, but well detailed. Learned things I never knew about the case. Definitely an education, despite the horrific circumstances involved.

Manson's Marxist Exploitation of Blacks

Manson envisioned himself as a Marxist exploiter of Blacks who would overthrow whites in California and turn the reigns of government to the grateful Blacks.

Unable to manage the Government the Blacks would ultimately return the government back to Manson.

This is the insanity Manson thought was his destiny.

Read how the many tortuous murders he inspires from his peace movement socialist hippie followers terrorized the San Francisco free love environment and brought an end to the Summer of Love across America.

This classic Mansion book exposed the False Peace of the Hippie-led counter-culture Peace Movement from the Sixties and Seventies

Scary inside story!

This is the 2nd book I have listened to regarding the Manson family murders. This one being even better than the first! I was only 1 yr old when this all went down, so the only thing I ever knew was that Manson was a bad, bad man. These two books have opened my eyes to his unbelievable insanity!! He had the right tools at the right time in life to control these people and WOW.

Second book I have listened to that has Scott Brick as narrator & thoroughly enjoy listening to him. He brings the story to life & makes it easy to listen non-stop.

A Nightmare Relived

What did you love best about Helter Skelter?

Incredible detail to the characters - especially Manson and his merry crew. The book carefully takes you step by step through every moment through the murders, the aftermath, the inept and stupid LAPD, the trial(s) and ponderous legal system. Bugloisi is a master story teller as well as an excellent attorney.

Any additional comments?

I remember being in LA that summer and taking the bus in downtown during the Manson trial. I still recall seeing the skinny little Family girls out on the street corner supporting Charlie with the swastikas carved into their foreheads.

Chilling

This book is an exceptional nonfiction true crime book. It was powerful and chilling. Fantastic read.

Facts from the prosecuting attorney

This story has fascinated me for years & this book goes beyond the movie or any interview you have ever seen. The inflections used by the man reading makes you feel like it is the author reading it himself. Manson's denial of involvement due to his psychotic mind is explained throughout & the follow up of all the people involved is fascinating!! I admit to pulling up the pictures available of the crimes in order to feel the depth of the crimes committed. I felt it necessary to feel the pain of the victims families. The sloppiness of the LA investigators is shocking!! To believe that such a crime was not given proper attention is almost as disturbing as Manson himself. This book is long but very enthralling.

Disgusting but Like a Time Capsule

The devil is in the details. It's a long haul but "hard to put down" in literal book sense. Fathers, don't leave your daughters. That's a big thing I learned from this episode. And now there's Aquarius on NBC and many confused viewers since this all was before their time and way out of context.

Great book made better by Audible

Would you listen to Helter Skelter again? Why?

Yes, an engrossing and entertaining book is meant to be read again and again and this falls under both categories.

What did you like best about this story?

I read this book for the first time in 1975 when I was 15 years old. I happened to be in LA visiting family when the murders occured so I had more than a bit of interest in the story. Hearing it gave me more detail and the afterword of 25 years later was very interesting.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

He used some inflections and mild accents so you can tell the difference between the characters in conversations. I appreciated that.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nothing extreme, some chuckles at some of the humerous parts of the story (the story itself isn't humorous but some of the characters were). I recall cringing a bit at some of the details of the murders, I think being older it bothered me more than when I was 15.

Any additional comments?

Since the copywrite was 2010, I had hoped for more information, such as the death of Susan Atkins and other details but I was satisfied with the book and thanks so much to Audible!

highly recommend to anyone who likes nonfiction

great good, scott brick is my all time favorite narrator, and love anything he reads. 10/10 for me.