In the summer of 1969, in Los Angeles, a series of brutal, seemingly random murders captured headlines across America. A famous actress (and her unborn child), an heiress to a coffee fortune, a supermarket owner and his wife were among the seven victims. A thin trail of circumstances eventually tied the Tate-LeBianca murders to Charles Manson, a would-be pop singer of small talent living in the desert with his "family" of devoted young women and men. What was his hold over them? And what was the motivation behind such savagery? In the public imagination, over time, the case assumed the proportions of myth. The murders marked the end of the sixties and became an immediate symbol of the dark underside of that era.

Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, and this book is his enthralling account of how he built his case from what a defense attorney dismissed as only "two fingerprints and Vince Bugliosi." The meticulous detective work with which the story begins, the prosecutor's view of a complex murder trial, the reconstruction of the philosophy Manson inculcated in his fervent followers...these elements make for a true crime classic. Helter Skelter is not merely a spellbinding murder case and courtroom drama but also, in the words of The New Republic, a "social document of rare importance."

About the Author
Vincent Bugliosi (1934-2015), was the prosecutor of Charles Manson and author of Helter Skelter, Outrage, and other #1 bestselling books. Curt Gentry (1931-2014), an Edgar winner, was the author of J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets, Frame-Up: The Incredible Case of Tom Mooney and Warren Billings, and co-author of Helter Skelter with Vincent Bugliosi.

Reviews
"One of the best crime stories ever written." -- Chicago Sun-Times
"[A] social document of rare importance." -- The New Republic


Awards
Winner of Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award 1975.



Book Information
ISBN 9780393322231
Author Vincent Bugliosi
Format Paperback
Page Count 736
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 541g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 36mm