Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi provides a comprehensive look at the Manson murders, offering detailed insights into the crimes, evidence, and trial. The book is praised for its thoroughness but criticized for the author's arrogant tone.
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi is a detailed account of the Manson murders, written by the prosecutor who convicted Charles Manson. The book delves into the evidence, timelines, and the trial process, providing a broad picture of Manson's crimes and his followers. While the information is fascinating and the book is considered a must-read for true crime fans, the author's attitude is a significant drawback. Bugliosi's arrogance and lack of humility detract from the overall narrative, as he frequently criticizes everyone involved in the case except himself. Despite this, the book offers valuable insights into the Manson family and the legal process that led to their conviction.
Quick quotes
You can convince anybody of anything if you just push it at them all of the time. They may not believe it 100 percent, but they will still draw opinions from it, especially if they have no other information to draw their opinions from.
The book is told from the perspective of preparing for trial — looking at the evidence and deciding how to use it in order to prove that Manson was guilty of murder even though he never physically killed anyone.
The only thing that I found to be negative about this book is Bugliosi’s attitude. Obviously, he was the prosecutor and he had more weight on his shoulders than most of us will ever understand, but a lot of what he had to say about the crimes and the subsequent trial was that everyone around him was wrong in some way, or had messed up, except for him.