Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

Short and Sweet: At a weighty 689 pages, Vincent Bugliosi leaves no stone unturned in the telling of the Manson Murders case, the following convictions, and aftermath. If there is one book you???re looking for to cover the entirety of this saga in clear ??? and often disturbing - detail, [b:Helter Skelter 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715] is it. Separated into 8 chronological parts, all labeled with dates, it begins with an outside view of the incident, stepping into the shoes of the neighbors and what they heard that night; a small snapshot of 10050 Cielo Drive, and the discovery the following morning by Winifred Chapman, the maid that worked the property. From there, it takes you along the journey of the investigation, the LaBianca murders, and how prosecuting the case was handed to Vincent Bugliosi. We go through, quite literally, every step ??? Bugliosi???s interviews, his notes, his tiny, often frustrating and well-fought steps forward in gathering every clue, no matter how big or small. [b:Helter Skelter 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715] also delves into the psychological aspect and backgrounds of all parties involved, including the victims. Their background descriptions are not long, nor short ??? just enough to give you a clear picture of the person. It's refreshing and even touching to see how Bugliosi insisted on illustrating the victims as more than just names, headlines, or reports. “Yet the victims had lived,” he writes, “and each had a past.”I know tone is a problem for Bugliosi???s other written works, but I feel this is not one of them. There is emotion where emotion is understandably warranted, but I found that a majority of the narration was factual and straight to the point. It didn???t have the ???clutter??? of emotionally charged writing that other true crime books may suffer from. [b:Helter Skelter 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715] truly shines with showing you what happened in stark black-and-white detail, and allowing you, as the reader, to conjure up the emotion on your own.The one downfall I found? The sheer amount of names. Due to the attention to detail, every person involved, whether it is Manson himself or the counselor who heard the screams on that August night ??? they all get first and last names. While this fits nicely into the detail-oriented narration, it can get overwhelmingly confusing. A ???Cast of Characters??? is listed at the beginning of the book, a type of reverse glossary, which does help immensely in following along. Would I recommend [b:Helter Skelter 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715]? Absolutely. It takes your hand and transports you to the scene, as if it happened yesterday, and walks with you through every aspect of the saga. An absolute star in it's genre and a must-read for any true crime fan.