Hunting Charles Manson: The Quest for Justice in the Days of Helter Skelter

Mystery writer, lawyer, and legal analyst Wiehl presents an accessible reboot of prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi's classic Helter Skelter that for the most part doesn't add new information to the highly publicized case. Wiehl's writing style is no nonsense, serving to emphasize the Manson Family's absurdist beliefs: "it all made sense when you were on acid." Her inclusion of current-day followers (amazingly, there are some) and Family members' probation hearings brings the case into the modern era, with various convicted killers either realizing the serious error of their ways or sticking with Manson until the bitter end. Wiehl concludes, not surprisingly, with Manson's death from cardiac arrest, the subsequent fight over his remains, and the fate of one of his sons and his grandson. Especially enjoyable is Wiehl's chapter on bizarre "Alternative Scenarios" of the killings, including theories that the LaBianca murders were either a mafia hit or a supposed connection between LaBianca daughter Suzan and killer Tex Watson.