Helter Skelter cover art

Helter Skelter

The True Story of the Manson Murders

Preview

Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Helter Skelter

Written by: Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry
Narrated by: Scott Brick
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $50.06

Buy Now for $50.06

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

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.
Criminology True Crime World Scary Fiction
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What the critics say

“One of the best crime stories ever written.” (Chicago Sun-Times)

Featured Article: 20 Best True Crime Audiobooks for Your Inner Detective

There is nothing more thrilling than the unfolding tale of a true crime story. Whether an unsolved mystery, a deep dive into a criminal mastermind, or a look at an infamous serial killer, true crime is gripping, captivating, and engrossing. The best true crime audiobooks will have you on the edge of your seat, anxious for more. Add to that an emphatic and powerful narrator, and you simply won't be able to stop listening. Here are the 20 best true crime audiobooks to satisfy your inner detective.

What listeners say about Helter Skelter

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    268
  • 4 Stars
    51
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    244
  • 4 Stars
    34
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    233
  • 4 Stars
    44
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing listen

Loved this. Tons of detail. Always engaging. Top notch narrator whose performance was flawless. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very Interesting!!

This was a very interesting book!! Not what I would normally pick up and definitely would not have been able to get through it had I read a hard copy. However, the audio book. version had me hooked and I didn't want to stop listening!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A classic well-read

A True Crime classic that birthed Bugliosi as an author (check out his books on the Kennedy murder) and Scott Brick doesn’t overdo being Scott Brick.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The DA’s perspective

I put off listening to this book, even though I read it many years ago, simply because the crime details are so gruesome. Once you get past that part the rest of the book is well written- and as it is from the District Attorney’s perspective- very thorough. I appreciated the updates. Was left wondering about the impact on the jurors though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I couldn't stop listening.

Absolutely mesmerizing. Well written and paced. Heavy with, but not bogged down by, minute detail.

Scott Brick's narration lends just the right gravitas that often reminded me of Orson Wells in his early radio days.

I listened to this book every second I could; While driving, doing housework, in bed, with my morning coffee...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great narrator

This book could have been hard to listen, but the performance of Scott Brick really brings to life the words of the author. When you are not very familiar with the Tate murder, it is a real crash course and you can definitely learn from it and understand the justice system in California during the trial.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Questions still exist

This is an excellent book. i read it first in high school when it came out. But there is still many questions left unanswered today.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The greatest true crime account ever written!

The book is fantastic and as detailed as possible... but what is most remarkable is the narration. I think this voice actor is the finest narrator of an audiobook I have ever heard.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An Ugly, but Pivotal Piece of American History

Helter Skelter is the best-selling crime novel of all time. It even outsold 'In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. This is an intensely detailed account of the research, building and prosecution of the Manson Family murder cases by attorney, Vincent Bugliosi and portrays how the crimes unfolded from his vantage point.

The savagery of the Manson murders generated intense paranoia in the population. It probably signaled the end of the counter-culture which turned on itself by wearing platform shoes and dancing to bad music in discothecques in the years that followed. This likely pleased the powers that be in the 1960s who considered the counter culture to be a force that it desperately wanted to defeat but could not figure out how.

The narration is perfect. Scott Brick sounds like an attorney relating his case.

An afterward follows the story in which Bugliosi follows up with the key players 25 years later and relates how their lives turned out and their perspective changed or not changed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing.

This was a well structured, well narrated telling of the chilling events and the trials of Charles Manson and his former followers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!