The natives refer to it as 'out there.' It occurred in 1959 and Capote has spent five years, almost all of the time which has since elapsed, in following up this crime which made no sense, had no motive, left few clues-just a footprint and a remembered conversation. This small pogrom took place in Holcomb, Kansas, a lonesome town on a flat, limitless landscape: a depot, a store, a cafe, two filling stations, 270 inhabitants. A couple of days before they had bought a 100 foot rope to garrote them-enough for ten people if necessary. They're as sick a pair as Leopold and Loeb and together they killed a mother, a father, a pretty 17-year-old and her brother, none of whom they'd seen before, in cold blood. 'Deal me out, baby.I'm a normal.' This is Richard Eugene Hickock, talking about himself. 'There's got to be something wrong with somebody who'd do a thing like that.' This is Perry Edward Smith, talking about himself. Book-of-the-Month Club selection for December and who's to doubt the popular potential or continuing torsion-like a leather thong vise. For those who never knew or forgot, helter skelter was his favorite term (from the Beatles song) of the black-white revolution coming down-with his help-much is made of it here, less of that Heinlein Stranger in a Strange Land paradigm, lt's all there down to the last forensic specifics-the whole truth and the monstrous consequences of the dark messiah who totted up 35 to 40 killings. Partly with the help of Family member Susan Atkins ('Wow, what a trip')-more with the quieter testimony of Linda-an indictment against Charles M. This is above all responsible and exhaustive, as slowly and almost in spite of the LAPD (Channel 7 and a ten-year-old boy brought in more evidence) the case against Manson and his groupies was compiled. There's none of the insubstantiality and 'sleazo input' of Ed Sanders' The Family and no one will miss his cheap head prose. and professor of criminal law who is also a TV consultant. ANATOMY OF A MASS MURDER IN COLD BLOOD-or exsanguination (bleeding to death)-only one of the particulars you will pick up in this account of the Tate-LaBianca trials as told by the prosecuting Deputy D.A.

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi