This is the first time I had a book expire and disappear off my reader just before I finished it--that's particularly frustrating when the book's as engrossing as this one. A gripping and detailed recounting of the Tate-LaBianca murders of 1969, the book's clearly told and meticulously documented. Not surprising, as it's written by the prosecutor and former investigator of the crimes, Vincent Bugliosi. The book starts out in the third person, telling the almost campfire-like story of the discovery of the bodies early one quiet morning. It's only well into the book that Bugliosi steps forward to introduce himself when he joins the story.

There's a real time capsule feel the book now, as it effortlessly recreates not just the events of the case but the state of the world at the time, young people wandering from place to place, older people experimenting with new ideas and experiences from a slightly safer distance. Definitely a fascinating read, whatever one's prior interest in Manson.