Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties Paperback – June 23, 2020

Going into this book you need to understand there is not going to be a smoking gun that proves all of the authors assertions. He started writing this and researching back in 1999 which was 30 years after the murders and didn't publish until 2019. Unfortunately that means that a lot of documents and key players were lost to time, but that doesn't negate the authors claims of what possibly happened all of those years ago.Having read Helter Skelter and Manson in his own Words, I found this to be a fascinating journey which picks up where the mainstream narrative left off regarding the case of Charles Manson and his followers.I appreciated the fact the author also presents their findings and never attempts to strongarm the reader into believing their claims, but rather just gives you their evidence and allows you to make your own conclusions.Honestly I don't know where I stand with all of this new information. I seems too fantastic of a tale to be real, but on the other hand I do have confidence in the author and the validity of their claims. Some things which bothered me since Helter Skelter and seemed to bother the author as well is, if Charles Manson was such a threat and habitually breaking their parole, why was he constantly being let go? Why did Charles Manson's Parole Officer know all of this and yet constantly go to bat for him, even going to the extent of taking Manson's kid when he went to jail for a bit? Why did Helter Skelter deliberately leave out the fact that Terry Melcher met with the family AFTER the murders?So many unanswered questions here and I don't know what to make of it.Anyways, enough of my rambling. It was an excellent read and I absolutely recommend.

I finally finished the book last night, and my head is spinning. If a random individual told me that Charles Manson was possibly entangled with the CIA, the JFK assassination, AND a rogue psychiatrist experimentally injecting unwitting people and elephants with LSD, I would probably say they're off their rocker!Granted, before reading this book, I only knew the very basics of the Manson Family murders since it was before my time. I have a B.S. in Criminal Justice, and I'm fascinated with true crime, but this isn't one that I ever knew a ton of details about. I never read Helter Skelter (I do believe I still have my mom's old copy), and maybe that's a good thing now? I don't know that I could read it at this point and not be thoroughly confused! Bugliosi was quite the character, to say the least.Not that I don't think outside the box, but I've never been very susceptible to conspiracy theories. But Tom O'Neill is one hell of an investigative journalist, and he'll get the gears turning. The revelations in this book are WILD and will send you down approximately 354 rabbit holes (that sometimes intersect)! I was so hopeful to get the end of the book and see that the murders are wrapped up in a neat bow...you won't get that gift, lol.I will NOT claim that this book is easy to read, for more than one reason. I struggled specifically through the trial bits because some of it was extremely tedious, and there are an incredible amount of names to keep straight...I needed Tom's whiteboard! But things got a lot more interesting soon after that, with Manson's San Francisco adventures, Dr. Jolly West, and Tenerelli's death. I would actually rate it 4.5, but I've rounded up due to the sheer amount of research and dedication.Weird fact: I realized that my grandpa arrived at Lackland AFB for orientation exactly 1 month after Chere Jo Horton's murder. He was only there for a few weeks before being deployed to other bases, so it's possible that he was there at the same time as West. My grandpa wrote an autobiography, and there are a few stories from his 3 years in the Air Force, but nothing wild or weird enough to be associated with West's activities.Also, I have photocopies of several letters (or possibly one really looooong letter) from Manson. I took a serial killer class (study of, not how to become one) in college, and our professor was a prison pen pal of cuckoo Charlie. I half-heartedly tried to decipher his ramblings back then (the letters were before 2008), but I'm going to dig them out and look again. If I find anything juicy (especially after having read CHAOS), Tom should be expecting a packet in the mail!I truly hope that the full truth presents itself. I don't expect we will hear it from law enforcement, since it seems like everyone who knew Manson has something to hide (or was purposely kept from the truth). Maybe a vital witness will finally want to break their silence. However, I think Tom and his research will be the key...sorry to put on more pressure! I really didn't know what I was getting into before starting this book, and I DEFINITELY didn't expect these levels of craziness, but I'm glad I read it all the way through.

Interesting read! There was a lot I did not know about Charles Manson. For those of you who remember who he is, this might be interesting read. For those of you who do not, he was considered a serial killer, however he was more like a cult leader and got his followers to do it for him. Horrible stuff, but this book puts a twist on what we were told.

Make sure your calendar is clear because you’ll not be able to put this book down! Very informative, eye opening, and thought provoking. The Netflix documentary is okay but the book dives so much deeper into the shenanigans pulled by Bugliosi and others.