Review: Hunting Charles Manson by Lis Wiehl

Hunting Charles Manson

by Lis Wiehl

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 336

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In the late summer of 1969, the nation was transfixed by a series of gruesome murders in the hills of Los Angeles. Newspapers and television programs detailed the brutal slayings of a beautiful actress--twenty six years old and eight months pregnant with her first child--as well as a hair stylist, an heiress, a businessman, and other victims. The City of Angels was plunged into a nightmare of fear and dread. In the weeks and months that followed, law enforcement faced intense pressure to solve crimes that seemed to have no connection.

Finally, after months of dead-ends, false leads, and near-misses, Charles Manson and members of his "family" were arrested. The bewildering trials that followed once again captured the nation and forever secured Manson as a byword for the evil that men do.

Drawing upon deep archival research and exclusive personal interviews--including unique access to Manson Family parole hearings--former federal prosecutor and Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl has written a propulsive, page-turning historical thriller of the crimes and manhunt that mesmerized the nation. And in the process, she reveals how the social and political context that gave rise to Manson is eerily similar to our own.

Kritters Thoughts:  I have read a few books about Charles Manson both fiction and non fiction but this one sticks out as the most readable and enjoyable.  Although it is hard to keep everyone straight because of their real names and Family names and the ones that come in and out of the Family, but this one felt the most full and encompassing of both life during their rise the murders and the post.  

I liked that this book showed a full picture of both Charles Manson and all of the people he took in.  There was just as much background and information on Charles Manson as there was about the members of his "Family."  There were so many things in this book that I wasn't aware of and the way it was presented it was easy to read and learn so much.

I think I liked most the post murder/trial part of the book.  I never knew how nutty Charles acted during his trial and then during his many parole hearings.  It was so interesting to hear how they tried to create mistrials and how the judges avoided them.  I liked that there was a large number of chapters that focused on this time of his life because I think that was the part I knew the littlest about.  

I have read Lis Wiehl's fiction and loved them, so I was pretty sure going into this one that I would enjoy her writing, but I liked it even more than I predicted.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Smith Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.