Chaos - Tom O'Neill & Dan Piepenbring

Chaos

By Tom O'Neill & Dan Piepenbring

  • Release Date: 2019-06-25
  • Genre: True Crime
4.5 Score: 4.5 (From 457 Ratings)

Description

A journalist's twenty-year fascination with the Manson murders leads to "gobsmacking" (The Ringer) new revelations about the FBI's involvement in this "kaleidoscopic" (The New York Times) reassessment of an infamous case in American history.   Over two grim nights in Los Angeles, the young followers of Charles Manson murdered seven people, including the actress Sharon Tate, then eight months pregnant. With no mercy and seemingly no motive, the Manson Family followed their leader's every order -- their crimes lit a flame of paranoia across the nation, spelling the end of the sixties. Manson became one of history's most infamous criminals, his name forever attached to an era when charlatans mixed with prodigies, free love was as possible as brainwashing, and utopia -- or dystopia -- was just an acid trip away.   Twenty years ago, when journalist Tom O'Neill was reporting a magazine piece about the murders, he worried there was nothing new to say. Then he unearthed shocking evidence of a cover-up behind the "official" story, including police carelessness, legal misconduct, and potential surveillance by intelligence agents. When a tense interview with Vincent Bugliosi -- prosecutor of the Manson Family and author of Helter Skelter -- turned a friendly source into a nemesis, O'Neill knew he was onto something. But every discovery brought more questions:   Who were Manson's real friends in Hollywood, and how far would they go to hide their ties? Why didn't law enforcement, including Manson's own parole officer, act on their many chances to stop him? And how did Manson -- an illiterate ex-con -- turn a group of peaceful hippies into remorseless killers?   O'Neill's quest for the truth led him from reclusive celebrities to seasoned spies, from San Francisco's summer of love to the shadowy sites of the CIA's mind-control experiments, on a trail rife with shady cover-ups and suspicious coincidences. The product of two decades of reporting, hundreds of new interviews, and dozens of never-before-seen documents from the LAPD, the FBI, and the CIA, Chaos mounts an argument that could be, according to Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Steven Kay, strong enough to overturn the verdicts on the Manson murders. This is a book that overturns our understanding of a pivotal time in American history.  

Reviews

  • Bad Landing

    4
    By Kylemworld
    This is a lesson in being overly self-aware. Seven of the chapters are amazing and well worth reading. The rest should have stayed on the cutting floor.
  • The title says it all.

    5
    By bugalito
    I’ve read a lot of true crime. Next to the Bible this is the best book I ever read. Tom presents the reality of how twisted the US government and law enforcement and court system is. This book can make sad and mad and shocked. The only dislike about it is that there is not for even half a second any joy at all. A personal thought: concerning mountains interviews I think Tom Schneider‘s interview was the biggest journalism failure ever because if he would’ve quit interrupting so much, I think Madison would have cleared a few things up or send some interesting things or even confess something. He was trying to say something.
  • Great book

    5
    By ProjectFenix
    It was very interesting all the way through. It makes me wonder if the time we’re living in now isn’t some government operation to divide us all.
  • Well worth the read

    5
    By 130cc
    Lots of interesting avenues explored.
  • Chaos

    5
    By CBHS2022
    Outstanding book! I appreciated the way that the author kept the reader informed on what he was thinking along the way and how he went about researching this topic.
  • I’m Blow Away

    5
    By Mr. Rod Thruster
    Maybe the most fascinating and engaging thing that I’ve ever read; and I read lot’sa stuff. This careful, responsible and entertaining piece of journalism will forever alter your world view. I’m a Tom O’Neill for life now.
  • Detailed CHAOS

    5
    By Hellsing3557996
    In a story as complicated and chaotic as this one, more than anything else I appreciate the authors commitment to the details regardless of where they lead. Everything in this story is worth being written into a book of its own, and I sincerely hope they do. For taking us along for the ride of the writing of this book, I feel a much deeper connection to the author himself than I expected to at the start which is no small feat considering the various entities and cult of personality involved. I struggled to put this down and I know others will as well.
  • Amazing Diligence

    5
    By PatrickSheposh
    When you follow leads & your intuition, the truth can happen. This book is amazing and a proof positive piece to challenge those who consume the narrative without question.
  • Hard to put down

    5
    By Vebol
    This book is so interesting that it is hard to stop reading. It’s amazing that none of what is in this book has not been told before. What you thought about the Manson Family and the murders is very different than the truth explained in this book.
  • A really great read

    5
    By Ghydhi
    Really well done, fascinating, and I will be reading it again after I write this review. The author apparently has tons of more material too, which he says could go into another book. After reading CHAOS, I am now obsessed with that second book happening. Please take a look, I swear it’s worth it.

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