Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson - Softcover

"Splendid, comprehensively researched. . . . [Guinn] has given us an American nightmare from which we have not yet fully awoken."--Ariel Gonzalez "The Miami Herald "

"[A] riveting, almost Dickensian narrative. . . . four stars."--Judith Newman "People "

"[A] brawny, deep-digging biography that's much more riveting than might be expected. . . . Mr. Guinn is fascinating in his use of hindsight, and it allows him a more probing view of his subject than earlier biographers had. . . . Steadily surprising."--Janet Maslin "The New York Times "

"Jeff Guinn takes the reader on a fascinating, chilling visit to a dark and decadent time in American history, all the while maintaining a laser focus on the era's most recognizable face of evil. A gifted writer and master researcher, Guinn explores the depths of Charles Manson's twisted psyche in a brilliant effort that dramatically raises the bar on the true crime genre."--Carlton Stowers, two-time Edgar winner for Best Fact Crime

"Manson is a book impossible to put down, the details so palpable that the sense of being a part of each scene is almost overwhelming. . . . Guinn manages something much more than a true-crime book. Filled with the trampled hopes and broken dreams of those who gave their lives to a sociopath, Manson is an American tragedy."--Michael E. Young "Dallas Morning News "

"Sometimes a book is so good that the reviewer does not know where to begin. It doesn't happen often, but this is one of those times. . . . Jeff Guinn has produced not only the best biography of Charles Manson, but the best study of American true crime since Victoria Lincoln's A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight. . . . [A] consistently superb book. . . . Flawless."--Florence King "National Review "

"Guinn has managed against all odds to offer a fresh take and a worthy complement to the first-hand immediacy of [Vincent] Bugliosi's Helter Skelter. . . . Offers new insight to those who lived through that turbulent era, and provides essential context to those who didn't. What emerges is a grim but highly compelling portrait of a 'lifelong social predator' who was 'always the wrong man in the right place at the right time.'"--Daniel Stashower "The Washington Post "

"Brilliant. Written with deep insight and in seamless, fluid prose, Guinn's Manson expands the story of the cult leader into something far beyond the shocking story we're used to. The best book about Manson that I've read . . . and I think I've read them all."--Jeffrey Deaver

"[A] tour-de-force of a biography. . . . Vincent Bugliosi's book Helter Skelter led me to believe there was nothing more to learn. . . . I was wrong. . . . [Manson] stands as a definitive work: important for students of criminology, human behavior, popular culture, music, psychopathology and sociopathology, and compulsively readable."--Ann Rule "The New York Times Book Review "

"[Guinn] is now proving himself to be one of the pre-eminent true crime writers in the country. . . . Even though you know how the story turns out, you're surprised on almost every page."--Jim Witt "Fort Worth Star-Telegram "

Jeff Guinn is an award-winning former investigative journalist and the bestselling author of numerous books, including Go Down Together: The True Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde; The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the OK Corral--And How It Changed the West; Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson; and The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple. Guinn lives in Fort Worth, Texas.