Customer Reviews

The Shadow Over Santa Susana: Black Magic, Mind Control and The "Manson Family" Mythos

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

For those of you expecting a rehashing of everything ever written on Manson and the Family, I think you will be very surprised by this book. Adam Gorightly has done his homework and has offered us a compelling and fresh look on the Manson case. When I bought this book I could not put it down, causing me a major lack of sleep which I am sure you will agree is the only downside of the Shadow Over Santa Susana. It is TOO interesting! It is not only well written but Gorightly delves deeper into areas of the case that other books may have mentioned but left me and my curiosity begging for more. For any true student of the Manson case, as well as anyone just discovering the intricacies of the Manson Family and the Tate-LaBiancas murders will surely find the knowledge invaluable that Gorightly provides here. I loved this book!

great book, better details than Helter Skelter, The Family and all of the others combined. very objective- no Bill Nelson stunts here. buy this book before any other in the Manson genre

If you were never able to digest the ridiculous "Helter Skelter" motive, and you thought that Ed Saunders' "The Family" nosed closer to the truth than Buglosi's sanitised for your protection Helter Skelter, then this is the book with the answers you've been waiting for. Some of it is a bit farfetched, but thsi book gives you a picture of both the killers and the victims as people rather than symbols or icons. Mr. Gorightly investigates all aspects of the Manson case and the whole Family phenomenon without mythologising his subjects, or pulling any punches. The resulting book leaves you with a feeling that the whole affair was a terrible, sordid tragedy, not some kind of media event.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have an extensive collection on the Manson saga and I have to say this comes as close to the "real" story as we will probably ever get. If you are interested in the Manson story this book and Paul Watkins book are your best bets. Both are insightful and compelling. Although we will never know the true story Mr.Gorightly weaves a thought provoking tale of weirdness, excess, and conspiracy. I loved it.

This book is unique in the many ways.It's the only Manson book that comes closest to the real story of Helter Skelter.It's the only one that delves into the area of witchcraft's influence on Manson and his misuse of it.And it's the only Mansonsque book that relates the idea that Manson was set up by the astute Zodiac.And the only book that shows the 60's new-rich and famous hob-nobbing with the talented yet poor and nameless.And the book unfolds the aftermath of their psychedelic masquerade .Out of five Druid stars,I with-held just one. I had two major qualms with the book,the misspellings and the snide attitude.In later press-runs,the errors should have been corrected by now.And the narc tone of the book,surfaces and ebbs every now and then.Just gimme some truth,and Gorightly overall does! Vincent B.'s "Helter Skelter" book is a fairly dry,superficial,prima facia report of the before and after events of that 1969 summer swelter .Whereas Gorightly makes the Manson story as topical today as yestreen.So, if you want a better version of what transpired,during those dog days til the witching hours on Cielo Drive,then buy Gorightly's book!

This very well researched book dares to go into all the possible reasons and conspiracy theories concerning the Manson case.
It takes all the dozens of books written on the subject together with a huge library of (internet)articles and edit them together as this book, so if you only buy one book about Manson make sure it's this one; it doesn't take sides, just delivers the facts and theories.The only thing sadly missed is an index,but that's my only complaint. I don't understand the guy who complained about the lack of pictures (the book contains photo's of the entire innercircle of the family!), if you find pictures so important in a book stick with "The Manson Family Picnic"!

I have read almost all of the books concerning the Tate-Labianca murders. And I have to say the Adam Gorightly's book is the most thought provoking I have read to date. He covers all aspects of the crime, from Manson's childhood up through the crimes. Gorightly then takes the story to the next level, bringing up conspiracy theories that you hope are not true. Unfortunately, I feel some are quite accurate. The connections made between Manson and other criminals from his era are quite interesting.
To meet the characters involved in the story read "Helter Skelter" and "The Family." For some thought provoking insight into the story read "THe Shadow over Santa Susana." This is a must read.

This is a fascinating read that looks beyond the familiar Bugliosi LSD-fueled-Helter-Skelter scenario. Rather, it focuses on connections between Manson and Family members to people and organizations beyond the small circle of the cult. They moved in a world that included biker gangs, movie stars, rock 'n' roll celebrities, members of other, lesser-known but very influential Satanic cults, and even the intelligence community.

This book in no way celebrates Mason or his teachings, dismissing the man himself as a skilled manipulator. Widespread assumptions are questioned, such as the widely-held notion that Manson started as a "genuine" peace-and-love guru and only gradually descended into violence. Gorightly portrays Mason as con man who always had violent tendencies, routinely beating his female followers and treating them with open contempt, forcing them to wait after first the men and then the dogs had eaten, to display women's "proper" place in the pecking order. Also shown is the way Manson used them as brainwashed sex dolls to lure favors and support from biker gangs, record producers, drug dealers and whoever else had something Manson wanted.

Gorightly explores the question of why the Tate-LaBianca murders happened with such detail that a straightforward answer is impossible. Rather it open's Pandora's box on a frightening world of occultism, drugs, sex and interconnectedness that reached high into the top levels of American society. One is left wondering whether it portrays a world that has vanished, or still secretly exists in the darkness.

A great read, impossible to put down.

This is one of those books that will really blow your mind if you're not prepared for it. I had read about Manson being involved with a large scale cult before, but man, I didn't realize how much stuff is not common knowledge about the Helter Skelter/Manson Family case. The whole "random killing" theory is a load of CRAP! Not only that, but there are about a billion legitimate possibilities as to why the Cielo Drive murders might have happened. There were some things I didn't like about the book as well. Towards the end the author gets so into the topic of mind control that he kind of starts to steer away from Manson. Also, there were so many typos I couldn't even keep count, and for me it just kind of made it.....I don't know.... a little less professional I guess. Anyway, like I said if all you've ever read about Manson is Helter Skelter, then check this book out, it is basically a completely different story about what happened and why.

The Shadow over Santa Susana is a fantastic look into the possible subplots of the Tate-Labianca murders. Full of conspiracy theories and thought provoking ideas, this book explains the case in a way that has never been approached before.
This is a must read book.