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Description edit
In THE SHADOW OVER SANTA SUSANA, Adam Gorightly takes his readers on a black magic carpet ride from the Hollywood "Beautiful People" scene of the late 60's through to the vast desert landscapes of a Death Valley gone mad — with all the love-ins and creepy-crawls that happened along the way.... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Charles Manson: A self-styled guru planning to take over the world after the final race war eliminatedall thw world's white people, except for himself and his followers
- Susan Atkins: aka "Sadie Mae Glutz," "Sexy Sadie," and "Crazy Sadie"
- Charles Watson: aka "Tex"
- Patricia Krenwinkle: aka "Katie," formerly a committed Bible student
- Mary Brunner: Charlie's very first follower; before walking away from straight life she was an assistant univeristy librarian
- Steve Grogan: aka "Clem Scramblehead," he was a talented musician and eerily accurate imitator of Charlie Manson; also the only Manson Family member to get paroled
- Paul Watkins: Believed Charlie Manson was Jesus Christ
- Brooks Poston: Believed Charlie Manson was Jesius Christ
- Sandy Good: Carried on as an acolyte of Manson's long after most others gave up the cause
- Marina Habe: May have been killed by the Mansons
- Lauren Willett: A Manson Family member who was found murdered
- James Willett: A Manson Family member later found murdered
- Diane Lake: Manson Family member from an early age
- Ruth Ann Moorehouse: Manson Family member from age 14
- Dean Moorehouse: When he went after Charlie to retrieve his young daughter from the Family, he was converted to the cause himself
- Barbara Hoyt: Accepted an all-expenses-paid vacation in Hawaii, courtesy of the Familly
- Linda Kasabian: Did not hesitate when offered a deal by the prosecution team
- Roman Polanski: Rented a house owned by Rudy Altobelli
- Sharon Tate: Married to Polanski and hugely pregnant with their first child
- Voytek Frykowski: An old friend of Roman's from Poland
- Abigail Folger: Coffee heiress who saw a psychiatrist 5 times a week
- Leno LaBianca: Managed a chain of California grocery stores
- Rosemary LaBianca: Owned a chain of boutiques; worth quite a bit more than her husband Leno
- Bobby Beausoleil: aka Cupid
- John Haught: aka Christopher Jesus; aka Zero
- Donald Shea: aka Shorty
- George Spahn: The elderly owner of a California dude ranch
- Juan Flynn: Irish-Panamanian cowboy working at the Spahn Ranch with Shorty Shea
- Danny DeCarlo: An associate of the Manson Family, and member of a bike gang called the Straight Satans
- Catherine Share: aka Gypsy
- Kitty Lutesinger: Member oif the Manson Family
- Gary Hinman: A music teacher and drug dealer living in Topanga Canyon
- Dennis Wilson: Member of the Beach Boys and associate of the Manson Family
- Terry Melcher: Knew Charlie Manson pretty well, and lived in Rudy Altobelli's house before the Polanskis moved in
- Anton LaVey: Susan Atkins knew him and was part of his ceremonial magick rituals through the Church of Satan before she met up with the Manson Family
- Paul Crockett: Successfully deprogrammed a few members of the Manson Family
- Jay Sebring: A close friend of Sharon Tate's
- William Garretson: Saw and heard nothing the night Helter Skelter came down
- Steve Parent: Happened to visit William Garretson the night Helter Skelter came down
- Kenneth Anger: Knew a number of Manson Family members and put Bobby Beausoleil in some of his movies
First Sentence edit
Charles Manson, and the mythos surrounding him, his followers, and their bloody deeds, has loomed large in my consciousness since the summer of 1969.
Errata edit
The photos on page 90 are left out of the list of illustrations in the back of the book; they show, L to R, Paul Crockett, the bullet-riddled mailbox at Barker Ranch, and a sign at Ballarat, California pointing the way to Goler Wash.
Series & Lists edit
This book is in True Crime: Helter Skelter. (community list)
This book is in True Crime: Terrorism. (community list)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 364
Subjects edit
- Books › Nonfiction › True Accounts › Murder & Mayhem
- Books › Nonfiction › True Accounts › Serial Killers
- Books › Nonfiction › Crime & Criminals › Criminology
- Books › Nonfiction › True Accounts › True Crime
- Books › Religion & Spirituality › Occult
- Books › Literature & Fiction
Movie Connections edit
- Valley Of The Dolls (IMDb): Re-released after Sharon Tate's death; she got star billing this time
- The Fearless Vampire Killers (IMDb): Re-released after Sharon Tate's death; she got star billing this time
- The Deathmaster (IMDb): A 1972 release; the author frames it as an attempt to cash in on the Manson mythos
More Books Like This edit
Books with Additional Background Information edit
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