Rating: 
Summary: Great Reference for a Manson buff
Review: Great reference for many a Manson book but relies heavily on Helter Skelter and introduces little new info that hasn't been published, I think author had a total of 50 pages that weren't made up of referenced material... the same old same old, not enough original material and didn't take certain questions further than he could have. This book raises a lot of questions but then doesn't follow through with a more thourogh inspection. I felt like I was jumping around Internet pages than reading a story Also the copy that I received had a miss matched index (chapter 28's refernce was really chapter 27's?), very confusing.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally. Sharon emerges from the shadows
Review: This way overdue biography of Sharon Tate finally gives her an identity other than being the most famous victim of one of the most horrific and bloodthirtsty mass murders/crime sprees of the last century.It profiles Sharon Tate the daughter, Sharon Tate the sister, Sharon Tate the friend, and Sharon Tate the actress. Previously unknown (at least by me anyway) information is parlayed about her childhood, adolescence, adulthood, career, and relationships with Jay Sebring (who was slain alongside her) and her perpetually philandering husband Roman Polanski. From what people who loved her (and everybody who knew her did) have said about her in this biography and elsewhere, that although stunningly beautiful in appearance her true beauty lay within. King also examines the progress of the murderers through the penal system and the metamorphasis of Sharon's relations, particularly her late mother and late sister Doris and Patti, from grieving survivors to passionate crusaders for justice and judicial reform. And yes, the murders ARE discussed. If I remember correctly, two chapters are devoted to the details of their commission. These are undoubtedly the most gruesome, heartrending chapters ever penned and printed. The Tate/LaBianca murders are recited in all their gory details; not to titillate but to educate, to show how heartless and merciless these killers were on those two nights. As for whether they are still that way............well that's something for the psychiatric community to determine. I find it puzzling to say the least, not to mention extremely obscene and offensive, that thirty plus years later Manson and his cohorts are still worshipped as cult/folk heroes by some imbeciles. They are not heroes or symbols; they are brutal killers. No one who reads this book will for one moment believe that the killers deserve to be paroled! I do have two complaints, however, which is why I didn't give this book 5 stars. Number one, the amount of typographical errors is simply ridiculous, honestly, wasn't the manuscript of this book proofread by an editor before it went into print? And two, why so many pictures in the photo insert that are of the killers and so few of Sharon?
Rating: 
Summary: Innocent Hours
Review: It is impossible not to feel a strong reaction to this crime: horror, confusion and repulsion are among the reactions I have had since 1969 when as a kid I read about it in the newspaper. This book does an outstanding job of compiling all the available information into a cohesive account of what happened the weekend of 8 August 1969 and, more importantly, introducing the victims as people we can understand, finally removing them from tabloid caricatures. The reporting is thorough: there are follow-ups on the murderers, victims' families, and parole hearings. The author, refreshingly, does not equivocate regarding how he feels about justice for the victims or the characters of the convicted. He is justifiably effusive in his praise of members of the victims' families and their efforts to help others. Above all, this is a touching and saddening tribute to Sharon Tate herself and introduces her as she must have really been. Her life wasn't a bed of roses; the whole concept of being a "movie star" is a myth. Instead we learn that Sharon was a vibrant, inquisitive, working woman who was coping as best she could with her youthful life while awaiting the birth of her first son. There is a description of Abigal Folger taking herself to bed with a book. When one of the murderers passed her room she looked up, smiled and waved from her bed. Minutes later she would be slaughtered. The image and irony of this woman smiling and waving leave me shaken. There are things that once known can never be unknown. Aware of what happened on this August weekend in 1969, it is impossible to feel anything but apprehension during even the most innocent hours of the day.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive Look At The Murders
Review: An excellent book about the Tate-LaBianca murders. Having read most of the material available about this case, I was happy to find many details and information that I hadn't read before. I liked the approach the author took in giving details about the victims, particularly Sharon Tate.
Rating: 
Summary: Disturbing walk through familiar crime
Review: Having read "Helter Skelter" two previous times, I was interested in perusing "Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders" if for no other reason than to have an update on these terrible crimes which took place in 1969. In my own mind, so many questions remain unanswered about this crime, most notably, how could kids without a violent history commit such brutal murders? How could this group of deranged people involved in such criminal activities go undetected for so long? And probably most tantilizing of all, why did they conduct this demented crime spree? It's obvious why people have a fascination with this crime more than 30 years later. A 1960s hippie commune led by a charismatic leader molded in the James Taylor/John Lennon/Timothy O'Leary vein murders a movie star and her friends in the hills of Hollywood. The movie star's husband is an accomplished film director known for his disturbingly violent works about vampires and insanity. The hippie commune leader tries to sign a recording contract with the son of a famous movie star, but is rejected, leading to the bloody crimes. Hollywood could not have written a story any more bizarre. There's much to like about "Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders," including a superbly detailed biography of Sharon from childhood through her sporadic movie career. There's something almost nostalgic about Sharon's life through the decade of the 1960s, including her Mod lifestyle in Europe with Roman Polanski, socializing with the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Steve McQueen, and her film work on a wild variety of films including "Valley of the Dolls" and "The Fearless Vampire Killers." But what leaves the reader frustrated is the lack of answers to the questions posed earlier. There is a horrifying account of the murders themselves, told in agonizing minute-by-minute detail. There are recent quotes from a variety of sources 30 years after the fact. There's even a few outlandish conclusions suggested, including Charles Manson himself returned to the scene of the Sharon Tate murders to inspect the bodies -- something which sounds ludicrous. The question which haunts most people when sifting through the wreckage of this hippie commune gone thrill-kill insane, is how could this have happened? What led these kids to conduct such monstrous atrocities? Isolation? Drugs? A criminal leader? A hateful rebellion against authority spawned by the times? Perhaps these questions will never be adequately answered. Where "Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders" succeeds is in accurately portraying just how likeable and innocent a person Sharon Tate was. The book also reveals the painful scars the Tate family endured following her tragic murder. Sharon, and her child, had bright, beautiful lives ahead of them. Like the book "Helter Skelter" itself -- a far superior account -- we are still left asking "What if?".....and most importantly....."Why?"
Rating:
Summary: Sharon Tate remembered
Review: Long overdue but well written biography on Sharon Tate. Even though Sharon was well known in her Hollywood and London circles, the rest of the world never really "knew" her until her death. This book writes about her as a person and emphasizes her life, rather than simply reducing her to "that Manson Family victim". The book covers her entire life, as well as going into detail about her relationships with Jay Sebring and Roman Polanski. It's sad to read about Polanski's (emotional) mistreatment of her while gentle and loving Jay Sebring is off on the periphery, pining for his lost love until the end. We're also given more back story on victims Voyteck Frykowski, Abigail Folger, and Steven Parent, as well as Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Leno's former wife Alice and Steven Parent's sister Janet have come forward after years of silence to share their memories as well as their outrage over the convicted killers' parole bids. The book also covers the lives of the murderers, before and after their convictions. Unlike Charles Manson and Susan Atkins, Charles "Tex" Watson, Pat Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houton have made progress in prison, although it's pretty unlikely that they will be paroled anytime soon. Sharon's mother and sister became powerful victims rights advocates in the 1980's, and you can't help but to feel their pain. The vivid retelling of the two nights of murder may be upsetting to some readers, but what I remember most about the book is the relationship between Sharon and Jay, the starry-eyed girl from Texas who wanted fame, and the lonely hair stylist who wanted her love.
Rating:
Summary: Sharon Tate remembered
Review: I read Greg King's book," Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders", and as someone who has read Vincent Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter" as well as "Manson:In His Own Words", I was very impressed by this book. I found out many things about Sharon, the victims of these crimes, and the Manson Family that I had never known. But the one thing that really impressed me was that the book focused on Sharon herself, and less on Manson and his followers. Those people should never be allowed to profit from their crimes. This book puts the spotlight on Sharon- the way it should've been all along. I came to the conclusion that she was a beautiful, caring, person that did feel much emotional pain because of the demeaning way her husband ,Roman Polanski, treated her. It's sad how she and the other victims were pushed to the side in favor of Manson and his "family".Finally , after so many years,Greg King's book changed that.
Rating:
Summary: Pathways to Hell
Review: Although the embarrassing number of typos and careless editing in this work is in and of itself criminal, and sufficient cause for action by the author and buying public alike, the content offered is an invaluable addition to any Manson scholar's collection. With perspectives on the murders available from almost every major participant , in and out of print, it's actually surprising that almost nothing heretofore has been offered chronicling Tate's fatal pathway into history. Still the wait proves fruitful as the author, through the passage of time and publishing history, is the generous presenter of yet new revelations, as well as the confirmation of other recent discoveries, and the casting of further shadows on earlier leaps of fate and speculation. Well annotated, King not only had new access to reclusive major players, but the luck of drawing out more minor but insightful characters. And his archival work proves trustworthy when it's revealed that he can plumb material from Clara Livsey's abysmally researched THE MANSON WOMEN and still prove reliable. Though life with Charlie and the gang is covered by others in much more detail, there may be a tendency to breeze through Sharon's early history to get to the more salacious parts, but the writing and story have their own slow rise to horror which leaves the jaded Manson reader with a truer, more ironic view of this classic pairing of her innocent, graceful yin to Manson's malevolent, chaotic yang. Endlessly fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY
Review: i have read about six books onthis subject, and i think this is the best one of all. someone finally wrote a great book about sharon tate the person, not just sharon tate, manson murder victim. this book gives you insight into sharon, her family, her mystique. i feel i am a expert on this subject and i would recommend this book to anyone. i do not see any problem publishing the crime scene photos, if anything greg king should have published more! i am not a morbid person but i think if people saw what tex watson et. al did, they would think twice about showing mercy for killers that clearly didn't show any to their victims. a moving tribute to sharon. rest in peace sharon!
Rating:
Summary: The True Queen Of Hollywood!
Review: Slightly more than halfway down page 240 in the Hardcover edition of this Biography Greg King quotes "The day before her funeral, Sharon finally received in death what she had worked so hard for in life: stardom." King has pieced together a true story on the life of a goddess who is from her childhood continually struggling an uphill battle to gain success in the Hollywood pool of stardom. Sharon Tate, recognised for her looks and sex appeal, longs for her exceptance as a dramatic actress in the film industry. With help from her agent Martin Ranoshoff, Sharon is fine tuned and preped for her career as an actress. Although Sharon has eventual qualms of Ranoshoff, it is with Roman Polanski that Sharon excels in her career in actressing. However, Sharon Tate in her career apex did not receive the stardom she longed for as a dramatic queen of Hollywood. This is only due to her acting inexperience and her physical attributes and therefore being typecast as actress whos talents are primarly that which is driven by sex appeal alone. Sharon also had a great talent for comedic roles in film. All seemed reasonably well for Sharon, she was a good girl who cherished family values, had a good circle of friends, and although her marriage with Roman was less than successful, and she experienced a less than picture perfect childhood, Sharon was it seems, content. Then there was Charles Manson. With the aid of the Manson Family, diaster struck the Tate/Polanski household at 10050 Cielo Drive on the night of August 9th 1969. Along with a pregnant Sharon Tate -: Abagail Folger, Voyteck Frykowski, Jay Sebring, and Steve Parent were to live their last moments as victims of a crime so disturbing and utterly shocking, it would shock the entire world into fear. The culprits -: Charles "Tex" Watson, Susan Atkins, and Patricia Krenwinkel will scare you into nausea. The detailed account of the victims last moments, as well as the killers beginning moments is truley suspensful and horryfying. Although passed on, this biography will leave you feeling the alive spirit of Sharon Tate. Sharon Tate... the goddess of stardom. Sharon Tate, who we deseperately miss. Sharon Tate. Well Done Greg King.
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