Simon Sebag Montefiore on Charles Manson

“Charles Manson was a bloody aberration in a decade that preached peace and love. A perverted and pathological fantasist, he used his devious powers of manipulation to snare others into his depraved web of hatred and violence, attracting a small band of twisted devotees who were prepared to commit cold-blooded murder on his command.”

“In appearance a typical product of the 1960s hippie revolution, Manson's warped and sadistic mind was the complete antithesis of the ideals behind the so-called 'Summer of Love'. Tapping into the fears and prejudices of contemporary America, he harnessed savage bigotry and drug-fuelled decadence to play out his perverted fantasies.”