Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties Audiobook, by Tom O'Neill Play Audiobook Sample

Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties Audiobook

Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties Audiobook, by Tom O'Neill Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Kevin Stillwell Publisher: Little, Brown & Company Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 10.83 hours at 1.5x Speed 8.13 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: June 2019 Format: Unabridged Audiobook Delivery: Instant Download ISBN: 9781478998990

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

14

Longest Chapter Length:

113:23 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

15:38 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

69:39 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

1

Publisher Description

A journalist's twenty-year fascination with the Manson murders leads to shocking new revelations about the FBI's involvement in this riveting reassessment of an infamous case in American history.



Over two grim nights in Los Angeles, the young followers of Charles Manson murdered seven people, including the actress Sharon Tate, then eight months pregnant. With no mercy and seemingly no motive, the Manson Family followed their leader's every order-their crimes lit a flame of paranoia across the nation, spelling the end of the sixties. Manson became one of history's most infamous criminals, his name forever attached to an era when charlatans mixed with prodigies, free love was as possible as brainwashing, and utopia-or dystopia-was just an acid trip away.

Twenty years ago, when journalist Tom O'Neill was reporting a magazine piece about the murders, he worried there was nothing new to say. Then he unearthed shocking evidence of a cover-up behind the "official" story, including police carelessness, legal misconduct, and potential surveillance by intelligence agents. When a tense interview with Vincent Bugliosi-prosecutor of the Manson Family, and author of Helter Skelter-turned a friendly source into a nemesis, O'Neill knew he was onto something. But every discovery brought more questions:

  • Who were Manson's real friends in Hollywood, and how far would they go to hide their ties?
  • Why didn't law enforcement, including Manson's own parole officer, act on their many chances to stop him?
  • And how did Manson-an illiterate ex-con-turn a group of peaceful hippies into remorseless killers?


O'Neill's quest for the truth led him from reclusive celebrities to seasoned spies, from San Francisco's summer of love to the shadowy sites of the CIA's mind-control experiments, on a trail rife with shady cover-ups and suspicious coincidences. The product of two decades of reporting, hundreds of new interviews, and dozens of never-before-seen documents from the LAPD, the FBI, and the CIA, CHAOS mounts an argument that could be, according to Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Steven Kay, strong enough to overturn the verdicts on the Manson murders. This is a book that overturns our understanding of a pivotal time in American history.

Download and start listening now!

“What if everything we thought we knew about the Manson murders was wrong? O’Neill spent twenty years wrestling with that question, and Chaos is his final answer…It’s a sweeping indictment of the Los Angeles justice system, with cover-ups reaching all the way up to the FBI and CIA.”

— Entertainment Weekly 

Quotes

  • “O’Neill’s twenty years of meticulous research has unearthed revelations…in a conspiracy/cover up so sweeping and bizarre, you’ll be as astounded as you are terrified.”

    — Joe Ide, New York Times bestselling author
  • “O’Neill’s discoveries are stunning.”

    — Washington Post
  • Riveting ... True crime fans will be enthralled.

    — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
  • “To O’Neill’s credit, his own skepticism remains front and center, and the audiobook’s narrator, Kevin Stillwell, is a fine surrogate for the author’s curiosity, hopefulness, and frustration.”

    — Literary Hub (audio review)
  • “The discoveries that O’Neill has shared with the world—about lies, suppressions, and conflicts of interest—should scare the hell out of us.”

    — Bookforum
  • “Top-notch investigative work … An excellent work of investigative journalism proving the ‘true story’ is not always the truth.”

    — Library Journal
  • “Gripping masterful stuff. A dazzling and compellingly obsessed journalistic detective story…This is true crime at its truest and most compelling.”

    — Charles Graeber, author of The Good Nurse
  • — New York Times

Awards

  • A Literary Hub Pick of the Best Audiobooks to Help with End-of-Summer Blues
  • An iBooks bestseller in Audiobooks
  • A New York Times Bestseller in Audio
  • A #1 Amazon.com bestseller in Political Intelligence

Chaos Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 4.25 out of 54.25 out of 54.25 out of 54.25 out of 54.25 out of 5 (4.25)
5 Stars: 2
4 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 1
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Narration: 3.75 out of 53.75 out of 53.75 out of 53.75 out of 53.75 out of 5 (3.75)
5 Stars: 1
4 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 2
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 3.5 out of 53.5 out of 53.5 out of 53.5 out of 53.5 out of 5 (3.50)
5 Stars: 1
4 Stars: 2
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 1
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Story Rating: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    — Karl Kuehn, 1/14/2023
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Story Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    — maria e beretta, 12/17/2022
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Story Rating: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    — John Hembling, 7/3/2021
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Story Rating: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " As a vain attempt to inflate the legend of the Manson murders as some kind of conspiratorial deep-state phenomenon, the project falls flat. The style is overwrought, tendentious, and totally misconstrues the insanity of Leftist hippy drug induced dementia as having some profound but hidden meaning. I'd hoped for some modicum of insight and was laughingly disappointed. Written from the POV of a stupefied, amoral, non-judgemental, utterly vacuous, easily confused "journalist". Other than as an expose of the shallow deviant sub-cults of the Hollyweird Pop-Rock music world, and the ineptitude of California Law enforcement and courts probation system (even worse today than 50 yrs ago), a sorry waste of time. "

    — William, 8/10/2019

About Tom O'Neill

Kevin Stillwell is an actor, voice talent, and Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator. His film and television credits include Looper and Drop Dead Diva.

About Kevin Stillwell

Kevin Stillwell is an actor, voice talent, and Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator. His film and television credits include Looper and Drop Dead Diva.