num_pages: 125
description: Sensational media coverage of the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders and trials concentrated on the grisly Los Angeles-area crimes and the bizarre “Family” headed by Charles Manson. Until now the stark dramas which unfolded far from Los Angeles, in the deserts of southeastern California, have been eclipsed by the big city Desert Shadows documents the surreal, apocalyptic existence of Manson’s Family in the Death Valley and Owens Valley deserts – stockpiled weapons and fuel; terrified old prospectors; furious Rommel-like exercises at night in stolen dune buggies; hikes in search of the entrance to a huge underground world of fresh water and infinite space, where crowds of the chosen had already gathered to wait for Manson; orgies of drugs, group sex, torture, and ritualistic murder. Desert Shadows also traces the escalating involvement of local park rangers and law officers as investigations of vandalism and theft uncovered the most chilling murders of the decade, far more extensive than the Tate-La Bianca slayings. Through diligence and bravery these local officials – pitted against the vast, harsh, empty desert and a dangerous cult – finally accomplished what Los Angeles lawmen had not, the arrest of the Family and the linking of murders previously considered unrelated.
language: English
title: Desert Shadows: The Bizarre and Frightening True Story of Charles Manson
titlecomplete: Desert Shadows: The Bizarre and Frightening True Story of Charles Manson
genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime
ratings_count: 44
publisher: Falcon Press