Conversations With a Killer

This is the gripping story of the real Charles Manson as told by his long-time prison administrator, counselor, unofficial "press agent," and confidant, Ed George.   "Throughout my life, people have asked me about Manson. . . . 'Does he have hypnotic powers?' 'Does he have a diabolical charisma?' . . . 'Is he crazy?' My response is that for some people, the answer to all of the above is yes-except for the last question." -EDWARD GEORGE   Charles Manson was perhaps the most infamous criminal of the twentieth century. Convicted for orchestrating the shocking Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969, and for two other killings, there has been much written about him. But not many people knew him as well as Edward George, who over years of conversations with Manson as his prison administrator, counselor, unofficial "press agent," and confidant, gained deep insight into Manson's mind-set. In this updated edition of George's riveting account, he illuminates the many sides of Manson: charismatic cult leader, master manipulator, calculated "showman," sly trickster, and more. George and his coauthor, Dary Matera, begin by detailing the troubling events of Manson's youth, the historic 1969 murders, and the subsequent trial that ended an era. They then pull back the curtain on the intense reality of Manson's turbulent life behind bars and the events that have transpired since the initial publication of this book in 1999, including Manson's death in 2017.   Edward George worked for the California Department of Corrections as a counselor and ward supervisor for nearly 20 years. He oversaw Charlie Manson's detention at both San Quentin and the California Medical Facility. Dary Matera is the author of 14 books, including Are You Lonesome Tonight? and John Dillinger: America's First Celebrity Criminal.

In a series of death row interviews done shortly before his execution, infamous serial killer Ted Bundy gave a third-person "confession" of his many murders. This definitive book on Bundy was recently made into a Netflix documentary.   What goes on in the mind of a serial killer? Drawn from more than 150 hours of exclusive tape-recorded interviews with the handsome, charismastic Bundy, whose grisly killing spree left at least 30 young women dead across seven states between 1974 and 1978, this chilling exposé provides a shocking self-portrait of one of the most savage sex murderers in history. Speaking eerily in the third person, Bundy reveals appalling details about his crimes, discloses how he attracted his victims, explains how he methodically disguised his acts, and recounts his two daring jailbreaks. Bundy also offers his thoughts on other infamous serial killers, including John Wayne Gacy and Son of Sam. Stephen G. Michaud is the author or coauthor of 18 books, including Wanted for Murder; Dark Dreams, an Edgar finalist; and The Only Living Witness, which the New York Daily News called one of the ten best true crime books ever written. Hugh Aynesworth is a veteran journalist who witnessed the assassinations of both JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting for his work reporting on another mass murderer, Henry Lee Lucas. He has coauthored seven books with Michaud.

The third title in our Conversations with a Killer series focuses on one of the most notorious serial killers of the 1970s, Ed Kemper, a key character in the hit Netflix series Mindhunter. If there ever was a human monster that walked this earth, it was the highly intelligent, psychotic, 6'9" killer Edward "Big Ed" Kemper. As a troubled 15-year-old, Kemper shot and killed his grandparents. Eight years later, he went on an 11-month reign of terror slaughtering and dismembering six college co-eds in California, brutally killing his mother with a hammer, and breaking her best friend's neck. Kemper, 71, remains alive at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, more intimidating now than ever. Masterful crime writer Dary Matera tells Kemper's full, shocking story, interweaving insights from the killer himself.   Dary Matera is the author of 14 books, including the bestseller Are You Lonesome Tonight and Sterling's Charles Manson: Conversations with a Killer, co-authored with Edward George. He's worked closely with the FBI on such previous books as Quitting the Mob, The FBI's Ten Most Wanted, and John Dillinger. His books have been featured on 20/20, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Primetime Live, Nightline, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, and CBS This Morning, among others. They have been reviewed and featured in The New York Times, The  Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, People, Life, and many additional publications. Matera has appeared in more than a dozen TV documentaries featuring his book subjects, and on the TV series America: Fact or Fiction and William Shatner's The UnXplained.