Manson Archives - Ron Franscell

"SOURTOE COCKTAIL CLUB is a world-beater of a tale.” —Ivan Doig, celebrated author of 'This House of Sky'

Ivan Doig

“THE OBITUARY is a damn near perfect mystery!” —John Lescroart, NYTimes bestselling mystery author

John Lescroart

“Ron Franscell’s masterful storytelling strikes hard at the heart.” —Denver Post

Denver Post

“Ron Franscell’s ‘THE DARKEST NIGHT gets everything right …” —C.J. Box, NYTimes bestselling mystery author

C.J. Box

The San Francisco Chronicle listed ANGEL FIRE among its 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century West

San Francisco Chronicle

“Ron Franscell takes you there ... completely.” —Ann Rule

Ann Rule

“Ron Franscell spins one masterful tale after another…” —W.P. Kinsella, author of 'Shoeless Joe' (adapted as the Kevin Costner movie 'Field of Dreams')

W.P. Kinsella

“Franscell’s themes involve a fresh approach to our rural roots as a font for the elusive American spirit." —USA Today

USA Today

"SHADOWMAN is a thrill ride ..." —Legendary FBI profiler John Douglas

John Douglas

“If any modern crime writer should bear the mantel of the late, great Jack Olsen it is Ron Franscell... nobody does it better." —Dr. Vincent DiMaio, renowned medical examiner

Vince DiMaio

“In my view, Ron Franscell is one of the very finest and most exciting true-crime writers in America." —Vincent Bugliosi, Manson prosecutor and author of 'Helter Skelter'

Vincent Bugliosi

“Ron Franscell has always been in the upper echelon of true-crime authors." —Gregg Olsen, #1 NYTimes bestselling true-crime author

Gregg Olsen

"[SHADOWMAN] has the ghostly unease of a nightmare." —Michael Cannell, author of 'Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling'

Michael Cannell

“One of the finest true-crime writers I’ve ever read." —Craig Johnson, NYTimes bestselling author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries

Craig Johnson

"[Ron Franscell] reminds the rest of us who write in this genre how it ought to be done.” —Jeff Guinn, #1 NYTimes bestselling author of 'Manson' and 'The Road to Jonestown'

Jeff Guinn

by Ron Franscell

Sharon Tate: The Cruelty of Being Remembered for Dying

August 13, 1969. Sharon Tate was laid to rest. She was 26 years old and 8 months pregnant. Maybe this is the anniversary we should remember.

by Ron Franscell

Murderabilia, the podcast: ‘Hey, buddy, want some Manson toenails?’

The term “murderabilia” was coined by my friend Andy Kahan, who advocates for crime victims for Crimestoppers of Houston. But the word is actually more innocuous than Kahan’s feelings about […]

by Ron Franscell

Is true crime dead … or just choking on its own blood?

For many years, acquisition editors in New York have justified their rejections of true-crime manuscripts by saying, “Sorry, but true crime is on life support”—mostly as a way of letting […]

by Ron Franscell

A half-century of Helter Skelter … and it isn’t over yet

Leslie Van Houten, one of Charles Manson’s concubines and mesmerized butchers, was denied parole on Monday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Van Houten was sentenced to be executed for her […]

by Ron Franscell

Every generation has its bogeyman

Excerpted from The Crime Buff’s Guide to Outlaw Los Angeles (2017, WildBluePress) Every generation has its bogeyman. Before 1969, maybe it was Adolf Hitler. After 2001, Osama bin Laden. […]

by Ron Franscell

Explore Outlaw L.A. with us at True Crime Uncensored

Listen live at 2pm Pacific time on Saturday, June 10, by clicking here. Where better to kick off the new CRIME BUFF’S GUIDE™ TO OUTLAW LOS ANGELES than at the Los Angeles-based […]

by Ron Franscell

New book trailer for Outlaw Los Angeles

Can you come out to play? Click here … if you dare. Buy it now

by Ron Franscell

Outlaw Los Angeles

“Meticulously researched guide book into the baddest of the bad in LaLa Land. Franscell confirms what history has always known: Los Angeles is the ‘Queen of Angels’ and the ‘King […]