I purchased RIDING ON YOUR FEARS because I have truly enjoyed reading the selected essays from Mr. Rowlett's other book, LABYRINTH13, which time has permitted me to read.

Particularly, as a researcher myself, I respect that - instead of just presenting hearsay as fact as so many writers are apt to do - Mr. Rowlett obviously studies the available evidence relating to a given topic before writing his pieces. Consequently, he is able to accomplish something admirable, namely, explore offbeat/obscure topics without coming off like someone who has passed beyond the fringes of society!

As for RIDING ON YOUR FEARS, I have always found the hippie era interesting, and consider the Manson case intriguing in that it seemingly represents the dark side of that era. Therefore, when I saw that RIDING ON YOUR FEARS had been published, I purchased it immediately, and was not disappointed.

If nothing else, what I appreciate about RIDING ON YOUR FEARS is that Mr. Rowlett is obviously NOT one of these "Charlie was framed!" and/or "Charlie shouldn't even be in jail!" types. Moreover, his book is NOT a sympathy piece for Manson. Instead, it is an informed work that skillfully explores the Manson case as a unique anomaly of American history.

Of particular interest is the way in which - after presenting a "Tate/LaBianca 101" overview of the case - Mr. Rowlett explores alternative motives behind the murders (e.g., drug burns might have been at the heart of them) again without coming off like a crackpot!

I hope Rowlett keeps the books coming for a long time to come.

This text is no a comprehensive case study, rather it examines several interesting aspects of the case. It is neither anti-manson or pro-manson, tho he is very fair with Manson and explains some of his ideas better than anyone else.