The Playboy and the Chelsea Girl: The LSD Murder That Rocked London's Summer of Love

Summary

The wealthy playboy, the beautiful French teenager, and the bad trip that put LSD on trial at the glamorous center of London's Swinging Sixties—New York Times bestselling author John Glatt's kaleidoscopic investigation into the murder case that shattered the Summer of Love.

In 1967, London was the capital of cool and Chelsea was its vibrant, colorful heart. At fashionable boutiques, cafes, and clubs, boys with long hair and girls in miniskirts mingled with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, and other rock royalty. Music and cultural revolution were in the air—and a burgeoning drug scene fueled both.

Aspiring model Claudie Delbarre, eighteen, was at the center of it all. The beautiful French teenager turned heads with her dramatic outfits and seemed on the verge of stardom. But on the morning of September 19th, her landlord made a horrific discovery: Claudie lay murdered on her bed.

The investigation led swiftly to Robert Lipman, a wealthy American playboy and avid drug user who had found unbounded pleasures among the Chelsea Set. After a transatlantic manhunt, Lipman was extradited back to Britain, where his attorneys mounted a stunning defense, claiming he was not guilty because he killed Claudie while on LSD.

Featuring cameo appearances by many of the era's pop stars and celebrities, investigative journalist John Glatt's gripping narrative reveals how drugs, sex, and music intertwined in a legendary time and place, finally exploding in a brutal killing that caused many to question the essence of the era.