The Onion Field
by Joseph Wambaugh
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joseph WambaughEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-28
ISBN: 0385341598
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Delta
Book Reviews of The Onion Field
Book Review: A Tale of Cops
Summary: 5 Stars
Written in the mold of a "non-fiction novel", "The Onion Field" is magnificent story about a tragic event. With well placed foreshadowing and background stories, the story reads like novel. Yet as a work of true crime like Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood", the book is far from ficticious.
The early portions of the novel set the stage for the collision course. Ian Campbell and Karl Hettinger are young cops that are both enthusiastic about their jobs. Yet on a routine traffic stop, they crossed paths with career criminals Jimmy Smith and Greg Powell. An abduction/hostage situation turns deadly for one of the cops which leads to the tragic self-destruction of the other officer. As this portion of the story unravels, Powell and Smith adapt to their lives in prison and semmingly endless maze of trials.
Some may see the story as being dated, yet I would suggest this is one of the best works of true crime available. The repeated trials documented at the end of the book run somewhat tedious at the conclusion. However, the reader is likely to be pulling for the surviving officer at the books end even enduring the tedium.
Summary of The Onion Field
This is the frighteningly true story of two young cops and two young robbers whose separate destinies fatally cross one March night in a bizarre execution in a deserted Los Angeles field.Murder & Mayhem Books
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