The Onion Field

By: Joseph Wambaugh

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Hollywood. Saturday night. A broken taillight leads to a routine traffic stop. It shouldn’t have changed the lives of the four men involved, but it did. The Onion Field is the frighteningly true story of a fatal collision of destinies that would lead two young cops and two young robbers to a deserted field on the outskirts of Los Angeles, towards a bizarre execution and its terrible aftermath.

The Onion Field is the basis for the movie starring James Woods and John Savage.

©1973 Joseph Wambaugh (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“More ambitious than In Cold Blood and equally compelling.” ( The New York Times)

“Wambaugh is the best in the business.” (Kathy Reichs)

“No other writer illuminates the heart beneath the badge better or more honestly than Joseph Wambaugh" (Robert Crais)

Stunning true crime tale from the 1960s

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

My dad recommended this book to me, as he spent 25 years in law enforcement, and said it was particularly affecting. The case in this book reverberated across police departments the nation over, impacting the way many of them interacted with dangerous people. I see why Joseph Wambaugh went on to do this full-time, because the story is gripping, and we get a great sense of all four of the lives and perspectives of the major players involved in the story.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes! I try not to look up too many details of a true crime story as I'm reading or listening to it, since I don't want to spoil certain pieces. So I only looked this up in greater detail once I knew who died/the main incident.

"The Gardener" is an excellent device for driving the story. If you get this audiobook, you'll meet him and know what I mean.

Which scene was your favorite?

Not because it was happy, but the actual events The Night in the Onion Fields are WONDERFULLY written and read. You feel the same stress and fear and confusion all these men must have felt.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt quite sad for Karl Hettinger. It seemed a deep tragedy equally as much for the ones who DID make it out of the Onion Field, who carried that burden far and long. Though I didn't feel very much sympathy for him, Jimmy Smith is portrayed as the unlucky, dumb, complex person he probably was.

The original true crime thriller

Before Manson, Bundy and all others that would follow Joseph Wambaugh wrote the best true crime thriller about a cop killing, two criminals and a dizzying court system that tried them. The account plays like a movie or fictional crime novel with Wambaugh's informed and direct style. Jonathan Davis does a very capable job of narrating and performing all of the characters only perhaps reading the proceedings a little bit slow. the only person I could think of that might do a better job would have been Scott Brick. If you are a fan of True Crime, criminal novels or Joseph wambaugh this is a must listen.

Brilliant

Engrossing. I was fully immersed and couldn't wait to get further along. Just brilliant. The narration was excellent and crucial for me. Not enough high praise.

great writing

I struggled to start the book. started, stopped and restarted many times, but once I actually committed to listening I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tragic and heartbreaking

I remember seeing this film decades ago as a teenager. It’s haunted me ever since, but the novel is even more heartbreaking. Beautifully written.

Good.... but LONG

This was a good book, but it felt as though it was longer than it should have been.

I think the author did a good job of injecting feeling and emotions into his work, but he included way too many details and was a bit too wordy. This reminded me of In cold blood by Truman Capote - but much wordier.

The narrator did a fantastic job - if it was not for this great narration I probably could not have finished this book.

An Exceptional and Gripping Book

This is a tragic and compelling story, which I first read on its release about 45 years ago. Joseph Wambaugh presents the details of what seems like an unending event with empathy and compassion and, I would hope, stirs the reader / listener to trust that police departments now have learned how better to effectively support the mental and spiritual recovery of its officers after such traumatic experiences. (I believe there has much improvement.)

The narrator is superb and creates each character's personality deftly. Extra points for the accurate pronunciation of "pibroch," the classical music of the Highland pipes!

There are dated opinions about gays, African-Americans, and women; these likely are quite accurate for the justice system in the 1960s.

true American tragedy

such a great book of the onion field murder. this book goes into great detail. I enjoyed

Really slow going!

I had read this book many years ago and I had enjoyed it, so thought to give it a go as audio book. Mistake! The narrator does not much to a really slow boring start, and the dialog is stiff. Better to read this one!

Excellent Book!!

One of the best books Joseph Wambaugh ever wrote. Powerful and hard hitting. Glad I listened to this book..