The Onion Field

Hardcover Cloth 427 pages. Condition Very Good Dust Jacket Very Good. Stated first edition First printing 1973. Handsome black boards with blue, red and gilt embossing shows off this Clean, tight, square copy with no marks, highlights or bookplates. Red topstain. Book Well kept and carefully stored in unread condition. Slight shelf wear. Pages are lightly toned. An unclipped dust jacket protected by mylar cover is smooth, clean and brilliant with slight shelf wear - a few wrinkles and chips. Not an ex-library, book club or remainder copy.

"The Onion Field" is a true crime book by Joseph Wambaugh, published in 1973. It tells the harrowing and tragic story of a notorious crime that took place in Los Angeles in 1963. Wambaugh, a former LAPD detective, brings his insider knowledge to this gripping account of a police officer's murder and its aftermath.

The book focuses on the events of March 9, 1963, when two LAPD officers, Ian Campbell and Karl Hettinger, made a routine traffic stop in Hollywood. The officers pulled over two suspects, Gregory Powell and Jimmy Lee Smith, for driving a suspected stolen car. However, what started as a seemingly routine stop quickly escalated into a nightmare.

Powell and Smith managed to disarm the officers, taking them hostage at gunpoint. The two young policemen were then driven to an onion field in Bakersfield, California. There, Powell shot and killed Officer Ian Campbell, while Officer Karl Hettinger managed to escape into the night, traumatized by the events.

The Onion Field explores not only the crime itself but also the lives of the individuals involved—the victims, the perpetrators, and the impact on the families and the police force. Wambaugh delves into the backgrounds of Powell and Smith, examining their troubled pasts and the events that led them to commit such a heinous act.

Central to the book is the psychological toll the incident takes on Officer Karl Hettinger. Haunted by survivor's guilt and struggling to cope with the trauma, Hettinger faces a long and difficult road to recovery. Wambaugh paints a vivid portrait of a man shattered by the events of that night and the challenges he faces in the aftermath.

Through meticulous research and interviews with those involved, Wambaugh reconstructs the crime and its aftermath with a gripping narrative style. The Onion Field is not just a recounting of a single crime but also a reflection on the complexities of the criminal justice system, the bonds of friendship, and the profound effects of violence on individuals and society.

The book was widely acclaimed for its realism and attention to detail, offering readers a glimpse into the gritty reality of police work and the devastating impact of crime. It became a bestseller and is considered a classic in the true crime genre, earning praise for its compelling storytelling and its exploration of the human psyche in the face of tragedy.