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The Onion Field cover art

The Onion Field

Written by: Joseph Wambaugh
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
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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.

What the critics say

“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)

What listeners say about The Onion Field

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Layers and layers of high drama

An incredibly gripping story. Wambaugh introduces you to everyone involved. He gets you into the heads of the victims, the perpetrators, and the bystanders. Then, the crime begins. And once it starts it's like a runaway train. This is one of Wambaugh's best.

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