(40) This is one of the original true crime; police procedurals published around the time of Capote's 'In Cold Blood.' I did not find it nearly as artistic or chilling as that book, but it was still quite good. The beginning sets the scene of the two new partners lives - how they became cops; their hopes and dreams, etc. We get the same biography of the two killers - also newly partnered up on a crime spree. Their deadly intersection in an onion field is the climax and then the rest of the book is about the legal system as well as the psychological impact the events of the onion field had on the survivors.

One couldn't help but feel profound sympathy and sadness over Hettinger's trajectory after the murder. The fact that the police, writ large, did not support him was a travesty. As much as I eye-roll at the constant mental health needs of millennials and their labelling of everything a 'trauma,' - this poor guy needed help; not blame. The legal system is disgusting. I am so glad I am not a lawyer - I am so sure there are way more scumbags that do not get what they deserve, than there are innocent people railroaded into prison. To think that confessions can be thrown out because idiots were not advised they could remain silent. Really? It negates the confession... I guess we just take it for granted now with "Miranda rights" being all over pop culture.

Anyway, this was gritty. But more nitty-gritty than noir. The actual dialogue from the court cases as opposed to reenactment was a nice idea, but the execution was painful to read and made the last 1/3rd or so of the book draggy. I also did not love the mysterious 'gardener' schtick. It seemed to be trying to add drama and mystery where there was none. But overall, an engaging read. I don't think I would seek out more by this author, but I see in it the beginnings of so many crime best sellers both fiction and non-fiction that exist today. ( )

5777. The Onion Field, by Joseph Wambaugh (read 27 Jan 2022) This book tells the story of the murder of policeman Ian Campbell on 9 March1963 in an onion field near Bakersfield, Cal. Much is factual, based on court records, but much is added by the author to flesh out the story. The policeman with Campbell escaped and testified at the trial of the two men who killed Campbell. The account is tensely exciting at times, though excessive quoting from the trial record at times is boring. The account of the legal proceeding is almost unbelievable and what the judges allowed the lawyers for the murderers to get away with I found astounding. The murderers were convicted but the convictions were reversed on appeal, but on retrial the men were again convicted. The policeman who escaped had all kinds of problems, which are set forth a length in the book. All in all, it s an amazing book, full of interest. ( )

I couldn't make it through this book due to its poor pacing and rampant homophobia. The character development is excruciatingly focused on one character's bisexuality and how that is a major influence of his criminal behaviors. The author's perspective on this disgusted me and the pacing of the book was so poor that when I thought about those two factors, I just put the book down instead of continuing. The story is disjointed and very sluggish. ( )

finished, Kindle, Wambaugh, Los Angeles, LAPD, murder, ( )

A canonical true crime book that's more important than it is enjoyable. Can feel a bit homework-y at times when you realize a) it was written by a cop who hadn't written nonfiction before and b) it was being written as the story was unfolding so Wambaugh is building the road and driving on it at the same time.

If you want to know where true crime writing in America came from, you must read this. But read it alongside In Cold Blood and Fatal Vision and Stranger Beside Me to help it go down a bit smoother. ( )