The Onion Field

The Onion Field is a nonfiction book by Joseph Wambaugh that chronicles the tragic events surrounding the kidnapping and murder of two Los Angeles police officers, Ian Campbell and Karl Hettinger, by Gregory Ulas Powell and Jimmy Lee Smith in 1963.

The book explores the crime, its aftermath, and the psychological impact on the surviving officer, Karl Hettinger, who faced ostracism and trauma following the incident.