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Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed—and Why It Still Matters Audiobook, by Andrew Gumbel Play Audiobook Sample

Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed—and Why It Still Matters Audiobook

Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed—and Why It Still Matters Audiobook, by Andrew Gumbel Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Todd Waring Publisher: HarperAudio Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 9.33 hours at 1.5x Speed 7.00 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: April 2012 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9780062116345

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

17

Longest Chapter Length:

87:39 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

39 seconds

Average Chapter Length:

49:51 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

4

Other Audiobooks Written by Andrew Gumbel: > View All...

Publisher Description

In the early morning of April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh drove into downtown Oklahoma City in a rented Ryder truck containing a deadly fertilizer bomb that he and his army buddy Terry Nichols had made the previous day. He parked in a handicapped-parking zone, hopped out of the truck, and walked away into a series of alleys and streets. Shortly after 9:00 A.M., the bomb obliterated one-third of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, including 19 infants and toddlers. McVeigh claimed he'd worked only with Nichols, and at least officially, the government believed him. But McVeigh's was just one version of events. And much of it was wrong.

In Oklahoma City, veteran investigative journalists Andrew Gumbel and Roger G. Charles puncture the myth about what happened on that day—one that has persisted in the minds of the American public for nearly two decades. Working with unprecedented access to government documents, a voluminous correspondence with Terry Nichols, and more than 150 interviews with those immediately involved, Gumbel and Charles demonstrate how much was missed beyond the guilt of the two principal defendants: in particular, the dysfunction within the country's law enforcement agencies, which squandered opportunities to penetrate the radical right and prevent the bombing, and the unanswered question of who inspired the plot and who else might have been involved.

To this day, the FBI heralds the Oklahoma City investigation as one of its great triumphs. In reality, though, its handling of the bombing foreshadowed many of the problems that made the country vulnerable to attack again on 9/11. Law enforcement agencies could not see past their own rivalries and underestimated the seriousness of the deadly rhetoric coming from the radical far right. In Oklahoma City, Gumbel and Charles give the fullest, most honest account to date of both the plot and the investigation, drawing a vivid portrait of the unfailingly compelling—driven, eccentric, fractious, funny, and wildly paranoid—characters involved.

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"Although it is confusing and hard to follow at times that is precisely the point. Fascinating autopsy of the flawed investigation and a great chronicle of the bombing and the investigation that followed. Raises a lot of troubling questions. Hard to put down."

— Christoaugust (4 out of 5 stars)

Oklahoma City Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 (3.00)
5 Stars: 1
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 5
2 Stars: 2
1 Stars: 0
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I did finish this book and it was interesting, but never answered it's own question outright. Although it did convince me we have something to fear from the far right . . . and it was so "easy" to kill so many. BRRRRR! "

    — Sally, 1/10/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Were McVeigh and Nichols the only ones involved in the Murrah building bombing in 1995? There remains many unanswered questions due, in part, to some fumbling investigations by the FBI, ATF and police forces. The threats are still there. Scary to think about. "

    — Jimmie, 10/7/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Quite a lot of repetition and a bit of a snoozer. Unless you are captivated by the OKC bombing, skip it. "

    — Ken, 9/9/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Lots of smoke; no fire. Obviously there were others involved in the Oklahoma City tragedy; just as obviously this book doesn't really solidly implicate anyone. It also fails to suggest why the FBI and other agencies would give right wing terrorists a pass - and we do need to know this. "

    — Susan, 5/28/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I started this book just days before the Boston bombing and I hope the Boston investigation is handled more professionally. I always thought the OKC bombing was a conspiracy and now I feel sure of it. Read this book soon! "

    — Rick, 4/28/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Well, I finished the book, didn't I? And, they never really answered outright "why it still matters", but I think it's pretty clear that people like the perpatrators are still very much a part of the landscape of this country. Scarey how "easy" it was to kill so many people, too. "

    — Sally, 2/13/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Eh. Basically a book of coulda, woulda, shoulda as we say around these parts. "

    — Karen, 11/16/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " The full story of the investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing and the subsequent trial of Timothy McVeigh. A curiously dry narrative with an array of unsavory characters in various militia groups highlighted. The failings of the investigation are well discussed but it is a long haul. "

    — Jim, 7/27/2012

About the Authors

Andrew Gumbel is a Los Angeles-based journalist and author. He spent six years in Italy, including stints as a foreign correspondent for Reuters and the Independent. He is the author of the widely acclaimed Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed—And Why It Still Matters.