Review: Oklahoma City (Enhanced Edition): What the Investigation Missed--And Why It Still Matters by Andrew Gumbel and Roger G. Charles

Title: Oklahoma City (Enhanced Edition): What the Investigation Missed--And Why It Still Matters
Authors: Andrew Gumbel and Roger G. Charles
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Edition: eBook (448 pages)

Oklahoma City (Enhanced Edition): What the Investigation Missed--And Why It Still Matters by Andrew Gumbel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The title of this work speaks eloquently as to what this book is about. The authors take the reader through a chronology of the events that lead up to the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on Wednesday morning, April 19, 1995, as well as the subsequent investigation and trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. The authors also detail events that took place between the conclusion of both trials, and the revelations later put forth by Terry Nichols.

I wanted to read this book because I have always wondered how two people with limited experience with explosives could bring this about. I have wondered if there were not more individuals involved in the planning and execution of this bombing? The authors, as journalists, investigated the various conspiracy theories, the rather disjointed Federal investigation of this horrific tragedy, the ignores and often disregarded witness statements, and the positions and strategies put into play by the government, prosecution and defense attorneys, as well as the shortcomings and failures of the investigative process, itself.