The Suspect

By Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen

Book Overview

A based-on source for the Warner Bros. film Richard Jewell, starring Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, and Paul Walter Hauser​

"Meticulously reported, bracingly written, full of memorable and bizarre characters, the book casts a wary eye on the worlds of law enforcement and journalism, and their multiple failures in this tale. It's a story with no winners - except for readers of this terrific book."​ -- Jeffrey Toobin

The masterful true-crime account of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing that captured the world's attention, and the heroic security guard-turned-suspect at the heart of it all

On July 27, 1996, a hapless former cop turned hypervigilant security guard named Richard Jewell spotted a suspicious bag in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park, the town square of the 1996 Summer Games. Inside was a bomb, the largest of its kind in FBI and ATF history. Minutes later, the bomb detonated amid a crowd of fifty thousand people. But thanks to Jewell, it only wounded 111 and killed two, not the untold scores who would have otherwise died. With the eyes of the world on Atlanta, the Games continued. But the pressure to find the bomber was intense. Within seventy-two hours, Jewell went from the hero to the FBI's main suspect. The news leaked and the intense focus on the guard forever changed his life. The worst part: It let the true bomber roam free to strike again.

What really happened that evening during the Olympic Games? The attack left a mark on American history, but most of what we remember is wrong. In a triumph of reporting and access in the tradition of the best investigative journalism, former U.S. Attorney Kent Alexander and former Wall Street Journal reporter Kevin Salwen reconstruct all the events leading up to, during, and after the Olympic bombing from mountains of law enforcement evidence and the extensive personal records of key players, including Richard himself.

The Suspect, the culmination of more than five years of reporting, is a gripping story of the rise of domestic terrorism in America, the advent of the 24/7 news cycle, and an innocent man's fight to clear his name.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1419734628
• ISBN13: 9781419734625
• Release Date: November 2019
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Lesson In Dangers of Mass Hysteria

To this day it amazes me how the media breathlessly and daily shouted to the world that Richard Jewell was guilty of the 1990s Atlanta Olympics bombing yet, when found completely innocent, most all media moved-on without any retraction or apology. In the wake of the mayhem and hell they put this man through, they ruined countless lives along the way. This book does an excellent job of recounting the sad and often shocking Trifecta that for the most part ruined Richard Jewell's life and wrongly defamed his character: A pill-popping over eager journalist, a failed team of FBI agents, and a normal American human being whose lifelong passion to make something of himself in law enforcement -- clashed and exploded -- and very much had to do with the fact Jewell was white, overweight, from the South, spoke his mind and trusted far too many nasty people who laughed at him behind his back for his looks, drive (often too enthusiastic, which is no crime) and personal passions. Richard Jewell in short was a good human being who was disliked for his apearance and demeanor, and therefore was hung out to dry by the media, the Federal Government and a lot of society. This book does and excellent job telling one of the most incredible stories you'll ever read about 'The Wrong Man'. Shame on the media, the FBI and the failure of basic human decency to this day for what happened to Richard Jewell. This book tells it all and very well.