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

Oklahoma City examines one of the deadliest acts of terrorism on American soil. On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh drove a rented Ryder truck containing a fertilizer bomb into downtown Oklahoma City. McVeigh and his army associate Terry Nichols had constructed the bomb the previous day. After parking the truck, McVeigh left the scene. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., the explosion destroyed one-third of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, including 19 infants and toddlers. Investigative reporter Andrew Gumbel and retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel Roger G. Charles draw on personal correspondence with co-defendant Terry Nichols, hundreds of hours of interviews, and thousands of government documents to present their account. The book explores what the investigation missed and examines implications for national security and law enforcement.