The Suspect

An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle

By: Kent Alexander, Kevin Salwen

Narrated by: Paul Michael

A contributing source for the Warner Bros.’ film Richard Jewell starring Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, and Paul Walter Hauser!

A gripping insider account of the terrorist bombing at the 1996 Olympic Games 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 remotely detonated by the attacker amid a crowd of 50,000 people. But thanks to Jewell, it only killed two and wounded 111, not the hundreds who authorities estimated could have otherwise died. With the eyes of the world on Atlanta, the games continued. But the pressure to find the bomber was intense. Within 72 hours, Jewell went from the hero to the FBI’s main suspect, a false accusation that forever changed his life and let the true bomber roam free to strike again.

In a triumph of reporting and access, Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen’s The Suspect 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.

©2019 by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen. Published in 2019 by Abrams Press, and imprint of ABRAMS, Inc. All rights reserved (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

Surprisingly taut, engaging, and necessary read

Very pleasantly surprised to discover the full backstory to the Jewel / Rudolph cases. As a native Atlantan and Olympic volunteer in 1996 I had long relegated the Jewel case to a far back burner of my mind. Now that we have a bigger and more accurate picture of the events discussed in the book there is no question it was a book that had to be written... and one whose themes remain painfully timely. My only critique of the audio book is the narrater’s pronunciation of “A.C.O.G.” as “aeseeohgee” (ph.) and not as the acronym that it had become to us Atlantans: “akog” (ph.). Otherwise a fine narration.

Great but sad true story

This is a great story about an ordinary hero wrongly accused. It's also one of the best narrations I've heard in an audio book. Don't miss it.

Great book

I didn’t like the way the author tried to do the southern accent. Made me cringe every time. Author needs more vocal accent training before attempting any other accents. The book is great otherwise. Well written and very interesting.

Excellent book

Saw the movie first and then got this book. I lived in Atlanta during the Olympics and remembered this as if it was yesterday. I remembered how this guy got screwed royally and I am amazed he was able to put his life back together. He was definitely a hero. R I P

Excellent work

An extraordinarily presented interesting book . Well balanced informative reporting while conveying a sense of the dramatic.