Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels
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- Author：Paul Pringle
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Summary
For fans of Spotlight and Bad Blood comes a journalistic thriller about corruption and betrayal at two of Los Angeles’s most powerful institutions， from a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter who investigated the story and helped bring justice in the face of formidable odds。
In 2016， a salacious tip came into the L。A。 Times’s newsroom that journalist Paul Pringle thought would， at most， take a few weeks to check out: a minor drug incident at a fancy hotel involving one of the University of Southern California’s shiniest stars—Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， the head of the prestigious medical school。 Pringle， who’d long done battle with USC and its almost impenetrable culture of silence， knew reporting the story wouldn’t be a walk in the park。 USC is the largest private employer in the city， and it casts a long shadow。
But what he couldn’t have foreseen was that this tip would lead to the unveiling of not one major scandal at USC but two， wrapped in a web of crimes and cover-ups。 The rot rooted out by Pringle and his colleagues at The Times would creep closer to home than they could have imagined: all the way to the top of the paper’s masthead。
Ultimately a story of investigative journalism winning the day， Pringle’s tale of how he and his fellow reporters triumphed over the city’s debased institutions reads like John Carreyrou with the grit of an L。A。 noir thriller。 This is L。A。 at its darkest and investigative journalism at its brightest。
In 2016， a salacious tip came into the L。A。 Times’s newsroom that journalist Paul Pringle thought would， at most， take a few weeks to check out: a minor drug incident at a fancy hotel involving one of the University of Southern California’s shiniest stars—Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， the head of the prestigious medical school。 Pringle， who’d long done battle with USC and its almost impenetrable culture of silence， knew reporting the story wouldn’t be a walk in the park。 USC is the largest private employer in the city， and it casts a long shadow。
But what he couldn’t have foreseen was that this tip would lead to the unveiling of not one major scandal at USC but two， wrapped in a web of crimes and cover-ups。 The rot rooted out by Pringle and his colleagues at The Times would creep closer to home than they could have imagined: all the way to the top of the paper’s masthead。
Ultimately a story of investigative journalism winning the day， Pringle’s tale of how he and his fellow reporters triumphed over the city’s debased institutions reads like John Carreyrou with the grit of an L。A。 noir thriller。 This is L。A。 at its darkest and investigative journalism at its brightest。
Reviews
Nicole Wuthering Vines
，
Wow， this is investigative journalism at its finest！！ Pringles determination for justice and accountability is truly unparalleled and I applaud him for never giving up！！I don’t read non fiction too often， so it takes a really intriguing topic to hold my attention and this one did just that！！ It’s such a powerful story about the shocking institutional corruption in Los Angeles and I was absolutely flabbergasted by all of the different levels of cover ups and how much people are willing to risk in Wow， this is investigative journalism at its finest！！ Pringles determination for justice and accountability is truly unparalleled and I applaud him for never giving up！！I don’t read non fiction too often， so it takes a really intriguing topic to hold my attention and this one did just that！！ It’s such a powerful story about the shocking institutional corruption in Los Angeles and I was absolutely flabbergasted by all of the different levels of cover ups and how much people are willing to risk in order to conceal the truth。 I wasn’t too familiar with the main case in this one but enjoyed the tie in to Lori Loughlin college admissions bribery scandal and Operation Varsity Blues！This is a riveting and risqué exposé that you don’t want to miss！ 。。。more
Bob Blair
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Compelling read
Mike Bartos
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AmazingWhat is amazing is not only the author’s dogged pursuit of truth despite numerous obstacles， but the level of corruption and intimidation that passes for business as usual at what are supposed to be our respected institutions
Debbie
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Paul Pringle is a nobel prize-winning journalist that tells us the story of how corrupt the police， and USC was during the investigation of one of USC's most prominent figure Carmen Pulifuto and his involvement of a cover up of an overdose。 Paul weaves the story so dramatically that a reader can not help but to be glued to the pages。 The story starts at a Pasadena hotel Candance。 One of the employees responds to a call and sees lots of drugs all over the room and a woman unconscious。 Carmen is w Paul Pringle is a nobel prize-winning journalist that tells us the story of how corrupt the police， and USC was during the investigation of one of USC's most prominent figure Carmen Pulifuto and his involvement of a cover up of an overdose。 Paul weaves the story so dramatically that a reader can not help but to be glued to the pages。 The story starts at a Pasadena hotel Candance。 One of the employees responds to a call and sees lots of drugs all over the room and a woman unconscious。 Carmen is with the woman and insists that they don't need a ambulance or doctor。 He takes the woman away before the employee can really do anything。 Days later the employee wonders what happened to the woman so he anonymously calls the paramedics and police and asks about her。 He then finds out that no paramedics report was filed or police report on the incident。 He gets suspicious and then decides to contact a friend that ends up being Paul。This is how Paul starts to learn about the case and get obsessed with the woman and why everyone is hiding details about Carmen's involvement in this incident。 I've never read a book that was written by a journalist before。 I find it so fascinating because it's a different style of writing， but it really hooked me and made me want to read more of what Paul has worked on in his life。Thank you to the publisher Celadon books for a physical copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Natalie （readswithnatalieb）
，
4。5 rounded up！If you’re looking for a true crime that reads like a thriller， this is for you。 It’s fast-paced， insightful and an incredibly important reminder how we need journalists in the world。 They go to great lengths to uncover the truth， even if it’s something they could get fired over。Okay that last part might sound dramatic - but I promise you， it’s not。 The writing itself was incredible。 It’s so clear why Pringle is such a successful journalist。 I was hooked from each word he wrote， co 4。5 rounded up！If you’re looking for a true crime that reads like a thriller， this is for you。 It’s fast-paced， insightful and an incredibly important reminder how we need journalists in the world。 They go to great lengths to uncover the truth， even if it’s something they could get fired over。Okay that last part might sound dramatic - but I promise you， it’s not。 The writing itself was incredible。 It’s so clear why Pringle is such a successful journalist。 I was hooked from each word he wrote， constantly taking the bait， curious as to what would come next。 The chapters weren’t too long， allowing readers to digest enough within a short span。 Given he wrote for the LA Times， it sort of read like article after article， but by no means was it formatted that way。 Between the personal accounts， quotes， documentation and more， it’s a well-rounded story that was definitely worth the read。 Content warnings: drug use， sexual assault， addiction， gaslighting， manipulation， overdose， corruptionBig thank you to Celadon for the gifted copy！ 。。。more
Bill
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Bad City is a wonderful example of a true crime story that pushes crime fiction down the ladder a rung or two。 Thanks to the author， Paul Pringle， a coverup of massive proportions was exposed along with the subsequent extensive wrongdoing at the highest levels by the University of Southern California。 Corruption is the word of the day throughout the book as Pringle crosses swords with USC， LA law enforcement， and his own bosses at The Los Angeles Times。The true story begins with a tip to the Tim Bad City is a wonderful example of a true crime story that pushes crime fiction down the ladder a rung or two。 Thanks to the author， Paul Pringle， a coverup of massive proportions was exposed along with the subsequent extensive wrongdoing at the highest levels by the University of Southern California。 Corruption is the word of the day throughout the book as Pringle crosses swords with USC， LA law enforcement， and his own bosses at The Los Angeles Times。The true story begins with a tip to the Times from a hotel employee who was called to the hotel room of the dean of the University of Southern California Kirk Medical School， Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， who was with an unconscious young woman that had been taking drugs。 911 and the police were called by the hotel worker。 He expected to hear or read what had happened to the woman， and if the dean faced any criminal charges。 When no information surfaced， the employee decided to contact the LA Times with what he witnessed， and Pringle immediately began his investigation and frustrating struggle with his bosses to get the story published。In incredible detail Pringle provides us with a textbook example of going where the story takes you。 The public reputation of the medical school dean and his ability to bring millions of research dollars annually to USC leads to administrators at USC minimizing the university’s involvement and law enforcement seemingly putting a lid on their less than thorough investigation。 Interestingly， it was the dean’s drug using victims that kept the story moving。 Unfortunately， regardless of the evidence and incontrovertible facts that Pringle put in front of the Times brass they kept delaying publishing the story and tried to get Pringle to soften his story。 Why， because USC is a major advertiser for the Times。The story then moves on to additional scandals at USC that have been publicly exposed。 USC’s president alleged misconduct resulting in his leaving， a gynecologist in the student health center who took compromising photos for decades of young， mostly Asian students and has been criminally charged， the admissions office admitting unqualified children of wealthy donors， and various sports teams coaches have all been caught falsifying records to obtain bribes from wealthy people anxious to get their children into USC。 Investigative journalists， unfortunately a dying breed as print newspapers are financially challenged these days， provide a important role in our society。 Bad City is a prime example of the Fourth Estate keeping us informed of the wrongdoing that can be found in prestigious universities， businesses， and law enforcement。 The book should be required reading in all basic journalism classes。 。。。more
Steve Magnino
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Should be required reading for students in journalism， business， medicine， and public administration。。。In the 1987 movie Dragnet， in a memorable exchange with Christopher Plummer， Dabney Coleman's character says "Reverend， you've got balls as big as church bells。" Well， guess what？ You could say the same of Paul Pringle。 Seriously。 His dog-with-a-bone tenacity， courage， and perseverance are on par with those of Woodward and Bernstein （All the President's Men）; Carreyrou （Bad Blood: Secrets and L Should be required reading for students in journalism， business， medicine， and public administration。。。In the 1987 movie Dragnet， in a memorable exchange with Christopher Plummer， Dabney Coleman's character says "Reverend， you've got balls as big as church bells。" Well， guess what？ You could say the same of Paul Pringle。 Seriously。 His dog-with-a-bone tenacity， courage， and perseverance are on par with those of Woodward and Bernstein （All the President's Men）; Carreyrou （Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Start Up）; and the investigative staff of the Boston Globe （Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church）。 Pringle tells a great story about his efforts to uncover， verify， and report on abuses of power and trust at the University of Southern California。 The behaviors on which he reports， and the arrogance of the institutions and individuals which fueled and sustained them， are shocking and infuriating。 But what makes Pringle's story different from the other investigative page-turners mentioned earlier is that he also has to fight his editors。 They seek to stonewall， delay， or lessen the story at every turn。 I know patience and perseverance are hallmarks of effective investigative journalists， but Pringle would have been justified in just walking away。 It is a good thing he didn't because this is a terrific story。 More importantly， his reporting facilitated justice， effected change， and delivered significant positive impacts to the victims of the bad behavior described。 A powerful book。 。。。more
BlondeBookReview
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Wow。 What an amazing look into the backstage of investigative journalism and the tireless efforts reporters， sources and others connected go through to shed light on the truth of injustices。 This book had me going through a range of emotions: outrage， disbelief， discouragement， and frustration， but by the end I was left with hope that there are people out there working hard to do good and end corruption。
David
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Pringle writes of corruption at USC。 Through that writing he also describes unethical relationships between his paper， USC and the City of Pasadena。 His description of what it takes to get a story to publication is enlightening。 Finally， he conveys the dismal state of journalism in our nation。 If I were a USC alumnus， I wouldn’t be very happy right now。I should add that I tried to read this book via Kindle on an iPad。 The formatting of the text was horrific。 So I read it via Apple’s Books app。
Carol
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Living on the east coast my whole life， I never paid much attention to schools and media issues on the west coast。 In Bad City the author got my attention on the first page and it never let up。A tip about a doctor and drugs and an overdose got the author to look into whether or not there was anything to the tip and he found yes， there was good reason to do so。 It ended being a far larger story than he had thought and the process of getting it to print was far harder than it should have been。 Par Living on the east coast my whole life， I never paid much attention to schools and media issues on the west coast。 In Bad City the author got my attention on the first page and it never let up。A tip about a doctor and drugs and an overdose got the author to look into whether or not there was anything to the tip and he found yes， there was good reason to do so。 It ended being a far larger story than he had thought and the process of getting it to print was far harder than it should have been。 Partly that was due to the levels of corruption at USC and with his superiors at the Times where he worked。There was little response from police or USC and it made getting every bit of info verified so much harder。 Once it was together， the higher ups killed the story， probably due to not wanting to rock the boat with the very influential USC。 For the school though， it was only one of many scandals that came to light。 A sicko campus doctor caused a huge situation just prior to the MeToo era along with the Varsity Blues bribery scandal。 Those scandals might not have seen as much media coverage if this author and his coworkers hadn't worked so hard to bring this situation to the light。I liked seeing all the facts laid out and researched。 Good reporting。 Thank you Bookish for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion。 。。。more
Jjyy
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Bad City is a nonfiction， true crime thriller written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Pringle about a scandal involving Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， the head of the medical school at University of Southern California。 As the story unfolds， the author delves into the pressures to stay silent and the unsurmountable obstacles that were placed in his way to uncovering the truth。 Along the way， he exposes crimes and cover-ups involving drugs， drug deals， institutional corruption， and corrupti Bad City is a nonfiction， true crime thriller written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Pringle about a scandal involving Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， the head of the medical school at University of Southern California。 As the story unfolds， the author delves into the pressures to stay silent and the unsurmountable obstacles that were placed in his way to uncovering the truth。 Along the way， he exposes crimes and cover-ups involving drugs， drug deals， institutional corruption， and corruption in the newsroom—all with the fast-paced and fascinating backdrop of an L。A。 that most people have never seen and will never experience for themselves。 With a unique point of view and skilled story-telling， Bad City was a fast and entertaining read that kept me on the edge of my seat。 I would recommend this book to fans of true crime and/or thrillers。 。。。more
Leslie Peterson
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Bad City is a good listen！ Gripping account of the scandal involving the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine at USC and the LA Times reporter who doggedly pursues it despite University’s many attempts to coverup the Dean’s shocking misdeeds。 This gives you a good idea of why we need good journalists who will tenaciously pursue things that smell rotten。 Being from the east coast， I didn’t realize what a 1000 lb gorilla USC is in Southern California and all the political sway it has。 And of course Bad City is a good listen！ Gripping account of the scandal involving the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine at USC and the LA Times reporter who doggedly pursues it despite University’s many attempts to coverup the Dean’s shocking misdeeds。 This gives you a good idea of why we need good journalists who will tenaciously pursue things that smell rotten。 Being from the east coast， I didn’t realize what a 1000 lb gorilla USC is in Southern California and all the political sway it has。 And of course， where there is billions of dollars and lots of power， there is bound to be some corruption。 The president of USC was ultimately responsible for covering up the outrageous and depraved activities of its medical school dean， along with other scandals that cast the university in a bad light。 The meticulous investigation done by the author is fascinating and exhaustive。 If you like stories about tenacious journalists following a big story like the Boston Globe “Spotlight” journalists， then you will like this book。 。。。more
Inés Molina
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We are not strangers to scandal， it happens everywhere。 It was an experience to actually read the book in the journalist point of view。 Pringle struggled to get his story published and his investigation。 I admire how relentless he is， he did not give up and kept going even when things seem to be hidden or we're not going as expected。 People cover other people and this journalist was trying to pull the wool off of our eyes。 The things happening under our nose， you wouldn't believe it。 The story i We are not strangers to scandal， it happens everywhere。 It was an experience to actually read the book in the journalist point of view。 Pringle struggled to get his story published and his investigation。 I admire how relentless he is， he did not give up and kept going even when things seem to be hidden or we're not going as expected。 People cover other people and this journalist was trying to pull the wool off of our eyes。 The things happening under our nose， you wouldn't believe it。 The story is a bit heartache to me but it is also enlightening to learn that everything was not as peaches as it seemed。 His determination is what got him to reveal everything， even after the cops and things were trying to be covered， hidden。 This book sheds a light a great light into journalism。 I am glad to have had the opportunity to read and get to know the work that is being a journalist。 。。。more
Robert P。 Hoffman
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I listened to the audio version of the book and it was fine。 The author does an excellent job of showing how various people failed to pursue leads， were compromised by their personal connections， and failed to stand up for what was right。 The author does an excellent job of explaining how a journalist pursues a story and how many times it is a lucky break that keeps the story alive。I think the author behaved with courage in standing up to corrupt police， corrupt administrators， and corrupt edito I listened to the audio version of the book and it was fine。 The author does an excellent job of showing how various people failed to pursue leads， were compromised by their personal connections， and failed to stand up for what was right。 The author does an excellent job of explaining how a journalist pursues a story and how many times it is a lucky break that keeps the story alive。I think the author behaved with courage in standing up to corrupt police， corrupt administrators， and corrupt editors。 。。。more
Wendy
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what can i say i just love corruption stories
Melanie
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Maybe should be titled Bad USC？ *Thanks to the author and publisher for the copy of Bad City this review is based on*As a fiction only reader， I was drawn to this non-fiction True-Crime novel written by Pulitzer Prize winning Paul Pringle。 The book mostly dives into the scandal of former dean of USC's Keck School of Medicine， Dr。 Carmen Puliafito。 I was continually amazed at how many obstacles， roadblocks， and outright corruption that Pringle faced at the Los Angeles Times when trying to publis Maybe should be titled Bad USC？ *Thanks to the author and publisher for the copy of Bad City this review is based on*As a fiction only reader， I was drawn to this non-fiction True-Crime novel written by Pulitzer Prize winning Paul Pringle。 The book mostly dives into the scandal of former dean of USC's Keck School of Medicine， Dr。 Carmen Puliafito。 I was continually amazed at how many obstacles， roadblocks， and outright corruption that Pringle faced at the Los Angeles Times when trying to publish this story。 I found myself saying out loud "Are you serious？ How did they happen？" I had to remind myself that this was a non-fiction story。 Overall， I enjoyed this book， however I would have preferred if Pringle had focused solely on the Puliafito case。 I felt like the Tyndall and Varsity Blues scandal were hurriedly discussed and felt like a completely different story from the Puliafito scandal。 。。。more
Sam
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If you're going to compare your book to another book， you better be really sure that your book measures up。 Bad City was advertised as "for fans of Catch and Kill，" and it is just not on the same level。The book， written by LA Times investigative journalist Paul Pringle， follows his investigation into Carmen Puliafito， dean of USC's medical school， who was found to be dealing and using drugs。 The first 2/3 of the book follows Pringle's investigation into this story and multiple allegations that h If you're going to compare your book to another book， you better be really sure that your book measures up。 Bad City was advertised as "for fans of Catch and Kill，" and it is just not on the same level。The book， written by LA Times investigative journalist Paul Pringle， follows his investigation into Carmen Puliafito， dean of USC's medical school， who was found to be dealing and using drugs。 The first 2/3 of the book follows Pringle's investigation into this story and multiple allegations that his editors at the LA Times tried to block his investigation and slow， if not stop， the publication of his story。 The last 1/3 then speeds through the story he worked on that actually won him the Pulitzer - an investigation into George Tyndall， a USC gynecologist who sexually assaulted and harassed hundreds of students。 And then the very end throws in the Varsity Blues investigation， mainly as a way to explain Nikias' ultimate resignation rather than out of any desire to investigate the scandal itself。The "story behind the story" was interesting - seeing how Pringle stumbled onto this story， how he chased down leads and went through records to build a strong case。 However， it got extremely repetitive。 We already know from the first few pages of the book that Puliafito did some immoral & illegal things， USC did not do anything， and the LA Times editors did not want the story published。 Then there's 200 pages of that message being repeated again and again。 And again。 When Pringle mentioned specific instances - his letter to Nikias being returned unopened， the editors denying knowledge - it strengthened the story。 When he just repeated his claims ad nauseum with no new information， it significantly weakened the story。 Similarly， his unrelenting insistence in the first half of the book that he needed to publish the story ASAP would have been an effective way to add tension to the storyline。。。except then months pass， nothing happens， and he never addresses his earlier insistence that time was of the essence。 The comparison to Catch and Kill makes Bad City's weaknesses all the more apparent。 Overall， Pringle's insight into his own actions & ability to self-reflect was nonexistent， in stark contrast to Farrow's。 His insistence that Soon-Shiong would magically fix everything was bizarre， not at all supported by anything he said in the book， and bordering on sycophancy。 The overall level of evidence was weaker as well。 Do I believe Puliafito manipulated young people into doing drugs？ Yeah， probably。 Does the evidence provided in the text support that？ Not so much。 It's clear he used and sold drugs; there is virtually no evidence provided that he manipulated others into using drugs， with the exception of bringing Sarah drugs in rehab。 The remainder of the people who used drugs supplied by Puliafito were young， sure， and likely easy to manipulate， but Pringle does not provide any evidence that these people would not have found other sources to do drugs; many of them were already using and/or dealing， which is how Puliafito was introduced to them in the first place。Overall， the story was decent but not spectacular。 It was an easy， interesting read。 It just could have been so much better than it was。 Thank you to BookishFirst for the ARC。 。。。more
Dana
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This true crime account is told from the perspective of LA Times investigative reporter， Paul Pringle。 The author tells the story of working for years to expose scandals involving powerful people at USC and beyond after receiving an anonymous tip。The author’s approach to telling this true crime story as part of his investigation as a journalist really hooked me to read a genre that I normally avoid。 Paul Pringle’s account of his work with the LA Times over several years on investigating various This true crime account is told from the perspective of LA Times investigative reporter， Paul Pringle。 The author tells the story of working for years to expose scandals involving powerful people at USC and beyond after receiving an anonymous tip。The author’s approach to telling this true crime story as part of his investigation as a journalist really hooked me to read a genre that I normally avoid。 Paul Pringle’s account of his work with the LA Times over several years on investigating various scandals involving USC is described in detail and demonstrates his tenacity （with the help of several colleagues） in pursuing truth even when it hit close to home with revelations around his own employer。 As a reader， I enjoyed his descriptions around the interviews conducted with the key players and even more， the details around those who avoided him。 I’m no journalist but was shocked by how much resistance the author and his team confronted in their efforts to reveal corruption。 It’s disappointing that these wealthy and influential characters continue to go unchecked but refreshing to learn that ethical journalists like the author work so hard to expose them。Thanks to BookishFirst and Celadon Books for the Advanced Reader Copy。 。。。more
Anna
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What started out as an investigation into one incident involving wealth and power quickly expanded to involve even more players across revered institutions and levels of government。 The corruption， layers of cover up and indifference or malicious disregard of multiple crimes over several years is troubling。 It's astounding that the team of journalists at the LA Times （including the author） were able to pursue and ultimately publish most of the truth given all the obstacles and barriers they enco What started out as an investigation into one incident involving wealth and power quickly expanded to involve even more players across revered institutions and levels of government。 The corruption， layers of cover up and indifference or malicious disregard of multiple crimes over several years is troubling。 It's astounding that the team of journalists at the LA Times （including the author） were able to pursue and ultimately publish most of the truth given all the obstacles and barriers they encountered。 Initially I thought the book was about Carmen Puliafito and what was uncovered about his hidden life that led to his fall （that， in and of itself， could be another book！）。 But the early parts of the book were heavy on the journalistic process and the way Paul Pringle pursued the story making it clear that ultimately this book is about the scope of the corruption that tried to protect people in power and from prominent institutions like the University of Southern California and the LA Times。 What a fascinating account of the ways wealth and power exercise their influence on stories that get told or that get buried。Many thanks to Bookish First and Celadon Books for sending a copy of Bad City。 。。。more
Nelson
，
Couldn't put it down。 There's something so compelling about investigative journalism， it plays like a modern day mystery。 （The documentary practically writes itself）。 Bonus for Paul Pringle being an entertaining protagonist with levity and honesty through the frustrating process of trying to take down corrupt institutions。Once the primary case is closed， there are some tangentially related cases that occupy the last 4 chapters or so， which from a storytelling perspective feel a little tacked on， Couldn't put it down。 There's something so compelling about investigative journalism， it plays like a modern day mystery。 （The documentary practically writes itself）。 Bonus for Paul Pringle being an entertaining protagonist with levity and honesty through the frustrating process of trying to take down corrupt institutions。Once the primary case is closed， there are some tangentially related cases that occupy the last 4 chapters or so， which from a storytelling perspective feel a little tacked on， only because the primary arc is so darn good it's hard to keep reading knowing that is all behind us。 However， he does a nice job of justifying their place in the book in the end - all same institutional corruption - but nonetheless it could be embedded a little smoother。Highly recommended， especially for Angelenos （and Trojans）， but even if you are neither and like a good investigation， check this one out。Also， a little personal anecdote: I met the author's daughter on Hinge。 We didn't end up dating long-term but when she told me about this book coming out I had to read it stat。 And I'm glad I did！ 。。。more
CYIReadBooks （Claire）
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Unfreakinbelievable！ If you thought that there’s no corruption in those elite universities and public service organizations， think again。 Best get rid of those rose colored glasses and face the harsh reality of “I scratch your back， you’ll scratch my back” mentality。Bad City tells the truthful tale of unthinkable corruption in one of the most prestigious universities。 It starts with the dean of the school of medicine and then escalates to the onsite ObGyn of the school。 You just cannot imagine t Unfreakinbelievable！ If you thought that there’s no corruption in those elite universities and public service organizations， think again。 Best get rid of those rose colored glasses and face the harsh reality of “I scratch your back， you’ll scratch my back” mentality。Bad City tells the truthful tale of unthinkable corruption in one of the most prestigious universities。 It starts with the dean of the school of medicine and then escalates to the onsite ObGyn of the school。 You just cannot imagine the coverups that took place。 It’s inconceiveable how the university administration managed to squash any and all inquiries with the help of the local law enforcement。As a result of the investigations by the Times journalistic team， two other scandals were revealed — the USC admissions bribery scheme involving Hollywood actresses and actors， and the corruption of the USC President at that time。Author， Pringle is a master in his journalistic writing skills。 And Bad City is a prime example of his excellent work。If you enjoyed the film， Spotlight， you will certainly enjoy the book， Bad City。 In my opinion， Bad City is one of the best true crime/nonfiction books out there。 Five exceptional stars。I received a finished copy of the book from Celadon Books through BookishFirst。 The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions。 。。。more
Grittney
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Thank you to BookishFirst and Celadon Books for the gifted copy。 All opinions and thoughts are my own。 CW: drug abuse， sexual assault， prostitution Sold as a nonfiction thriller about the scandals in the late 2010s about USC， Bad City is a behind the scenes look by Paul Pringle， a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist。 There was a tip that came into the Los Angeles Times involving Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， the head of the University of Southern California's medical school。 As the investiga Thank you to BookishFirst and Celadon Books for the gifted copy。 All opinions and thoughts are my own。 CW: drug abuse， sexual assault， prostitution Sold as a nonfiction thriller about the scandals in the late 2010s about USC， Bad City is a behind the scenes look by Paul Pringle， a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist。 There was a tip that came into the Los Angeles Times involving Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， the head of the University of Southern California's medical school。 As the investigation went on， the journalists found not just one scandal， but two， and how far the USC network actually ran。I was really excited to read about this book since it was touted as a thriller。 Unfortunately， it did not live up to that aspect for me。 The book is well written， but it was definitely not something that I was excited to pick back up again after I put it down。 It is interesting to see how investigative journalists work， and how well researched it was。 It just seemed like the second and possibly third scandal they talked about were much more compressed than the main story that was advertised。 。。。more
Frank Peters
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A gripping true-crime tale of corruption。The drug-induced bad behavior of the Dean of the USC Medical Center， I knew very little about， but the internal foot-dragging by the editors at the LA Times was a big surprise。 How Pringle and his team of investigative reporters got this story printed is compelling。 I spent much of my Saturday glued to my chair – I had to see what I expected would be， justice prevail。 A great book on the details and methods of investigative reporting。
Bob
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Paul Pringle is a legend in his own mind。 Unfortunately， that mind hews conspiratorial and narcissistic。 His book， "Bad City"， is filled with verve， but it's far easier to write something stylish and spicy if you are not bound by facts and if you don't have an editor breathing down your neck， challenging your hand-wavey （but eminently readable） assertions。Pringle was a reputational freerider on an important Pulitzer prize winning piece about Dr。 Tyndal of USC。 You might even think this book is a Paul Pringle is a legend in his own mind。 Unfortunately， that mind hews conspiratorial and narcissistic。 His book， "Bad City"， is filled with verve， but it's far easier to write something stylish and spicy if you are not bound by facts and if you don't have an editor breathing down your neck， challenging your hand-wavey （but eminently readable） assertions。Pringle was a reputational freerider on an important Pulitzer prize winning piece about Dr。 Tyndal of USC。 You might even think this book is about the vital work undertaken by Hamilton and Ryan， depicting Tyndal's malfeasance that resulted in a billion dollar payout to his victims。 Instead， this is a book about another， less noteworthy， USC scandal （USC - WTF！）， but one where Pringle was in the driver's seat of the investigation。 Did Celadon， the publisher， want the Tyndal story， but accepted the Puliafito story only if it came with a bonus scandal？ Pringle's tale of LA Times obstacles to publication is thoroughly debunked by his editors at the time。 If you read the first draft that was presented to Matt Doig （google Matt Doig's "Sex， Meth， Lies and Journalism"）， you see how much work the editors had to do to transform the hand-waving and the un-sourced allegations into a story that was concise and that would not explode in the newspaper's face。 The draft was edited by Doig in mid-April。 The article was published mid-July。 The three months between the draft and its publication is hardly evidence of some outrageous plot by the top editors to protect their relationship with USC （which remains the host of the LA Times Book Fair）。 Perhaps， instead， the gap is an indictment of the journalist who didn't even have the name of Puliafito's victim in the first draft （an important detail， in an era of allegations of "fake news"）。The book is riddled with errors， sleazy implications， and self-important assertions。 Pringle suggests his USC story is responsible for the firing of multiple editors。 He takes credit for the subsequent investigation into Tyndal。 He disparages his old editors even as he sucks up to his current editors。 Check out his current editor's deft tweet thread extolling Pringle's past articles while disavowing any involvement in Pringle's book。 Nicely played， given that Pringle would probably have a grievance against him too， if he weren't a sufficiently enthusiastic proponent。 Pringle even takes credit for Patrick Soon-Shiong's decision to buy the LA Times。Pringle's work needs to be edited。 "Bad City" suffers from the lack of proper editing， as it devolves into fiction that detracts and distracts from the wretched facts surrounding Puliafito。 It's a shame Pringle's so hostile to those who would protect him from himself。 。。。more
Karen
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My thanks to @celadonbooks for my advanced copy of this wonderful book！This book reads like a combination of a true crime documentary and a thriller！ It focuses on a major scandal involving a top official from the University of Southern California， and the unbelievable coverup that took place。The author， 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 reporter Paul Pringle， reveals behind the scenes information as he details his struggles to follow up on a valid tip that Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， head of the prestigious USC medi My thanks to @celadonbooks for my advanced copy of this wonderful book！This book reads like a combination of a true crime documentary and a thriller！ It focuses on a major scandal involving a top official from the University of Southern California， and the unbelievable coverup that took place。The author， 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 reporter Paul Pringle， reveals behind the scenes information as he details his struggles to follow up on a valid tip that Dr。 Carmen Puliafito， head of the prestigious USC medical school， was involved in a drug overdose situation with a young woman in a hotel room。 Pringle describes how police and university officials refused to talk to him， and how he met one dead end after another。 A story that should have taken only weeks to put together ended up taking months！ Throughout his struggles， he remained confident that the 𝘓。𝘈。 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 would jump at the opportunity to publish this story！ Yet， he met with more resistance from the officials within his own newspaper！ He began to question just how far this coverup could go！ He refused to give up and recruited other reporters to help knock through barriers and bring this scandal to light。 This led to the discovery of even more shocking scandals involving USC！ Pringle writes a story that reads as easily as fiction; and he does a great job explaining the politics and intricacies that were involved。 。。。more
KateT16
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Bad City exemplifies old-fashioned， determined， excellent journalism that uncovers scandals within the USC system， LA Times， and city policing/judicial system。 Shining an investigative light onto these hidden crimes not only uncovers those locally， but puts the public as well as other media outlets， to be alert to what to look for in their localities and how to advocate when it seems like the system is against the very people it is supposed to be serving by keeping pushing to ask and answer the Bad City exemplifies old-fashioned， determined， excellent journalism that uncovers scandals within the USC system， LA Times， and city policing/judicial system。 Shining an investigative light onto these hidden crimes not only uncovers those locally， but puts the public as well as other media outlets， to be alert to what to look for in their localities and how to advocate when it seems like the system is against the very people it is supposed to be serving by keeping pushing to ask and answer the tough questions。 I love to watch and read about investigations and this story kept revealing new and intriguing scandals。 It was extremely detailed， which helps the reader imagine the setting， the people involved and the situations， but at times felt a bit bogged down by too much information （the details of the historic buildings was interesting， but the architectural histories was maybe too much， as well as detailing what was in certain emails but then also recreating them）。 A very satisfying and interesting read！ 。。。more
Kayla
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 *Thank you BookishFirst and Celadon Books for this copy of Bad City in exchange for an honest review* Jaw-dropping and at times puzzling Bad City sucked right into the dark underbelly of glitz， glamour and corruption。 When I first started reading the sneak peak I thought it was simply another scandal。 At the center of one of the most prestigious universities in the country。 It turned out to be so much more than a book about one scandal。 Times reporter Paul Pringle manages to bring the reader rig *Thank you BookishFirst and Celadon Books for this copy of Bad City in exchange for an honest review* Jaw-dropping and at times puzzling Bad City sucked right into the dark underbelly of glitz， glamour and corruption。 When I first started reading the sneak peak I thought it was simply another scandal。 At the center of one of the most prestigious universities in the country。 It turned out to be so much more than a book about one scandal。 Times reporter Paul Pringle manages to bring the reader right into story itself。Right into the center of an overdose that would lead to the downfall of one of USC’s own。 Not only that but it would lead to a series of national that would turn into international scandals that reached far beyond USC’s campus。 What struck me so much about the story is not the fact that the wealthy， elite will circle around and protect their own。 That unfortunately seems to be a given anymore。 What really took me back was their complete disregard and lack of awareness。 Especially as the shocking stories compounded one another。 The Times themselves were even part of the cover up at certain points！ That completely threw me。 I never knew before reading this the paper’s deep ties to the university。 I devoured this book I couldn’t put it down。 。。。more
Caroline
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I highly recommend this book。 It was thrilling， gripping， shocking， and as I said unputdownable。 I'm certain other lovers of true crime and general investigation into corruption will feel the same。This book has incredible pacing。 It starts off with the scene of the crime so to speak - or one of them - with the overdose and tip to LA Times reporter （and author） Paul Pringle that started it all and from there delves further and further into his and eventually his colleagues investigation into Carm I highly recommend this book。 It was thrilling， gripping， shocking， and as I said unputdownable。 I'm certain other lovers of true crime and general investigation into corruption will feel the same。This book has incredible pacing。 It starts off with the scene of the crime so to speak - or one of them - with the overdose and tip to LA Times reporter （and author） Paul Pringle that started it all and from there delves further and further into his and eventually his colleagues investigation into Carmen Puliafito。 As Pringle was increasingly met with obstacles it seemed to only spur him to leave no stone unturned。 Reading it， I couldn't help but be struck by the thought that things may have turned out very， very differently if they hadn't faced quite so many roadblocks - and ultimately probably for the worse since their reporting on Puliafito led them to other severe misconduct。I'll admit that early on there were a few chapters where I found the timeline a bit confusing， but once he gets going and focuses in on the investigation and fight to get his initial story published I simply couldn't stop reading。 Highly recommend this one。 。。。more
Anonymous
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Fast paced and well done。 Read it very quickly。 Plenty of work went in to corroborating the facts。
Andrea George
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