New Karen Read book ‘Blizzard of Lies’ hits bookstores

BOSTON — A new book about the death of Boston Police officer John O’Keefe and the trials of Karen Read hits bookstores today.

New York Times best selling author Dave Wedge wrote “Blizzard of Lies: Karen Read, John O’Keefe, and the Shocking Unsolved Murder in Cop Town, USA”

Wedge, who’s known for his other works on the Boston Marathon bombing, Whitey Bulger, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler started working on the new book shortly after John O’Keefe died in Canton.

“I had been gathering material for this book for four years,” said Wedge as he unboxed in first package of books in his home back in May.

The book tells the story of O’Keefe’s death and the trials that ultimately acquitted Karen Read of his murder.

Wedge said, “There’s been a lot of biased media around this case on both sides. And I try to help the reader sift through that.”

This is Wedge’s eighth book.

He writes about a divided community, giving a full picture of the case, and something he hasn’t seen before – the free Karen Read movement.

“Something I think about when I think about this story is the impact that social media had on the justice system. And I do think we’ve crossed a threshold with this case where social media is now impacting what happens in the courtroom,” he explained.

Wedge said he interviewed more than 50 people for the book, spending a good amount of time with the O’Keefe family.

“I think that it’s important to tell John O’Keefe’s story. You know, John O’Keefe’s the victim here. You know, Karen Read’s not the victim. Karen Read’s someone that was charged with murder. You know, is it upsetting if she was innocent and she was railroaded by corrupt police officers? Yeah, that’s terrible. But she’s not the victim here.”

From O’Keefe raising his niece and nephew as his own to his work on the Boston marathon and his relationship with Read, Wedge says details in the book about O’Keefe will give people a better understanding of who John was.

Karen Read was found not guilty of murdering O’Keefe.

She walked away from Norfolk Superior Court only at fault for operating under the influence.

Wedge commented, “The justice system did work in this case the way that it was designed. There was plenty of reasonable doubt. The verdict was correct.”

Wedge sat down with Read during his writing process but didn’t conduct a first-person interview with her.

Although he doesn’t know what happened the night O’Keefe died, he thinks of the case as a blizzard of lies.

“It happened in a snowstorm and there’s been so much lying and corruption... No matter what you think happened, it’s undeniable that there was a stink of dishonesty and misinformation and lack of transparency that surrounded that case,” said Wedge.

“Blizzard of Lies” is available now wherever books are sold.

Author Dave Wedge will be on tour promoting the book starting today.

You can meet him at the Barnes and Noble in Hingham tonight at 6PM.

He will make other stops in Massachusetts and New Hampshire through October.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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