Blizzard of Lies details the case of Karen Read, accused of murdering her boyfriend, Boston cop John O’Keefe in 2022. After a night of partying as a snow storm blanketed the Boston area, O’Keefe’s body was found in a snow bank early in the morning, and suspicion quickly turned to Read, who had a volatile relationship with O’Keefe.. The book is an impartial telling of the facts of the case and the trials that followed by an investigative journalist through trial transcripts, interviews and police reports, all laid out in an orderly fashion, letting the reader decide for themselves as to Read’s.culpability. This was a case that garnered national attention spawning a traditional media and social media frenzy that gripped the nation. A must read for true crime aficionados. Well done! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you live anywhere near Boston, you’ve probably heard about Karen Read. She was the woman who had too much to drink, ran over her boyfriend and left him to die in a snowbank. Or did she? At first, it seems like a simple case. The couple was fighting, both were drunk, he had shards of red plastic on his body and her car had a broken taillight. However, Blizzard of Lies shows how alternate stories and the manipulation of facts can distort the truth. The victim, John O’Keefe, was a Boston police officer with many friends on the Boston force and in his hometown of Canton. And Karen had a very good lawyer. The Read case and the two trials that followed became a media circus with a blogger called Turtleboy beginning a “Free Karen” movement. Suspicion fell on some of John’s fellow officers while the O’Keefe family was harassed and vilified. The verdict in the second trial, after the first mistrial, was a DUI conviction. “It was the most expensive DUI conviction in Massachusetts history” and we still don’t know what happened on that snowy night in January.

Blizzard of Lies is carefully researched and well written. Dave Wedge analyzes each part of this tragedy to present a true crime drama that reads like fiction and is impossible to put down. Bravo! 5 stars.

Blizzard of Lies by Dave Wedge was was a good book.i am a real crime junkie and even though I watch all the trials and documentaries in a case, there are always some things that aren't included in the stories. I enjoyed reading this book and learning new facts about the Boston PD it made for an entertaining read! I highly recommend it to all my fellow crime junkie friends!

Blizzard of Lies by Dave Wedge was an easy 5 star read for me.

I’ve followed the Karen Read/John O’Keefe case for quite a while, so I went into this already knowing a lot of the details. Even so, I found myself completely absorbed by this book and learned things I either hadn’t known or hadn’t fully understood before.

I’m firmly in the #KarenReadDidIt camp, but I also think it’s impossible to look at this case and ignore how badly the investigation was handled from the very beginning. There were so many mistakes, questionable decisions, and missed opportunities that made an already complicated case even more chaotic.

What I really appreciated about Blizzard of Lies was how it put so many of those details together in one place. Wedge does a great job laying out the not just the timeline, but also the evidence, the people involved, (& their backstories too!) and the twists and turns without making an already complicated case impossible to follow.

Even if you’ve been following this case for years, I think there’s something to get out of this book. And if you’re new to the Karen Read case, this is a great place to start getting the bigger picture.

Absolutely one of my favorite true-crime reads this year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Dave Wedge and NetGalley for the ARC! 📚
Also, still praying for justice for JJ, as they called him in the book! IYKYK.

When Boston cop John O Keefe was found dead after a night out partying with his girlfriend, Karen Read, people were suspicious. Blame soon found its way to Karen. But did she do it? In a case that gripped America, Dave Wedge pieces together the evidence. Things are not quite as they appear to be. So what happened in reality? That's for the reader to decide in this excellent book.

This case was so overwhelming to follow as it played out and I have been waiting for a book to come out about it. I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint. I now fully understand every aspect of the case. It was well organized, very factual and not full of fluff towards one side or the other. This is definitely the ideal way to learn everything from start to finish about this case. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and BenBella Books for providing me with ARC.

Blizzard of Lies covers the Karen Read trial while also exploring the lives of Karen Read and John O'Keefe and the relationship they shared before his death. The book provides an in-depth account of the investigation and the first trial, detailing the competing arguments presented in court. It also examines the social media firestorm that surrounded the case, highlighting how online discussions, public opinion, and widespread media attention shaped the broader conversation surrounding one of the most closely watched criminal cases in recent years.

I thought Dave Wedge did a good job covering the many different aspects of the case in a balanced and engaging manner. Although the case focuses on Karen Read, he never loses sight of the true victim, John O'Keefe, ensuring that his life and legacy remain at the heart of the story. I also appreciated that the book concludes with a brief update on what has happened to each of the major figures involved since the first trial, providing readers with helpful context beyond the courtroom proceedings.

read if you like:
📖 true crime
💁🏻‍♀️ the Karen Read trial
❓ unsolved mysteries

summary:
If you live in New England, or really anywhere, you know about the Karen Read trial for the death of John O’Keefe. As a true crime spectator, I watched this trial every day, and was excited to see a book about it, which brings the entire set of facts and evidence into a single story.

It is a gripping, deeply reported look at one of Massachusetts’s most polarizing and devastating cases and the investigation and trial that followed. The author takes a story that many of us followed through headlines, TikTok’s, courtroom clips, protests, and endless online theories, and brings it back to the people at the center of it—especially John O’Keefe. The book is detailed without feeling overly complicated, laying out the messy timeline, the questions around the investigation, and the broader consequences of a case that exposed serious concerns about the ethics of Massachusetts law enforcement. It brings everything together in a singular timeline and story, in a way that makes it simpler to follow and easy to read.

What I appreciated most was that it did not feel like a sensationalized true crime story. It felt measured, well-researched, and focused on the humans beneath all the noise. Even knowing pieces of this story already, I found myself pulled in by the reporting and frustrated by how many questions still remain.

This is a must-read for anyone following the Karen Read case, Boston true crime, or stories where the truth continues to feel out of reach. Thanks to BenBella Books and NetGalley for the reviewer copy, and find this book at your local independent bookstore today.

A helpful and informative overview of the Karen Read case. Useful for anyone who didn't follow the trial coverage. Surprisingly balanced.

Like many people, I followed the Karen Read case from a distance and found it nearly impossible to sort fact from speculation. One of the strengths of this book is that it attempts to bring order to an extraordinarily complicated and emotionally charged story. Dave Wedge clearly knows this case inside and out, and the reporting is thorough, detailed, and accessible even for readers who may not have followed every twist and turn in real time.

I also came away with a deeper appreciation for just how difficult it can be to arrive at truth when investigations, media coverage, public opinion, and institutional failures all become intertwined. Regardless of where readers ultimately land on the case itself, the book raises thoughtful questions about trust in public institutions, the influence of online communities, and the way narratives can harden long before all the facts are known.

My one significant criticism involves the imagined dialogue and reconstructed quotations that appear throughout the book. For me, those moments were unnecessary. Rather than adding color or helping me better understand the people involved, they often felt contrived and pulled me out of the narrative. The facts of this case are compelling enough on their own, and I found myself wishing the author had trusted the reporting without embellishing scenes in that way.

Even so, this is a well-researched and engaging account of one of the most polarizing criminal cases in recent memory. Readers interested in true crime, criminal justice, or media influence will find plenty to consider here.

Great book that completely solidifies the guilt of Karen Read. How this woman got off for the murder of her boyfriend I'll never be able to fathom. Meticulous in detail and thoroughly researched, read this book if you want to know what actually happened on that fateful night. More thoughts to come and a complete review to follow over on ye olde blog.

Blizzard of Lies is true crime writing at its best.Karen Reads case was so complicated involved so many people including a man called Turtle Boy.I followed this trial was shocked by so much the witnesses police officers and the list goes on.The defense team did a brilliant defense team.David Wedges book was an excellent reporting job explaining so much really interesting and eye opening.#netgalley #blizzard of lies

Well written and respectful. I was concerned that this was written too early as the case is so recent and there has not been time to reflect; however, I was pleased. I especially appreciated the connections to other area cases, which is not covered in most other sources.