An American Tragedy

A nation in panic. A teacher accused. O'Keefe steps into the storm.

During the 1988 Satanic Panic, fear is a weapon—and justice is on trial.

The summer of 1988 is boiling with hysteria. Across America, accusations of hidden cults and ritual crimes are destroying reputations, families, and lives. Peter O'Keefe wants nothing more than to stabilize his PI agency and rebuild trust with his daughter. But when her favorite teacher, "Miss Ginny," is charged with unspeakable crimes, everything changes.

From the first moment O'Keefe hears the case, he senses the truth has been drowned out by fear. Evidence is thin. Allegations shift. And the figures driving the prosecution—shadowy child-protection zealots—are more interested in convictions than justice.

Taking the case means stepping into a political firestorm. It means risking the fragile progress he's made with his daughter. And it means standing almost alone against a culture consumed by paranoia.

As O'Keefe digs deeper, he uncovers manipulated testimonies, hidden agendas, and a system buckling under public pressure. The closer he gets to exposing the truth, the more dangerous the case becomes—for Miss Ginny, for the children, and for O'Keefe himself.

In a nation blinded by fear, one man must decide what justice is worth—and who he's willing to become to defend it.

Meet Peter O'Keefe—scarred, relentless, and a hero for our times.

Continue the Peter O'Keefe Crime Series with An American Tragedy.

Winner 2025 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Literary Fiction
Gold Medalist 2025 Readers' Favorite in Fiction-Mystery-Legal

Winner 2026 IBPA Audiobook Fiction Award