Blowback: The Untold Story of the FBI and the Oklahoma City Bombing

by Margaret Roberts

What if everything we know about one of America's darkest days is wrong?

Tragedy unfolded on April 19, 1995, when a massive bomb exploded in America's Heartland, killing 168 people, including fifteen children. History says the Oklahoma City bombing was lone wolf terrorism. But haunting fresh evidence points instead to a neo-Nazi plot in which the FBI played a hidden role.

The FBI launched the biggest manhunt in its history for two suspected bombers. Yet they never captured the other suspect, known only as John Doe 2, who rode next to McVeigh in the bomb truck. Soon, the FBI canceled the search, saying eyewitnesses who saw John Doe 2 were mistaken.

None of this rings true to award-winning journalist Margaret Roberts. How could twenty witnesses be wrong?

More troubling clues lead Roberts to reopen the mystery of John Doe 2 before the thirtieth anniversary of America's deadliest domestic terror attack. Blowback chronicles her shocking discoveries, including journalism's only face-to-face prison interviews with McVeigh coconspirator Terry Nichols. Roberts puts the puzzle together after a whistleblower steps forward, though one burning mystery remains. Is John Doe 2 the FBI's guilty secret?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Crime

400 pages, Hardcover

Published July 22, 2025

About the author

Margaret Roberts is a prize-winning investigative journalist and former news director of the hit crime TV show America’s Most Wanted. On the tenth anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, she answered a call from a grieving grandmother who lost two toddlers in the 1995 bombing that still stands as America’s deadliest domestic terror attack.

It was the second time lightning struck Roberts' career and upended her life. As a rookie journalist in Chicago, she investigated a condemned prisoner’s plea and helped prove his innocence. Newsweek cited her investigation's “searing” effect on public opinion and policy. It also set the stage for Roberts to take on the extraordinary challenge to dig into the spiraling unsolved mystery of April 19, 1995 in Blowback.

Reviews

[Nicole Boebel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm doing a community service here, I didn't read this book, but she is on pandering to the elderly and homebound conspiracy theory addicts. Anyone that promotes their books through Tucker Carlson should not be taken seriously. these despicable people pray on the uninformed and what in the world does this do but stir up more division in our already divided country.

[TheLisaD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blowback by Margaret Roberts is a compelling and deeply investigative look into a bombing that once made headlines—and continues to raise questions years later. This gripping nonfiction work pulls readers beyond the initial news reports, offering layers of context, theories, and revelations that paint a far more complex picture than what the public first saw.

Roberts excels at presenting multiple perspectives, exploring the lingering uncertainty and ongoing discoveries surrounding the case. The narrative is richly detailed and thought-provoking, inviting readers to re-examine what they thought they knew while considering the broader implications of power, truth, and accountability.

This isn’t just a retelling—it’s an exploration of the ripple effects of a single violent event and the long shadow it casts. Blowback is a smart, in-depth read that challenges assumptions and keeps the mind engaged from start to finish. A must-read for true crime enthusiasts and investigative nonfiction fans alike.

[Cc Readsss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release: July 22, 2025
Author: Margaret Robert's
Publisher: Tantor Audio

Rating : 4 ⭐

Blowback reexamines the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, one of the deadliest domestic terrorist attacks in U.S. history. Officially, the tragedy was blamed on Timothy McVeigh acting alone. But investigative journalist Margaret Roberts isn’t convinced the full truth has ever come out.
Digging into long-buried evidence and eyewitness accounts, Roberts questions how the government could ignore the existence of a second suspect—“John Doe 2”—seen by multiple witnesses riding with McVeigh in the truck. The FBI eventually dismissed those accounts, claiming the witnesses were mistaken, and dropped the search.
But Roberts isn’t buying it. As she digs deeper—through interviews, including exclusive conversations with McVeigh’s co-conspirator Terry Nichols—she uncovers chilling possibilities of a broader conspiracy involving neo-Nazis and even a hidden FBI connection. With the 30th anniversary of the bombing approaching, Roberts races to expose what may be a dangerous cover-up that still casts a shadow today.

📘 About Blowback by Margaret Roberts

* Investigative journalist Margaret Roberts—former news director of America’s Most Wanted—reopens the case surrounding the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
* The book challenges the long-held belief that Timothy McVeigh acted alone, arguing instead that a neo-Nazi conspiracy was at play and that the FBI may have concealed crucial evidence.
* Roberts uncovers:
* Eyewitness testimony from over 20 people who reported seeing “John Doe 2” alongside McVeigh—testimonies later dismissed by the FBI.
* Prison interviews with McVeigh’s co-conspirator Terry Nichols and sealed FBI surveillance footage.
* Revelations from an FBI whistleblower suggesting a deliberate cover‑up.

🕵️ Key Claims and Revelations

The Existence of John Doe 2
* Multiple witnesses identified a second person with McVeigh during the bombing. The FBI later declared all sightings were mistaken.
* Suspect Michael Brescia, affiliated with the Aryan Republican Army, resembled the sketch of John Doe 2 but was released after investigators found “no involvement”.

FBI & ATF Failures
* The ATF reportedly closed a key informant operation in early 1995, missing opportunities to prevent the attack.
* Internal FBI reluctance to fully investigate right-wing extremists hampered efforts.

Neo-Nazi and Aryan Republican Army Links
* Evidence suggests McVeigh had ties to white supremacist groups like Elohim City and potentially the Aryan Republican Army, which may have helped fund or facilitate the bombing.
* Reports indicate FBI withheld documents linking ARA members to blasting caps similar to those used—raising questions about the official lone-wolf narrative.

Alleged Surveillance and Whistleblower Revelations
* Roberts secured interviews and insider testimony supporting claims of an FBI cover-up and the existence of hidden surveillance video.

Debate Over Wider Conspiracy
* Critics and some survivors argue McVeigh did not act alone; families and former agents have called for independent investigations.

🕰️ Historical Context & Broader Impact

* The Oklahoma City bombing remains the deadliest instance of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, killing 168 people and injuring hundreds.
* In the 1990s, extremist right-wing militias were under-investigated by the FBI, with some informant operations shut down prematurely.
* Post-bombing, the FBI expanded its domestic terrorism focus, but today it grapples with evolving threats from white supremacists and online radicalization.

❓ Why Blowback Matters

* It challenges the long-accepted narrative of a lone-wolf attack, offering evidence of potential wider conspiracies.
* Roberts’s work underscores possible institutional suppression of evidence, raising urgent questions about justice for victims.
* With the 30th anniversary of the bombing just passed, the book reignites calls for a full-scale investigation.

[Brissany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in OKC when the bombing happened so I remember a lot of the details of the aftermath and the trials etc. This is a complicated incident and I want to thank the author for all the work she did to pin some of these facts down. Just the fact that they won’t do DNA testing on the extra leg, won’t release the surveillance videos, won’t let witnesses speak or testify, refuse to answer questions from Congressional committees, and tried to gaslight us into believing that John Doe 2 never existed tells me that the (the Feds) are covering up something really bad that they were involved in. They need to make this into a Netflix series.

[Bethany Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think you know the story about what happened with the Oklahoma City Bombing, think again.

Margaret Roberts is the former news director of America's Most Wanted. She goes through the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995 with a fine toothed comb to discover what the truth might actually be. The book is a deep dive into the investigation, or the lack of investigation, into the evidence surrounding the tragedy. It draws on news stories, court documents, witness accounts, whistleblowers, and prison interviews. It's a must read for true crime aficianados.

This isn't the first book I've read about the Oklahoma City Bombing. It is, however, the deep dive that I was looking for. It addresses so many questions while raising more of its own. Why did the FBI abandon their pursuant of John Doe 2? How were three prison deaths covered up? Why were FBI informants ignored? Who else was involved in the plot? I hope one day we get the truth about everything, and Margaret Roberts might be the person who finally makes that happen.

*Thank you to Bombardier Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

[always reading ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and gripping! With fresh evidence and a scrupulous investigation, Roberts challenges the current narrative that there weren't more individuals involved in the Oklahoma City bombing. The high-quality writing paired with a compelling narrative hooks readers immediately. I found the content to be very informative and well researched. I thought the narrator did a fantastic job. I thought her inflection could have been a little better, but she spoke very clearly and was easy to understand.

[Stefan Nordin · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Oklahoma City bombing that need to be addressed but there must be a way to adress them without devolving into right wing conspiracies.

[Davi Kladakis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that asks if there was a second person involved in the Oklahoma city bombing and that he wasn't brought to justice. aka conspiracy theories

[A Cesspool · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Blowback were adapted into a Hollywood blockbuster, it’d be produced by Michael Mann & Steven Soderbergh and directed by Peter Berg …yeah! It’s like that.
-----
Principle criticism, oft repeated here (and author’s social media):

"Well researched and written, unfortunately does not prove evidence of a wider conspiracy."

Some former DoJ/AG’s office have also [tried to] argue this point, as if the official, public, response to the charges chronicled & leveled by the author (and Jesse Trentadue & J.D. Cash). This criticism is obviously targeted towards the larger public, those feigning interest but unlikely to actually consume/engage; It’s also the basis for any attorney arguing a losing case, who can only insist a sliver of reasonable doubt is all that’s needed to convince you otherwise. It’s a pretty tasteless appraisal, considering it’s the Federal Government that’s kept this investigation on ice, in legal moratorium, for fifteen years now, until an obstruction of justice/witness tampering motion is resolved [all of] the principle players are finally deceased …which is exactly what will likely happen, hence, Roberts finally publishing twenty [20] years of research.

note: I could think of a much better (more reasonable) discernment (bc I really read Blowback), that would actually appeal to Court-of-public-opinion (not just a Court of Law, i.e. aforementioned reasonable doubt); Exploiting the underlying coincidences & contingencies. Nevertheless, ultimately still just as vapid (as their assurances of un-provability)

Author, Margaret Roberts really has presented the best cross-examination of the worst domestic terror attack (on US soil); wholly absolved of partisan or ideology or fantastic plausibility or uncorroborated conviction – I was srsly taken aback to learn Roberts is a card-carrying conservative (Bill O’Reilly subscriber)! Because any finger-pointing towards one, particular party, or President, or administration is smartly redacted from her text. Robert’s writes plainly, balancing unvarnished assessment with lean discernment; Blowback is the anti-Oliver Stone conspiracy theory. Moreover, Blowback, absolutely proves the real conspiracy theory lies with the Government’s assurances of McVeigh’s lone-wolf terrorism-credentials – a farce necessitating near-endless resources and cost hundreds-of-millions of dollars to facilitate and preserve; Otherwise the truth would

“…lead to the abolishment of the ATF, and there will be machine guns on every corner.” –Justice Department to ABC broadcast News executives

[Brad Bevers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was barely a teenager whent he Oklahoma City bombing happened, and didn't remember much about it other than they caught the lone person responsible, Timothy McVeigh, very fast. I remember hearing at the time that we may have had satellite imagery that was not public yet and tracked him down that way.

This book aims to address many unanswered questions, and does so effectively. From John Doe #2, the unidentified leg, the inconsistent interviews, and much more, Roberts builds a case brick by brick that shows there is likely a lot more about this incident that has never been made public. I found it to be very fair and, contrary to some reviews I've read about it from people who have obviously not read it, not prone to hyperbole or conspiracy theories. In fact, my only quibble with the book is that it is too dry at times. I think it would make a fantastic Netflix series or podcast series with some of these points broken down into smaller pieces. If you enjoy true crime or remember anything specific about the OKC bombing, I think you will enjoy this one. Recommended.

[Adriane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book I wish every American would read. The Oklahoma City bombing was not at all what the public was told it was. The incurious news media failed in investigating the curious ties the federal government had to McVeigh and the milita movement. Very interesting that the FBI still hasn't released the video footage of the bombing which likely shows John Doe #2. A fascinating read for anyone interested in true crime and American history. I also recommend reading Wendy Painting's "Aberration In The Heartland Of The Real" and David Hoffman's "Oklahoma City Bombing and The Politics of Terror".

[Kayleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blowback felt like it should have been a conspiracy theorists dream- with Roberts challenging the current idea that there weren't more people involved in the Oklahoma City Bombing.
While it's easy to assume that something of this scale would have taken more people to pull off, I think that some of the messages or ideas were a bit lackluster.
The narrator was a bit dry and it made it hard to feel as invested as I wanted to throughout this one.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blowing investigative journalism focusing on the OKC bombing. This was not a lone wolf terror plot, but an operation carried out by our own government. There were many FBI/ATF informants and agent provocateur. Why was the entire ATF office somehow missing from the Murrah building on the day of the bombing? For those searching for truth, this is a must read.

[Holly Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The low rating here is the reader’s fault, or listener’s in this case. I listened to this book through audible for the past two months, and never really could follow all that was going on. Being from Oklahoma myself, I wish it had hit for me, but I couldn’t help but think I would have just liked to read the highlights of the story in an article.

[Steve Storms · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want the truth about OKC this book comes the closest IMHO.

[Phillip Fitzsimmons · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is an interesting and plausible explanation of the 1995 Murray bombing. Everything the author describes is plausible but I don't automatically believe everything she wrote.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched book; a must read if you want to know the truth.

[Jesse · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star is for the shoddy writing. Which is still infinitely better than the zero stars I would give the actual content.