While Idaho slept The hunt for answers in the murders of four college students

In November 2022, four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in an off-campus house. A suspect was arrested a month and a half later. The new book by the author of The Kill Jar (2018) focuses on the investigation that led to his arrest and how these shocking murders upended Moscow, Idaho, and changed life in this small college town. When local police were hesitant to take on such a high-profile investigation, state police and the FBI jockeyed for position. Amateur investigators traded theories online, muddying the waters. Parents of the murdered students demanded answers and sometimes revealed information about the crimes that the investigators wanted to keep confidential. It was, in short, a mess. This is an extremely rigorous book. Appelman uses first-hand sources (police files and interviews with people involved in the case) whenever possible, and, while he rightly gives credit where credit is due, he also doesn't shy away from revealing the investigation's weaknesses, including the fact that the prosecution's ongoing case isn't airtight. A chilling, haunting work of crime nonfiction.

Journalist Appelman (The Kill Jar) painstakingly traces the fallout from the murders of four University of Idaho students in this well-researched account. On November 12, 2022, the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen rocked the quiet university town of Moscow, Idaho, where the 37-member police department hadn't seen a homicide in seven years. The crime, which took place in an off-campus apartment, shocked the nation and riveted true crime fans while baffling police investigators. In addition to members of the national media, who camped out in Moscow to interview family and friends of the victims, podcasters and amateur sleuths headed to the tiny town, determined to solve the case before police did. Based on DNA from a knife sheath left at the scene and security footage of a white vehicle near the residence, detectives eventually arrested Bryan Kohberger, a graduate student in criminology at nearby Washington State University, whose motives remain mysterious. Appelman's fastidious attention to detail here is admirable, but what really sets this apart is his examination of the tension between Moscow police and the self-appointed investigators who descended on the town. The result is a propulsive real-life thriller with a conscience. (Oct.)

How a quadruple homicide upended an Idaho college town. In his latest, Appelman, a private investigator and author of The Kill Jar, engrossingly analyzes the 2022 case involving the murders of four University of Idaho students. Early on, he brings the young victims into focus and then generously elaborates on their lives throughout the book. On Nov. 13, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogan, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were slaughtered by a knife-wielding intruder in their off-campus residence. Only two roommates survived--one frozen in fear as the murderer brushed past her in a darkened hallway. Appelman brings these chilling details to life as he sifts through police files and witness statements to piece together a crime that flooded the college town with FBI, local police, press, and citizen detectives. Security video catching a white vehicle repeatedly passing by the property complemented DNA found on the military blade sheath left behind at the scene. Diligent detective spadework and a digital device trail led to the arrest and indictment of Bryan Kohberger, a criminology doctorate student and teaching assistant who had a history of depression and heroin use. Grim forensics amplify the disturbing nature of the crime and ensuing investigation, including Kohberger's historically sociopathic behavior and details on the gore-soaked crime scene. However premeditated his alleged murderous fantasy was, a series of crucial missteps (besides leaving the knife sheath behind) showed his involvement, including using his own car to return to the location the next morning with his phone, which authorities tracked. In fairness, Appelman also examines numerous gaping "holes" in the prosecution's package, which weakens the case against Kohberger, as well as fascinating social media speculation. Riveting reenactments, intimate human-interest profiles, and urgent prose combine to create a tale of horrific butchery and a must-have exposé for readers following the still-ongoing developments. A chilling, balanced, meticulously reported true crime story. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.