While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students

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.)