While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students by J. Reuben Appelman

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

• 
  Sharon Orlopp

  J. Reuben Appelman explores the behind the scenes investigative efforts in
  While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students. Moscow, Idaho had not had a murder for the previous seven years when four college students were murdered in November 2022.
  
  With exceptional help from the FBI, state police, and $1 million in funding from the Idaho state governor, the quadruple murder case had multiple resources which helped them determine the killer. Appelman adeptly covers the media reaction, arm chair sleuths, and the digital investigation into many social media sites of the victims as well as potential suspects.
  
  My heart goes out to the family and friends of this horrific situation.
• 
  Laura

  Well researched and written in mostly chronological order. A lot of it was common knowledge if you are following the case closely, but it cleared up a lot of incorrect information. It also added personal details about the victims and their families.
• 
  *TUDOR^QUEEN*

  I've been very intrigued by the heart-wrenching story of the Idaho college murders which occurred in November 2022. It was an incredible relief to finally hear (in late December) that the suspected perpetrator of this horrific crime was arrested. There have been sporadic news articles about the case which is going to trial in October 2023, but this is the first book I've seen on the case.
  
  The author did a good job covering all aspects of the case. Using current available data coupled with interviews, he speculates how the murders occurred- which was riveting. He then backtracks to perform a biographical profile of each of the murdered students, including commentary from teachers, family and friends. The details of the murder suspect's moment of arrest was particularly fascinating as he was caught in suspicious activity at that moment. We hear about the funerals, court appearances, and the intensive evidence gathering. This was an interesting, informative and well-written account of these murders prior to the case going to trial.
  
  Thank you to the publisher Harper Perennial and Paperbacks who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
• 
  ♥Milica♥

  Yet another case I've been following since the start, it was good to go through all that happened once again. If you don't know anything about it, and don't feel like digging up news stories, then this could be the perfect read to catch you up to speed.
  
  We learned some background about the victims, and they were the main focus which I liked. It's also a quick read which is another bonus.
  
  But this book suffers from the same issues as most true crime books that came out too fast do, it's incomplete.
  
  I get that people want to be the first to break a story, or in this case write a book about it, but please wait until the trial is done at least so readers can have all the facts in their hands and don't need to go checking for updates because the book is incomplete.
  
  So if you are planning on reading it, I'd suggest you do it soon because there's always new things coming out, so this version of the book may not be fully relevant as time goes on.
• 
  Erin Clemence

  Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
  
  “
  While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students” by
  J. Reuben Appelman tells the true story of the night four young people were brutally murdered, in cold blood, while their roommates slept just feet away. Before the suspect was arrested, the entire college town of Moscow, Idaho is in an uproar and no one felt safe. Appelman goes behind the scenes and highlights the grisly murders by highlighting the beautiful, promising young people that were taken that night, and the families they left behind.
  
  “Slept” is a true crime novel that actually focuses, almost solely, on the victims. Appelman talks positively about the three young women (and one young man) who were murdered, through the eyes of the people that loved them. Of course, he discusses how the police investigation played out, with all of its trials and challenges, that led to the arrest of a suspect (still awaiting trial). I enjoyed Appelman’s unique storytelling, as most true crime novels centre around the monster who committed the atrocities, leaving the victims in the dust as afterthoughts, while Appelman took a far more empathic and human approach.
  
  I am a fan of true crime and am guilty of wanting to know every minute detail of the suspect, and yet this novel did not leave me disappointed. Appelman did talk about the suspect, beyond simple identification and he even portrayed the suspect’s family as heartbroken and humble, still managing to generate sympathy from readers, while allowing the utter hatred and disgust for the perpetrator to remain.
  
  This case took place two years ago and the perpetrator is still in jail awaiting charges (although the death penalty is on the table if he is found guilty). I did not know anything about this campus house murder, but it was devastating to hear about the young people whose hopeful, bright lives were shut out by a monster. I pray that all of the victims’ families and friends find peace, and I respect Appelman for writing a story that will help and heal, instead of exploit.
• 
  Courtney Kammers

  If I’m murdered, please don’t let someone profit off sensationalizing my life.
  
  I mean that sincerely.
  Also, if one of my former students was murdered, I cannot imagine telling an author stories about that student.
  
  This hasn’t gone to trial. I don’t know how an unbiased jury will be found.
  
  A lot of this bugged me.
  The sensationalist tone especially. I wish I hadn’t read it.
• 
  Kristi

  That was one of the worst true crimes books I've ever read. The writing was sub-par and just.. cringy. He repeats stories a couple times in different chapters. Lots of speculation and repeating rumors from the Internet-- some of which were already debunked. Most of the book was taken from news articles and news interviews with the family; no new information. The author did dig up some people in the periphery of the victim's lives to talk to -- a kindergarten teacher, a middle school friend, an old gymnastics coach, etc I guess he interviewed one of the surviving roommate's fathers and that was probably the only information in the book that already has not been covered.
  
  This is a cash grab, nothing more. I am ashamed I bought the book.
• 
  Krystal Montcrieff

  "This book would not exist if it hadn't been for the brutal murders of four very real people who deserved to live full and beautiful lives. My goal in writing it was to elevate public memory of the victims."
  
  The author succeeded in doing this. In my opinion, media tends to sensationalize true crime and often the memory of victims gets lost in the folds. This book primarily focused on the four lives lost; who they were and the impact they made on those around them. It did include details of the crime and the accused perpetrator, however it was done in a way that was presented factually and not dramatized for emotional affect.
• 
  Suzanne

  J. Reuben Appelman lost me in the prologue when he wrote this sentence:
  
  "There is hardly any crime in this little village. There are drug-related crimes, like everywhere else, but not terribly newsworthy ones - crimes of petty theft, shoplifting, and of course domestic assaults, which are violent but statistically stem from addiction and poverty, America's crimes of the broken heart and soul."
  
  I object strongly to this characterization of intimate partner violence. It affects people of all economic backgrounds and situations, first of all. Secondly, describing violence against women and people of marginalized genders as "America's crimes of the broken heart and soul" both romanticizes it and lets abusers off the hook. I hated it.
  
  Things don't improve much after this very first page. This book was clearly written in haste, before the accused could go to trial. It's clear that the author didn't have much more information than what is available from journalists and on social media. I do not recommend this book at all.
• 
  Heather

  #ad I received an advanced gifted copy of this book - many thanks @harpercollins
  
  A harrowing and heart-breaking true story of the murders on King Rd Idaho. This book doesn’t mainly focus on the presumed killer, but the lives of those who were slaughtered that early morning of November 2022.
  
  With insight from teachers, friends, and family we get a much larger picture of who these people were and what their lives meant to others.
  
  I will say this is a hard book to get through - it’ll rip your heart out and not put it back together. There’s real photographs that you won’t be able to get out of your head. Blood running down the side of the house from one of the bedrooms - pictures of the search and news media.
  
  While the book focuses on the victims it’s also a complete picture of what happened that night - giving us an inside look into the killer also.
  
  May you all rest in peace and may your family and friends find some healing in this world. Although it’s almost impossible. A great book I recommend you read if you like true-crime like one of the victims, Kaylee, did.
  
  Forever in our hearts: Kaylee, Maddie, Ethan and Xana.
• 
  Lackof_shelf_control

  ‼️TW: murder, violence, blood in photos ‼️
  
  This book is broken into 11 parts and they all tackle different aspects of this tragic case. There are photos included in the middle of the book for context. I cried MULTIPLE times!!! The chapters I most appreciated are of those of the victims. These chapters made me tear up because we all know it’s horrific, but the more personal details and quirks you learn about each of them makes it even more heartbreaking to know what they went through.
  
  I followed this case religiously and there was still things I learned from this book i.e. food robots on campus, just how long the blade was, DNA storage of non- criminals collected at crime scenes etc. Even if you know the case, it’s good to get the facts without the theories/speculations/rumors that are still circulating online.
  
  If you are a fan of true crime or you followed this case - I highly suggest the read!
• 
  Tara Cignarella

  
  Review: True crime does captivate often and this one did. This one was well written, The short chapters and nice organization made it fly by. There was some new info for me that I didn’t know about the case and the detailed info on each victim was respectful and a nice tribute. I was most happy to learn that the victim’s dog has a booming IG page and upset to learn that the accused killers siblings have both lost their jobs since his arrest.
  Recommended For: True Crime enthusiasts.
  
• 
  emily ✨

  This book.. this case haunts me. When it happened a year ago, I remember reading about it the morning the students' were found and I've been following it since.
  
  This case is a case from your worst nightmares. Do not dive into it unless you're ready for the nightmares, the fear, and the constant double checking to make sure your doors are locked, and that's probably not even close to a quarter of the fear Xana, Maddie, Kaylee and Ethan had on November 13, 2022.
  
  For those who don't know much about the case, the victims lived in a off campus house, all roommates besides Ethan, who was dating Xana. After a night of partying and drinking in a local club or a local frat, the four came home and prepared for a normal night of sleeping off a Saturday night. Unfortunately, someone sinister had other plans for the four and slaughtered the four young college kids in their beds with a knife. Two roommates who were home, were left unharmed, and apparently did not hear a thing. The bodies of the victims were not discovered until eight hours after the attack.
  
  It's pretty easy to see why this case immediately got worldwide attention, as it stumped law enforcement and crime sleuths alike. It would be over a month before an arrest was made - a University of Washington phd student, Bryan Kohberger - who apparently had little to absolutely 0 ties to the victims. Leaving everyone still asking why. Why brutally end the lives of four people you don't know? Why leave two surviving roommates? Why did it take so long to call 911? How had they not heard anything?!
  
  Accusations flew and continue to fly, whether at a friend who escorted Maddie and Kaylee to the Grub truck, or at Kaylee's on again, off again boyfriend, or at the surviving roommates who in their own right are victims as well.
  
  I think everyone just wants answers, and with the gag order on the case, we may not ever get all the answers. The only ones who know exactly what happened that night are Maddie, Kaylee, Xana and Ethan, and the murderer. The current accused pleas not guilty.
  
  Did Bryan Kohberger do this? I personally don't know, but I do lean toward the guilty verdict given the DNA and the phone records. As a girl who lived in a party house throughout college, with a dog.. our doors never locked, I think I can relate to the safe feeling I felt, that I was untouchable. Maybe that's why this case hits so hard home, because it could have been me.. it could've been any of us.
  
  At first I was concerned this book was distasteful and a bit too soon, given the gag order and the lack of a trial currently, but upon reading the proceeds go to victims' families, I decided to give it a shot. No new information is in the book, but the way he narrates it, gives the backgrounds of the victims and their families, and puts everything in chronological order it clears some of the rumors up. The author captures the Moscow community's vibes before and after, and really encaptures the small town atmosphere that surrounded King road. He also gives you a glimpse of the small town police department, who are not used to homicides, let alone four. My heart just breaks for everyone involved in this case, the victims, the families, the first responders, the friends and roommates.. all of them.
  
  Godspeed, Kaylee, Maddie, Xana and Ethan, rest in paradise.
• 
  Sasha Greer

  DNF - I got through 50% and it was literally all just personal anecdotes about the victims. This case hasn’t even gone to trial yet and it’s clear that the entire book is just a summation of news articles. This is lazy, bad writing and “journalism”
• 
  Morgan Young

  I just didn’t love this 😬
  Too much life history, not enough murder investigation IMO
• 
  Alyssa Roth

  This was so respectfully written first and foremost, something I always admire!
  
  I’ll admit when I first picked this up I wondered why this was written before trial, but I kept an open mind and I am glad I did! This took a very deep dive into all 4 victims lives. It was so nice to hear about their backgrounds and families as opposed to all the crap you hear on the media. There was also a background on Bryan’s and his family.
  
  I think he was so respectful in his writing in regard to the families. It was written on facts and not bias from either side. Lastly, I commend the work he did with the background of the police officers. I feel they were scrutinized by the media while everything was very methodically done. Loved this one!
  
  Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, the author, and NetGalley for this digital ARC!
  Publication date: 10/03/23 ☺️
• 
  Sara

  I think we are all turning into true crime junkies thanks to the news. And this one was certainly horrific enough to occupy our news feeds for days. So, I was interested to learn more. However, I really did not. I expected a deep dive into this crime rather than a cheap novel-like story. Maybe it is too early for a book like this, but it was very surface-level.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
• 
  Judy

  Listened to on audio. It was informative because it gave a clearer picture of the victims, got to see them as young people who had lives, dreams, childhoods, families etc. Also, painted a more complete picture of the guy that is accused of slaughtering them, showed him as person (a very odd person) too. Narrator Was ok, just a bit dry.
• 
  Sabrina Lindsay

  2.5 ⭐️
  
  If you’re familiar with this story, there’s not much new here. I thought the book started and ended decently, but the middle was absolutely ridiculous. It starts with a summary of the murders - nothing new, but it makes sense to start here and the book captures the facts. It ends with a fair amount of detail about the alleged murderer and the state of things as he awaits trial. The middle though? It’s obvious that the beginning and end weren’t enough to make a book and the author chose a filler approach by deep diving anything available to the public. The entire middle is trying to paint a personal picture of everyone by literally describing Instagram photos in minute detail and basically transcribing snippets of interviews and anything else that could be found in the public domain. Given this, there just wasn’t enough to support a book and this was probably better left unwritten in my opinion.
• 
  Sam Hughes

  AHHHHHH. Okay. I am so thankful to Harper Perennial Paperbacks, J. Reuben Appelman, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this horribly alarming and yet trending narrative depicting the facts and know-what for the Idaho Four (gag-ordered) case. While Idaho Slept is projected to publish on October 3, 2023, yall better get your pre-orders in for this one ASAP, especially since so little is being communicated as far as this ongoing case goes.
  
  I'm sure the world has heard the gruesome tale of the events that took place back on King Road in November 2022 -- the tragic murders of four college students shook the surrounding areas, especially as no immediate answers were captured in light of such awful loss.
  
  The author does a great job at analyzing the murderer (who I will not be naming out of respect for the victims and their families), breaking down his routine stalker-like movements and odd characteristics leading up to the murders and after the fact.
  
  I felt this book was well-produced and sourced accurately from a journalistic standpoint.
• 
  Marisa Zane

  In the middle of the night on Nov. 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in off-campus housing. This book highlights the lives of the young victims, dissects the media frenzy and police investigation, and speculates about the suspect who has been arrested and is awaiting trial.
  —
  This book was okay at best. I didn’t follow this case much after it initially broke, so I didn’t know much about the (suspected) killer or that the suspect was still awaiting trial. I’m not sure I would have picked up the book had I known he hadn’t been tried yet because it feels weird to have published a book midstream. Still, it was interesting to read about the investigation and circumstances leading to an arrest. Beyond that, the writing was not my favorite. The author’s descriptions of some things were, for lack of a better word, weird. He included details about contacts with people from the victims’ childhood that seemed like their only purpose was to take up space.
  
  ⭐️⭐️✨💫 (2.75)
• 
  Stacy40pages

  While Idaho Slept by J. Reuben Appelman. Thanks to @harperperennial for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
  November 13,2022, four University of Idaho students are stabbed to death in an off-campus home.
  
  I was hooked on this story. It starts with the actual murders, which really grabs the reader from the beginning. If you followed this case closely, you may not find new information in the book since the trial hasn’t occurred. There’s still a lot kept under grabs. I’m looking forward to reading more about it after it’s all said and done. This book definitely took me down a worm hole, as true crime tends to do to me; especially since some of the victims Instagram accounts are still up with tons of images. I had a hard time sleeping the night I finished this one; it takes a true monster.
  
  “In the face of such evil, every day citizens found themselves with broken hearts and interrupted sleep.”
  
  While Idaho Slept is available now.
  
  
  
• 
  Alexandria

  This is still an open case, so based on the information available to the public, I rate this 5 stars.
  
  I learned quite a few things from this book that I have yet to see mentioned in the mainstream media. For this reason, I found it very insightful and definitely adds to my suspicions that they arrested the right guy.
  
  Example 1 - Page 205 : At approximately 11:40pm on Saturday November 12th 2023, there was a drunk driving hit and run crash outside the accused killers WSU apartment. It was swarming with police & crime scene reconstructionist with 2 victims being severely injured. The accused left his apartment and returned after the murders all in eyeshot of the police. Upon return around 530am, the police were just wrapping up their investigation.
• 
  Sheila

  I received a free copy of, While Idaho Slept, by J. Reuben Appelman, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I think almost everyone has heard about the Idaho College students murdered in the college town. Madison Mogen 21, Kaylee Gonclaves, 21 , Xana Kernodle 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin also 20. This book takes toy through the crime but also, tells about the victims, who they were to their family and friends. Such a needless tragedy.
• 
  Ana Downing

  did a really good job of highlighting the victims lives! definitely cried a few times. hope those families are doing well. hate how the media and amateur sleuth people just need to touch grass but that's life ig. well written but it was hard to get thru at times, was also written prematurely in that the outcome of kohbergers arrest hadn't been released yet 🤨
• 
  Debbie Mann

  True crime without a final outcome since the killer hasn’t gone to trial yet. When this happened I remember everyone talking about it and wondering how the police had nothing. Well that wasn’t true and I’m so glad I read this. You get to know the victims through their family and friends. So tragic. I can’t wait for the trial.
• 
  Samantha Totten

  I could talk about how phenomenal this book is for hours!!!!!!!!
• 
  Jenna Duvall

  First book of the year! I felt like this book did a good job reporting on the crimes and sharing about each of the victim’s lives, rather than focusing on the perpetrator.