While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students
- Downloads：4170
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-10-24 07:23:54
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：J. Reuben Appelman
- ISBN：B0CBTBRSJX
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Michelle
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“While Idaho Slept” is a well written book about the horrific murders of four college students attending the University of Idaho。 I have mixed feelings about this book being published before the trial was complete。 I really am at odds whether it is a good idea or not。 What I will say is that the author did a wonderful job honoring the students themselves。 He focuses more on who the students were more than the suspect。 I really appreciate that。 I received this book in a gracious giveaway on Goodr “While Idaho Slept” is a well written book about the horrific murders of four college students attending the University of Idaho。 I have mixed feelings about this book being published before the trial was complete。 I really am at odds whether it is a good idea or not。 What I will say is that the author did a wonderful job honoring the students themselves。 He focuses more on who the students were more than the suspect。 I really appreciate that。 I received this book in a gracious giveaway on Goodreads by Harper （publisher）。 Thank you Harper。 A review was not asked for nor promised。 This review is based on my opinion alone。 。。。more
Tara Cignarella
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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。
Mike Green
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First mover’s curse I guess… not too much new or unknown。
Jean
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This was a thorough look at the Moscow， Idaho college murders， although the information is still somewhat limited。 True crime fans might be somewhat disappointed because there obviously isn’t a true “conclusion” yet， since the alleged killer has yet to go on trial and the gag order from the court has definitely kept much of the information from the public record。 However， I still felt this was a compelling read， one that focused quite a bit on the victims and shines a light （at least I think so） This was a thorough look at the Moscow， Idaho college murders， although the information is still somewhat limited。 True crime fans might be somewhat disappointed because there obviously isn’t a true “conclusion” yet， since the alleged killer has yet to go on trial and the gag order from the court has definitely kept much of the information from the public record。 However， I still felt this was a compelling read， one that focused quite a bit on the victims and shines a light （at least I think so） on how methodical police work often is， how long it takes， and how much goes on behind the scenes that even victim’s families might not know。 You can argue whether that’s good or bad， but it is interesting how society has become accustomed to crime being solved in roughly 60 minutes， with time for commercial breaks。 Overall this was very readable and I was able to get through it quite quickly。 I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the case who doesn’t （like I didn’t） know actually much about it。 。。。more
Jill
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before reading this i knew virtually nothing about the case and this did a good job of compiling all the current information into one spot。 that being said， i'm a little iffy on how i feel about this being published before the trial。 it seems like it's leading you to a conclusion that hasn't been reached yet。 overall， it was an informative true crime read。 i hope justice is served and the families of the victims can find peace。thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my copy of while idaho s before reading this i knew virtually nothing about the case and this did a good job of compiling all the current information into one spot。 that being said， i'm a little iffy on how i feel about this being published before the trial。 it seems like it's leading you to a conclusion that hasn't been reached yet。 overall， it was an informative true crime read。 i hope justice is served and the families of the victims can find peace。thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my copy of while idaho slept by j。 reuben appelman。 all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Stacy40pages
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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 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。 。。。more
Summer Dawn
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Read this entire book in a day。 If you followed this case， none of this information will be new to you。 Most of the victim’s life descriptions came from Instagram， which is public， and again wasn’t any information already available。 Brian Kohberger has not even went to trial yet。 Although he certainly probably committed these murders， the man still does deserve a fair trial to determine his innocence or guilt。 Let the justice system do it’s job。 We all want anwsers but we also don’t want to wast Read this entire book in a day。 If you followed this case， none of this information will be new to you。 Most of the victim’s life descriptions came from Instagram， which is public， and again wasn’t any information already available。 Brian Kohberger has not even went to trial yet。 Although he certainly probably committed these murders， the man still does deserve a fair trial to determine his innocence or guilt。 Let the justice system do it’s job。 We all want anwsers but we also don’t want to waste 18 dollars on this book full of facts from TikTok。 。。。more
Kristi
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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 o 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。 。。。more
Rebecca Hill
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When four co-ed students are murdered in their campus house， the entire state of Idaho goes on alert。 Things like that just never happen in places like this。 The college is supposed to be safe， and its students preparing for Thanksgiving and finals， not funerals。 As the case unfolds， there are frustrations from the media and the parents of the murdered students over what appears to be a lack of communication from the police。 But the police chief knows that he needs to play it safe and not put al When four co-ed students are murdered in their campus house， the entire state of Idaho goes on alert。 Things like that just never happen in places like this。 The college is supposed to be safe， and its students preparing for Thanksgiving and finals， not funerals。 As the case unfolds， there are frustrations from the media and the parents of the murdered students over what appears to be a lack of communication from the police。 But the police chief knows that he needs to play it safe and not put all the cards on the table - just yet。This was a really good book， and laid out the crime， the case， and the trial， bringing a horrific crime into focus。 It also goes through the background of the killer， and what led him to finally break and take the lives of four young people。True crime lovers will enjoy this book！ 。。。more
Madeline Elsinga
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Rated 2。5 rounded to 2 stars“In essence， due to the intense media interest in the King Road homicides， Judge Marshall was shutting out the media going forward in order to maintain the integrity of the case and to ensure an unbiased jury， should the case go to trial。” And yet this book was written？I do appreciate the focus on the victims （Maddie， Kaylee， Ethan and Xana） rather than sensationalizing the case/killer。 However with that being said， I’d skip this book。 It’s published way too soon afte Rated 2。5 rounded to 2 stars“In essence， due to the intense media interest in the King Road homicides， Judge Marshall was shutting out the media going forward in order to maintain the integrity of the case and to ensure an unbiased jury， should the case go to trial。” And yet this book was written？I do appreciate the focus on the victims （Maddie， Kaylee， Ethan and Xana） rather than sensationalizing the case/killer。 However with that being said， I’d skip this book。 It’s published way too soon after the murders， before a trial has even been set！ There are many facts that are unverified because of the sealed files， which just makes the book content something to be taken with a grain （or handful） of salt。I think that’s also a huge issue in the true crime community， is it’s grown so large especially with social media and podcasts。 That maybe the author wanted to be the first to write about the case， resulting in a rushed and too-soon book that is largely inaccurate （or rather unverified） and unfinished。 The evidence against the suspect is largely circumstantial or rumored。 The book paints him to be the killer based on this “evidence” but he has not been convicted。 And some of the claims regarding social media are unverified and the author even says in acknowledgments that he used a lot of the social data based on social media profiles （how is that a reliable source）？！Also because the case was so recent and hasn’t gone to trial， the author has a lot of pages to fill in。 So it felt like there was a lot of unnecessary detail， written in choppy sentences。 Again， I appreciated that unlike a lot of true crime these days， While Idaho Slept isn’t sensationalized and focuses on the victims。 But with that being said， I didn’t need to have multiple chapters about what each victim’s third grade teacher had to say about them。 It was repetitive and read like someone trying to reach the word count of their college essay。The book was informative about the timeline and bare facts about the case， but it’s nothing you couldn’t get from the news stories and sub Reddits。 The content read like the author summarizing the newspaper stories and interviews from families rather than offering new information。 Personally I learned a lot because I hadn’t heard much about this case when it had happened。 But if you followed this case at all in the past year， skip the book and wait for some time to go by and someone else to publish a more fully fleshed out book。Thank you Harper Perenial and Netgalley for the eARC。 While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students by J。 Reuben Appelman was published October 3rd， all opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Chloe Amelse
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ***3。5 stars****I found this book to be quite interesting and was shocked at the speed in which it was released。 I feel like this book could have used more time; between the murders having happened not even a year ago as well as an inconclusive end to whether or not Kohberger was proven to be guilty or not guilty since so little time has passed in the grand scheme of things…。 I just feel like we needed more time and space between the lives of people lost and this book being released。 Otherwise， ***3。5 stars****I found this book to be quite interesting and was shocked at the speed in which it was released。 I feel like this book could have used more time; between the murders having happened not even a year ago as well as an inconclusive end to whether or not Kohberger was proven to be guilty or not guilty since so little time has passed in the grand scheme of things…。 I just feel like we needed more time and space between the lives of people lost and this book being released。 Otherwise， a good read。 。。。more
Chelsea （gofetchabook）
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Thank you to Harper Publishing for my gifted copy of this book for review。 Although I appreciate what this book was trying to do， I didn't get anything more out of it than just googling the news stories。 I will say that I DNF'd at about 70% and did just google the updates on the case。 This is a true crime book about the four college students murdered in their home in the middle of the night， that shocked the small town and the nation。 An arrest has been made and the case is currently on-going。 N Thank you to Harper Publishing for my gifted copy of this book for review。 Although I appreciate what this book was trying to do， I didn't get anything more out of it than just googling the news stories。 I will say that I DNF'd at about 70% and did just google the updates on the case。 This is a true crime book about the four college students murdered in their home in the middle of the night， that shocked the small town and the nation。 An arrest has been made and the case is currently on-going。 Now， I don't want to presume anything， but this book reads like the author read every news story he could get his hands on and condensed it into a book。 There is nothing that indicated to me that the author had any connection to the case or conducted any interviews on his own。 It was just missing any sort of emotion that most true crime books have。 It reads very chronologically which can sometimes be nice and is interspersed with chapters about the victims and their backgrounds。 But again， it doesn't read like he spoke to the families or interviewed anyone， it reads like he looked at their social media and read the obituaries （again， I am not presuming to know what the author did or didn't do， especially when I didn't finish the book， but that is how it feels when reading it。）So don't let me dissuade you， if you are a true crime fan。 You might be interested in this story。 I would have just preferred to save my time and google it。 。。。more
Erica Anderson
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If you like true crime， this is a great read - I listened to the audiobook， so just a little more monotone than preferred， but it was still a great look into these horrendous， mysterious murders。 Can't wait until their killer gets caught。 If you like true crime， this is a great read - I listened to the audiobook， so just a little more monotone than preferred， but it was still a great look into these horrendous， mysterious murders。 Can't wait until their killer gets caught。 。。。more
Pamela
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Goodreads giveaway winThank you
Marsha
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A very well written about a horrible murder。 The book was well written。 It’s sad that something like this happens in our lives。
Nikki Dalton
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This account of the Idaho murders， is a page turner。 The horrific circumstances of the crime are so hard to comprehend in addition to the fact that these four promising lives were cut so short。 As a parent， this is absolutely gut-wrenching。 As a human being， this is absolutely gut-wrenching。 Circumstantial or not， certainly seems they have the right guy。 One can only hope justice is served with this case but it will never bring those four beautiful kids back。 There are bits and pieces that were This account of the Idaho murders， is a page turner。 The horrific circumstances of the crime are so hard to comprehend in addition to the fact that these four promising lives were cut so short。 As a parent， this is absolutely gut-wrenching。 As a human being， this is absolutely gut-wrenching。 Circumstantial or not， certainly seems they have the right guy。 One can only hope justice is served with this case but it will never bring those four beautiful kids back。 There are bits and pieces that were new-to-me information， as I have followed the case closely but what I appreciated about this account is that it was largely focused on the four victims。 Too often the killer gains notoriety and the victims are forgotten。 I feel the legacy of these kids will live on not only in Idaho but worldwide。 。。。more
Kelly Green
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Appelman writes a horrific story with sensitivity to the victims and sharp attention to detail。 This is a must-read for True Crime fans。
Tommie G
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While Idaho Slept - J Reuben AppelmanMy Review:My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Format: AudioTime: 6 Hours 26 MinutesI’m not sure why I decided to listen to this audiobook， but I’m glad that I did。 I live in Texas and knew none of the victims or the person awaiting trial for their murder。 This audiobook humanized them。 Made them real people not just cute young people in photographs。 It also told of behind the scene journey law enforcement went on that ended in the arrest。 I highly recommend that you read th While Idaho Slept - J Reuben AppelmanMy Review:My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Format: AudioTime: 6 Hours 26 MinutesI’m not sure why I decided to listen to this audiobook， but I’m glad that I did。 I live in Texas and knew none of the victims or the person awaiting trial for their murder。 This audiobook humanized them。 Made them real people not just cute young people in photographs。 It also told of behind the scene journey law enforcement went on that ended in the arrest。 I highly recommend that you read the book or listen to the audiobook。 It brings Madison， Kaylee， Xana and Ethan to life。 It also tells of the horrible deaths they endured and that they suffered。 It will take you step by step through the months before and time afterwards of what Bryan Kohberger did in planning， carrying out and covering for this crime。 Read or listen and form your own opinions。 #booktok #bookstagram #books #booklover #bookrecommendations #book #bookstagrammer #bookish #reading #bookworm #booknerd #readersofinstagram #bookreview #bookaddict #bookshelf #bookcommunity #read #bibliophile #booksofinstagram #bookblogger #romance #fantasy 。。。more
Trinity Young
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4 beautiful souls…rest in peace。 No rating for this book。
Hannah
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Really respected the victims' stories。 Really respected the victims' stories。 。。。more
Laura Case
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It was okay， it was very sad to read。 I wish there was a more simplistic word choice other wise I really enjoyed the message behind this book。
Jessica Cargill
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Was this book written perhaps too soon？？ Yes， however it was still a very good read and a nice summary of everything “known” up until this point。 I was reminded of a few forgotten details from the very beginning。 As a U of Idaho graduate， I appreciated the descriptive writing style used to set the seen by the author。 These descriptions brought back a few good memories for myself well reading about such a tragic event！
J Earl
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While Idaho Slept by J Reuben Appelman is， for me， a problematic book。 The writing and research is good， but I have to question both the writer's idea it is a good idea to write a book before the trial and our society's fascination with violent crime that even makes it possible。 That said， for someone like me who doesn't watch or read every story， post， or podcast about the murders， it got me caught up so I can better understand what I will no doubt see in numerous news stories once the trial st While Idaho Slept by J Reuben Appelman is， for me， a problematic book。 The writing and research is good， but I have to question both the writer's idea it is a good idea to write a book before the trial and our society's fascination with violent crime that even makes it possible。 That said， for someone like me who doesn't watch or read every story， post， or podcast about the murders， it got me caught up so I can better understand what I will no doubt see in numerous news stories once the trial starts。I found the book itself to be well-written and researched， with information that is questionable labeled as such and even questions about it put forth by the author。 Keeping most of the book about the people rather than simply the details of the murders and investigation made it more accessible。As I touched on at first， I have mixed feelings about a book that covers the investigation going to press before the results of that investigation have proven to be sufficient to convict。 While I appreciate what I think was a fairly even-handed approach， it just feeds this beast we have for true crime stories before they are even fully investigated or presented。 Armchair detectives think they "know" more than those actually investigating， while those who simply support the defendant label everything as either rumor or propaganda with the additional claims that everything has been "debunked。" Neither I nor they know enough to speak so definitively， but everyone wants to play expert， and this book feeds that dysfunctional aspect of our society。 Yet， admittedly， I chose to read it and found it to serve my interests quite well。 So I am as much a part of the problem as anyone else。I would certainly recommend this to those true crime fans who have no qualms about books coming before the trials， as well as those like me who don't follow cases that closely and simply want a quick dossier to catch up。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Laura
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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。
Wendy
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Pure sadness， but some understanding of the wonderful young victims gained。This book provided insight into who the young adults were who were taken from their families way too soon。 Sorrow for the families as they navigate their new world without their young adults。
Jessica Duffield
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This book illustrates the small-town murder investigation that became an international sensation。 Author J。 Reuben Appelman makes sure to highlight the four victims of this gruesome case。 He goes into detail on the kind of people they were and what they were doing before the crime occurred。 Then Appelman goes into the killer’s mind and dissects why they would do such a thing to four innocent victims。 Appelman goes deep into the case and you’ll get information that you weren’t privy to before。 He This book illustrates the small-town murder investigation that became an international sensation。 Author J。 Reuben Appelman makes sure to highlight the four victims of this gruesome case。 He goes into detail on the kind of people they were and what they were doing before the crime occurred。 Then Appelman goes into the killer’s mind and dissects why they would do such a thing to four innocent victims。 Appelman goes deep into the case and you’ll get information that you weren’t privy to before。 He will examine why murder cases draw so many people’s attentions and what that means for our society。 This book will capture you from the beginning。 The case is horrific， but Appelman does a great job with humanizing the victims and making sure we don’t forget them。 。。。more
Stephanie
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I didn’t closely follow the hunt for the murderer of the Idaho college students。 Was aware of the situation but didn’t dig around for theories on-line。 Some people think this book was released too soon as the alleged killer hasn’t gone to trial and the friends and families are still in the earlier stages of grieving。 Totally understand that perspective。 I found the book to be insightful and interesting。 Provided a lot of details about the students so that they aren’t just random faces and names。 I didn’t closely follow the hunt for the murderer of the Idaho college students。 Was aware of the situation but didn’t dig around for theories on-line。 Some people think this book was released too soon as the alleged killer hasn’t gone to trial and the friends and families are still in the earlier stages of grieving。 Totally understand that perspective。 I found the book to be insightful and interesting。 Provided a lot of details about the students so that they aren’t just random faces and names。 They were real people with full lives ahead of them。 The author balanced the details of the events up to the murders， information about the students， the media impact on the town and information about the investigation。 showed how the police identified the killer very early on and the steps they took to make the arrest。 。。。more
Lauren Barnes
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I was leaving the bookstore when the 1122 King Rd house caught my eye。 I almost didn’t buy this book because I thought there couldn’t possibly be any info in this book that I didn’t already know， as I have been following this case since Nov 13th 2022。 Well， I was wrong。 I actually learned a lot and I felt this book was written beautifully。 It is very respectful of the victims and their families。 Side note， I think everyone needs a Hunter Johnson in their lives。 That dude is a true ride or die 🩵
Sharon M
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for gifting me a digital ARC of this true crime story by J。 Reuben Appelman - 4 stars！The heartbreaking story of the senseless murders of four Idaho college students in November 2022 was all over the news as was the nationwide search for the killer。 Thankfully， the perpetrator was caught and is awaiting trial， although he waived his right to a speedy trial and no date has been set。I really appreciated the fact that this book focused on Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for gifting me a digital ARC of this true crime story by J。 Reuben Appelman - 4 stars！The heartbreaking story of the senseless murders of four Idaho college students in November 2022 was all over the news as was the nationwide search for the killer。 Thankfully， the perpetrator was caught and is awaiting trial， although he waived his right to a speedy trial and no date has been set。I really appreciated the fact that this book focused on the lives of the four students and was not all about the killer。 The author obviously did a lot of research into their lives and their families， and also gave strong evidence against the suspect。 Like many， I am fascinated by true crime stories and this was a good one。 It might have been better to wait until a verdict was in hand， but it was a well-written look into this sad case。 。。。more
Bookish
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