First published 2025
Four University of Idaho students were brutally killed in Moscow, Idaho on November 13, 2022. The murders left a community devastated and families searching for answers. James Patterson teams with journalist Vicky Ward to examine what happened that night through more than 300 interviews with investigators, residents, and those close to the case. They trace the police investigation from the initial response through the FBI involvement, documenting both successful strategies and critical missteps. The authors profile the four victims and their grieving families: the Mogens, Goncalves, Kernodles, and Chapins. They also examine Bryan Kohberger, the graduate student charged with the crimes, exploring his background as a loner and alleged incel. Patterson and Ward present the evidence that led to Kohberger's indictment and lay out the case as it heads to trial.
Genres: crime, 21st-century, mystery-thriller, journalism
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: true-story, unsolved-mystery
Setting: Idaho, Moscow
Period: 2022
448 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: death, murder, violence