Author KL Adams

Some stories linger—not because they’re sensational, but because they matter. The November 2022 murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen shook a town, then a nation. These were not just names in a headline. Kaylee made everyone laugh. Ethan was the loyal friend. Xana brought light to every room. Madison was the steady presence everyone leaned on. These books don’t let them disappear.

Three books now give the Idaho Four their names back:

• While Idaho Slept by J. Reuben Appelman (2023): raw, immediate, tender—written within the storm.
• When the Night Comes Calling by Howard Blum (2024): measured and cinematic, a documentary-like suspense with empathy.
• The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy by James Patterson & Vicky Ward (2025): over 300 interviews. The Guardian calls it “a powerful and haunting investigative account… one that keeps the focus on the victims as much as on the crime.” instagram.comyoutube.com+3theguardian.com+3reddit.com+3reddit.com

None of them compete. Instead, they echo each other—different lenses on the same heartbreak.

Why write—or read—books like these? They can’t bring back Kaylee, Ethan, Xana, or Madison. But they can restore pieces of their stories, cradle them within our shared memory, and force us to ask harder questions about justice, community, and grief. Importantly, these books keep the spotlight on the students, not the killer.

Meanwhile, no coverage I could find mentions proceeds being donated to victim-run foundations or scholarships—something readers are asking for. That matters—compassion is an action as well as an attitude.

Maybe the true measure of these books isn’t bestseller lists or true crime rankings. Maybe it’s how well they help us hold on to Kaylee’s laugh, Ethan’s loyalty, Xana’s energy, and Madison’s warmth. True crime doesn’t have to be spectacle—it can—and should—carry memory, not just facts.

📌 Sources

• Appelman, J. R. (2023). While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students. Barnes & Noble
• Blum, H. (2024). When the Night Comes Calling: A Requiem for the Idaho Student Murders. Harper Collins
• Patterson, J., & Ward, V. (2025). The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy. Barnes & Noble
• “The Idaho Four review: James Patterson’s powerful new true crime book.” The Guardian. (July 20, 2025). The Guardian

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