The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy

On my DNF pile. I'm unsure as to the need for this book. I read almost half of it and learned very little new about the case, and what I did learn was fairly irrelevant (Ethan's mom heard about his death while she was in a grocery store, chatting with a friend). It's not that I have studied the murders at length; I've just read basic material there for the public. (In picking up the book, I think I was looking for more about who both the victims and the criminal were.) Patterson is of course a good writer, though I found his tendency toward the dramatic - ending virtually every chapter with something ominous or a cliff-hanger - very annoying. You don't have to tell me this case is dramatic; four people were brutally murdered, and that show more pretty much sums it up. This book may be useful for someone who knows absolutely nothing about what happened in Idaho, but not for anyone even remotely familiar with the case. show less

This book is about the 2022 murders of four U of Idaho students. I read it with interest, but I thought that it became a bit repetitive. The author relied a lot on the Goncalves family because they were willing to speak out. Others, not so much. It really annoyed me that the narrator didn’t take the time to research how to pronounce geographic locations, such as Skagit County or Moscow. Oh well, she she was paid for it and that's what counts...right? Patterson could have advantaged local writers as partners instead of a NYC phenom. Further, the book release date, July 14, 2025 means that the public release of information about the same time; the book could have benefitted from that information. Profit>truth?

In November of 2022, Moscow, Idaho was thrust into a media spotlight. Four University of Idaho students were murdered in their house. This account delves not only into the brutal act but we get to know Xana, Ethan, Maddie and Kaylee, their family and friends. Also details of the police investigation, attorneys preparing for what is probably the biggest case of their careers and a look into the background of the alleged killer. I’m sure there will be more books published since the killer has confessed and has been sentenced.

I listened to the audio, narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers, who did a wonderful job. I couldn’t help but cry, shake my head and offer a prayer for all involved. I walked away many times while listening to catch my show more breath. Still, there are so many questions we will probably never receive answers to. The book was well laid out and thoroughly researched. show less

I learned a few new things from this book. I thought the authors did a lot of research. . It gives you timeline leading up to the crime. Since a plea deal was taken, we will never know exactly what happened, but but this book gives you some clues into how and why this happened.

Good account of the crime and the investigation but I did not like that it was published before conclusion of the trial.