Book Review: The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy by James Patterson and Vicky Ward
Rating: ★★★★☆(4/5)
Introduction:
November 13th 2022 was 3 days before my birthday. I was pregnant with my first child. December 30th was my anniversary and by then we had been celebrating the birth of our gorgeous daughter Charlotte earlier that month. It’s during this time period of normal and happy times for me that four families lost their entire world and many more were affected by the horrific crimes. While I was celebrating my anniversary in Dallas, the killer was being arrested in Washington and being transported to Idaho. It’s a surreal story that I didn’t follow in real time. Other than passing glances on Yahoo! this story did not enter my sphere until the last few months. It makes you evaluate the beauty of the moments in your own life when you see how easily they can be ripped away. This book is a page turner and one that had me reflecting for days on the importance of cherishing those I love.
Quick Facts
- Release: July 2025 Read: July 2025
- Reading Time: 5-6 hours (I was flippin them pages)
- Pages: 448
- Format Recommendation: Audiobook is recommended for the intense emotional nuances, but the physical format offers a more tactile connection to the text.
- Perfect for: People who love true crime podcasts and who want to hear from the families not the sensationalized media.
- Genre and Writing Style: True Crime
- Spice Level: 0
- Trigger Level:💀💀💀💀💀
Summary: A Brief Overview (Without Major Spoilers)
From Goodreads: The murders of four innocent college students attending the University of Idaho left us with so many questions. Now, after over 300 interviews, James Patterson and prize-winning journalist Vicky Ward finally have some answers.
We know what it was like to live in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022, the day of the cold-blooded killings.
We know what the local police and FBI did right. And what they did wrong.
We’ve learned so much about the four heartbroken families—the Mogens, Goncalves, Kernodles, and Chapins.
And we have the backstory for Bryan Kohberger, brilliant grad student, loner, apparent incel—now indicted and facing trial.
Now you are the jury.
The evidence is in.
What Worked for Me:
Alevia Goncalves: She embodies big sister energy. Her statement to BK is epic and I want to link it here Bing Videos
The Four: Having gone through Greek Life myself I know the bonds of Sisterhood. These four were a mixed family. They loved one another and their two other housemates. Getting to know them through their loved ones was a pure and bittersweet experience.
Stacy Chapin– As a twin myself I couldn’t imagine losing my other half. My older sister actually lost one of her twins in childbirth. Stacy losing one of her triplets and then still being a momma bear to the others during their time of need was awe inspiring.
What Didn’t Work for Me: Trigger Warnings and Criticisms
Giving BK a voice: There are moments in the book where BK’s POV is explored, and a voice is given to him as if his own words are being used. I know he was not interviewed for this book so I did not find it necessary to hear from him like he had been.
Not Waiting: I understand with the documentary coming out and the trial being prepped to start, the publishers were gearing up for this release to coincide with that. They couldn’t have predicted that almost immediately after its release BK would plead guilty and a large amount of court documents would be released. Some of these documents seem to disagree with the findings in the book, such as timeline. I think they could have waited until after the trial for the release, but I know media doesn’t work that way.
Final Thoughts:
This book was released a week or so before BK decided to plead guilty to all charges. His sentencing followed. It is a powerful testament to the families struggling to find healing in wake of tragedy. It is more tasteful than the documentary at describing the crime. I feel like it looks at all corners of the crime and ensuing media frenzy. It looks behind the scenes at police work that wasn’t able to be discussed in the documentary because of gag orders. Overall, it is a very well written as a reflection of the families discussing their loved ones. I feel like more time and research could have been done. I have read accounts that claim that the book does not accurately follow court documents and if that is the case then it should have waited for them to be released. I do think though for working with the available at the time information, the authors did attempt to give a full picture of events.
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