The Book
In a meandering narrative of selective evidence, former FBI Special Agent, Christopher Whitcomb, walks readers through the evidence of what happened to the Idaho Four, a group of college students who were brutally murdered in November of 2022. And what happened, or rather, what failed to happen when the accused, Bryan Kohberger, pleaded guilty of the crime.
There seem to be many discrepancies between what the cops allege happened and what must have happened that fateful morning. Inside, the pages of this book are myriad details the defense team could have brought forward during a trial.
Among them, a detailed analysis of the crime scene. The questions that arise between the documented position of some of the furniture in the house, as evidenced by a party at the place late the night before/night of the murders and what the cops body cameras showed when they entered the house. The believed discrepancies between recordings of interviews and what the tapes of the interviews actually say.
It answers some of the rumors out there about an Only Fans account of one of the victims (apparently verified enough by the defense they planned to raise it at trails) and drug dealing of one of the other victims (sourced to some of the inner circle). The viciousness of the attacks, the apparent time frame, and questions of if a single perpetrator could have committed the act alone.
It gives us verbatim the entire spreadsheet timeline the police used when reconstructing events, including details of mysterious texts, the source was never identified, sent in the days leading up the crime. And it gives us off the record quotes that the DNA on the knife sheath might not have been identified as Kohberger's.
My Thoughts
Well, the defense team, many of whom were in the dark about a plea offer in this case is pissed this thing didn't go to trail. It seems there may be some among the assembled experts who truly believe Kohberger is innocent. They seem to be outraged that he took a plea. That the prosecution offered a plea. Enough so, that the leaked a copy of the defense case to Whitcomb.
I am not certain that this book does their doubts justice. It was difficult to read and follow. And it Whitcomb felt the need to interrupt the narrative to make an argument, to poke holes in the case, every little bit. It took me out of the point he wished to make. And it took me out of the evidence, which I then had to reread, skip over his commentary and go through again, then go back to the commentary to form an opinion.
The police of tiny Moscow, Idaho have my considerable sympathy when it comes to this case. The first time I lived in a smaller city, there were several murders that were left unsolved. It was clear to me then, that murder was a crime too complicated for the department to handle. This case, four murders, with what seems to be complexity of this case, easily overwhelmed the police of Moscow. And to their credit, they did call for help.
I must take at face value the veracity of the claims in this book. Whitcomb is a former FBI agent, a sworn officer of the law. He knows better than to lie, and it has been my experience of former FBI agents, all of whom I know in either a parasocial way, or at a great distance. Nonetheless, as a rule, I have found them to be sticklers for evidence and the truth. Whitcomb currently makes his money as both a TV commentator and as a consultant. To put his name on this book and have it filled with mistruths would be catastrophic to his career.
Given that, I am forced to reluctantly agree with the premise of the book, which is this case needed to go to trial. Genuinely, I hope they got the right guy. But, if on the jury, I'm not certain which way I would vote. But as an exercise of putting forward a defense, the book lacked cohesion. In this regard, I believe we will see much more leaked material out of the defense team. I think someone is angry enough to keep at it until they get something stirred up. If this person or set of persons fails, it will be because we don't care.
How Much My Library Card Saved Me
This book came to me from from the Huntley Area Public Library. According to the stamp, it entered their system on May 17, 2026, which is pretty close to the date I learned of the book's existence. This first edition has been lightly read. There are no wear indicators in either pages nor on the cover. This book should last many years, unless interest in the case wanes. The cover of the book says this 429 page book retailed for $31.99, that is the number we will use.
Library Books
This Book $0.00
Library Items Reviewed This Year $456.31
Private Books
This Book $31.00
Total of Private Books $58.75
Total of All Items Reviewed This Year $580.06
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The Book
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