When the Night Comes Falling: A Requiem for the Idaho Student Murders

Instant New York Times Bestseller

“Compelling. . . . Blum capably maintains the suspense and thoughtfully probes into the motives of key players in this intriguing yet profoundly unsettling story.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the bestselling author of The Spy Who Knew Too Much and American Lightning comes the definitive true crime account of the Idaho student murders—an updated paperback edition in time for the long-anticipated trial. 

Timed for a trial that will capture national attention, When the Night Comes Falling examines the mysterious murders of the four University of Idaho students in a gripping college town crime narrative. Having covered this case from its start, Edgar award winning investigative reporter Howard Blum takes readers behind the scenes of the intense police manhunt that eventually led to suspected killer, Bryan Christopher Kohberger, and uncovered larger, lurid questions within this unthinkable tragedy.

Reminiscent of the panoramic portraiture of In Cold Blood and The Executioner’s Song, When the Night Comes Falling  offers a suspenseful, richly detailed narrative grounded in meticulous investigative journalism that will have readers transfixed.  

This definitive account takes you inside one of the most followed true crime cases in recent memory:

• The Complete Timeline: Follow investigative reporter Howard Blum from the night of the murders to the national police manhunt that captured a nation’s attention.
• Exclusive Investigation: Go behind the scenes with law enforcement as they piece together clues from a crime scene that left even seasoned detectives profoundly unsettled.
• The Suspect in Focus: Delve into the background of Bryan Christopher Kohberger, the PhD candidate in criminal justice who became the primary suspect in an unthinkable tragedy.
• Meticulous Forensic Detail: Discover how a single piece of DNA evidence found on a knife sheath broke the case open, in a narrative reminiscent of classic true crime like In Cold Blood.

“Howard Blum writes history books that read like thrillers.” - New York Times

“Blum has a remarkable talent for both uncovering history’s most inexplicably forgotten stories . . . and for writing nonfiction like a big-budget thriller.” - Daily Beast

"By going back and forth in time, Blum cleverly makes his pieces part of agency folklore, terrific stories in their own right. . . . Blum lays out his pieces clearly, and entertainingly." - Washington Post on The Spy Who Knew Too Much

"Blum capably maintains the suspense and thoughtfully probes into the motives of key players in this intriguing yet profoundly unsettling story. A compelling true-crime book." - Kirkus Reviews

"Mesmerizing. . . . The definitive chronicle of a shocking crime." - Publishers Weekly

"Chilling." - People

"The authoritative text." - Air Mail

"A great, great book. Fantastic reporting." - Megyn Kelly