REXBURG — It was the night of November 12, 2022. Most of Idaho lay sleeping, everyone that is except for one ill-intentioned man from Washington state.
In his latest book, “While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students,” author, Reuben J. Appelman, chronicles what happened on that fateful night, still fresh in the minds of so many people across the country. That was the night that four University of Idaho students — Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen — were stabbed to death in their home near campus.
In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Appelman said that although this is his second true crime novel, he does not have a standard background in criminology.
“I started by researching a cold case that mattered a lot to me, four kids in the Detroit area, where I grew up, were abducted and murdered over a 13-year period,” Appelman said. “When I was a kid, at the same time, somebody tried to abduct me, and they never caught the perpetrator of the murders of the other kids.”
As he grew up, Appelman says he would always wonder if the person who tried to abduct him was the same individual who committed those murders. In part, this curiosity is what has propelled Appelman to take part in this writing genre.
When it comes to writing such books, Appelman tries his best to do his due diligence in characterizing the victims of each case. This book was no different.
“I absolutely made dozens, if not probably, in the hundreds of attempts to reach everybody I could in the families,” Appelman said. “I took all the information I could find from a variety of sources. A lot of it was my own acumen at investigating things that helped and presented it for the public in a way that I hope allows to paint a picture of the beautiful lives that these young people lived. And the way the community of Moscow in North Idaho, which is such a beautiful place, is able to move forward in certain ways.”
Appelman acknowledges that when he dives into cases like these, it takes a toll on his mental and physical health.
“It is extremely difficult, and always has been for me to write on these types of topics,” Appelman said. “I'm physically active. I take my vitamins. I try to get some sleep. All the things they tell you you're supposed to do. But for several years, at least, and each time I'm exposed to this stuff, it definitely lingers.”
To those looking to get into the world of writing and authorship, Appelman says imagery is everything.
“if we just start writing ideas, it never leads to anything. We start writing images, it leads to everything,” Appelman said.
You can find Appelman’s latest book as well as his other title by searching for Reuben J. Appelman on Amazon.