Author and Former FBI Agent Christopher Whitcomb to Release Broken Plea: The Explosive Search for Truth Behind the Idaho Murders on April 28, 2026

A riveting and masterful examination of one of the most sensational crimes this century, through the eyes of a law enforcement veteran given broad access to undisclosed files.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sometime around 4:20 a.m. on a cold, foggy Sunday morning in mid-November of 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered at a house they shared in Moscow, Idaho.

The case instantly captured national attention, including round-the-clock coverage by international media who descended on the small college town to report on its first murder in years. After an intensive investigation involving local, state and federal agencies, Bryan Kohberger was charged and eventually pled guilty to the crimes, avoiding a trial, and denying the community answers to important questions:

What were his motives? Where are the weapons? How did a lone assailant with no known connection to the victims enter the house in the middle of the night, viciously murder four people in less than ten minutes and escape, barely leaving a trace? Why were two residents spared? Why did a witness who saw the masked assailant wait eight hours before calling 911?

In this can’t-put-it-down page-turner, former FBI agent, journalist and bestselling author Christopher Whitcomb re-opens the case. Based on information provided by defense and prosecution sources, he scrutinizes tens of thousands of previously undisclosed files, including police reports, photographs, body-camera video, laboratory reports, autopsy findings, forensic and DNA analyses, unpublished interviews, surveillance logs and expert findings. In lieu of theories and conjecture, Whitcomb discovers shocking evidence-based revelations.

Though Whitcomb does not challenge the veracity of Kohberger’s plea, he does present troubling flaws in the case, including questions about how one man could possibly have committed these crimes alone. Looking at the three pillars of the prosecution’s case, he discovers significant flaws in DNA analysis, including court documents that indicate police never actually matched Kohberger to the KA-BAR knife sheath found at the scene.

Whitcomb also documents vexing contradictions in how police identified a white sedan, how investigators tied Kohberger’s phone to the scene. He relies on the prosecution’s own expert to show that large areas of the house were cleaned up and altered after the fact.

With an engaging writing style that grabs readers by their lapels, Whitcomb raises important questions about how police handled crime scene analysis, evidence retention, alternate suspects, and contradictory witness statements. In the end, he clearly demonstrates that this case is not what we have been led to believe.

“I wrote this book because I believe the American system of justice is the best in the world, but that doesn’t mean it is perfect,” Whitcomb said. “Cops err, technologies fail, and witnesses falter. And yes, guilt may be the domain of lawyers and courts, but if we as a society truly believe in its foundations, we should be willing to ask hard questions; look deeper. None of us knows what happened in Moscow that horrific night in November, but it is my hope that this book will be a first step toward understanding.”

Broken Plea will be released on April 28, 2026, and will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. You can pre-order today at: https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/harper-select/books/broken-plea/.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER WHITCOMB
Christopher Whitcomb is a writer, entrepreneur, and former FBI agent with operational experience in more than 30 countries. He is the author of the bestselling Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, the novels Black and White, and the memoir Anonymous Male: A Life Among Spies. He has worked as an on-air analyst for NBC and co-hosted Checkpoint CNBC where he was nominated for a Peabody Award, reporting on terrorism from Guantanamo Bay. He has written for numerous outlets, including The New York Times, GQ, Netflix, CBS Films, and HBO.

ABOUT HARPER SELECT:
Harper Select, based in Nashville, TN, publishes an exclusive number of hand-selected memoirs and narrative nonfiction each year. Recent NYT Bestsellers include books from Joanna Gaines, Mark Harmon, Leon Carroll, Jr., Kelsey Grammer, Allison Holker and Loyola Chicago’s Sister Jean.