It breaks my heart to say it, but this is a no from me. Ashley Winstead's previous books have always been a win for me, up until now. This is far too close to the Idaho murders and left me feeling predatory. I will definitely read from the author in the future, but this is not one I can recommend.

A brilliantly paced thriller that grabs you early and never loosens its grip. The twists are both shocking and satisfying, unfolding with perfect precision. Vivid characters and razor-sharp writing elevate every moment of suspense. It’s an addictive, high-stakes ride you won’t want to end.

I have to confess that I've not been the biggest Ashley Winstead fan. The Last Housewife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour were both huge misses for me, to the point where I'd basically written her off. But I decided to try This Book Will Bury Me on the off chance that maybe third time is the charm.

AND IT WAS!

I am utterly shocked at how much I enjoyed this book. Ok, ok, I could nitpick some things if you made me, but there was so much I enjoyed including
--True crime inspiration pulled straight from the headlines
--The online component
--A fun cast of characters that felt like some sort of true crime fighting Justice League

This book had some good twists and turns and was, simply put, very entertaining. I will definitely recommend it to my audience, and I'm also more open to whatever Winstead has next for us.

I really enjoy the way this author writes and keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for answers. This time I felt like the reveals weren’t as shocking as I’d hoped. It felt like an obvious choice for the killer and the ending was a bit too neatly bow wrapped. It was a solid read as far as engaging and kept me entertained.

This Book Will Bury Me offers an intriguing premise with sharp social commentary, and Ashley Winstead’s writing has a real edge that keeps you hooked. The story revolves around complex characters grappling with past secrets and the darker sides of friendship and fame. While I appreciated the tension and the moments of wit, at times the plot felt a bit uneven, and some character motivations weren’t fully fleshed out. Overall, it’s an engaging read that shines in its more intense moments, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights I was hoping for. Still, worth a look if you’re into contemporary thrillers with a gritty edge.

I really loved this book and its approach to true crime used in fiction. I’ve had mixed feelings about this author’s previous novels, but this was a home run for me. The plot, the characters, the mystery, it was all outstandingly executed. This is a must read for thriller/mystery fans and true crime fans as well!

I actually really enjoyed this book until it started feeling a little too "real" with the Idaho murders. After that I just had a bad taste in my mouth. It made me sad because I think I would have loved this otherwise.

While I normally love this author's books this one just didn't work for me. There were pacing issues and the book felt too long. It is also pretty predictable and while it is acknowledge that it's inspired by the Idaho 4 murder cases, it just felt too soon to be referencing it but that's probably just me. I will still pick up Winsteads next book and thank you to the publisher and NetGalley fro my eARC.

This Book Will Bury Me
Ashley Winstead
4.25⭐️

Pub Date: 3/25/2025

Wooh. This was a wild ride. It's a book within a book. The style is already unique and captivating to begin with. It'a about 5 true crime enthusiasts diving into the Idaho murders and others. But it focuses on Janeway, in the midst of her grief, and how this "pastime" turned her whole world inside out. This book was so easy to follow, even though there were a lot of people involved. I had theories all along, I had fun weeding out the suspect list but this book played me so well. I already ruled out a couple of people but as the story progresses and more evidence turned up, I had a hard time pinning someone down. The ending was satisfying, but not mindblowing. It took a more realistic turn and I think it was done well here that I actually liked it. Overall, an enjoyable read if you're looking for a good true crime book!

Thank you @netgalley and Sourcebooks for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

💭 do you follow any true crime podcasts or websites?

I absolutely enjoyed this book. I have begun to love the micro trope of podcasting/ amateur investigative policing, so this clicked all the buttons. The main characters were well written and kept the plot moving. I know this was based on a true story and some did not like that, but I liked it

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blurb: Drowning in grief for her father, Jane falls down the rabbit hole that is internet sleuth forums and true crime. She quickly discovers an untapped talent at detective work, and joins forces with four other amateur investigators when a sensational murder in Idaho grips the nation.

Mood Reader Guide: based on true events / thriller / true crime / violent criminals / serial killer / social media / found family / grief / lengthy book / first person POV

Thoughts: I went into this book unaware of the real life events that inspired the story, which is important to note. I suspect readers who closely followed the real life Idaho college slayings may feel have different reactions.

This Book Will Bury Me is formatted as if Jane, our protagonist, is writing about the main events one year later. She is looking back on how she got interested in internet sleuthing, the Delphine murder case and investigation, and subsequent events. There's references to things as if the reader knows all about the case, and now is reading Jane's side of the story. So it's almost like a personal memoir, "my side of the story" book. Which is an interesting way to approach the story and not one I've read before.

I enjoyed the investigation and digging through evidence and behind the scenes detective work that the "found family" did. Jane and the other four armchair detectives become infamous for helping solve a previous case, and are even brought in as outside FBI consultants (which seems like a stretch, but maybe the FBI has opened their doors for real). The unfolding of the evidence, and twists and turns of the case kept me reading, and the climax of the book is very suspenseful.

My big complaint is the backstory of Jane and her father's unexpected death, and all of that as internal motivation for why she became interested in true crime so obsessively. Those parts felt dull compared to the main plot, and didn't add much to the story. I appreciated what the author was trying to do, but it was unnecessary.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, however it did mention a previous crime of a daughter around my daughter's age and I just couldn't finish it. Check for trigger warnings.

My Rating- 4.5/5

I've read a few of Ashley Winstead's titles now, and it's become clear to me that she has a knack for creating tantalizing plots full of shock and awe. This Book Will Bury Me was no exception, and I found myself racing to the end of this story just so I could figure out how it would all play out.

Let's get into it!

Premise- I want to start off by addressing my biggest issue with this story, and the one thing that held it back from being a 5 star read for me- the premise of the story. It's clear that this story is heavily inspired by the events of the University of Idaho Massacre that occurred in 2022. The author acknowledges this in her notes, and explains that the idea for this story was born during the time that these murders were being heavily investigated, as the author herself was mourning the loss of her father at the time- something the main character of the story is also experiencing. I understand that this particular media frenzy occuring during a difficult time in Winstead's life is what served as inspiration for her story, but I can't help but feel that using such a recent and horrible massacre as the premise from a book is distasteful. While reading the book, I kept finding myself wishing that Winstead had just written an entirely fictional mystery for the backdrop of this story, instead of one that was a thinly veiled rewrite of a real massacre that happened only years ago. Using these real deaths in this way simply doesn't sit well with me, and it brings a lot of moral questions to light about the use of true crime as entertainment. 1/5

Characters- I adore a group of misfits coming together as a found family, and Winstead did a great job juggling the complexities of this group and their different chemistries. I found all of their interactions to be believable and came to really enjoy the scenes with the group interacting together, especially later on when the group was all together in person. Each character in the group had a unique feel, and I could easily see their individual pull to amateur sleuthing. 5/5

Writing & Pacing- Ashley Winstead does a phenomenal job in both of these categories. She expertly doles out twists and turns at a rate that makes her stories irresistible. She manages to keep her readers in the dark just enough to leave them wondering, but still gives them the shadows of ideas, so that they're unable to keep from making guesses and building theories of their own. I truly feel that Ashley Winstead might be one of the most talented thriller authors on the market. 5/5 on both.

Ending- There is a fine line between shocking and believability when it comes to tying a thriller together that I find most stories are unable to walk. Sometimes an ending is so stuck on trying to shock its reader that it ends up being preposterous and feeling underwritten, or just downright unbelievable. And on the other side, if the ending is too well laid out in the realm of believability, it can end up feeling predictable and bland. Ashley Winstead found the sweet spot in between for the ending of This Book Will Bury Me. I truly was not sure how the story was going to tie together, and my jaw was on the floor with the final reveal, and yet it was not out of my scope of believability. So much of my enjoyment of a thriller is tied into it's ending and how well it is handled, and I found that it was handled expertly here. 5/5

All in all, this is an outstanding thriller, near perfect if it weren't for my moral qualms about the inspiration for the story.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars - I might have enjoyed this one a lot more, had it not been based almost to the exact detail of the Idaho 4, a case that is still currently at trial, without any closure. I have always thought that Ashley Winstead is such a versatile writer, and I know she has the ability to write some amazing things, but I wish this one was a little bit further away from reality.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

This story was so well done and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy reading from this author and I'm looking forward to the next book. The plot was really well explored and I enjoyed the overall story. The characters were great and I was able to dive myself into this book. It was well done and I highly recommend. This book was so good.

I absolutely LOVED this book. This was my first Ashley Winstead book and it hooked me from the start.

I loved the way the book focused on the online true crime community and I found myself trying to solve the murders along with Jane and her found family. The writing was so great and I felt immersed in the story; I didn't want to put the book down!

If you love a twisty, rollercoaster of a ride, this is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this eBook.

This was more a 3.5 star rating, but I did enjoy the book. Ashley Winstead books always grab my attention, some better than others but overall a good book that provided entertainment.

I’ve read all of Ashley Winstead’s books to date and have enjoyed all of them. This one wasn’t my favorite but I still enjoyed it.

After the unexpected death of her father, Jane looks for an outlet and distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime and joins a group that investigates cold cases and new cases.

I loved the plot of the story but the ending felt very rushed to me and didn’t give me the conclusion I wanted. I’m still kinda confused with the ending if I’m being honest. I enjoyed the short chapters though and obviously the true crime aspect of the story. I’m not sure if this book was based around the real life Idaho Massacre or not but I felt like there was so many similarities for it not to be.

If you’re looking for a fast paced mystery/thriller with true crime then I highly recommend picking this one up. I can’t wait to see what Ashley Winstead comes up with next!

After losing her father suddenly, Jane loses herself into the true crime forums. I love how This Book Will Bury Me is written as a book. It was interesting that we the readers were being told the story. I can understand how Jane lets her obsession with this world take over as she's trying to learn how to live in a world without her father.

This Book Will Bury Me is quite long and that does make the pacing feel slow at some points, but I did appreciate getting to know the characters she starts working with and the other aspects of the whole world of amateur investigators. I also thought that this book portrays media very well these days. They seem to be everywhere and want to uncover everything. These days I wonder if they realize how much they hurt people doing that as well.

The writing and story did keep me hooked and I was surprised how fast I finished this almost 500 page book. I personally didn't see the ending coming and the ending was twisted but in a way I can appreciate. I will say that after reading this I learned it was partially based on a case that hasn't gone to trial yet. If I'm honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about that.

That being said, I still enjoyed this book and how it was written. I will be looking into this author's backlist to catch up!

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on June 7th!

This Book Will Bury Me delivers a fresh, unsettling spin on the true crime genre by centering on Jane Sharp—a college student whose grief turns into obsession as she dives headfirst into the online sleuthing world. What begins as a coping mechanism spirals into a chilling unraveling of secrets, media spectacle, and a case far more twisted than it first appears.

The structure—told retrospectively after the “truth” has already shaken the world—adds layers of suspense and unreliable narration. Some pacing lags and red herrings may test patience, but the final payoff is chillingly satisfying. Smart, eerie, and relevant in the age of internet detectives.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy! :)