Ashley Winstead knows how to hook a reader—I'll give her that. The premise of "This Book Will Bury Me" is sharp, suspenseful, and darkly intriguing, and the beginning pulled me in immediately. In fact, I was all in… until I wasn't.

Somewhere along the way, I realized the fictional murder at the heart of the story was a reimagined version of the Idaho college murders. That's where the experience shifted for me. Not because Winstead wasn't up to the task—she's a great writer—but because that real-life case had already been dissected, sensationalized, and emotionally draining in every way. I wasn't interested in revisiting it, even from a new fictional perspective.

Still, if that connection doesn't bother you (or if you somehow missed the real-world events entirely), this book is a solid, haunting mystery. "This Book Will Bury Me" has its strengths and could be a standout for the right reader. Just… know what you're walking into before you dive in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First of all, the writing is amazing and as usual, Ashley Winstead is a fantastic story teller.

Unfortunately, she lost the plot. As in, should have never written about true crime cases that are so fresh and aren't even closed yet. I read the authors note and I understand that she wanted to discuss the exploitation of true crime, but all she did was become exploitive herself. It's horrifically graphic when it talks about CASES THAT ARE REAL. I don't know why she couldn't just make up a fictional case and use that and internet sleuths. It was entirely unnecessary to bring in real cases.

I was hoping it was going to be broadly based on the real life cases, but it was basically like she was reading from the case file. Honestly I'm really sad and disappointed in the author and the publishing team for this. I hope the families never read some of the graphic scenes in this book.

To write this kind of book, the families need to consent and I haven't seen that anywhere. If they come out and say they approve of the book, I'll take back this review.

A suspenseful and engaging read! Short chapters and blog chat format made this a fast-paced story. All the characters were complex, well developed and intriguing. There were a few different plots and connections that were cleverly interwoven and a few surprising twists that caught me by surprise. While I was really hooked on this storyline and the POV told by the amateur sleuths, I had mixed feelings about this being based upon the Idaho murder case, mostly because it’s still ongoing. If you’re a true crime enthusiast- I recommend diving into this one!

So many twists & turns in this engaging true crime thriller. Those who followed the Idaho college student murders will appreciate the loose references to the case. Did not see the twist at the end!

This Book Will Bury Me
by Ashley Winstead
Pub Date: Mar 25 2025

The main character in "This Book Will Bury Me" is a true crime enthusiast who works to solve active crimes and aid the police. I loved her character and her detailed descriptions. This is an intense slow burner of a read with a complex, constantly changing, well thought out plot. If fiction based, true-crime events, or grief of losing a parent are triggers for you then this may not be a great fit.

Synopsis: After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...

Many thanks to #NetGalley, #Sourcebooks #Landmark for providing me with an E-ARC of this Thriller!

3.75 stars. If you've ever seen those true crime docs about couch detectives that attempt to solve cold cases while glued behind their computer screens - that's essentially what Ashley Winstead's THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME is. We follow a group of clinically online true crime sleuths that come together to solve a sorority slaughter in Idaho, and how it's connected to a murder twelve years prior. Each individual in the group has been brought to the message boards for various reasons, but our protagonist, Jane, is mourning the loss of her late father and becomes obsessed with distracting herself with solving these crimes. Online leads to real life, and a twist or turn along the way.

This book explores the fine line between authorities and those that try to be, and what happens when hive mentality breaks the barrier of caution tape, and meddles with a crime scene. Ultimately, Winstead calls us to question the source, since even the strongest of convictions can still be misleading. Being obsessed with true crime doesn't mean that we're all capable of being detectives. While the book is a bit long for a mystery, it certainly reads quickly, and I was curious to see how things would end up. That said, once I started putting the pieces together, I can't say that I was SHOCKED by the outcome. But Winstead's prose had me strapped in, despite it feeling slightly repetitive.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story is both captivating and chilling, seamlessly blending elements of psychological suspense, mystery, and literary fiction. Winstead’s writing is sharp and evocative, creating a narrative that’s not just about the twists and turns of the plot, but also about the deeper emotional journey the characters go through. The novel doesn’t shy away from exploring difficult and uncomfortable subjects, which may not be to everyone’s taste. But for those who enjoy deep, introspective reads with a touch of mystery and a lot of emotional depth, This Book Will Bury Me is a powerful and unforgettable journey.

I was blown away by the way that Winstead captured the capacity for people to band together for a common cause.

The Internet has given birth to the burgeoning "internet sleuth/true crime" business, and thousands of forums and podcasts have sprung up around this theme. While I wasn't aware of the real Idaho murders this book is based on, it was hard to step out of the story enough to remember - the book is a work of fiction. But because the dialogue rings so true, and the story is so compelling, I had to keep reminding myself that it (probably) was not (it isn't).

And yet we still feel compassion for Jane, who has recently lost her father and is clinging to her found family to help her through her grief. We feel it for the others in the forum, regardless of why they are there - "a place for hopeless, helpless people to raise their tiny swords against the sky". And maybe we even skate past whether what they do is morally right or wrong - because of the potential to save lives. But real life is not always so black and white, and neither was this story. But it was quick-paced, intelligent, and heartwrenching.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for introducing me to Ashley Winstead through an advance reader's copy. Now to check out her backlist!

📚This Book Will Bury Me📚
Pub Date: 3/25/25

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow…l absolutely devoured this book! True crime junkies will love this!!
Jane Sharp is a college senior. She loses her Dad unexpectedly and ends up dropping out of college. She becomes involved with a true crime network she discovers on the underground web after taking interest in a case where a young woman’s body is found cut up in a garbage bag. She becomes obsessed with this group of people and true crime as she needs the distraction from losing her dad. When three girls are stabbed at a sorority house, her true crime friends decide they need to find out the truth.
I could not put this down!!! It was fast paced and I was completely enthralled with this story! I think Ashley did an amazing job with such controversial cases and topics!! This will definitely be a favorite of 2025!!👏🏼

While this is a work of fiction it does have true crime elements based off of real cases like the girls stabbed in the Idaho murders.
I’m disappointed in people leaving bad reviews just because of this controversy as Ashley clearly stated this in a note on first pages. So maybe these people shouldn’t be reading and leaving negative reviews 🤷🏻‍♀️
People loved What Happened to Nina when the author clearly stated it was based on Gabby Petito case so why all the negativity here???

Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A gripping and thought-provoking novel, This Book Will Bury Me is both a sharp critique of true-crime obsession and a deeply emotional story of grief and loss. Winstead masterfully explores the world of amateur web sleuths, examining their motivations and the ethical gray areas of their work. At its core, though, this book is a moving meditation on parental loss, trauma, and the ways we search for meaning in the aftermath of tragedy. The pacing is excellent, keeping me engaged from start to finish.

While I did figure out one of the twists fairly early, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. The journey was still compelling, and the emotional weight of the story kept me invested. This is a smart, well-crafted thriller with more depth than your typical true-crime-inspired novel, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME - ASHLEY WINSTEAD

4⭐

After losing her father young college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction and gets hooked on true crime cases where she meets amateur sleuth detectives and they form a friendship and a purpose to try and find out the killer of 3 college girls in Delphine... they u earth clues missed by police only to find out that the killer is smarter and one step ahead and they all fall in a trap!
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This book was something different from my usual thriller reads.

Firstly it's narrated a year after the accounts with Jane telling her story and their part in solving the crimes.

It's believed to be inspired by real life incidents which I am not aware of so I went in blind and I enjoyed it and couldn't predict the suspect along with the last twist which I didn't see coming.

I only wish this book would have been a bit shorter...too long for a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book, Winstead talks about how this book draws inspiration from real-life cases. Specifically, the 2022 University of Idaho murders. This book reflects many details from the case and with case ongoing as of March 2025, I don’t feel comfortable reading this story. I only wish for the victims to get the justice they deserve.

~~~~

RIP Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

If you have a fascination with the true crime world; you should read this book! I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and this was my first read from this author, but I am very interested in more of their work.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is a fascinating look into grief, true crime and obsession. This thriller in my opinion is best read trying to go in blind. The reviews are very polarizing but I think Winstead did a great job!

Janeway Sharp is still processing her father's unexpected death. To try to deal with her grief, she starts reading through internet message boards all about true crime. After joining in on the conversations Jane actually makes a discovery that helps solve a case. From that moment on she starts on a long journey of obsession, trying to solve other cases when she couldn't figure out how to save her father. Joined in with four other true crime aficionados, Jane gets involved in a brutal set of murders. Can she piece together the clues to find out who the killer is? Or is she just putting a target on her back?

I am a true crime girl all the way so I really liked the idea of message boards and internet sleuthing. This plot was clever and I could not stop reading it. I really liked the exploration of grief and what some people do to cope. The reviews for this book are very divided, mostly because of the similarities to the University of Idaho killings, but I don't think in any way that Winstead was capitalizing on the family's grief or being lazy by writing the real life crime out, and that was just some of the things that were said about this book online. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely recommend it to anyone who loves true crime and thrillers!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ashley Winstead, and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC. Release day was March 25th 2025.

I received This Book Will Bury Me as an ARC for my review.

I loved this book! My favorite Ashley Winstead book was 'In my Dreams I Hold a Knife,' but I think this one is a new favorite. It was an easy read and the book flowed so well I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. The twist definitely surprised me and when I finally caught on, I think I gasped out loud. A five star read for me. Can't wait to see what Ashley puts out next.

Ashley Winstead is one of my favorite writers. It's been a long time since a book hooked me like this one, and it held my attention the whole time. I loved the concept of crime sleuths coming together to solve crimes. I also loved the character development with Jane. Her grief was portrayed in such a real, genuine way. The author was able to draw from her experiences to write this storyline.

My only complaint with this book is that drew inspiration from an ongoing case, the Idaho murders. It felt "icky" reading about it because the killer hasn't been brought to justice yet. I wish Ashley wouldn't have used this case as such a large part of the book.

I went into this book completely blind, and I have to say it was captivating from the first few chapters. It is rather long, but despite that, I found myself staying up late to read.

First off, I love true crime and that trume crime space. Its incredible to me that there are online slueths that help solve crimes. This book is about a group of online sleuths that come together to solve a crime in a small college town. Jane, the main character, is dealing with the sudden death of her father and this true crime community is helping her heal. When the opportunity pops up for them to work with the police on a crime, they all head over there, and that’s when everything starts to go ary.

I will have to say I’m not sure how I feel about the similarities to the Idoho college murders. I think the author had a great note before the book started, but it did give me a little pause. The fictional murders really closely resembled the real life ones, and it felt a little insensistive to the families.

Despite that, the storytelling and the characters were amazing. The author has a way of making all the characters unique, and really has a great pace. It’s full of mystery and suspense up to the last few pages. It was very well-crafted that I was still able to enjoy the book. It turly never dragged, and I loved the way the narractive was told.

If you are into a fast paced, true crime book- look no further!

This book comes out March 25th. Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark

I have two completely disparate, conflicting feelings about this book!

First of all, I LOVED it. I was hooked from the beginning. I fully bought in to the world of this book. The characters felt believable and the narrative felt personal. I cried along with Jane every time her grief showed up. I was invested in the case and in the investigation. I had my own theory as an amateur sleuth.

On the other hand… the murder in the book was taken, piece by piece, from a real true-crime story. The setting, method, murder weapon, suspects - even the state it was located in was the same. I followed the real-life case very closely, so I was acutely aware of all these details. The story does eventually diverge from its real world inspiration, but the damage is already done. I followed the case in real life, so I know it was a great story, but it felt wrong that it was copied so closely.

In addition to being kind of disrespectful to the victims and their families, it was also a little lazy. The author could have taken inspiration from the real event without copying every detail so closely. More should have been changed about the setting, the victims, and the suspects to truly make this fiction.

If only the murder weren’t so close to a real, still-active case, this would have been a five-star read for me.

Wow!
What have I read?
My first impression of this book was shallow. I thought, here’s another lost college kid, dealing with grief from the sudden death of her dad and coping by getting obsessed with a true crime aficionados alike.
But, lo and behold that changed. As soon as the ball started rolling, it kept going and bouncing! I would say its better to not read the reviews but just dive in blind. The main case of true crime that this book was based on was in fact a real one and that was very compelling to read from a different point of view. This book is very much still a fiction and yet, the grip it has on my attention was quite tight all the way to the very last page.
Good read over all and I recommend!
Thank you to Sourcebooks via Netgalley for the complimentary copy to review.