Jane and her group of friends are obsessed with true crime. When three college students are murdered, they begin looking into the mysterious details of the case. Every new discovery only brings up more questions about the crime. Lots of twists and turns make for an entertaining and enthralling read.

This one just wasn't for me. This was my second book from Ashley Winstead and so far they have left me really disappointed. I definitely can see the appeal, the writing style is very unique but I feel like I can rarely connect to her characters. I had to DNF this one after putting in a lot of a effort to read it. Just not enjoyable for me.

Thank you to Sourcebooks, Ashley Winstead & NetGalley's Public Catalog for sending me an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Jane's father unexpectedly passes away from a heart attack, she leaves her senior year of college to return home. Feeling lost and disconnected from the father she thought she knew and looking for a purpose, Jane becomes obsessed with true crime. Jane joins forums and throws herself into an investigation of a nearby crime. As she gains notoriety from being part of the team to solve it, Jane finds her purpose.

What an incredibly twisty ride! This Book Will Bury Me was great from start to finish. By the time I was 98% of the way through I thought there was nothing left to surprise me, but the author still had some surprises in store. I was familiar with the real life Idaho case from 2022 that was the inspiration for the book, but if you think this is just going to be a rehashing of a that case, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I liked that the book was part mystery, part true crime, part police procedural. It is written as a tell from Jane's POV to dispel misinformation surrounding the Delphine Massacres. The characters were complex and left me with many questions to ponder the reliability of Jane's narrative versus the widely accepted narrative of events.

While reading, I thought the pacing of the book was quite slow for a thriller. It was also very long, and I felt like there were many parts that were unnecessary. There was a whole chapter just to talk about star trek and explain Jane's dad's fanfiction which didn't add anything to the story.

I had enjoyed the overall mystery in this book but after finishing the book, I read a few reviews that made me aware of the fact that the Delphine case in the book had way too many similarities to a current ongoing Idaho case (that is still pending trial) for it to be a coincidence and that doesn't sit right with me. I will not be recommending this book to anyone.

Okay, bear with me. There are definitely some positives and negatives about this book.

The first third of the book, which I think is why a lot of people dnf'd it at 30%, is mainly the build up and a lot of backstory about her fathers death and how she coped. She became a Web sleuth with four other online characters and helped solve a murder. They became somewhat of a online celebrity because they truly did help. This section although well written, droned on a little bit. I felt like it could have been shorter or more concise to get to the meat of the book.

The next portion of this Book, is where I almost dnf'd. It is strikingly similar to an actual murder that happened in Idaho. To the point that these girls were killed on Queen's Lace Road, the real murders happened on Kings Road in Idaho. The timeline was nearly identical, the idea that people were called before the cops, the extra roommate saw the killer but went back in her room and didn't call the cops until hours later, same as the real murder. It felt like I was watching the 4-Hour Netflix documentary over again. Good for someone who never saw it or never heard about the real murder. the guy they arrested, still hasn't gone on trial,

It felt slightly morbid to take that story, that hasn't even been tried yet, + skew it enough that it became fiction. I think this is why a lot of people stopped reading at this point.

I kept reading because I really enjoyed her book " in my dreams. I hold a knife" so I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

There is eventually another set of murders which cause the sleuths to decide to go to Idaho and become FBI consultants. I don't know which I would believe more, them working with the FBI or the fact that they found a stray eyelash by zooming in on crime scene photos.

I did really enjoy this book, finished it in like 2 days, I think. Mainly out of morbid curiosity to see how much more this book would look like the real slayings in Idaho.

Whenever I finish a book and I am buzzing about it, in a good way or bad way. I try to explain to my husband. It puts a lot of things in perspective when I try to explain what I'm so excited or upset about. My response to him this time was, it felt like she was going to write about the Idaho murders and then realized people may be upset so she added a bunch of other things to make it seem less of the focus. The reason I think this is because they bring in a character that is definitely the fictionalized version of the guy who was arrested. He does eventually get arrested but they release him because he has an alibi. The murderer she picks is very different, again. I think she did this as a saving Grace.

The question is would I recommend this book? For someone who hasn't sat down and watched several hours of footage through the Netflix documentary, absolutely I would. If someone has a lot of prior knowledge of this crime I would say yes, but tried to separate fact from fiction.

Thank you netgalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mark your calendars for March 25th! This is the best thriller I've read in quite a while--going back to early last year. I'm talking about a straight thriller--domestic intrigue, true crime, serial killers. (There were a few great books last year that were marketed as thrillers that I consider more literary fiction with a little thriller nuance, like ATCOTD and TGOTW.) It reads like it is nonfiction--the voice of a young woman who was caught up in a scandal of sleuthing gone awry. If you like the ID channel or other true crime programming, you will love this. Ashley Winstead is a must-read for me. But all her books are so dramatically different. It's hard to beat the dark academia classic of In My Dreams . . . but this might be my favorite. (Possible spoiler--but it's in the first pages.) The FMC is also grieving the loss of her father, and her involvement is connected to her grieving and processing, albeit in ways that might not always seem logical outside of her mind. I found this element endearing and also relatable. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the advanced copy and the opportunity to share my review.

I don't enjoy true crime, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about Ashley Winstead's upcoming release, which focuses on a (fictional) young woman's deepening immersion into the true crime community after her father's death.

This Book Will Bury Me hooked me from the start, and I flew through it in just a few days. Even when I was uncomfortable with the content, I had to keep reading! The book's approach is unique, structured as if the narrator were sharing her version of events in response to somebody else's book about the same events.

If you're a fan of Ashley Winstead's previous works, I think you'll enjoy this one. It's a departure from her other books (more true crime than thriller, although it is fictional), but with the same sharp, captivating writing.

This Book Will Bury Me was such a fun read. This book is packed with mystery, self discovery, suspense and I really liked the internet crime solving aspect.

Jane suddenly and unexpectedly loses her father. In order to cope with is death she gets involved with a crime sleuthing community and learns how to solve crimes. Jane meets several people in this online community and quickly finds her people. After solving one murder with the help of the internet sleuths, another atrocious triple murder is committed on a college campus. ***Reminiscent of the 2022 Idaho mursers** Jane and her crew jump in guns blazing to solve the latest crime.

Jane quickly discovers the people she has grown close to while solving crimes might have things to hide. Jane needs use her newly acquired sleuthing skills to figure who the real killer is.

Overall this was a sold 4.5 start read. I was engaged and excited to read this book just to see what would happen next.

When a young college girl's dad dies, she becomes obsessed with true crime to deal with her grief. There are many similarities to the Idaho murders that is going through the court system currently. It was a tad slow to me and very predictable but it did keep me entertained. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I'm very much invested in the real life "Idaho 4" case, so finding out this is based off that actual murder is tough for me. I like true crime and I don't typically have a problem reading/watching something based on a true story, but I feel like this is just too soon after the murders.

If you don't know the story or can be objective, I think people will devour this book. The writing is well done and I think the mystery was equally as good. Just read at your own risk if you're familiar with the case.

I loooooved this one. Much more my style than her last - loved the true crime angle. I was hooked from the beginning - I did have an inkling as to where it was going, but it didn't detract from my reading experience. A great thriller.

Very clearly modeled off of the Idaho college murders but I enjoyed the story. The twists and turns made it so I could not put this book down, I will purchase for my library and recommend for true crime fans!

I really wanted to like this book as the premise was promising. After finishing and reading about the novel online, I've since learned that it is derived from a real-life murder. It changed my outlook on this story, turning it from mediocre to something I won't recommend. So many things were stolen from the real event. The smaller details are so similar that it's hard to see it as anything other than a murder tragedy retelling.

This book is more than just a gripping thriller—it’s a masterful blend of mystery, meta-narrative fun, and an unflinchingly honest exploration of grief.

Ashley Winstead’s frequent breaking of the fourth wall adds a layer of intrigue and playfulness that kept me hooked from start to finish. Even though I guessed the whodunnit earlier than I would have liked, the journey was so engaging that it hardly mattered. The characters are compelling, and the tension builds in all the right places, making this a solid thriller for fans of the genre.

But what truly sets this book apart is its deeply authentic portrayal of grief. Jane’s struggle to untangle the complexities of her father’s life and legacy resonated in a way that felt profoundly real. The way Winstead captures the messy, nonlinear process of mourning—especially when it comes to reconciling love and disappointment for a parent—elevates this story beyond a typical mystery.

This sharp, immersive, and unexpectedly moving read delivers both a satisfying thriller and a powerful emotional core.

It’s a gripping thriller that’s as much about solving a murder as it is about unraveling the complexities of grief—Winstead delivers a suspenseful, poignant knockout.

THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME by Ashley Winstead is a fictional accounting reminiscent of the recent true crime college murders. The mixing of the murders with amateur internet sleuths is pretty genius. The group of sleuth are engaging, and each intriguing in different ways.

Love Jane, our lost soul, looking to fill the hole her father's death left in her life. The murders are the catalyst she needs to claw her way out of depression. I also love Lightly, our moral compass.

I did think parts of the book were predictable, but that made them no less enjoyable. An entertaining,
thrilling read. Highly Recommend.

Taking the Idaho 4 murders and turning it into a fictionalized look into the true crime community is a choice. And I don’t know if it’s a choice I support.

In short: Jane Sharp is struggling to come to terms with the death of her father. With no answers, she turns to the macabre and finds herself embroiled with the true crime/“amateur sleuths” community. At least there she’s able to provide answers to other families who are mourning— and she’s able to distract herself from her own grief. So when Jane and her group of slightly-above-amateur sleuths stumble across the case of a lifetime, it becomes their personal burden to solve it…. at any cost.

I’ve been sitting on this book for about a week now trying to decide how I feel about it. In that regard, I deeply enjoy books that linger with me and make me think about what I’ve read about. And Ashley Winstead has become an auto-buy author for me for this very reason.

But I also can’t help but feel like I’m sitting on this book for the wrong reasons. THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME draws so heavily from the real life Idaho 4 murders and the sensation that followed that I’m once again wondering where the ethical line should be drawn in transforming real experiences into personal entertainment.

On one hand, I don’t think Ashley Winstead wrote this with cruel/misguided intentions and, unlike other authors/producers, she immediately pays homage to those lives lost in the foreword of the book. She also doesn’t shy away from the fact she draws heavy inspiration from the Idaho 4, and discourages readers who could be affected by reading that content away from the book. I think this is a lot better and more forthcoming approach than flat out ignoring where inspiration was drawn from or leaving readers to figure it out on their own.

However, I think you’d have to live under a rock to not see EXACTLY where the author drew inspiration from. It was almost excessively on the nose. For example, the main characters are investigating the murders of 3 college students who were found dead in their rooms by their still-alive roommate, who was also in the home during the murders. They were stabbed to death in a home not far from their college, where the killer entered through a sliding glass door. ANDDDD one of the suspects includes a creepy, sexist TA.

On top of it all, one could argue that the story was a bit drawn out. Per usual for Ashley Winstead, TBWBM was compulsively readable (at one point, I read nonstop for almost 5 hours straight), but 480 pages is A LOT for any book (and especially more for a crime/thriller novel).

It does help that TBWBM is divided into different parts, but it also came at the detriment that certain parts were much stronger than others.

The first part of the book, which lasts for almost one-third of the novel, actually has nothing to do with the main murder mentioned in the synopsis. I actually LOVED this portion of the book. It touched so poignantly on grief and the feeling of found family in the most unlikely of places. The reader gets to see how the main character, Jane, finds herself within the true crime community and the lengths she’ll go to find answers when she can’t seem to discover the answers <i>she</i> needs in her own life.

At that, Grief is a MAJOR theme in this book and Ashley Winstead does not shy away from it. This is a very heavy book to read, and I hope readers that decide to take a chance on this go in prepared. I actually received this ARC months ago and had to stop reading it until I was in a better mental space.

Grief is also the main motivator in which Jane finds herself so taken with these cases. Grief and coping manifests itself in strange / taboo ways, but I was also shocked to see the degree to which Ashley Winstead flayed open the true crime community. This is clearly hours upon hours of research, displaying the nittiest and grittiest of details to the sunshine and rainbows of the story. She doesn’t excuse the true crime community’s actions, but she also doesn’t necessarily denounce them either. It does seem to lay the door open for a conversation about both the positive and negative that comes with online detectives.

Overall, this is such a multifaceted book with as much to (potentially) shame as there is to praise. Instead of offering a recommendation, I would ask readers to ask themselves: are you okay reading this?

After her father’s death, Jane becomes completely obsessed with true crime. She meets a group of internet sleuths who she quickly becomes close to. These relationships intensify as they investigate the murders of three Idaho girls. A year after these events occur, Jane tells her side of the story.

This was such an interesting read. I was hooked so quickly and couldn’t wait to see where the story would go. Loved the Reddit threads and true crime forums. Highly recommend for anyone interested in true crime.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

Thank You NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a complimentary copy of this novel! Five amateur sleuths find each other in an online true crime forum and come together to catch a killer or two. There’s Mistress, Lightly (a retired cop), Goku, Citizen and Searcher. Searcher, who is the most recent addition to the group, is Jane Sharp. She recently lost her father and needs an outlet to occupy her mind and time. A string of Collegiate murders has taken place in and around Delphine, Idaho. Three girls are found stabbed to death in their sorority house in Delphine. Not long after that, another group of girls are found murdered who were on the track team. The crime group meets up and travels to Delphine and they’re given FBI Consultant credentials to help with the case. But things are not adding up. The police aren’t doing such a good job. The first murder scene was contaminated. And there’s just not much evidence. There are more questions than answers.
This novel is written like it is being told by Jane Sharp one year after these events happened. What she reveals will leave you blown away as to who the killer was. I really enjoyed this one! It kept me guessing and I was not expecting the ending at all! If you love true crime podcasts and documentaries, this is the book for you! Look for it AVAILABLE March 25, 2025!

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for my free ARC of This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead — available Mar 25!

» READ IF YOU «
🕵️‍♀️ are fascinated by true crime and the world of amateur sleuths
💻 enjoy narratives exploring the dark side of internet communities
🔍 appreciate twisty thrillers with unreliable narrators

» SYNOPSIS «
Trying to cope with the sudden death of her father, college dropout Jane stumbles upon the message-board-world of true crime, quickly finding herself forging connections with the upper echelon of these amateur sleuths. After the brutal murder of three college girls in Idaho, Jane and her new friends become obsessed with solving the case themselves. But man, this case is tricky—they start to suspect this particular killer is more cunning than any other they've dealt with. Have Jane and her crew put themselves in danger by inserting their noses where they don't belong?

» REVIEW «
Ashley Winstead can do no wrong in my opinion, I love her stuff and will always read her books! I haven't five starred every single one, but this one was definitely a win for me. Want to stay up late because you have to know what happens next? This one, right here.

Man, I love me a true crime thriller. This one blends the allure of being "popular" on the internet with the real-life dangers of amateur investigation. Jane's descent into obsession is relatable af but also distressing to watch. Who hasn't forged close emotional connections to an online community? And who hasn't let the internet take over their lives in some form or another? Anyway. The only thing I didn't love here was that I was able to pick out the main twist by about 30% into the story, which is always some combo of "yay I'm so smart" and "damn I wish I was surprised." But alas!

Either way, I love Ashley's writing and the way she's able to really draw you into the suspense of the story. Definitely recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Perfect for true crime lovers like myself. The twist I did see coming but overall I really enjoyed this book!