This Book Will Bury Me follows Jane Sharp, a college student reeling from the sudden death of her father, who dives into the world of online true crime communities as a way to cope with her grief. When three college girls are murdered in Delphine, Idaho, Jane and her newfound sleuthing friends join the race to solve the case, only to realize it’s more twisted and dangerous than they ever expected. Told a year after the shocking events, Jane finally reveals what really happened, delivering a story that’s part confession, part cautionary tale. While the setup had me intrigued, I struggled with how slow the pacing was—it felt like it took forever for things to actually get moving. That said, once the story hit its stride around the 55%-60% mark, I couldn’t stop reading. The book-within-a-book style worked okay but wasn’t for me, and it was hard to ignore how closely it mirrored the University of Idaho murders, which made it feel a little too real at times. Overall, it just didn’t fully click for me, though I’ll admit the last part was gripping. It’s a solid 3-star read for me.

Love!! I love Ashley’s books!! I have read all the thriller ones! And I have this one pre ordered already to go with my set of all the Ashley Books! I’m excited to tell my book friends to read this!

I love that this has sleuth detectives in it and is the premise of the book cause I love that in my real life! My family calls me DJ for detective Jessica! Haha! I have not read anything like this before! Will
Be recommending 5 stars!

This is a hard one to rate, because it's making a comment on the fascination with true crime and how dangerous it can be, and it's well-written (Winstead's books always are), but it also seems to be based very closely on a real crime.

This book will bury me:
This is the most outstanding thriller I have read to date. My heart was pounding like crazy and I had to reapply my deodorant frequently while reading this. I lost so much sleep over this story (which I believe is inspired by the Ohio co-ed murders)

“there will come a point in this story when you'll think to yourself, My God, how could she have done that? Who would ever make that choice? And I need you to remember who I was at the time: a girl who owed her father a legacy, So when the time comes, please remember- there's no more powerful motive than that”-Janes confessional

In the wake of her fathers death, Jane becomes seized with the overwhelming desire to investigate true crime mysteries
The story is told in between a true crime investigators chat room/ forum and Janes real life. It does a FABULOUS job of making you feel like you are involved in the investigation. I felt SO INVESTED. Jane and I were both obsessed.
You know when you get sucked into something so intense that you forget it’s fiction?? That happened to me.

Another thing that was done so well I had to make a note of it was the artful foreshadowing that still manages to keep the reader guessing.
It made me feel like I was in an episode of criminal minds but all the characters were a different version of Garcia. This was just so good and it’s going to be a long time before I can shut up about it.

The Last Housewife and In My Dreams I Hold A Knife were two books that left me on the edge of my seat. I DNF'ed Midnight is the Darkest Hour because I just couldn't get into the Twilight vibes it gave. But this one being based around true crime sold me!
If you know me, I have loved true crime for many years. True crime is what led to the many murder mystery thrillers I would read when I started my bookstagram journey. The idea that average people from across the United States could come together online to solve cases is incredible. So when I learned that this story revolved around 5 strangers that became friends who worked together to help the police solve crimes, I knew I was going to enjoy the story.  
It was interesting to see how Jane's grief of her father's passing was evident and how she devoted her life into true crime to help her deal with it. The way the five sleuths came together to work on cases together and how the friendships developed was nice to read about. Hearing their pasts and their mistakes that led them to where they are now. 
Overall, I enjoyed this one! Some parts seemed to drag and others seemed to have too much detail that I often lost a little interest. This book was also wayyy too long. Over 400 pages? No need for that. But! The heart of the story was entertaining so I'll forgive the excess pages just a little.

I enjoyed this book, it kept me guessing and reading way longer than I should have each night. It flows well and is easy to read, and is quick paced. My only criticism is that the crime in the book is so closely related to an actual crime that is fairly recent. So recent that it is still in the news and trials are still occurring. There are differences, but even the descriptions and names of the victims are shockingly similar. While I get using real life to inspire, profiting off someone else’s real life tragedy is in poor taste and the timing is even worse.

What a well thought out, well researched, well written book. It was such a long read but I was so invested it really didn’t feel long. I read it in one sitting and absolutely loved it! 4.75 stars

Wow. I really enjoyed this book. Although I do understand some other reviews mentioned they did not like the closeness of the Idaho Murders, I felt like it changed enough for a completely different story. The character development was amazing, even with many characters. A surprising twist at the end kept me guessing. I also appreciated the unique memoir tone used in the formatting.

This Book Will Bury Me was one of my most anticipated thrillers of 2025, and it absolutely delivered. With quick chapters and an addictive pace, I was hooked from start to finish. The online forum and internet sleuthing added a unique layer to the story, offering an intriguing glimpse into how strangers connect over mysteries. I also loved the found family aspect, with a diverse group of characters forming unlikely bonds over their investigations. The twists and turns kept me guessing, though I will note that the murders almost mirrored an active real life case, which may be unsettling for some readers. Overall, it was an intense and gripping read that I couldn’t put down.

4 stars

Ashley Winstead brings the world of internet sleuths and armchair detectives to this thriller novel centered around main character Jane Sharp. Jane is a young c0llege student grieving the loss of her father and finds distraction in an internet chat group focused on solving crimes, mainly grisly murders. When a trio of sorority sisters are brutally murdered in Delphine, Idaho, the chat group gets to work and Jane's ability to put herself in the mind of another makes her an instant star, granting her entrance into the elite crime solvers private chat.

This book was a grisly good time with short chapters, excellent pacing, and compelling characters. I especially loved the older members of the group, "Lightly" and "Mistress". I am seeing a lot more older characters recently and I love this representation. Both of these characters brought heart and a moral compass to the narrative, helping Jane navigate her changing life situation, including her grief as well as the intense and dangerous trajectory of new life in crime solving.

The intensity builds as the story progresses and once the twists started happening, they just kept hitting.

If you love a good murder podcast, or books such as "I'll Be Gone In the Dark", do yourself a favor and grab a cop of this book as soon as it's released.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure exactly how to rate this one based on the fact that much of the information bears a remarkably similarity to real life events for which there has not yet been justice. I generally enjoy thrillers and parts of this were intriguing but I knew from very early on who it would turn out to be. The writing is good but I’m ending with 2 stars because of material that seems too similar to real life. Be aware of graphic descriptions of crime. Thanks to !Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Winstead brings us deep into the world of True Crime. It’s dark, depressing, pathetic and more than a little psychotic. Her use of the yet to be tried case in Idaho as her plot point was also dark, depressing, pathetic and a little bit psychotic too.

It was also fascinating. I read it one sitting.

Calling out murder vultures or calling all murder vultures- the brilliance of this book is the readers get to decide. I predict there will be no middle ground in the response to this book.

Grieving from her father’s unexpected death, Jane finds unlikely comfort from a group of online sleuths.

As many reviewers have commented, this is a hard one to rate. Going on writing and storytelling, it pulls you into the plot and has some solid twists. Winstead is a talented writer. However, reading it feels voyeuristic and a bit disrespectful due not only to how similar the case is to the 2022 Idaho killings, but also how the victims are portrayed.

While it’s true a lot of the books in this genre take inspiration from headlines, there was something about this that felt a little wrong to be reading. I’m not sure if it was just too soon, but I felt guilty.

Of course, as much of the book talks about things like hive mentality and amateur sleuthing from both good and bad perspectives, it is possible the intent was to make the reader feel uncomfortable and complicit. In that sense, it works as a commentary on the ownership social media makes us feel of stories even if they aren’t our own - sometimes to the detriment of those truly impacted by the event. I don’t know if it is that deep, but it is possible.

Overall, it was a compelling read and book groups are going to love (or love to hate) Winstead’s latest.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book is a no for me. I don't think the writing was bad but this book is way too close to an actual active case right now. I have read quite a few reviews talking about how close this book is to an actual case from 2022 that is still going on. I just really don't think it is right to use an active case like that. The killer hasn't even gone to trial yet. It just seems wrong to profit off of a murder case when the author could have come up with something else.

I will probably try more by this author in the future but this one just wasn't for me.

Oh my god, an incredible true crime thriller with twists and turns. This book takes inspiration from a real murder case from recent times and I remember at the time, keeping up with all the updates and so reading this book sort of brought back those feelings. This book kept you on the edge of your seat and the book was really well written - but keep in mind it is very dark! Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

After the death of her father Jane connects with the online true crime community and helps to solve crimes. Her group of friends gains so much notoriety that they are invited to consult on a new, shocking crime. The group meets in person for the first time as a unified front, but as more details of the crime unravel it's less obvious who can or should be trusted.

I'm a huge true crime fan and a big fan of Ashley Winstead. I loved the story of armchair detectives solving crimes and becoming friends along the way. I liked the backstory of Jane's father writing Star Trek fanfiction (as a fanfiction fan myself). Overall I enjoyed this book but the last 25% had my heart racing. I couldn't stop reading and was properly scared which is always fun when reading a thriller/mystery.

I was sad to say this wasn't a new favorite for me of Winstead's books. So far her books have only gotten better and better but I didn't like this one as much. I was disappointed by the minimal romance story (I always love the side romance storyline). I thought Jane seeing an eyelash in a photograph that changed the direction of the case seem implausible (maybe I missed something?). I also didn't love how similar the plot was to the real Idaho 4 murders. It left me confused. The crimes seemed so similar that I wish I was reading a non-fiction book about the crimes. I found it an odd choice to leave so many of the details so similar.

I also enjoyed the backstory of her father but it felt increasingly random and unnecessary. We find out something very sad about his past and I don't know what that added to the story. I didn't see the connection between her solving crimes and that being his legacy.

A potential typo - there are mentions of true crime podcasts in the book and one of them is called My Favorite Murders, but the real podcast is called My Favorite Murder. I'm not sure if this is intentional.

I have been a huge Winstead fan and love that she can pull off different genres so perfectly! This book sucked me in right from the start and left me at the edge of seat with those cliff hanger chapters. I did not guess the killer correctly and I found the pacing to this book to be just right. Looking forward to what Ashley has next!

This Book will Bury Me - Review
No Spoilers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pair this with the darkest cabernet you've ever had...

➡️ Dark dark dark
➡️ Edge of your seat
➡️ Internet Sluething
➡️ Found Family
➡️ Coming of age

The choke hold this book has on me is actually dumbfounding... After finishing it at the end of November I still haven't been able to stop thinking about it (OR FINISH ANOTHER BOOK!) This is especially surprising for a (gory) thriller. The level of intellect and emotional depth this book captures is probably the biggest twist here, and this is in absolutely no dig to the plot of this story which will keep you perfectly on the edge of your seat the ENTIRE time.

This story follows a real serial killer story based in the midwest, I've seen a bit of shade in other reviews about how similar these events are and I think it's comical anyone who's read one of Winsteads' novels would ever think she does anything by accident. Fair warning: this is a graphic novel and though I could handle it, I did triple check the doors were locked before I went to bed to read it. It also has a heavy grief undertone throughout the book. DM for trigger warnings!

I cannot recommend this book enough to both my true crime junkies and litfit fans - this will not disappoint!
Thank you so so so much NetGalley, Ashley Winstead and the Publishing team for this ARC copy - OUT MARCH 25th!

“Welcome to humanity my friend. We are a species that feels deeply and yet often lacks the tools to convey it. There are some experiences that simply exceed language.”

I can’t accurately give this a rating. Was it well written? Yes. Interesting? Yes. The author acknowledges that this was based off of the very current Idaho case, but it mirrors it so closely that it’s distracting. I won’t list all of the similarities, but even the street name was a nod to the original case! Plus, naming the town Delphine seems to throw in another current case. In addition to that, if you’re going to make the connections so obvious, it seems in really poor taste to portray the victims and, to an extent, their families as unlikable. All in all, I found these aspects to be incredibly disrespectful.

The topics of true crime as entertainment, crowd sourcing, and web sleuthing are all current with lots of potential discussion, but I think that book could have been achieved without using this case as the backdrop. It’s unclear to me what the author is going for here - if you’re making a statement about the current climate of of the true crime genre, how are you comfortable cannibalizing a current case to profit off of??

I have read and enjoyed other books that were heavily inspired by true cases, but normally more time has passed AND more respect is given to the victims.

If that aspect doesn’t bother you, it’s an interesting mystery that goes a little off the rails near the end.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early.

Ashley Winstead is an auto buy author for me and she will definitely remain one. Her books are always such fun reads that keep me at the edge of my seat. This Book Will Bury me was no exception.

The story revolves around Jane, who after an unexpected death in her family, joins the online crime detection community in an attempt at a distraction. She quickly becomes VERY and DEEPLY involved.

I really liked this. It was very face paced, multiple twists, very creepy. I also really enjoyed reading more about the online true crime world. They synopsis advertises that the cast of characters is on the hunt for the killer of “the most famous crime in modern history” and it definitely means that in a very literal way. The crime is so similar to the Idaho Four case and it makes me curious if Winstead meant for it to be an “alternate reality” to such a well known case (at least I hope so otherwise this is straight copying and very recent, very traumatic event).

While Jane is the main character of the story, there are four other characters she works with closely. I really appreciated all that they added to the story and grew rather attached to them.

My biggest complaint is that there was a sub plot that randomly happens throughout the story that I just felt was unnecessary and took my out of the story whenever it came up.