If you're an internet sleuth or armchair detective who finds yourself drawn to true crime cases, you might think that the premise of <i>This Book Will Bury Me</i> sounds right up your alley...I know that I did! I quickly realized, however, since I AM one of those people who have gotten sucked into the internet world of current cases, that there are SO many details in this book that are ripped directly from the Bryan Kohberger murder case in Moscow, Idaho. A fresh and fairly recent case that hasn't even gone to trial yet, and a case in which the real-life victims' families do not even have a semblance of closure yet.

The disclaimer at the beginning of this book that states that "the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious...any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author" is laughable once you start listing the similarities. Of course, the story does add plenty of other fictional elements, but WAY too many of the small details are the same as the actual case. I started taking notes of all the similarities, and I figured that I might as well list them here in case anyone is wondering just how close they actually are.

[See Goodreads Review for lengthy list of spoilers]

Honestly, I stopped keeping track of the similarities about halfway through the book because it was just TOO much to keep up with, so I'm certain there are other "coincidences" that I missed in my notes as well.

If you don't know anything about this case, I suspect that you may be able to enjoy this book, which is why I gave it a 2-star rating instead of one (even though it requires a LOT of suspension of disbelief to think that the FBI is going to make a bunch of random internet sleuths consultants on a major murder case and give them access to police records and insider information.). Knowing the case, however, I had the whodunnit figured out by the 25% mark, and there was nothing particularly shocking or twisty. It just doesn't sit right with me, and it feels really gross that the author is "coincidentally" profiting off of the victim's circumstances, especially in a case that hasn't even gone to trial and been resolved yet.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is a dark, compelling journey into obsession, secrets, and self-destruction. As a reader, I was captivated by Winstead's complex characters and the haunting, suspenseful plot twists that kept me guessing. The intense emotional depth and gripping narrative made it hard to put down, leaving me thinking about it long after the final page.

I'm not sure if it's her gorgeous writing of her endearing characters but Ashley Winstead has a knack for drawing me in. I could not put this one down and devoured it in a few days. I'm not a true-crime fan so this was an interesting world to explore. I LOVED this and will definitely be shouting it from the rooftops. Thanks to Sourcebooks for the ARC!

After the unexpected death of her beloved father, Jane Sharp deals with her grief by immersing herself in the world of internet sleuthing, discussing true crimes in a dedicated forum. Jane seems to have a real talent for examining clues and evidence. After helping to solve a local Florida murder, Jane is invited to join an elite subset of fellow sleuths, and delves deeper into her obsession. These five people , all of whom go by nicknames, like Citizen, Mistress and Lightly, become Jane’s online family. When a series of murders rocks the town of Delphine, Idaho, the group investigates relentlessly and eventually decides they need to have boots on the ground in Idaho. When the dust settles, the murders are solved, the perpetrator is someone nobody suspected.

This book checked a lot of personal boxes— the strange allure of true crime, the concept of an online “family “, and the crushing weight of grief, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps others will see the twist coming, but I did not. I also really like Winstead’s previous book, and will anxiously await the next.

I’m solely rating this book on the quality of Ashley Winstead’s writing, which is superb as always. Her descriptions and dialogue between characters always brings the story to life and This Book Will Bury Me is no different. I appreciate good writing, and Winstead always knows just how to get to me and keep wanting more in a story.

That being said, I was disturbed by the topic of this book. It very, very closely imitates the University of Idaho murders. The book even takes place in Idaho. In my opinion, I think this was just written too soon to the actual events that took place. The trial has not even happened yet, so that turned me off from the story. I did keep reading because I wanted to see how Winstead’s story played out. I did figure out who the killer was about halfway through the book, but I did second guess myself a few times due to excellent writing.

I might be in the minority but this was very meh to me. My main issue was one I’ve had with Ashley Winstead’s previous novels, her prose was very purple, especially in the beginning. While it was a quick read, I found that it took a very long time to get to a point where I wanted to continue, as I kept finding myself getting bored. Non of the characters felt particularly offensive to me, but I didn’t think any of them were anything special or noteworthy.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Im giving this a 3.5. I needed to know how it ended. I liked the main character. I really felt for her as she grappled with her Dad’s death. I liked that she found a purpose to distract her. This book was just too long. I was reading often and it just went on and on. I was a little surprised to find out who done it and I like that we don’t have a definitive that Lizzie did the first 3. Oh and the 3 Idaho killings are too close to the true story of the Idaho 4. I think it’s too soon to go there.

Thrilling if not for the exploitative real-life inspiration.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Reading and rating this book purely as a work of fiction, I probably would have given it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. It has an intriguing (if predictable - the twist was obvious not even halfway in), perfectly disturbing and dark murder mystery, a great cast of diverse characters, Janeway/Jane's grief over losing her dad added depth and heart, and along the way, the book posed interesting questions about our culture's obsession with true crime and the devastating consequences of invading personal tragedies in the name of sleuthing.

Ironic and somewhat infuriating, then, that the murder case at the heart of the book - the brutal stabbing of three sorority girls on a rural campus in fictional Delphine, Idaho - is very obviously based on (or "inspired by") the 2022 University of Idaho murders, a case which isn't even legally resolved yet. This felt both wrong and unoriginal at the same time. This isn't a fictional retelling of a closed case (looking at you, "Bright Young Women", which did so brilliantly). Instead, the book doesn't advertise its obvious inspiration, and the "plucked from the headlines" backstory with all its identical details feels like lazy copy pasting (it even takes place in the same state!). Surely, if the intention was not to provide a comment on true crime / armchair detectives / internet sleuthing against the backdrop of *that* particular case, the details could have been changed?

While I really enjoyed "This Book Will Bury Me" as a work of fiction, its obvious, exploitative parallels to very recent real-life events left a bad taste in my mouth.

Since the book's expected publication isn't until March 2025, I am still hoping this might be resolved in the final edit by changing at least some of the details of the case. Otherwise, I am afraid this issue might completely overshadow an otherwise well-written, disturbing, intriguing thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"This Book Will Bury Me" is slated to be released on March 25, 2025.

After the death of her father, Jane Sharp is searching for a distraction. She comes across a network of true crime junkies who have become internet sleuths and attempt to solve crimes when the local police can’t. When a triple murder happens on a college campus, Jane and 4 others from the network travel to the campus to figure out who the killer is. The book is written in a style of Jane’s memoir after the fact.

I liked the story but I don’t think it was the author’s strongest work. I can’t say that there were any shocking twists or surprises in the story although it did play out well. I felt like the character development was a little on the weak side and for some characters not present at all. I didn’t find myself feeling the need to rush back to the book to continue reading but it was a decent book.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. Publication date March 25, 2025. 3⭐️

This book was a WILD ride. I could not put it down, well, I did briefly to read some early reviews of what everybody else was thinking and I sorta regret reading some reviews because it made me see the story through a tainted lens. Alas, I went back to the story and I'm so glad I stuck with it because WOW. the ending?!?!?! I started to get suspicious as to who the killer was.... but the twist within the twist!!!

I personally did not care for the annotations at the bottom of the book. I have listened to audiobooks that have the annotations and it totally ruins the flow of the book. While I get that the perspective is from a year post the murders, it still felt a little...... irrelevant to me. Other than that, the book was amazing!!!!

Did she yap for 90 chapters? YES. Did I still eat it up? absolutely!!

This was such an interesting read. I loved the POV and the premise of the book, as a self proclaimed true crime girlie.
I kinda guessed one of the plot twists around 50%ish, but I couldn’t predict how batshit it was gonna get lol

This did remind me of the Idaho college murders from 2022, so that made this really intriguing and it kinda felt like a play on that.

I highly recommend this and can’t wait for it to come out so y’all can read it!!

I got sucked into this book so deeply that I was thinking about this book even when I went physically reading it.

There were so many layers to this story and each one of them was done justice. From Jane’s relationship to her father, to the exploration of found family dynamics, to the darkness of what motivates a person, to the who-done-it murder mysteries.

I will definitely be picking up more Ashley Winstead books after this.

Thank you to the publishers for my advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you SOURCRBOOKS Landmark publishing and Ashley Winstead for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Janeway “Jane” Sharp’s life gets turned upside down with the unexpected death of her father. She rushes home to be with her mother and while watching tv the news disrupts the programming to bring a breaking news story of a body being filled from the water. Jane is then introduced into sluething. Where amateur everyday people log in online into forums to try and catch murderers to help the police. Originally a bystander watching the chats She is introduced to 4 well known sluethers and offers her assurance since she doesn’t live to far from the murdered person, She feels like she has found a purpose since hers fathers death in this group.

Fast forward to the Delphine Massacres. Where two different groups of 3 girls were murdered. This book is a game of cat and mouse. It had me on the edge of my seat and wanting to read more. I give it a 4 stars because it was a slow burn but it did pick up. Definitely recommend! The ending was TWISTED!

Spectacular, expertly woven from start to finish. The ending was also terrific. Probably one of the best thrillers I've read this year. Super impressed with the prose, character arcs, and plot.

3 out of 5.

I loved this book - I'd have rated it 5/5 shortly after reading it. It's a really well-done thriller and mystery that has a lot to say about the rubbernecking our culture does with true crime and the nature of grief. I read it breathlessly in two nights, Satisfying characters, some good twists, all in all - excellent.

So why does the rating dip?

Well, it seems as if this story was heavily inspired by real-life crime out of Idaho in 2022 - the University Massacre. I wasn't aware of that going in. While I don't mind being inspired by true events, the lack of acknowledgement (as well as the extremely recent aspects of this crime) felt pretty exploitative to me, or at least it wasn't in good taste. Others may disagree, and that's fine. Winstead has an excellent book here. But comparing the murders in this book with the similar murders in real life... I just know if I were a family member of one of the slain girls, I'd be furious.

“This Book Will Bury Me” by Ashley Winstead is absolutely amazing. This is easily one of the best books I’ve read all year and I could not put it down. I’m a busy PA student but I had to stay up late the night before an exam to finish this novel.

This story is loosely based off of the real events that happened during the University of Idaho massacre. When Jane’s father unexpectedly passes away, she becomes involved in a true crime case to distract her from her grief. She does this by becoming an internet sleuth and making friends other armchair detectives that help her solve crimes from afar. When a new murder occurs, the group decides to meet up in person to investigate. Soon, they notice that things aren’t adding up, but are they able to solve the crime before this prolific serial killer strikes again?

I was hooked throughout this novel. I've never read a murder mystery as unique as this one. The pacing felt balanced and I loved the twist at the end. I do feel as though the ending wrapped up too quickly and easily, but I understand with all the action from the actual mystery being solved, the loose ends at the end needed to be tied up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

✯✯✯✯✯5/5 stars✯✯✯✯✯
this book follows Jane Sharp as she deals with grief when she loses her father unexpectedly, and falls down a true crime rabbit hole with a group of people online who spend their time breaking down cases and finding killers. this put me through an emotional ROLLERCOASTER. i’m genuinely still in shock about the ending and the truth of everything that happened, even though i did guess it at some point (but i was heavily in denial).
the writing was incredible, i felt like i was in the story and trying to figure things out myself. Jane’s moments where she reflects on her father and her grief honestly got me teary eyed a few times, i felt for her and just wanted to give her the biggest hug. The author knew exactly what to write to pull at my heart strings.
The group that Jane surrounded herself with was so interesting, they were all completely different with the same goal in mind: solve the murders and bring justice to the victims. they became a found family for each other (which is one of my favorite tropes in any book and i absolutely ate that up) and i became so equally as invested in them as i was in Jane. i just loved the execution of this book and the plot and the different characters involved, it was fun to include my own theories as i read and i just KNOW the true crime girlies/people would eat this up.
10/10 recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

When college student Jane Sharp loses her father, she finds herself drawn into online true crime communities, seeking connection and purpose in her grief. What begins as a potential meditation on loss takes an unfortunate turn into sensationalism as Jane and her internet friends investigate a series of college murders in Idaho. The story's apparent inspiration from the 2022 University of Idaho killings feels deeply insensitive, given how recent and raw that real-life tragedy remains. There are two stories here – one about navigating profound grief, and one about amateur sleuths chasing a killer. The latter feels not just unnecessary but ethically questionable. A moving story about loss doesn't need murder plots or gruesome details to resonate; sometimes, the quiet devastation of grief is more than enough.

I really enjoyed this book!! I’m SO bummed I called the killer very early on, (As soon as there was discussion about what type of sleuth they all were, and one of the options being 'killer,' it became clear one of them was just that) but I don’t fault the book for that, it was still an enjoyable ride despite my suspicions early on. This book had excellent pacing, I was never bored, and nothing was drawn out. It has compelling characters and is a believable thriller.