Review of This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

OK, I think I found a new favorite Ashleigh Winstead book. I did read the synopsis of this one before I started it, and I knew before I started it that I was going to absolutely love it. I loved the true crime angle. I liked the loose basis of a real life crime that the story was built around. I loved Everything about it really I listened and read at the same time and binged it in less than the day I would say this felt slightly different than her other books, but as I said, probably my favorite by her. If you like this author, if you’d like true crime, or if you just like to read a good thrilling book this one’s for you.

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...
So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions, and begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...
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

When Jane's father dies, she leaves college and goes home to live with her mother. As she muddles through the grief, she befriends a group of online detectives, and learns to hunt killers from afar. But when three college women are killed in Idaho, Jane and her friends are determined to figure out what happened. I really enjoyed this book from a character perspective--Jane was easy to understand and empathize with. A lot of the book online conversation, which at times felt a little tedious. I still enjoyed it though and am looking forward to the author's next book!

I strongly believe this author is good at shocking the readers and was excited for this one just with the summary. As someone not too knowledgeable about Idaho murders, it definitely pique my curiosity and it had a lot of twists and turns. Investigation by internet sleuth is so on point and there is no dearth of that in our current world. When Jane decides to bury herself into this investigation to grieve in her own way, she has no idea what she was getting into. About how it is based on real incidents can be icky for some but I felt there will be books about it for sure so it is what it is.

I usually enjoy Ashley Winstead's books, but I couldn't get interested in this one no matter how many times I picked it up. There were so many characters that I couldn't keep up with who they were, and honestly, I just didn't care. This book did not engage me the way her other books have. I'm sorry to say that I didn't finish this book. I would recommend it to others because everyone's opinion and taste is not the same.

I struggled through this one but managed to get it read. It had such an interesting premise, at least the first part, but fell short in several ways. First of all, it was way longer than it needed to be, dragging on and on. And the background story (death of father) just didn't seem cohesive with the rest of the book. I can't imagine someone that is grieving getting so involved in solving crimes but that may just be me. As for the author borrowing the Idaho college murder story, perhaps she would have been better off inventing a crime rather than speculating on one so fresh in our minds. Something about that just felt off and a bit disrespectful so I won't recommend this one. My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead. I love her. Is there anything she can't write.

I really enjoyed this one. Lots of twists and turns. A interesting perspective on true crime and all the 'junkies' out there. I did see the twist of the killers coming, that was the only flaw (maybe i've read too many thrillers lately).

All and all a good time. Can't wait to see what Winstead comes up with next.

On Jane’s father’s death, she loses herself and drops out of college, spending her days building a shrine to him and wondering why life can be so cruel. Shortly after his death, she begins to find solace with the online amateur sleuthing community, spending all of her time helping to solve high-profile murders across the country. She gets particularly close with a lovable ragtag group of four other amateur sleuths who become infamous for their work. In one case, Jane finds her own self in the dangerous path of a serial killer.

I really enjoyed this one although it was slightly odd to read what I believe to have been meant as a book within a book…? I loved the true crime/amateur sleuth theme, the character development, and it was a really interesting plot. I definitely didn’t see the end coming!

I decided to listen on audio and enjoyed the narration.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks, Tantor Audio, Ashley, NetGalley for the e-galley and audiobook!

This is a bit of a tricky one for me to review...

Being a true crime fan, and hearing that the author loosely based this book off of the Idaho murders that took place in November of 2022, I was intrigued. But while I was reading this, I felt that it was too soon to go there. The murders and victims in the book were almost exact to the real case, which hasn't even gone to trial yet. Maybe it wouldn't have bothered me quite as much if justice had already been served for the four victims, but I'm not sure.

Parts of this book were still enjoyable, although it was a slow burn and fairly lengthy at 480 pages. I did find the characters to be interesting and likable, which held my interest. I loved Jane and how she found and became part of this internet sleuthing group as a way to deal with her grief over her father's death. They became the support group she needed, and she found that she was a pretty good "armchair detective."

Even though I didn't love this one, I'm still a fan of this author, so I'll be anxiously awaiting her next release!

Thank you, @netgalley, and @bookmarked for the #gifted e-arc!

This book really benefited from being told as a pseudo memoir and the media elements were really good! Overall, it was good but nothing was particularly gripping. Even though the main character was pulled into everything from her father's death, nothing about the father really played well in the book, it just felt like filler.

Eh - this book was long & could have been buried in way less pages. Very predictable. The internet chats & sleuthing were down very well though.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’d like to start my review with a big thank you to the author, Ashley Winstead, the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for the incredible opportunity to read This Book Will Bury Me. This dramatic thriller focuses on one girl’s obsession with true crime and the traumatic events that drive her to seek justice for victims. Filled with psychological suspense and chatroom conversations, the story grabs your attention and holds it hostage, all while exploring deeper themes of grief and the human condition.

The narrator, Jane Sharp, is a fascinating storyteller, and early on, it’s clear that her version of events may not be entirely reliable. Her college life is derailed by the sudden death of her father, sending her into an emotional spiral as she grapples with questions about death, meaning, and purpose. She finds solace in an online community of amateur sleuths, where she discovers a talent for solving crimes. Jane is strangely brave and capable when it comes to unraveling mysteries, yet she struggles with everyday life and returning to college.

The book opens with a wild, attention-grabbing scene and maintains a relentless pace throughout. Jane is a sympathetic yet frustrating character, whose determination leads her to piece together clues in the death of a woman named Indira. The confidence she gains from this case fuels her obsession with solving the murders of three college girls—a case that has captured national attention. The details of the murders don’t quite add up, and as Jane digs deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets and motives that challenge everything she thought she knew.

Without giving too much away, the devil is in the details—and so are the motives. True crime and online sleuthing can be alluring hobbies in the age of the internet, where information is boundless, but the consequences aren’t always beneficial for those involved or the victims. This book raises important questions about the true crime phenomenon and society’s role in sensationalizing tragedy for entertainment.

The narrative alternates between present-day Jane and her recollections of the investigation, creating a layered and immersive reading experience. Beneath the true crime mystery lies a deeply human story of grief and loss, as Jane struggles to cope with the emptiness of her home after her father’s death. Her need for connection drives her into the online sleuthing community, which brings out both the best and most dangerous aspects of her personality.

The ending left me stunned, and I immediately wanted to dive into another Ashley Winstead book. She is a masterful storyteller, and if This Book Will Bury Me is any indication of her ability to craft emotionally driven, suspenseful plots, she will continue to captivate readers for years to come. I loved the modern feel of the chatroom conversations and online friendships, paired with the slow-burn psychological suspense that left me with a lingering sense of dread.

Major Themes and Tropes:

- dealing with grief and loss (parental)
- true crime and its ethical implications
- friendship and emotional connection, particularly online friendships
- media sensationalism and tabloid culture
- unreliable narrator
- online sleuthing and amateur detective work

Fans of Alex Michaelides, Gillian Flynn, Megan Goldin, Michelle McNamara, and true crime enthusiasts will devour this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a suspenseful, thought-provoking thriller!

4.2/5 stars!

At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book. I liked Winstead’s writing, and this felt like a departure to me. However, as the book went on, I got so wrapped into the story and the characters - really thinking about who they were in real life compared to their online personas - I felt so much compassion for the narrator.
As a person who consumes true crime content, I also had to sit and analyze the book from that perspective. It can be exploitative, there is no doubt about that. Some people are interested for, what they perceive, to be righteous reasons. Others are interested for purely selfish motivation. Either way at the end of the day until you are directly impacted as the victim or the family of the victim/offender, true crime junkies will always be consumers of the horrors of others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the copy of This Book Will Bury Me. I’m giving this one 3.5 stars! It was suspenseful and the ending was an angle I haven’t experienced in a mystery (can you imagine if that happened IRL?!) - but I always have to laugh that in so many books the characters can solve murders better than law enforcement can with just some online sleuthing 😅

Another win from this author! This book pulled me in from the start and didn't quit. I look forward to whatever this author writes. 5 stars!

DNF at 35%. I LOVE Ashley Winstead, I usually devour whatever she writes, but this one was a massive miss for me. I got 35% in and the amount of details that are near identical to the Idaho 4 murders is pretty alarming. I understand a lot of thrillers and horror novels more likely than not draw inspiration from true crime cases of the past, but for how current this one is, and that it hasn't even gone to trial yet, feels even more off. I'll catch Ashley on her next one, but this was a no for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy of this one.

This is an exciting, fresh, COMPLICATED thriller. Every second I wasn't reading it, I wanted to be reading it again. It follows a young woman whose father dies and leaves her feeling untethered. She discovers a feeling of "found family" with a group of sleuth misfits on the internet. They turn their focus to a college serial killer case and things quickly begin to go wrong...
The conversations this book brings! It would be a great book club pick. Just the internet sleuth commentary alone makes this very relevant to today. My only issues with this were the similarities to the Idaho Four case. It's very, very similar and it feels a bit too soon. It also spoiled the ending a bit. I think if the author had taken more creative liberties with the details of the case, this would have been a 5 star for me. I truly could not put it down. Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy!

I liked this one, but I can see how it would turn some people off since it is SO close to a recent case.
I do think as the book goes on there are more differences, but in the beginning/first half of the book it is a bit of a shock and a little too close for comfort.

I know this is a very "buzzy" book at the moment, but I really did not like it. I didn't like the predatory keyboard-detective angle, and I also didn't like that this was based on a true crime.

Thanks you for the advanced copy! Overall a great book. It was very engrossing. Covers some topics that may cause drama due to the closeness of real events. But still a great read

Constantly crafting finely honed thrillers such as “Midnight Is the Darkest Hour” and “The Last Housewife,” Ashley Winstead continues the trend with “This Book Will Bury Me” (Sourcebooks Landmark, $27.99), an unsettling dive into the dark underbelly of true crime obsession. Merging the cerebral allure of dark academia, the moral complexities of online sleuthing and a profoundly introspective study of grief, this novel is both intellectually riveting and emotionally unsettling.

College student Jane Sharp copes with her father’s sudden death by immersing herself in amateur detective work. She joins an elite online group determined to solve the infamous Delphine, Idaho, murders. But when digital theories collide with real-world consequences, Jane and her fellow sleuths quickly find themselves in over their heads. Told through unreliable narration, footnotes and narrative gaps, the book unfolds like a true crime documentary unraveling in real time.

Winstead’s signature wit and psychological depth make “This Book Will Bury Me” more than just another thriller — it’s a sharp critique of the voyeuristic nature of true crime fandom. At what point does the pursuit of justice become an obsession, and when does fascination with tragedy cross an ethical line?