Honestly very disappointed with this story. I was super excited to read it based on all of the positive reviews I’ve seen, but I was truly shocked at how much I was let down. First, the plot was all over the place and there were so many hints that a big plot twist would happen and it just…didn’t? I guessed who the killer was before I was halfway through the book because it was pretty heavily hinted at throughout the story.

Plot aside, the most glaring problem I had with the book was the real life murder case this was based on. I genuinely was sick to my stomach by how many details of the real crime were the same (explained in detail) and it feels very insensitive to the families who still haven’t seen justice served for their children. Overall just very disappointed in some of the choices the author made.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

So great. Jane was a dynamic narrator. I loved the way the author used the story of Daniel to tell the story of the killings. It was beautifully woven together. I did guess the big reveal, but it did not detract from my enjoyment. I thought it was unique and interesting throughout. Highly recommend.

Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

Another excellent thriller from master author Ashley Winstead! This book is great for true crime fans 👏 it's a fast paced read that's also a tender exploration of grief. I loved the footnotes throughout. Highly recommend

I was really looking forward to this book. The first page, right off the bat, grabbed me and I thought I was in for a great read. Unfortunately, everything after the first chapter just dragged. I had to make myself pick up the book to read and that’s never a feeling I want to have with a book. I really did not enjoy just how closely some parts of the book mirrored the real murders of the Idaho college students. Not my cup of tea

This was a great book! It was fast paced and had tons of twists and turns along the way. Unfortunately I was able to guess and predict the ending, so that took away from the experience for me, as I would love to be genuinely surprised! Other than that it was very good!!


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Wow! What an intense, slow-burn, mind-numbing, twisty ride that makes you feel like a part of a dysfunctional true-crime family! Dear Ashley Winstead, congratulations again on creating something so unique, unusual, highly disturbing, and strangely engaging. It’s quirky in a way that brings out my own true-crime obsessions and puzzle-solving skills! This is another well-developed, exciting journey. Even though it’s a bit long, I still devoured most of the pages, captivated by the strange bond between the motley crew of characters whose only common interest is catching serial killers and bringing justice—each with different motives, thinking like detectives, victims, killers, and saviors.

I loved the references to Star Trek and Heathers, and I’m seriously planning to rewatch Heathers as soon as I finish typing this review!

Janeway Sharp, 24, reminds us of the goth phase of a young Winona Ryder, between Beetlejuice and Heathers. She’s recently dropped out of college after the sudden loss of her father to a heart attack. Her need to do something in his memory is intertwined with her grief. Focusing on true crime boards and joining online communities starts as a distraction from her pain. When a middle-aged woman’s decapitated body is found in trash bags tossed into a lake, Janeway’s amateur sleuthing helps find the killer, leading to an invitation to join a special crime group consisting of five members, including her. There’s a 65-year-old librarian with grandchildren, a retired police officer, an ex-army vet, and a computer wizard working for Amazon—they become her crime family, and she shares everything with them.

When shocking deaths—the massacre of three college girls—occur in Delphine, Idaho (the dorm murder scene reminded me a bit of Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women), the amateur sleuths race to the scene, trying to solve the case and gaining short-term fame on TikTok, turning themselves into independent detectives. Janeway’s group begins to cook up theories, suspecting someone, which sparks another media storm and tarnishes their reputation. But when Janeway discovers a clue no one else has noticed, it gives them a chance to stay five steps ahead of the other sleuths. They decide to meet in person in Idaho to try and stop the killer.

Will they be able to piece the clues together and bring the killer to justice, or will they endanger their own lives by walking straight into the lion’s den?

The big twist was a bit predictable for me, especially after the slow-burn character analysis and seeing their flaws—it was inevitable to put the pieces together. But I still enjoyed the creepy, dark, intense tone. While I found the author’s previous book, Midnight Is the Darkest Hour, a little more enjoyable, I appreciated the eccentric, dysfunctional family dynamic of these five crime sleuths, the shocking events that followed, and the slow-burn pacing that made me feel like something disturbing was lurking around the corner.

This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read, with a unique, non-cliché tone. It gave me flashback vibes to the scenes from A Murder at the End of the World.

Many thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for sharing this intense crime thriller’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Meh. I really wanted to love this. I've been seeing some glowing reviews lately and was excited to dive in. Like with most thrillers, I went in blind. I should probably stop doing that.

I'll give it to Ashley Winstead - she writes propulsive books. This one is decently long and I read it in 4 days and accidentally stayed up way too late hooked by short chapters last night. But that didn't make up for the many things I didn't like/connect with:
- For starters, I am not at all interested in true crime. If you are, I can see you being more excited with the baseline premise of this book.
- This book requires a high level of suspension of disbelief. Without spoilers, SO much information is supposedly shared with amateur internet sleuths and I just couldn't get over how unbeliavable it was. I liked some of the commentary on true crime fanatics and how it can mess with police work, but the plot took it too far and I didn't buy any of it/the commentary didn't go far enough to warrant its ridiculousness.
- The actual mystery was very, very obvious??? I wanted to be at least a bit surprised by any details, but wasn't. I'm genuinely not sure if it was supposed to be obvious or not.
- Since I am not a true crime girlie, I didn't know the central murders are based on a real case. I've since looked it up and am not sure how I feel about the significant overlapping in details...why was that necessary? I'm not sure what this was trying to achieve by using real details.

I have a feeling people are going to really like this one, but overall it's just wasn't really for me.

Definitely saw the twist coming from a mile away, but still really enjoyed this and liked the way it unfolded!! I found myself speeding through the end to see how everything would shake out. This was definitely a fun and fast paced thriller!

this was a fun book! I kept constantly wanting to pick it up again and keep reading. honestly, the first part felt like an entire different book to me than the second and third parts, but it was all a fun ride. the ending was a little far-fetched and some of the sad stuff felt out of place, but I really enjoyed reading this one and had a lot of fun with it.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc! definitely recommend picking this one up on 3/25/25 when it’s released!

I loved this book. I am hoping for a second book. I loved the main character and her journey as “searcher” and I loved the side characters too Will be recommending. Can’t wait for the audiobook to listen to.

I really enjoyed This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead. I loved Winstead's debut novel, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife but her last two thrillers didn't quite hit the mark for me, (I always enjoy her writing but the plot and characters in those two just weren't for me). I was so happy to read TBWBM and absolutely love it.

This Book Will Bury Me is written as a book from our main character Jane Sharp's perspective a year after the Delphine Massacre, where three sorority sisters are killed. Jane, dealing with her own personal grief from the recent loss of her father, joins a group of online true crime sleuths in order to help solve the case. The book format works so well here and I especially loved how she included their online chat sessions, as that added a fun and in the know element to the story.

Windstead takes a novel about a solving a fictional true crime case (though it does seem a bit inspired by a real case) and weaves it seamlessly with a story about moving through one's own grief of losing a parent. While at times the mystery itself had a little bit of predictability, the character development and the relationship dynamics in the friend group really make this a page turner.

Oh em gee, this book was, like, amazing! I was totally obsessed from start to finish. Jane’s dive into the true crime world had me on the edge of my seat—it’s super intense but in the most addictive way possible! The twists? Mind-blowing. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, it threw me for a loop, and I loved every second of it.

The whole armchair detective thing was so fun, and I felt like I was sleuthing right along with them. Honestly, this was one of those books I just couldn’t put down—so gripping. Five stars, hands down!

Huge thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book had the potential to be really good, but it fell flat. It was really long and the first half or so of the book really dragged. I also had the twist figured out really early on. The ending also was kind of weird and didn’t make a lot of sense. I also didn’t like how similar this was to the real life Idaho murders that occurred. It felt tasteless. I gave the book 3 stars because the last part was good. I just wish that the ending would have been different or that there would have been another twist. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not click the request button quickly enough once this appeared on NetGalley (I kept refreshing every day, hoping for it to be listed!), and I jumped in immediately because I couldn’t wait. After being really disappointed in Midnight is the Darkest Hour, I did worry that I was getting sucked in by all of the glowing reviews again, but happily I *do* feel like I read the same book as everyone else, because I could NOT put this down.

Our main character is Janeway (Jane) Sharp. The premise here is that she’s writing this book as a “real” account of what happened to her and her friends, as sort of counter-programming to the *other* book about this same series of events. It’s presented as though it’s a nonfictional account, footnotes and all. Jane’s main motivation for everything that transpires, she says, is her father’s sudden death. She’s grieving and looking for purpose in her own life, and so she gets sucked into a true crime forum, where she eventually meets a group of “elite” armchair sleuths (is that an oxymoron?). Jane proves herself by helping to crack the unsolved murder of a woman named Indira Babatunde, whose remains are found in a trash bag in a nearby lake, nearly a month after she went missing. Since Jane lives near where Indira lived and worked, she’s able to get real time updates to the hungry keyboard warriors. She also puts herself in extreme danger by actually going face to face with the guy she suspects is the killer.

Given that she turns out to be right on all counts (killer, motive, weapon and its hiding place), Jane catches the attention of a group of 4 other sleuths - Goku, Citizen, Mistress, and Lightly. Lightly is actually a former Chicago PD detective, so he definitely has the respect of the others on the forum. Goku is a hacker, Mistress is a former librarian whose little old lady demeanor is an asset for getting witnesses and cops to talk; and Citizen is a military man with an encyclopedic knowledge of serial killer lore. Jane is something of a people-savant, in that she’s good at reading people. And it also helps that she’s young (only 24), because the next case the crew gets sucked into involves the gruesome deaths of 3 college students, so Jane is ideally placed to help infiltrate.

As a couple of other reviews have pointed out, this book is VERY clearly and not terribly loosely based on the still-untried Idaho college murders. Many of the details are extremely similar, including the mysteriously-spared roommate. It is a little (ok, more than a little) icky, especially since the case hasn’t even gone to trial yet. Minus the original details, Winstead takes a very different track with the outcomes and explanations, but the inspiration is quite clear.

Ickiness of the premise aside, this is a really interesting look behind the computer screen, so to speak, about how all of those keyboard warriors get sucked into these cases, and the real good and real harm that they can do in the process. There’s certainly something tempting about being able to ask the collective hive mind to go digging - like, one single detective doesn’t have all the time in the world to deep dive into all of the victims’ friends’ Instagram pages, but 30 different keyboard warriors can get it done in a day. The downside of this echo chamber, though, is that it can lead to false accusations - everyone gets fixated on one person as a suspect, and people start to go after them…without doing the leg work to check their alibi. Since they aren’t the police, they’re not required to check, and yes, it gets our heroes in trouble more than once.

In the end, this is about the crime, yes, but it’s also about Jane coming to terms with her own grief and her father’s death. At first, joining the forum gives her a sense of purpose, and after she gets lucky enough to solve a case on basically her first try, that high becomes addictive. But I feel like there’s also something dehumanizing about it - you start to view these cases and victims as “characters” rather than real people (which, again, gets our heroes in trouble more than once). And there’s definitely an argument to be made that this is exactly what Winstead is doing - treating the very real Idaho murder victims as characters in a story. I have a feeling this might be a polarizing book when it comes out this spring.

I don’t know that the framing device of this being a memoir was strictly necessary? Including the footnotes feels a little gimmicky, for instance. [technical sidebar, re: the footnotes. It’s been a really long time since I’ve read an ebook with footnotes, because they used to be Kindle kryptonite. I’m not sure if it’s a publisher thing or a software update on Amazon’s end, but for this book at least, the footnotes finally worked in a way that made sense! If you tap the link, there’s just a little popup that you can easily read and X out of (for what it’s worth, I read this on a Paperwhite). No more sending you to some random page that you can’t get back from. No more confusing your Kindle about what position you’re actually at. And given that this is an ARC, it’s even more impressive that it works so seamlessly! Now, are the footnotes themselves strictly necessary here? Eh…]

In This Book Will Bury Me, Ashley Winstead crafts a gripping tale that deftly intertwines grief and obsession through the lens of true crime. Following the sudden death of her father, college student Jane Sharp finds solace in the dark underbelly of armchair detectives, channeling her pain into a fervent hunt for justice. Winstead’s pacing is relentless, with each chapter propelling readers deeper into the mysterious deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho.

Jane’s journey is punctuated by vivid, engaging characters who bring the internet sleuthing community to life, each with their own quirks and motivations. The camaraderie among the detectives offers a sharp contrast to the eerie atmosphere surrounding the unfolding case. As Jane and her friends delve deeper into the investigation, they uncover layers of complexity that blur the lines between reality and sensationalism, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

Winstead expertly builds tension, leading to a conclusion that not only reveals shocking truths but also forces Jane to confront her own vulnerabilities. This Book Will Bury Me is a fast-paced thriller that not only entertains but also challenges the morality of our obsession with true crime, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

I LOVED this one. It was twisty and weird, with surprises around every corner. I loved the peek behind the curtain of amateur sleuthing/reddit. The characters were brilliantly drawn in all their quirky, slightly dysfunctional, glory. The found family concept is one that I truly believe in, and it was very cool to watch the Five come together - and then shatter into a million pieces (so much like real families often do) as the secrets were painstakingly - and painfully - revealed. Winstead's writing grabbed me from the opening pages and really drew me in - and then refused to let me go until I had finished the book. I'll definitely be looking for more from her!

I read this in one sitting!!! Definitely my favorite Ashley Winstead mystery by far. This one for sure has a darker flavor (reminded me a bit of Jessica Knoll's BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN) and a more complicated protagonist, but I really loved all the twists and turns. I couldn't put it down. And that ending! Really loved this one!!

Well, I gotta say, for the first time ever, Ashley Winstead surprised me, in a positive way.
I have very mixed feelings with Winstead's previous mystery/thriller novels, but fortunately this one is a stand out to me.
I actually really liked this one: the vibes, the setting, the characters, the creepy scenes, everything. I did mind a little the length of this book, though. In my opinion, thrillers shouldn't be this long. But I won't hold that against the book or the author.
I can now safely say "I have enjoyed a book by Ashley Winstead"!

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel.

Ashley Winstead’s This Book Will Bury Me is a captivating and timely thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Following a group of internet sleuths investigating the mysterious deaths of three sorority sisters, the story feels eerily relevant given its parallels to the real-life Idaho murder case we’ve all seen in the news. Winstead’s portrayal of modern amateur investigations is spot-on, creating a believable, tense atmosphere. At 480 pages, it’s longer than typical thrillers, but the pacing is perfect—I couldn’t put it down and found myself reading every chance I got. I can’t wait to read the author’s note, which was missing from the ARC, to learn more about her inspiration behind this gripping novel.

Wow... I am actually quite speechless. This book was insane. I felt the beginning and ending was my favorite. As someone who knew a lot of the details of the real Idaho massacre it felt weird reading a fiction that was so closely based on it. I did like how the ending surprised me and the killer was different. This was a really great thriller that I highly recommend if you're not squeamish.