This Book Will Bury Me is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that dives into the world of true crime obsession, online sleuthing, and the dangerous allure of uncovering the truth. The novel follows Jane Sharp, a college student reeling from the unexpected death of her father. Seeking a distraction from her grief, Jane becomes immersed in the online true crime community, where she and her new friends attempt to solve the mystery of the Delphine Massacres — a shocking triple murder in the small town of Delphine, Idaho.

The case becomes a media sensation, drawing the attention of internet detectives everywhere. Jane, alongside her fellow sleuths, sets out to uncover the truth before anyone else can. But the deeper they dig, the more bizarre the case becomes. Mysterious details, uncooperative police, and a series of unanswered questions leave the group in a state of suspense. As the investigation gets more complicated, they begin to suspect that the killer may be smarter, more elusive, and far more dangerous than they anticipated.

The book is narrated a year after the conclusion of the case, with Jane finally ready to reveal the true story. As she recounts the events, she promises a shocking twist that will leave readers reeling. And, indeed, Winstead delivers an ending that is both unexpected and satisfying, though seasoned thriller readers may see it coming. The anticipation and slow unraveling of the mystery are what truly keep readers engaged.

What Works:
The premise of the novel is one that is sure to captivate any fan of true crime. The psychological tension, the obsession with the case, and the unfolding mystery are all handled expertly by Winstead. Jane’s internal conflict, grief over her father’s death, and her growing obsession with the Delphine Massacres add complexity to her character. The thriller elements are excellently executed — the pacing is tight, and the plot keeps you on edge until the very last page.

What Didn’t Work:
One of the weaker points in the novel is the subplot about Jane's father's death. While it clearly serves to shape her motivations and psychological state, it feels a bit disconnected from the core of the story. The grief angle might have been more powerful if it had been more integrated into the investigation or had a deeper connection to the case. Additionally, the twist, though well done, feels somewhat predictable for anyone familiar with the genre.

Winstead continues to write wildly entertaining thrillers and This Book Will Bury Me continues in her usual style. In this novel, Jane suddenly loses her father and in dealing with her grief turns to online sleuthing. As she makes friends and falls deeper into solving cold cases her close knit group takes on a current murder case that is making national news. (Based loosely on the 2022 University of Idaho murders). Things turn serious when her group is asked to join the FBI as consultants on the case. Then things start going wrong.

Maybe it's telling of how many mystery thrillers I read, but I guessed the "who done it" relatively early, but after reading Winstead's Midnight is the Darkest Hour, I knew there was going to be more to it! And those last few chapters! yes, yes, yes!

An excellent look into armchair detectives, what drives them and how they can help, or hinder, cases. This is a niche I particularly enjoy and think if others like these types of stories they will enjoy this one too!

A chilling crime without much evidence confounds the police, FBI, and a group of armchair sleuths who delve into the case to the extent that they become part of the tragic story.

When three young college sorority girls are murdered at the University of Idaho in Delphine, the police at the scene can’t find anything that leads them to a suspect. The news reaches the internet world of the amateur detectives and the hive mind digs into this juicy crime. Gossip, salacious details, suspicions, and many questions beg for attention. A young Floridian, Janeway Sharp, is lured into that world while grieving her recently deceased father. Finding like minded friends that feel like family, Jane sinks into an obsession for finding out who killed them. She quits college, gets fired from her job, and immerses herself in research and her new found anchor group. Can this makeshift team solve a case that is stupefying law enforcement.

This was quite fast paced and so absorbing that I could not put it down. The characters were quite well drawn and multidimensional lending a real “true” life aspect to the narrative. There were a lot of twists and turns leading to the ultimate reveal that some might see coming. I did find Jane’s processing and grieving to be a bit too much at times with the constant stuff about her father. I have a serious issue/question with something about DNA but it could be a spoiler so I’ll remind myself that this is fiction.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, Leslie Howard, did a great job of voicing all the characters. She was able to make the characters come alive with her tone, timbre, and accents. The production definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

I cannot say that this was a favorite read from this author, unfortunately. It did take me several months to read, I would read a bit, put it down and not pick back up again. But i pushed through. I did really enjoy the characters, and plot. It was the execution that had me dragging and not interested in finishing. But once I did, I was glad.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead tells all about Janeway Sharp's journey as she delves deeper into the world of online sleuthing. From the incredible highs to the soul crushing lows all was revealed in Jane Sharp's tell all about the case that catapulted her right into the limelight.

To start this book was the definition of a mixed bag. Like the journey Jane throughout the story faced the plot overall had lows and highs. And there were times the lows left me questioning if I was ready to throw in the towel. Ultimately the plot seemed to drag on in places and like there was a lot of build up for a quick reveal that was quickly moved past. Another thing that did ease once we got further into the plot and the mystery developed was that driving crime in this book in my opinion derived a little too much from the real life murderers at the University of Idaho. The close parallel to that real life case and the fact it is still developing left me uncomfortable but that did ease the more the mystery expanded.

While there were some pitfalls there were definitely aspects I thoroughly enjoyed. I very much loved the found family aspect of the book and made me want to find my own community to call a family. All of the characters had an immense amount of heart to them that made me shed a tear at their struggles and cheer for joy when they found a win. I will always love a unique framing narrative. The fact the story was told in a fictionalized tell-all is a massive win for me and with the inclusion of chatroom logs was just perfect. Also while I felt it took a really long time to ramp up when it ramped boy did it. On the back half of the book I could not put it down. I was ready to solve the mystery with Jane and co.

Ultimately this book was hard to pin. What I liked I loved and it was what kept me going but what I didn't like I really didn't like had me taking a few breaks to ward of my ability to drop reading all together for a time. I think if you have a stronger stomach than me and enjoy a good slow build this book is perfectly fine. At the end I just settled with this may have not been my cup of tea but I can see easily what people would love about this novel.

While I think this was an improvement from Winstead's previous thriller, Midnight is the Darkest Hour, I still don't think this lives up to In My Dreams I Hold a Knife or The Last Housewife. This Book Will Bury Me suffered from bad pacing and disrespectful inspiration from real-life events.

I really enjoyed the relationships in this book. However, I thought the real-life inspiration was disrespectful, and I was disappointed in the length and pacing. It felt overtly drawn out.

However, I will continue to read Winstead's thrillers (her romances are not for me). Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had solid writing and suspense. However, it felt really drawn out and it’s based on a crime that happened a little toooo recently.

After the sudden death of her father, grief-stricken Jane Sharp needs a distraction from her pain. She becomes obsessed with true crime, diving into the world of online detectives where she finds new friends and purpose.

When the deaths of three college girls in Idaho take over the headlines, Jane and her fellow detectives are determined to crack the case. But as the group delves deeper into these deaths, details of the case don’t add up. Will Jane and her friends figure out what happened that fateful night or are they walking into a trap?

I was SOOO excited to receive an e-ARC of this book. As much as I enjoy Dateline, Snapped and all things murder, I wasn’t sure how about the whole true crime storyline in a novel, but Ashley Winstead is one of my writing queens, so I will gladly let her take the wheel and just see where we end up. 😂 I enjoyed the characters and their unconventional found family dynamic. This goes beyond the whole true crime murder solving and delves into the different ways in which grief manifests itself. Even though at times, I wanted to shake Jane, like WTF are you doing, she’s a relatable and likeable MC. Plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting and always happy to see a few Buffy references thrown in. IDK that anything can unseat IMDIHAK because that book is a God-tier thriller for me, but this was wonderful and def worth checking out!

This book was true-crime centric. If you love true crime, you will love this. It was definitely an easy page turner and a palette cleanser.

Jane Sharp comes home after her father unexpectedly dies. Looking for a distraction from her grief, she gets caught up in a news report of an unidentified body and starts researching online. She enters the sites amateur sleuths post on, trying to solve the crimes first, and becomes addicted. She teams up with 4 others and then a new case shocks the country and the team is up to the challenge.

I was trying to figure out why reviews were so low on this one, because I really enjoyed it. I have to admit, I don’t watch the news ever and didn’t realize the murders in the book mirrored real life events. I went back afterwards and read the author’s note at the beginning of the book, where it is stated. I’m not sure how I feel about this? The case hasn’t even gone to trial so it feels too soon and to profit off their murders… but at the same time it brings attention to the case. I’m still up in the air on this.

Going back to the book, I think the internet posts were well done and not too much. I like that how they described the police dept in the cases they were helping out with, because I hate books where random nobodies find the killer before the cops normally. At least they were smaller stations, no evidence etc to make it more realistic. I found the story engaging and gripped my attention pretty quickly.

Overall, I would recommend, knowing that the case in the book mirrors the murders in Idaho in 2022.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I got the ARC of this all I knew was that it was from the Dr. Prof. Winstead, and while I told y'all the last time I read one of her books that I was going to have to take a break because it had all been slop and I needed to put me first... that was a lie.

Sometimes lying is good, because as controversial as this might be to admit in public, this is easily the good Dr.'s best work.

The ethics of true crime, particularly the ethics of true crime as it relates to how the characters in this book interact with it, is not something I'm gonna debate. Or how a lot of y'all seem to have drawn a parallel to this books and a case unfolding in Idaho that is currently on trial. That's not my place. Dr. Prof. Winstead talks briefly in an acknowledgement about some material they took in while writing this book. It's not a secret.

The way that Janeway navigates the loss of her father and the lengths that she goes to ensure that he has some kind of legacy was fascinating. It's also one of the better examples I've seen of found family in fiction. Not only has Jane lost her father, but her mother and her are not processing that loss in similar ways at all and that's part of what the group of investigators she finds herself falling in with so great.

Ultimately the ending is a little weak. Not only in ways that feel like a pretty mediocre episode of Criminal Minds or CSI, but in other small character ways. Ultimately there is something lacking. A final piece that could have taken this from a novel that was enjoyable to read to one that was truly great.

This is a story about grief.

I was unprepared for how emotional this book made me. I was expecting a thriller (probably a good one based on her track record), and it did function on that level- but it also functioned as a study in how we connect with the people we lose. It also centered remote friendships in a way that really felt like it acknowledged their value- which l've not seen many books do.

Thank you so much @netgalley &@bookmarked for the eArc!

I love Ashley’s books and This Book Will Bury Me was a lot of fun to read. It kept me guessing and turning pages throughout the whole book. It’s probably my favorite Ashley Winstead book so far too! This is based on actual true crime events and this is talked about with an author’s note in the book.

I am disappointed. I will admit that I did enjoy this new Winstead more than her last release, but overall this left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I think using an Idaho case as biggest part of the plot was in bad taste given that it closely resembled the actual Idaho murders case, which is still in court.

I understand that the point of the book was to show how obsessed people have become with true crime, whether it’s sleuthing cases or releasing podcasts. However, I think by using the Idaho case in the foundation of this novel Winstead only joined in on what people don’t like about true crime.

I also think this was way longer than it needed to be. By the time I got 50% in, it felt like I should’ve been 90% done. It was long and predictable over all.

Lastly, Winstead portrayed Panhellenic women as partiers with no redeeming qualities. I’m guessing I won’t be the only alumna of a Panhellenic sorority that’s extremely tired of this overdone “sorority women are only partiers” characteristic that authors love to use. Especially since Winstead used a real Panhellenic sorority. Wondering what Kappa Delta members think of the portrayal here?

Will I pick up another Ashley Winstead? Yes, because I loved In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and The Last Housewife. However, I’ll be extremely cautious once again. This is the second highly disappointing release.

A young woman in the midst of her grief finds distraction - and a digital family - on an online community of internet sleuths. As more crime unfolds, the stakes get higher and she realizes that she may come face to face with her own culpability.

Winstead does a good job of balancing the movement of the plot with what takes place in the online groups. The characters were varied and believable. This novel raises so many good questions about the morality of a society that finds so much entertainment in true crime - our obsession with it, our podcasts, our forums - while pointing out that often the public can contribute to justice being served. It's a fascinating examination at our culture, in the sad reality that evil is never going away and crime among humans is inevitable.

I do think it could have been tightened up a bit and shortened, while also maybe giving us a bit more to our main character. Jane's grief was evident and such a driver, but I do wish we understood it more beyond the fact that she lost her dad - the relationship could have been explored a bit more.

Any reader of mysteries, suspense, or true crime junkies will likely enjoy this one.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark.

I think this one kept great pace and I liked all the different characters coming together, and of course the true crime sleuthing. Ashley Winstead has become an auto pick for me and I have loved each of her books so far. This has some slow burn to let the story unfold and simmer and then things start to heat up being thrown into the sleuthing no longer behind the safety of the computer.
After her father's unexpected death Jane (Janeway) Sharp leaves college to go back home. While home she tries to find an outlet to deal with her grief and questions to the mystery why her father's legacy has ended the way it did. In looking for answers about her father, Jane stumbles into the true crime obsessed world and becomes an "internet detective" to try to solve crimes with others just as obsessed as her. She ends up becoming part of a team that ends up in the middle of trying to solve a crime in the real world when they immerse themselves into the Delphine college girl murders! Jane learns so much in these friendships she has formed and her character development really shows comparing start to finish.
I didn't expect how things would really end right away, so I liked the anticipation as the case was unfolding. I will say I like true crime but I am not as immersed as some so I didn't know how much it related to a current case that hasn't even ended as of yet. I did see it mentioned before I started the book, but I wanted to go into it blind not reading about the as I have seen it called "The Idaho 4 murders" case to not do comparisons. Now that I have read the book I am highly interested in following along with the case and seeing how this criminal case serves justice. I do wonder if Winstead waited for the case to completely end and justice served would she have changed how she had written the book?
I will still say even though I have seen other people mad I can see both sides, but I did enjoy reading the book. The first thing I take from it is that it is bringing awareness, and I think still does what books based on true crime do and that is to in a way keep the memory alive for victims. It may not always be the way everyone wants it to be written, but depicting something that has really happened always brings awareness and different interpretations. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the gifted copy in exchange for my review.

I wanted to love this book so bad but it fell flat. The description had me hooked & intrigued. Very slow and predictable. The characters and plot didn’t seem well thought out. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

I really wanted to like this book more—the premise was so intriguing to me. I was hooked right from the beginning, but then about a quarter of the way through, it got slow & I started to lose interest. However, at about the 60% mark, things started picking up again, and I was excited to see how things were going to wrap up. It did have a satisfying ending—I will give it that!

I have read a few Ashley Winstead books before and loves them. even though the main characters are meant to be unlikeable, they are still relatable. I did not not like the main character in this book. I felt she was selfish and in her own little bubble. I can see how other people would enjoy the book. I think the plot was interesting and kept me reading, just to find out the twist, which I thought was good. I just felt a little disconnected fro the story because of the MC. Overall entertaining .

3.5

What a well written thriller that discussed so many themes, such as grief and obsession. I overall enjoyed it, especially the second half. However, it felt a little long in the beginning. This is my first Ashley Winstead and I am very excited to read her backlist. I would recommend this to people who like a medium paced thriller, podcasts, and like to read about obsession.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.