Grappling with grief following the death of her father, Jane seeks distraction in an online amateur sluething forum. There, she becomes immersed in a found family of armchair sleuths who are all intrigued by the same crime, a grisly triple homicide of college students. As they become more entwined in the case, Jane finds herself with a new "found family," a new purpose, and even her first fifteen minutes of fame. Racing to solve the crime ahead of the police, Jane realizes the dangers are creeping closer and closer to her door.

Ashley Winstead has delivered a solid thriller with fast pacing. It's a great option for your next popcorn thriller, especially if you are a true crime fan. While the book is rooted in an internet forum and not a podcast, the after-the-fact reporting delivered by Jane has a similar podcast feel that will appeal to many. Leslie Howard delivers a strong performance with the narration. Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an advance copy for honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up out of recognition of the fact that true crime is not my true passion. 3.5 stars, rounded up out of recognition that true crime stories are not my personal passion but will likely appeal to others more.

Amateur internet sleuths.
Serial killer.
Kinda of love when a book breaks the fourth wall. Really enjoyed the entirety of this book from the different characters to the plot line to the way it was set up. I will say my inklings were correct about some things but that didn’t take away from the story.

What a compelling thriller! I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately, but this pulled me right out of it - I finished it in a day, and couldn’t put it down! The audiobook was great - the narrator did a fantastic job.

The reader follows Jane as she grieves her father’s death and immerses herself in a community of amateur sleuths online as a coping mechanism. I loved the true crime aspect and watching these amateur sleuths solve crimes. The main crime in this novel isn’t introduced until about a third of the way through the book, but I was completely engaged long before then!

This was so much fun, and I absolutely recommend you pick this one up! You will absolutely love this if you like books with…

-True Crime Themes
-Footnotes
-Found Family
-Semi-Famous Characters

This is a wonderful story on the inside of couch detectives and armchair sleuths. As a true crime frantic myself, I was very drawn to the main character as she finds a new community and mourns the loss of her father. The narrator brought this story to life and conveyed the raw emotion at the beginning of the book very powerfully.

This book both scared me and made me cry. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book and by the end everything was fully solved in my mind.

This was phenomenal. I loved the perspective, the found family, the mystery and the twist. I loved the discussion of web sleuths vs actual investigators, etc. I was definitely somewhat uncomfortable with the case being the real life Idaho case, and the liberties taken with it, but a great read and got you thinking.

Review for “This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead”

1. Plot Uniquenes : 4.5/5
2. Pacing and Coherence : 4/5
3. Emotional and Interllexrual Engagekent : 4.5/5
4. Twists and turns : 4/5
5. Protagonist Character Development : 4/5
6. support character development : 4/5
7. Setting and atmosphere : 4/5
8. Chapter Organization : 5/5
9. Conclusion and tied loose ends : 4/5
10. Overall rating of book : 4/5

Audio narration and Production : 4/5

i got about 6% in when the narrator went off on a rant about how her dad was obese and because he was so fat he had to die of a heart attack.

i decided to dnf at that point, but i skimmed through other 1-star reviews and it turns out this book is based on a very real court case THAT IS CURRENTLY AT TRIAL for the university of idaho killings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_University_of_Idaho_killings

what an inhumane, despicable book to write. shame on you, ashley winstead.

thanks to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars ☆
⤿ spoiler-free review
thank you to net galley for this amazing arc!!

ೃ⁀➷“Now lets begin. My story starts with a body. Just, not the one you might expect.”

narraration: I was kindly sent the audiobook version of this book and this is how I felt: This womans voice is PERFECT! The emotions she portrays, and her talent to change the way her voice sounds to accomadate other characters is otherworldy.

plot: I will give you a very brief summary of what this book is about, because I highly recommend going in blind. This book is a story within a story. Jane, our main character, is recounting the events of the prior year which contained blood, sweat and a whole lot of tears. Her story starts when she finds her father dead, due to a heart attack. Jane wrestles with the idea of losing a beloved, and somehow, ends up in a true crime forum, where amateur sleuths solve crimes. Little does she know, this forum, is the beginning of the end.

characters: I honestly felt really connected to Jane throughout this book. She was a complicated character, with many questions to ask. Even though she wasnt the best at making friends; Searcher (Jane), Citizen, Mistress, Lightley, and Goku were her family, no matter the distance between them.

pacing: Each chapter always ended on mini cliffhangers, which had me foaming at the mouth for more. I want to tell you where this book really picked up, but there is no real answer to that. It was a five star for me from the beginning.

✧.* If you love the idea of a character recounting past events, interluding only to point out what mistakes they made -the ultimate foreshadowing tool btw- you NEED to pick this up.

For every true crime fanatic and armchair detective, this book is for you!

Diving into the world of true crime discussion boards and podcasts through the eyes of Jane Sharp, a college dropout grieving her father's death, unsure of what her life looks like now as she and her mother navigate the loss of their patriarch. When Jane finds solace in a true crime discussion board community, eager to solve the latest headline murders that remain unsolved, Jane soon realizes she has jumped head first into the world of amateur sleuthing that is far more dangerous than she imagined.

This Book Will Bury Me's story line felt very familiar, clearly based on the tragic University of Idaho college murders from a few years back. Putting that aside, the characters were easy to become acquainted with, and main character Jane was relatable. I thought maybe having so many online personas would be confusing in audiobook, but I quickly became accustomed to all of them, and quite enjoyed their family-type relationship as Jane become a part of their group..

As the book progressed and the pool of suspects became smaller, I was eager to see how this would all tie together and end. I have my opinions, but I don't want to spoil it for future readers!! The story was well-paced and intriguing throughout, so no matter how I felt about the conclusion, I still thoroughly enjoyed Ashley Winstead's latest!

Read this book if you like: true crime, layered storylines, mystery, serial killers

The audiobook was clear and easy to listen to. Narrator Leslie Howard did a fantastic job in bringing the story to life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advanced eaudiobook of this title!

I went into This Book Will Bury Me blind, and I wish I had read reviews prior to starting. To fictionalize a real-life case with extreme similarities feels so lazy and icky?? I kept hoping a twisty ending would make it worth reading the book, but I ended up DNFing at 78% after going on social media to see both the 911 call transcript and bridge video from the real life case. This case is still so active, and it felt morally wrong to read a fictionalized version of it.

I received an ALC from Tantor Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the latest by Ashley Winstead. The deep dive into the world of true crime was so interesting. The story was gripping and kept me reading straight through.

I also very much related to the secondary story of Jane losing her dad suddenly and trying to find a way to process that and continue to keep moving forward every day. Winstead reveals this came from her own loss of her dad so it’s very personal to her.

If you enjoy true crime and are interested in the inside workings of it while hunting down a serial killer, I think you would enjoy this story. The audio was so good I finished in one day!

As a fan of true crime I really enjoyed this book. The 5 main characters met online and are amateur sleuths trying to solve crimes that have captured the nation. This Book Will Bury Me kept me engaged from the beginning until the very end. It is dark, disturbing, thought provoking and I couldn’t put it down. I like the unique approach that Ashley Winstead took to writing the book - Jane is speaking directly to the audience. Leslie Howard did an excellent job with the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley & Tantor Audio for letting me read this ARC.

2.5 stars rounded up! I'm definitely in the minority, but this book was just very average and could have benefited from cutting 50-100 pages! This book is heavily inspired by the University of Idaho murders, and it felt a little icky while taking me out of the story. If you're really into true crime, you might enjoy this more than me. The second part had better pacing and was much more enjoyable. I was lucky to get an audiobook arc from NetGalley and really enjoyed the narrator!

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is a suspense/thriller that will leave your head spinning. From opening to the very last chapter of the book, you never know what to expect.
This thriller is about a serial killer (and/or a possible copycat) that has the authorities stumped, but some true crime junkies come in to help add their knowledge and expertise. What can it hurt, right? Well things go sideways as the story progresses and plot twists and turns happen at breakneck speed once the case begins to unfold.

Just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist and turn is thrown in and things are turned upside down again!

I definitely recommend this book and the audiobook was a good to listen. The narration was really great!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Captivating. This story follows five internet sleuths as they try to solve various crimes. This is very current with today’s current social media sleuths and how they try to analyze everything. If you are a fan of true crime I think you’ll really enjoy this one. It’s fast paced and the characters were great. The way the story unfolded and Jane learned to cope with her grief and healing by helping others find healing with the loss of their loved ones in solving crimes. I was hooked from the beginning and just enjoyed the ride. Also highly recommend reading the author's note that gives a little more into why she wrote this story.

The audiobook was narrated by Leslie Howard. She did a great job voicing Jane’s pov and the various voices for other characters. It was easy to follow even with the online forum dialogue.

Ashley Winstead has crafted a masterpiece with "This Book Will Bury Me," a novel that transcends genre expectations and delivers a reading experience that is nothing short of breathtaking. From the very first page, I was ensnared by the atmospheric tension, the complex characters, and the creeping sense of unease that permeated every scene. Winstead's prose is sharp, evocative, and utterly compelling, drawing you into the dark heart of her story with a masterful hand.
The narrative unfolds with a slow burn, meticulously building a web of secrets and hidden agendas. The characters, flawed and fascinating, are rendered with such depth and authenticity that you feel intimately connected to their struggles. The emotional landscape is rich and layered, exploring themes of grief, betrayal, and the corrosive power of buried truths.
And then... the final quarter. Oh. My. Goodness.
I can honestly say my jaw was on the floor for the entire final section of this book. The twists and turns came with such force and precision, completely upending everything I thought I knew. Winstead's ability to orchestrate such a stunning climax is a testament to her skill as a storyteller. The revelations were shocking, satisfying, and left me reeling long after I turned the final page.
"This Book Will Bury Me" is more than just a thriller; it's a deeply moving exploration of the human psyche and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love. It's a book that will stay with you, haunting your thoughts and prompting reflection long after you've finished reading.
It's early in the year, but I can confidently declare that "This Book Will Bury Me" is easily my top book of 2025. Ashley Winstead has delivered a knockout punch of a novel, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you're looking for a book that will grip you, surprise you, and leave you utterly breathless, look no further. This is a must-read. Five stars, without hesitation.

Story review- this was a cleverly constructed and well executed story. I loved the ending, especially about her father’s death, it was just beautifully written.

This is a story of a young 24 year old girl who drops out of the university of central Florida in order to work full time at Starbucks and solve murders online in Reddit. She becomes sort of famous because she is very good at it and is driven by her father’s memory. She joins an online team of true crime investigators. This really worked, they had great chemistry and all of them had interesting back stories.

In criticism I do think it was a little long, but other than that I liked the story.

Audiobook- while I did enjoy the narrator’s performance, I had a hard time with volume on this one. For the narrative/internal dialogue sections she spoke so quietly, almost whispering. Then when she would flip to dialogue it was so loud. I have never had this experience with an audiobook. Although I will say I listened on a highway drive so maybe it was just me. If you are going to listen on audio I would recommend you listen while cleaning or in an office.

Thank you to NetGalley and sourcebooks audio for the ALC. book to be published march 25, 2025.

🎧The premise was very interesting to me as I do love a good true crime story. But I still don’t get the connection between the Jane’s father dying and her diving into true crime other than trying to focus on something else. She becomes obsessed and loses her job and lives her life trying to solve true crime, leaving everything else behind. The focus on her Dad was a bit too much for me. I did like the crime chasers aspect but parts were dragging. I gave it 3.5⭐️’s.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced listening copy of this book.

Whoooaaaaaaaaa. I turned this book on and didn’t turn it off. Through my run and house cleaning… y house is really clean right now. I absolutely devoured this book.

Expect 👉🏼 Thriller, True Crime, A Book About a Book, Bingeable, Found Family

In the wake of her father’s unexpected passing, Jane finds herself searching true crime forums as a way to distract herself. She learns that her instincts are good and she joins a group of sleuths that solve crime.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. Wide eyes just listening to this story unfold. I love a book that once the ending is revealed… you go, “ohhhhhh, I should have seen that coming.” This was my first Ashley Windtead book and now I need to go binge the others.

The narration by Leslie Howard was perfect. I absolutely loved it and the book as a whole.

Thank you Tantor Audio for the #gifted copy