*4.5 stars rounded up*

True crime is a multi-layered beast, & this author has tackled it in a captivating fictional story that had me quickly flipping pages to get answers.

Narrated a year into the future as a sort of tell-all book about a series of murders that rocked the nation & shook the internet’s amateur detective community to its core, Jane Sharp describes her journey to obsession after the death of her father. She is welcomed into a smaller group of more “elite” armchair crusaders that ultimately become like family. But when they decide to meet up IRL in the town where their case takes place, things get complicated…

I loved the format in which the information was relayed to the reader, complete with footnotes! It was also fun to have a character from Iowa, my home state. The author’s note about content warnings & how she came to have the idea for the novel in the wake of the loss of her own father made the deeper themes of legacy & accepting that one can never have all the answers resonate even more.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley, author and Source Landmark publication for the ARC.


Jane Sharp is drowning in grief after her father’s untimely death, desperate for closure. When she stumbles upon a group of armchair detectives obsessed with solving real-life crimes, she finds unexpected friendship, purpose, and the thrill of cracking the unsolvable. But when a chilling string of sorority murders thrusts Jane and her new true-crime sleuths into the center of a very real nightmare, she learns that some mysteries are better left buried…
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Ashley Winstead never misses, and This Book Will Bury Me just cemented why she’s one of my go-to thriller authors. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife still holds the crown for me, but this one? A close contender.

Inspired by a recent true-crime case (which Winstead acknowledges upfront), this novel follows Jane—haunted by loss, searching for answers, and unexpectedly finding a digital family in a group of internet sleuths. What starts as an escape morphs into a high-stakes game when fiction and reality collide in a way none of them saw coming.

At over 400 pages, this thriller is a rollercoaster—fast-paced, unputdownable, and emotionally charged. Just when I thought I had it figured out, Winstead veered off the expected path, keeping the story both true-crime inspired yet distinctly fictional. The blend of raw emotion and edge-of-your-seat suspense? Chef’s kiss.

It's a 4/5 ⭐ read for me.

If you love true crime, adrenaline-pumping mysteries, and Winstead’s signature psychological depth, This Book Will Bury Me belongs on your TBR. Trust me, by the end, you’ll understand why!

This is a very unusual book that focuses on the on-line community composed of amateur sleuths who attempt to solve open cases that have stymied the authorities. Beyond that, This Book Will Bury Me also focuses on the process of grieving and the loss of a parent. It should be mentioned that the description of some of the murders is quite graphic and could be disturbing for some readers. It certainly isn’t something I normally read and I found it difficult at times.

There are five main characters in this book and the story is told from a single point of view. The writing is very good, the characters have a lot of depth, and the plot is well-conceived and logical. One thing that was a bit uncomfortable is that one of the crimes depicted is based on a real-life and on-going case that has yet to go to trial. This felt a little exploitative.

As I read the book I was mentally giving it 4 stars. But, I finally gave it 3.5 stars. The reasons are two-fold. First, it’s a longer book to begin with and it seemed to drag towards the end. Secondly, the smooth, clean writing that I enjoyed throughout most of the book seemed to get a little murky. There were multiple theories and players moving in and out, adding multiple threads to unravel at almost the very end. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

Ashley Winstead is one of my auto-buy authors. This one was worth the hype. I was hooked from the beginning! This story did remind me of a situation that happened in real life...not sure if this was supposed to emulate it but it was still a well written suspenseful thriller.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead was published March 25, 2025. Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the eARC. All views are my own.

I didn’t realize when I received this ARC that it took the facts of the recent Idaho college murder and used them in a fictionalized but very, very similar way. At the very beginning of the book, Winstead does acknowledge this as the inspiration in an author’s note. And while I’ve read true crime fiction based on real events and enjoyed them (see Bright Young Women), they’ve never been based on active cases yet to be resolved by trial or separated in time. Ultimately, I found TBWBM’s use too soon and exploitative.

As for the plot, it lagged, and the book was too long. Overall, I did not enjoy and did not finish the book. If you want to read this, know that it’s based on the Idaho murders before reading.

Ashley Winstead is an author who pushes boundaries and tackles tough topics in her books. In This Book Will Bury Me, she looks at True Crime and those who are obsessed with solving cases on their own. Jane Sharp is grieving her father's untimely death when she gets drawn into an online true crime forum after reading about the death of a woman in her community. The forum members become like family to her.

When a horrifying case occurs across the country, Jane and her intrepid band of internet sleuths decide to help out. The story incorporates a lotto 90s pop culture. It also uses most of the real details of a real true crime case that is still not adjudicated, a decision that has upset some readers.

While I do understand those readers' objections, the fact that true crime fans are a bit ghoulish is sort of the point of this book. As a consumer of true crime, I found this a very interesting and thought-provoking story!

Ashley Winstead’s first book, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, is one of my favorites. Since then, her other books have fallen short for me. But her newest, This Book Will Bury Me, made me glad I have continued to follow her work. This was a fast paced and exciting thriller. I thought the twists were pretty predictable, but I still enjoyed them. The characters were frustrating at times, but that was the author’s goal. It makes you think about the ethics of the true crime community. It feels a little bit icky at times, and that’s the point. I think building her story about a real life case is what really drives the message home. If you are a true crime lover, this is a must read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 out of 5 stars
The Book Will Bury Me is an atmospheric and gripping read that pulls you in from the very first page. The writing is rich and immersive, with a haunting sense of place that lingers long after the final chapter. The protagonist's descent into obsession and the blurred lines between truth and fiction kept me hooked throughout.
While there were moments where the pacing slowed, the tension and emotional weight made up for it, and I found myself fully invested in the outcome. This is a story that sneaks up on you quietly chilling, subtly psychological, and deeply reflective. This Book Will Bury Me is Winstead's best book since In My Dreams I Hold A Knife.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a unique and memorable read, and I'm looking forward to more from this author!

It's really quite gross to use so many details from such a brutal (and recent!!) crime to make your book more interesting. These victims were real people their family and friends are still grappling with the after effects of this, and the trial is STILL GOING ON. The author hardly tried to change any details, instead choosing to have our precious narrator "feel" what the victims felt. This is shameful.

Janeway Sharp is at loose ends after the unexpected death of her father. In her grief, she turns to a True Crime website to distract herself and quickly becomes enmeshed in amateur sleuthing. She teams up with a group of four other established true crime sleuths to solve the murders of three sorority girls in Idaho (which closely echoes an actual crime from 2022). As the body count rises, her team meets up in person in Idaho where things continue to get even darker.

This is the first novel I’ve read by Ashley Winstead, and I found it to be a relatively engaging page-turner that was significantly too long. The short chapters kept me hooked and reading, but it got pretty monotonous in parts. It reminded me of Bright Young Women (which I absolutely loved), but without the literary merit or really interesting character development. I’ve been reading some chatter where people are upset that Winstead took too many details from the real Idaho crime, but since I have never heard of those murders (nor did I look them up while reading), I am refraining from having the controversy inform my opinion about the novel. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a plot-based thriller or is interested in true crime, but I wouldn’t give it a blanket recommendation, primarily due to its length.

Read this if: you like books about true crime and/or easy to read thrillers.

Skip this if: you prefer literary mysteries or more character driven novels.

4.75 out of 5 -- wow, this thriller was insanely addicting! I broke my rule of not reading thriller-esque books before bed because I will stay up way too late to finish them, but it was worth it. I loved the tell-all style of being spoken to directly after the fact, I loved Jane (Searcher!) and her found family, and even though I figured out the mystery very early on, I loved seeing Searcher and her crew solve it in real time." I understand some of the 1-star reviews that are upset about it being too similar to the Idaho murders. As I did not follow that case (or any true crime), I can't comment on the similarities but I can understand why that might make people feel icky about this book. That ignored, the writing is great, the short chapters are addicting, and you just cannot put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Ashley Winstead is a genius. I have loved every book she has written and this one is no exception. I love the true crime aspect of it. It reads like it is a true story and sucks you in from the beginning.

I love Ashley Winstead and am always excited for her new releases!

This one is about Jane, a woman in her mid-twenties whose father unexpectedly passed away. This surprise sends her spiraling, and the place she finds comfort is on a forum for amateur true crime sleuths. Jane finds herself with a little online family and a new purpose: to help find justice for those in need.

The format of the book is new for Winstead - it’s written like a nonfiction true crime tell all kind of book, with footnotes. I loved this style and the way it allowed Jane to foreshadow events that were coming.

I was surprised by the twist that happens toward the end, but I was also emotionally thrown. This book’s chronicling of Jane’s venture through grief was at times really emotional, and I loved it. I loved that I was invested while still being surprised by the twists in the thriller plot line.

This is up there as one of my favorite Winstead books so far!

I received a gifted copy of THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME by Ashley Winstead from Sourcebooks Landmark.

THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME follows follows Jane, a young woman reeling from the recent loss of her father. As a distraction from her grief, she gets sucked into a true crime message board. She’s invited in by an elite group of amateur detectives and soon she considers them her found family. When three college girls are murdered and the case hits the message boards, Jane and crew are on the case.

I started reading this on vacation last month, but decided that the grief framework was a bit too heavy for me to read poolside. I took some time away from it, but got drawn back into the story once I picked it back up back home. I really enjoyed the setup for this and the discussions that were have about what cases get police and media attention and the way amateurs can help or hinder an investigation.

This took some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and I did think that it wrapped up very well with both the mystery element and Jane’s own grief processing overall.

I love Ashley Winstead so I was very excited for this and it didn't disappoint. It was so gripping and exhilarating all the way through.

I will start by saying that I know this book is heavily influenced by a current crime case but I am not familiar with the details so it did not impact my reading experience. I really enjoyed this book and flew through it to find out the ending. I connected with the main character Jane and although I didn't completely understand the role the loss of her father had on her sudden obsession with crime solving, I did understand her grief. The "sleuths" that come together to solve the crime in the story were interesting and very realistic personalities. I was invested in their teamwork and in the case itself. This story did not have the shock factor of "In My Dreams I Hold a Knife" but it was well-written and held my interest until the very end. I think that true crime fans will really enjoy this book and I can't wait to read Winstead's next work. Thanks to Ashley Winstead, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I find this authors works quirky but they have a hook. The last book I read by her has stuck with me so I was interested in this one before I even knew what it was about. It pays to read the foreword in this one as it explains the true crime cases the author draws inspiration from. I love true crime so it was very clear to me; I was also very drawn to the news around the Idaho murder spree. It’s valuable that the author fully acknowledges that inspiration so the reader doesn’t dismiss the “ripped from the headlines” story as unoriginal but rather a different, fictional angle.

The story has a few layers as it follows Jane, an older college student, who has just lost her father. Through her grief, distracting herself, and attempts to make meaning of his life, she gets wrapped up in an online group of armchair sleuths. It’s good context for how she gets drawn in. The characters she connects with are well described as I could picture each of them. Along the way, she also learns about her father’s Star Trek fan fiction and it fuels her own actions.

It was not the most twisty or unpredictable story but it was interesting. I wanted to follow up on the crews leads as they found them. I would recommend this book particularly to true crime fans.

Queen Ashley does it again! This was so different from her both books but I loved it nonetheless. I love how it looked at true crime vultures, reddit sleuths and the way victims/murderers are portrayed in the media. While not as unpredictable as her other books, the storytelling is what made this a five star read - I really felt like I was in Jane’s head. I know some readers have criticized the real world comparisons but it was veered off from the real events enough for me and there are many other books that have pulled from true crime cases so it’s not something that bothers me. Definitely make sure you read Winstead’s author’s note at the beginning to see where her head was at when writing this one because it will make a lot of sense.

This Book Will Bury Me is a gripping and unsettling dive into the world of true crime obsession, internet sleuthing, and the dangerous line between curiosity and consequence. Ashley Winstead crafts a thriller that is both chilling and thought-provoking, pulling readers into Jane Sharp’s descent from grieving college student to determined investigator. The layered storytelling, told a year after the infamous Delphine Massacres, adds to the intrigue, making the narrative feel even more ominous as Jane slowly unravels the truth. The mystery itself is cleverly plotted, filled with eerie twists, unreliable perspectives, and a creeping sense of dread that builds with each chapter. I really enjoyed this one—the pacing was tight, the suspense was well-executed, and the psychological depth of Jane’s character made the story even more compelling. Winstead delivers a thriller that doesn’t just entertain but keeps you thinking about it after you've finished.

Was not a fan of this one. I think the proximity of this story to an active crime story is very problematic. Would not recommend.