There is some controversy surrounding this book. I will touch on that in the review. I did finish the entire book because I was hooked and even when I tried reading something else, I wanted to finish this.

Jane feels unmoored after her father's death. In her grief, she ends up becoming obsessed with a local crime and joins a true crime forum. She ends up being instrumental in solving the case and this obsession blooms. In her forum, she becomes part of a group with a retired police detective, a retired librarian, a computer whiz (hacker), and a man in the Navy. After being highlighted by a national news program, they become famous and are made fun of a lot in the forum. When a horrific crime, the stabbing death of three sorority girls in Idaho breaks, the group decides to descend upon the college town to solve the crime. But what they bring maybe even worse.

Okay, the similarities between the case in the book and the real-life slaying in Idaho are uncomfortable, to say the least. The author could have easily changed more details and the location to make this less disconcerting for the reader. However, as the book goes on and another crime is committed, there are some major differences. Also, the role of the true-crime investigators in the happenings is the true subject of the book. I am taking a star because I found this crass.

Additionally, there are some parts of this that were incredibly predictable. Another star off for that.

If you can stomach the similarities to a murder case that still has not gone to trial, you may enjoy this book as there are differences.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

This Book Will Bury Me has easily secured itself as my favorite of Winstead’s to date.

While drawing inspiration from the tragic 2022 University of Idaho murders is an incredibly delicate and potentially controversial topic, Winstead’s author’s note is direct, graceful and vulnerable in addressing this, and gave me immense respect for her.

Beyond this, I don’t even know where to begin with where Ashley Winstead absolutely bodied this the most:

• I loved the parallel narrative of grief in the wake of suddenly losing a parent and searching for something to fill the void and the strange and painful shapes those journeys take us on.
• I loved that Jane’s first foray into crime solving was for a Nigerian-American woman who likely would’ve otherwise not received the justice she deserved.
• I loved Winstead’s Star Trek, I’ll Be Gone In the Dark, and Heathers references (that ending letter??? Unwell)
• I loved how Winstead incorporated a found family trope so beautifully into a thriller. Honestly how dare you do this so well??
• I guessed the big “plot twist” about 45% of the way through but I didn’t even care that I was right because it was so well executed.

I cried at the end of this. My advice to fellow readers is that if you like grief-driven introspection, found family, well-written thrillers and/or if you, like me, are an ex-true crime girlie who has come to see that that is maybe not the most ethical thing to be invested in: read this book and let it bury you.

Thank you Tantor Audio for the gifted ALC, and thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark from the gifted ARC!

Guaranteed, Ashley Winstead will write one of the buzziest books of the year any year she puts out a book. I knew This Book Will Bury Me would captivate me to the point of obsession.

I wanted to savor this book. Reading Winstead is a unique experience for me, because I often start her books, and then restart them at a random point because I don’t want them to be over. I’ll do anything to prolong spending time with her words. The depth and layers of this story made that an even more enjoyable experience. Which is weird to say about a book that pays homage to the Idaho murders. But she did the subject matter justice.

It’s true that solving murders has changed with “armchair sleuths.” I loved how this book highlighted the good and bad side of a community of amateur detectives being involved in solving high profile cases.

It goes without saying that I loved this book. It was layered, intelligent, engaging and completely captivating. Winstead gets better and better with each book, and I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

✨ Thank you to Sourcebooks and Ashley Winstead for this ARC!

Have you ever picked up a book that completely matched your mood, your vibe, and gave you everything you needed in that moment? That was "This Book Will Bury Me" for me. 💀📚

🧐 What did I love the most?
I’m a huge true crime junkie. I binge true crime books, documentaries, and unsolved mystery podcasts like it’s my job. So when I saw that this thriller follows a college student who, after losing her father, finds solace in a true crime Reddit community, I had to read it. 👀💻

This book delivers:
✅ A gripping grief journey
✅ A quirky, online found-family
✅ Graphic crime scene details (consider this a heads-up!)

💡 Read if you like:
🔍 True crime thrillers
🕵️‍♂️ Armchair detective vibes
🎭 Breaking the 4th wall

⚡ How was the pacing?
Perfection. No notes. Every chapter left me wanting more.

🔥 Do I recommend it?
Absolutely. This is easily one of my favorite thrillers of 2025 so far. The writing is phenomenal, the characters are fully developed, and the twists are unputdownable. If you love dark thrillers, mystery novels, and true crime books, add this one to your TBR ASAP.

You better believe that I SQUEALED when my dear friend @ashleywinstead asked to send me an ARC of her latest book! Followed by a finished copy as well from @sourcebooks - your girl feels SPOILED! Thank you so much for the variety of ways you allowed me to access & read this one - I am SO grateful!

In the age of internet sleuths & the true crime community being ever present - This Book Will Bury Me takes the best (& arguably the worst) of this community and brings it to LIFE! Inspired by various true crime cases, Ashley brings to life a group of amateur sleuths who find one another in an online true crime forum & are hell bent on solving the case at hand and ensuring justice is found. Driven by morally gray characters, a Winstead signature, you’ll find yourself torn between being upset with and rooting for each of them, especially the MC!

The MC, Jane Sharp, who is grieving the recent & abrupt loss of her father carries a profound impact on the way in which the storyline plays out. The way in which her grieving & seeking support is woven into the details of this book is not only a powerful touch, but an even more personal one as well for Ashley, who lost her dad recently.

Knowing the personal component of this book, I can only commend and compliment Ashley for the way she could create such a story out of something so challenging that she was enduring herself. It not only takes immense courage, but it also is an honor to her own father - which is incredibly well done!

In being aware of the inspiration behind this book, I feel it’s important for me to state that Ashley truly goes above and beyond in her work to bring us these books. Her attention to detail in changing aspects of the storyline to be respectful of these real life cases is admirable and should be noted. This intentionality is clear through the authors note and additional information shared in the end of the book, which I want to direct future readers attention to - because it’s incredibly important! Do not neglect to read that additional information!

I am continually impressed and captivated by Ashley’s books & the way in which she writes - Bury Me was NO different and dare I say her best work yet?! 🙌🏼

Oh dear. This book was well written, suspenseful, and the concept of exploring true crime and how people can kind of exploit it through entertainment is a conversation to have and explore. Unfortunately, this book does this through a “fictional” retelling of the Idaho Murders, a case that at the time of publication has not even gone to trial. There is no closure for the families of the victims, and to write a book pulling so many real details from that very real thing that happened very recently felt disgusting and I couldn’t even finish.

As someone who was obsessed with the news story this is based on, this book was right up my alley. However, I had followed some Instagrammers who thought it was extremely distasteful for the author to turn the news story into one for profit so soon or as it was unfolding. I felt that I was right along the crime solvers. It was part about the victims but I also saw the main character falling into a deep hole as a victim herself. I would recommend this book - but for someone who has a bit of a stomach for it.

I enjoyed the background investigating of a college crime in this book! I did not want to put this down. The found family of the online sleuths Jane met were a great supporting cast! The original crime was similar to a real life one but there were so many differences that I was about to remove that connection from my mind.
The twists were great. Janes POV was great.
Overall I am surprised by how much I liked this book!

This book hooked me from the start. The true-crime internet sleuthing aspect, along with Ashley Winstead’s fantastic writing, drew me in and I couldn’t put it down. It felt like an obsessive fever dream. I was lost in the book the same way the main character was lost in finding clues. It was fantastic.

The second half was still great, but lost a bit of the obsessive fever-dream vibe for me. Something about that first half was pure magic, while the second half felt more normal. Plus I guessed part of the whodunnit about 50% through the book, so the reveal wasn’t all that shocking. I was still mostly satisfied with the ending though.

There’s some controversy with this book as it follows a lot (but not all) of the details of a real life case that has not yet gone to court. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that, but this is clearly a fictionalized version of that case. It’s actually sort of brilliant, in that it makes me wonder if Ashley Winstead is basing the character Jane (the MC) on herself. Was Winstead obsessed with this real-life case? And is the title a play on reality? I don’t know if all that was intentional (though I’m sure she knows it will be controversial), but I love the layers it adds to the book. There’s an author’s note at the end that doesn’t show on my ARC, so I’m looking forward to reading that when I get the physical copy that I preordered (because I definitely need this one on my shelf). Maybe she speaks on all this there.

Read If You Like:
- True Crime Podcasts & Shows
- Psychological Thrillers
- Explorations of Grief
- Dark side of Obsession
- Amateur Sleuthing
- Complex Characters
- Morally Grey Characters

Ashley Winstead does such a good job at complex & morally grey characters that exemplify the human condition, imperfect and flawed, but you still root for them when you see the good in them and the why behind their choices.

This Book Will Bury Me delves into the dark allure of true crime and the complexities of online sleuthing communities mixing themselves up in ongoing investigations. I for one, get it as I have enjoyed true crime podcasts and especially with focus on some recent Idaho cases listened to true crime podcasts about both the Vallow and U of I cases with being an Idahoan so after I read the authors note knowing she was inspired by the U of I case, I was so intrigued to keep reading, especially since I went in completely blind.

Following the sudden death of her father, Jane Sharp immerses herself in the world of amateur detectives and quickly becomes sucked in, to the level of obsession at the risk of everything else in her depressed haze. She is shown to be seeking distraction and connection while fighting away the loneliness and isolated feelings of not feeling like she was enough to keep her dad alive after learning he could have done things to prevent his untimely death by following medical recommendations. The force of obsession behind her jump into true crime sleuthing is so well done, and is so relatable to the human need to seek distraction and connection to something powerful to not feel the hard things.

So, when three college girls are murdered in Delphine, Idaho, Jane and her online close knit sleuth family embark on a quest to solve the case, and get the solve of the century with everyone coming out of the woodwork to solve this high profile case… throughout the investigation Jane uncovers unsettling truths that blur the lines between fascination, danger, and taking her need for answers past the point of no return.

The story truly crafts a narrative that is both immersive and thought-provoking, exploring themes of grief, obsession, and the ethical boundaries of amateur investigations, and how do you define responsibility to someone based on the trickle effect of decisions they make.

Winstead's portrayal of Jane's descent into obsession serves as both a cautionary tale and a reflection on the human desire for connection and purpose amidst loss and feel this was so well done, especially with the way she wrapped up the final moments of the story with reflection of healing and understanding of life through the loss of Jane’s father that felt like the authors own catharsis from losing her own father recently. Truly, the whole book as you watch Jane’s story felt as an exploration of Ashley’s own grief and felt the grief so deeply of both Ashley and Jane throughout the story, and in the end a glimmer of hope and healing for them both.

TW: I recognize this book has sparked controversy for the likeness of the details of the U of I case, raising ethical concerns about fictionalizing recent tragedies of the lives lost in 2022. I do feel that though there was inspiration there were a lot of changes made and felt the author provided care to how she handled the story with her extensive research and authors notes.

I also recognize that for those personally impacted, it is likely too close for comfort for those closely impacted by the loss of Kaylee, Madison, Xana, and Ethan, and respect that those with relationships to them and their families may feel the references may be too soon or too close for them.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my review!

This Book Will Bury Me had a premise that I just had to read it. This author has been a hit or miss for me, so I was nervous to see how this one went. I started this book and could not put it down. I am someone who has recently started to question the world’s obsession with true crime. I believe many of us forget that it’s not just a case on a television screen or a podcast. It is real people, real families torn apart, and crimes that forever changed people’s lives. I think too many people become obsessive with these cases in an alarming way. This book kept me on my toes and kept me cringing lol. Cringing because these folks kept crossing boundaries and had no shame! The ending surprised me and I enjoyed the footnotes that pointed towards the wild ending I didn’t see coming. Bravo to this one. 4 solid ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one wasn’t my favorite by her, although i still enjoyed it overall. I guessed the twist early on so by the time it happened it didn’t feel very exciting to me. I also didn’t really get the whole connection to her dad? Well i ‘got it’ but i guess i just didn’t really think it needed to come up so often. Idk. I gave it 3.5 stars.

National bestselling author Ashley Winstead returns following Midnight is the Darkest Hour with her latest highly anticipated emotional and intense psychological/crime thriller, THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME.

A book within a book inspired by true crimes (a year's experience from a young woman grieving her father) while joining a group of amateur sleuths taking center stage while hunting down dangerous killers driven by their obsession and need.

It's the most famous crime in modern history.
But only SHE knows the true story.

This is Jane's story. Please sit back and enjoy Jane as she tells you, the reader, her story.

About...

Aug 31, 2023
Jane, age 24, a student at the University of Central Florida (UCF), at a party. She meets her new best friend, Gabby. This was the last time Janeway Sharp was innocent.

A frantic phone call from her mother. Her father has had a heart attack. She must leave now. Her friend drives her to the hospital in Ft. Pierce, FL. When she arrives, she is too late.

Jane Sharp is now grieving after the unexpected death of her beloved father. As a way to find purpose and deal with her grief, she turns to a group of sleuths to solve crimes. She feels she owes her father a legacy.

She is invited into this elite group after she helps solve a South Florida dark, brutal murder of a woman who was tossed in a lake. She decides to drop out of college while she explores this journey.

The person she was closest to, who loved her the deepest, had died suddenly and unexpectedly, and nothing would ever be the same for Jane. Due to this, the next chapters of her life would unfold in strange, fateful ways.

Five amateur sleuths
~Lightly. Mistress. Goku. Searcher. Citizen.
Jane is a Searcher.

The group consists of
~Ex-Cop.
~Grandmother/Retired Librarian.
~Computer genius/High-level tech.
~College dropout/ barista.
~Ex-Military Officer.

Mistress has a theory borrowed from her favorite book: those drawn to true crime could be divided into four main types by what drew them in.

~The Detective (motivated by the hunt for answers)
~The Defender (hero type, to protect victims)
~The Victim (identifies with those who have been wronged)
~The Killer (who feels an affinity with the perpetrators)

"Our desire to order the unknowable, touch the unreachable, shine a light on what's hidden—it's universal. We're uncomfortable with ambiguity, with living suspended in the mess of the world."

From Central and South to the Treasure Coast of Florida, fictional Delphine, Idaho, and beyond (Italy), these armchair detectives must hit the road versus behind a screen to solve these complex cases. The latest being the three college girls in Delphine, Idaho.

The world is watching, listening, observing. From forums, true crime addicts, social media, the press, and the TV media. Do they know the real truth?

Told one year after the events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, Jane finally decides to break her silence about what truly happened. The true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans. Her secrets will be revealed.

My thoughts...

Told in three parts, THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME is a fascinating exploration of true crime and how these communities respond to these unfolding crimes.

It is a well-written thriller and deeply emotional narrative that delves into the complexities of grief, loss, the human need for closure, and the mysteries loved ones leave behind. This book will resonate with readers who appreciate a more profound, unique reading/listening experience.

Please DO read— the Author's Note about the novel's inspiration, her grief of losing a parent, and its complexities.

Narrative style...

In addition to being a superb thriller, the author cleverly uses a self-conscious narrative style, often called metafiction. This unique technique, which includes footnotes that draw attention to the story as a fictional work, blurs the lines between reality and fiction and prompts critical engagement from the reader. Jane is recounting a year after the fact, adding a layer of intrigue to the narrative.

The author also brilliantly draws from real-life cases in which there have been significant true crime and media responses and ones which we may know more than others, such as Gabby Petito, The OJ Simpson, JonBenét Ramsey, Golden State Killer, Abraham Shakespeare and the 2022 University of Idaho case which has not yet been solved.

THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME is engrossing, standout, thought-provoking, and fresh. The author's BEST yet—delving into many aspects of true crime, social commentary, media, sleuthing, and emotions. A pageturner, you will be hooked from page one to the satisfying conclusion.

Movie-worthy, prime for the big or small screen series! Being a Floridan (South Florida), I always enjoy novels set in my state.

It is an emotional modern thriller with heart—Compelling, part crime fiction with elements and dangers of true-crime culture, psychological, coming of age, and literary fiction.

Audiobook...

For those who enjoy audiobooks, THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME is a must-listen. Narrated by Leslie Howard, one of the most talented in the industry, she delivers a stellar performance that elevates the novel to new heights. Howard's narration captures the story's essence, mood, and setting, bringing the characters to life and providing an engaging listening experience. If you're a fan of audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to this version.

Recs...

For fans of the author, true-crime addicts, and those who enjoy unique, chilling, complex narratives and smartly dynamically written psychological/crime thrillers. Fans of Megan Goldin, Amy Tintera, Kate Marshall, and Lisa Jewell will devour. (all favorites)

Also, for fans of (Danish author turned Floridan, Willow Rose), most of her crime novels are set in Florida and inspired by specific true crimes (she links in her Author's Notes). A fan.

Interview...

Want to know more behind-the-scenes exclusives and this talented author? Join me for a fun, fascinating, featured blog, #LitLiftMiniAuthorChat QA with Ashley (part of the #AuthorElevatorSeries collection), coming pub date March 25th!

Special thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Tantor Media for an advanced review and listening copy for my honest review and the honor of hosting Ashley!

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: March 25, 2025
March 2025 Must-Read Books
March Newsletter
Mar Featured #LitLiftMiniAuthorChat

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead had a unique premise that I hadn’t previously come across. Jane is mourning the unexpected death of her father and ends up finding a true crime website of amateur sleuths who work together to try and solve crimes. I found this to be fast paced with some unexpected twists. While I would have liked a little more closure at the end, I can appreciate why the author ended as she did.

3.5 ⭐️ I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this one after hearing it was based on the actual Idaho murders of 2022… initially I didn’t know this is what the book was about when I requested it. But honestly that wouldn’t have made a difference.

In all honesty, I do think it’s a little too soon. As it’s still an open case, and the victims have not yet received their justice. The details in the book that so closely mirror the actual case is a bit harrowing.

With that being said — the way the book was written, the additional details of the story (subsequent massacre, a cold case from 12 years ago, the story based upon the investigation by internet sleuths) I still found thoroughly enjoyable. The short chapters made it very easy to continuously flip through pages (or rather keep the kindle taps going…) and many chapters leave you hanging with mini cliffhangers and foreshadowing that I just absolutely ate up.

I was totally fascinated with the amateur/internet sleuthing portion of the story. While I, myself, would be considered a true crime and sleuthing novice, I’ve always been captivated by everything true crime, especially when it comes to serial killers (thank you Criminal Minds for making me the crazy, chaotic, obsessed with murder wife my husband didn’t sign up for… LOL). Albeit, I did find it a bit of a stretch that a group of 5 strangers, one of which is a total newbie, would be asked by the FBI to be consultants… but besides that, I absolutely enjoyed this portion of the book. And my spidey senses were definitely tingling that something was going to come of someone in this group. Mama’s always trust their gut, right? The way this part of the story played out was still surprising, and left me satisfied.

Parts of the story I found a bit lackluster (?) — while I appreciate the homage to her dad after passing (and I know this was very important to the author with her own father having passed), I wanted more of it, or something to have made it stand out a bit more than it did. There were some parts to this portion of the story that felt a bit unnecessary. It was almost just a side storyline to add some fluff.

Another area that was wish was further flushed out was the actual “book within a book” aspect. There were hints that our MC wrote a book, and it highlights that it was because another character wrote a book of lies… but it ultimately felt unfinished to me and I so wanted more of it.

Overall — I feel that the author wrote a great story, there’s no denying Winstead knows how to write a book and story with great detail and flow. It was enjoyable, bingeable, and satisfying. I think if aspects of the actual Idaho murders were not so similarly portrayed, it might have made it better.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review ✨

A fantastic true crime thriller told from the perspective of a college student who recently lost her father. She finds an escape from the grief with an online community of sleuthers. While there is a slow burn in the middle, I was captivated until the end. This story is loosely based on the Moscow, ID murders in 2022, & there is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book, especially for extreme violence. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy!

It really is rare for me to rate a mystery/thriller so highly (especially when there’s an online forum or podcasting element) because I often find that they get tedious quickly. I flew through this book. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened, and the truth was not what I was expecting at all! Read this book if you aren’t usually a mystery/thriller fan but want to give the genre another chance! (4.5 stars)

Oh gosh, I had so much fun reading this one! It's a thriller with all sorts of layers. It's not a podcast thriller, but adjacent, basically forum sleuths? (I don't want to say amateur sleuths because that sounds way too cozy.) I did not see the end coming, and thought it did a really good job of introducing a number of very believable suspects. 
*
This also talks a lot about grief, as Jane first dives into the forums while she's struggling to come to terms with the death of her father.
*
it was long, but i really enjoyed it!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I loved The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead so was so excited to be approved for this ARC! Ultimately, with a slow start the book failed to engage me. As I realized that this so closely followed the real Idaho murders, I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable continuing given that these are so recent and not yet solved. I look forward to reading more of Winsteads work in the future, but could not continue with this one.

📖/🎧 Read Type: ARC (thank you to @NetGalley, Ashley Winstead, and Sourcebooks Landmark!)

Jane Sharp becomes entangled in online true crime communities after her world is shaken by her father’s death. When a series of murders rocks the nation, Jane and four fellow sleuths set out to solve the case. Their investigation unearths dark secrets, revealing a dangerous killer and the perilous consequences of their online obsession.

It’s no secret that our culture is saturated with an interest in true crime. I am also not immune from this, and I think learning how to be a consumer of that sort of content is extremely important. At its core, this story is a focused look on how armchair detectives handle and impact investigations. Because we don’t often see this side of true crime’s reality, I really enjoyed the premise of this book and I think Ashley Winstead is a fabulous writer.