ASHLEY WINSTEAD IS ABSOLUTE FIRE!!!! Honestly, this author gets better with every book and this one is no exception. College student, Jane Sharp has lost her father to a sudden heart attack. She drops out of college and gets obsessed with true crime. Amongst the forums, she meets her "family", a group of true crime aficionados, who invite Jane to join them. Jane seems a natural at sleuthing and she quickly impresses the group by helping to solve a woman's murder in her hometown.
When tragedy strikes a college town in Delphine, Idaho, the group swoop in with their knowledge and skills in order to help the police. But it quickly becomes apparent that the group has different takes on "helping" and their father-figure, George, wants no part of leaking the police report. However, as soon as he leaves, another murder rocks the campus on Delphine and George quickly gets pulled back in to the group. But are the arm-chair sleuths actually helping or hindering? And will the murderer be brought to justice?
This was full of twists and turns and is extremely fast-paced. Jane tries to explain her side of the story and get the facts straight for the audience but at the same time, you can't help trying to solve the murders yourself.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this digital e-arc.*

I’ve been thinking a lot about this book before writing my review. There is some controversy surrounding it because of the use of verbatim real life details from the University of Idaho murders, which has still not been brought to trial.

As a fan of mysteries and police procedurals, I love the whole searching for clues and investigation, and that’s what these characters were doing, and maybe that’s why I really liked this book. And while the book is about the murders, there is much more to it. It’s about grieving the loss of a parent and coping, it’s about finding community and belonging and loneliness, and it’s about obsession. This book reminded me of Winstead’s first, which I absolutely loved, with the pacing and how the story unfolded without giving away too much too soon. There were also some pretty good twists that added to the story.

In her author’s note, Winstead writes that she lost her father and found out about the University of Idaho murders around the same time. She became fixated on the case, which helped her deal with her grief, and also inspired this book. I appreciate Winstead’s candidness and opening up her personal life to her readers.

I had read one of Winstead’s previous books, Midnight is the Darkest Hour, and had enjoyed Winstead’s moody, atmospheric, and almost irreverent writing. I requested a copy of Winstead’s newest book after reading its blurb, which lays out a pretty typical thriller synopsis. However, when I read the first page of the book, I was confused. Winstead explains in an author’s note that she lost her father right before the murders of four college students attending the University of Idaho. She goes on to say that her grief about losing her father at a young age, then seeing the four college kids lose their life at an even younger age, deeply affected her. And I agree, I think most people experience a deep sadness whenever they hear about horrific murders, especially when it involves kids. However, Winstead then took the facts of this murder case, which hasn't gone to trial yet, and wrote an entire self-insert fiction about a young girl who lost her father and becomes obsessed with solving a nearly identical murder case. I wish this had been clearer in the description of the book, as I would not have read it if I’d had that information beforehand.

This book was so addictive! The story pulled me in right away, and I couldn’t put it down. The mix of true crime obsession, internet sleuthing, and the chilling reality of the case made for such an addictive read.

I really loved the main character and the ragtag group of amateur detectives—watching the progression they had from first meeting online to getting to know each other more and more was really compelling to me. Some reveals I saw coming, but that didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed every twist and turn. The way this book explores online crime communities and their real-world impact was fascinating and will have me thinking long after finishing this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC!

This was such a conflicting read for me. Even before its release, it's already become extremely polarizing, and, honestly, I can see both sides. I enjoyed the writing and from page one I was hooked despite guessing the killer at an extremely early point in the book. That part was blatantly obvious to me, and I don't think you have to be a huge thriller fan to guess who it was correctly.

However, and this is where I am having the biggest issue, it is copy/paste version of the Idaho murders. Has this book been advertised as such? I'm going to be honest I tend to go in blind when reading, so I could have simply missed it, but true crime fans will recognize it immediately. Quite frankly, you'd have to be living under a rock not to recognize it, and, for that reason, I am torn on this book. It doesn't breed originality, and, honestly, it gives me the ick profiting off those murders, especially since the case hasn't even went to trial yet. The definition of too soon in my opinion. 🙁

It's so strange how similar it is. Both sets of murders take place in a college town in Idaho. Three girls are murdered in their home and while one roommate, who witnesses the masked murderer leaving lives to tell the story and also delays calling the cops til late the next morning. He enters through a glass sliding door. They are stabbed to death. The girls go to a food truck the night before being killed. There is even a character, who reminds you of Kohlberger. They are in a sorority. I could keep going, but you get the point.

I was really hoping by the end of the book to read an explanation to justify for all these similarities from the author, but my advanced copy did not have that. I hope the final copy does and anyone who reads it is able to let me know her reasoning.

Here's the crux of my issue. Despite all of that, I still enjoyed reading this book. I should have been bored. I mean you see the similarities I mentioned and I know there are more that I am leaving out, but I couldn't put it down and that is a testament to Winstead's writing. I've been hit or miss with her books in the past and despite my three star rating, it is up there with her other books that I have enjoyed, so take that for what it is worth. 😅 I just wish they advertised this book was based off the Idaho murders better, so people can make their own decision on if they want to read it or not.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

Let's start with this: I haven't followed the Idaho college murders, so can not say how close this fictional story is to the real story. It does feel a little icky to be so soon and close enough that anyone is making the connection. I enjoyed the writing, but wish we had gotten to know the victims more. Yes, the story is based on the internet sleuths, but the so quick snapshots of the victims didn't do them any justice. I also felt that the author really struggled with proving why Jane got involved in the group. That connection felt forced, but it didn't need to. By the end of the book I recognized that it was more about trying to more intricately weave the story of her dad's death with the rest of the story and make it more of a stronger part of the book. I honestly could have done without that storyline. It didn't add to the book, but instead distracted and every time it came up I had to recenter myself. I figured out the twist at about 60%, but I think that was intended by the author. I spent the rest of the main part of the book waiting for the fall out and for others to catch up.

I was excited to receive a galley of Ashley Winstead's newest book. I have been a fan of her previous work.
After the death of her father, Jane finds herself immersed in the online true crime community. She works with a small group of other true crime enthusiasts to help solve some unsolved crimes.

I enjoyed the format of this book, as if Jane is writing a book, the footnotes, etc. I appreciated the fact that this book focused on the true crime community and showed some of the good and bad things associated with this. The format of this book was an A+ for me, but the plot dragged a little at some points. Overall, an enjoyable read.

I will say that this book, had a lot of similarities to the Idaho murders of 2022, the cases of which have not been finalized. I feel that this could be problematic for some readers.

I know this book has been getting a lot of hate due to speculations but I personally loved it. I'm a huge true crime fan and this read like a true crime nonfiction but also it was so much more. I will admit I didn't care for Jane's character at first, I thought she was lazy and obsessive but the more I read the more I started to like her. The found family trope is one of my favorites and I loved how this rag=tag team came together to solve the murders. And the twists, holy moly, the twists got me good. There wasn't many of them but they did get me. Don't let the size of this book intimidate you, it reads so fast and is so gripping and captivating, you'll fly right through it.

I don’t read true crime or thrillers all that often; so when I do, I get sucked in so easily. This was no exception. Once I got into the rhythm of the story, I was hooked!

I really, really loved this read! It reminds me of a real true crime story in the media now. I loved the crime sleuth storyline, it kept me turning the pages trying to figure out what was next, which I had completely wrong!

The end shocked me, wasn't even suspecting that! This is a slow burn great read!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review!

#NetGalley #Sourcebooks #AshleyWinstead #ThisBookWillBuryMe

I DNFd this at 42%.

I only recently found out about the Idaho 4, and it shocked the hell out of me that not only is this book a fictionalized retelling of this case that has very much not come to justice, the author executed this in an extremely icky way that made me feel like I was dishonoring them by reading. I imagine the other cases mentioned are also closely based off true stories. I wish I’d known this ahead of time.

This Book Will Bury Me seeks to display how dangerous true crime sleuthing has become in the age of Gabby Petito, and even has some flimsy messaging about how Black victims of brutal murders or unsolved disappearances don’t receive remotely the same interest or media coverage.

However, I found the writing problematic. The FMC’s father dies…from being fat. He has a heart attack because he’s fat and irresponsible with his health, because duh? If that was not meant to be the lens he’s viewed through, the way he’s written absolutely undercuts that, plus his wife, FMCs mom, is extremely fatphobic. I don’t know why thriller authors continue to write fat people so offensively, but I also know calling things out like this will perhaps lead to more compassionate change.

The FMC is also unlikable in a haughty way, not in a way that seems to lead toward a character arc. She does a lot of breaking the fourth wall and explaining what is going to happen before it happens which felt like reading the same thing twice. The writing style overall wasn’t for me. By the time I DNFd, pieces were very much still falling into place, but it felt overwritten in many ways.

While this didn’t work for me, if you’re really into true crime sleuthing I think you’ll have fun with this!

I wasn’t a fan of the narration. The narrator did a lot of whisper-talking that made S & C sounds really harsh to the ears, and I didn’t like how she read male voices—it felt like she was mocking how men sound rather than shifting pitch and tone to emulate the sound.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ALS and an ARC!

🚨 Pub Date: 3/25/25

I don't know much about the Idaho case this one is apparently inspired by, so any references there were not picked up by me. From what I've read in other reviews though, I am unsure how I feel about basing this story off that case since IRL it is unsolved. However, I found the investigative nature of this one and "internet sleuthing" entertaining and I wasn't entirely expecting the big reveal. The book did feel a bit long, and again the significance might have just been missed by me, but I felt like all the stuff about honoring her father could have been left out? Just wasn't sure the relevance was to the case as a whole. Overall, entertaining true crime that is bingeable since the pacing is pretty quick.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

After her father's death, college student Jane Sharp seeks solace in true crime and joins an online community of amateur detectives. When three college girls are murdered in Delphine, Idaho, Jane and her friends dive into the case, only to uncover a web of deception and manipulation. As they get closer to the truth, they realize the killer may be smarter than they thought. One year later, Jane reveals the shocking truth behind the Delphine Massacres, leaving even seasoned true crime fans surprised.

I am conflicted about this book. It is labeled as fiction, yet it closely resembles the tragic events of the University of Idaho 2022 Massacre. The trial is scheduled for the summer of 2025, and I find it unsettling that I am reading a book that mirrors the real-life case so closely. It feels disrespectful to the families involved, as someone is profiting from their pain.

Despite my initial disappointment, I persevered and read the entire story. It seemed as though the author anticipated backlash and added more murders to create a different outcome. While I was frustrated and upset, I felt obligated to complete the book for the purpose of writing a review.

Opinions on this book are divided, with some readers who are unfamiliar with the Idaho murders of 2022 praising its originality. However, those of us who are familiar with the case find it difficult to continue reading. It is unacceptable to exploit a real tragedy and pass it off as fiction. The lack of respect for the victims and their families is truly baffling.

The narrator of the audiobook did an excellent job of bringing the story to life. I thoroughly enjoyed the narration.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I unfortunately had to set "This Book Will Bury Me" aside due to its subject matter hitting a little too close to home at the moment—but I’m genuinely upset that I can't finish it. Even though I only made it about 8% in, I was already loving the atmosphere and eagerly speculating on where the story might go. Ashley Winstead has such a strong sense of tone, and I could feel myself getting completely drawn into the world she was creating.

Even though I personally can’t continue right now, I’ll absolutely be recommending this one to all my armchair detective patrons—it’s the kind of book that begs to be dissected and discussed.

Thank you to Ashley Winstead, Tantor Audio., and NetGalley for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a longtime fan of Ashley Winstead’s books and binged this in 2 days. The story reads more like a true crime thriller and takes inspiration from another famous true crime case. While she does acknowledge where inspiration for this book came from, some of the details felt very close to the real case and I don't know how I feel about that. However, this was still very addicting to read and figure out whodunnit.

I had the opportunity to read "This Book Will Bury Me" by Ashley Winstead, a novel centered around an internet sleuth grappling with the loss of her father and searching for direction in her life. This book was a captivating read, notable for its deep character development, which truly enhanced the storytelling. Ashley Winstead's writing was compelling and offered several unexpected twists and turns that kept me thoroughly engaged. I found it difficult to put down because of how well Winstead seemed to understand and connect with the readers. Overall, this was an excellent book that took me on an unexpected and enjoyable journey.

I’m not really sure how to start this review. I can’t tell you the last time I gave a book a 1 star review. My main issues with this book are matters of how much a person follows true crime and how it’s handled as inspiration for fiction. I know there will be a lot of people reading this book who don’t follow true crime and I hope the similarities will be taken into account when people reading this book.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Ashley Winstead, and in all honesty I was sure I was going to enjoy this one until around the 30% mark. Before then, I was really into the commentary on true crime culture, web sleuthing, television personalities like Nancy Grace, and victim’s families. There were nods to famous true crime cases like Kitty Genovese, Gabby Petito, and the Golden State Killer. These mentions are small and don’t have much bearing on the overall story. It felt like we were going to get this social commentary around true crime and how deeply people can get sucked into it, but that’s not at all what happened. This book absolutely goes off the rails before the halfway point.

Jane, consumed by grief over her father’s death, falls deep into the world of true crime and web sleuthing. The first of the main cases we see Jane and her group try to solve is local to her. it’s based on a real Florida case, with minimal inspiration from the real case it’s based on, just using a winning lottery ticket as motive. But through her investigation, she feels this sense of accomplishment and it sends her deeper in the web sleuthing world. Her grief propels her into a place that feels dark while it’s happening, which is relatable as far as how we deal with grief and loss. However, it’s weird that she’s so focused on her father’s legacy when her crime solving has nothing to do with that. It feels disingenuous and it’s so out of place with the overarching narrative. Too much is happening between losing her father, her contentions with her mother, her amateur crime solving, and the weird romance she develops with one of her other sleuths. This book could have been 10-15% shorter, and for me that’s not even the worst issue.

My biggest problem with this book is how much information was taken from the real murders at the University of Idaho. This is not just used as an inspiration for the crime in the book; the similarities are truly jarring, down the shoes worn by the perpetrator among a laundry list of other things. I’m honestly appalled that this is being passed off as inspired by true crime when the details in the book are exactly like the real case. Because it’s one thing to use true crime as inspiration, but it’s another to use the actual details and disregard the victims. And this case hasn’t even gone to trial. I received my eARC so early it doesn’t even have the author’s note and I had to find it on her Instagram page, and in all honesty doesn’t do Winstead any favors. (This is also concerning because to me it seems like she was writing this as the Idaho case was dominating the news and it feels like she added in details as she learned about them in real time). Because not only does she rewrite the ending, she tries to garner sympathy for Jane and by the end I had none. I felt an incredible sense of rage when it’s revealed that a victim’s sister writes a book about the crime and Jane is offended by how she’s portrayed, but she truly deserves it considering the way she acts in this book. There is zero regard for the victim’s families in the book or for the real murder victim’s these details are taken from.

This was incredibly disappointing, considering how much I was enjoying it at the beginning. As someone who consumes a lot of true crime in various forms, I always feel that it’s imperative that we never forget the victims and treat them with dignity and respect. For me it’s about the curiosity of why these things happen and wanting justice for victims. The real case is too recent and too unresolved to be used in fiction to begin with, let along taking true details from the those murders. And if the person who was arrested for the real crimes is found guilty and committed the murders, this book will have done the victims an incredible injustice by rewriting the ending.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Ashley Winstead for the e-arc! I really enjoyed the ride of this book and the writing style. I could not get enough at the 40% mark and would have finished the rest in one sitting if I didn't need sleep. However, the ending did disappoint me and I had wished it went a different way. Overall, I did enjoy the book and this one definitely takes the cake of my favorite by Winstead.

3.5 stars. This Book Will Bury Me is a mystery that takes a deep dive into the role online sleuths play in true crime, as well as what makes them turn to obsessive sleuthing in the first place. The story is told as a purported tell-all memoir of the main character, Jane Sharp, who we can tell from her introduction has somehow become infamous and wants to set the record straight. Jane turns to online sleuthing after the death of her father and becomes part of a close-knit group of five friends who get intimately involved with a case that closely parallels the murders of four college students in Moscow, Idaho. The group meets up in Idaho and as they close in on the killer, Jane finds herself in danger.

I enjoyed the twisty mystery and look at a how online bonds can form after real life tragedies. This book also brings up a lot of questions about ethics in the true crime community, the way it can lead to false accusations, and the impact it has on the communities and families impacted by the crimes. I wouldn't say that it pins down any answers to any of those questions, and ultimately the whole story is told through the lens of someone trying to tell her story in a way that puts her in the best light and to justify many actions that blur or cross ethical lines. First and foremost it's entertaining, but also gives readers a lot to chew on. Judging from some other early reviews, there are a fair number of people who disapprove of the author using the details of the Moscow murders in this way, so some of those questions may apply as much to the book as to the fictional story within it.

When Jane's father unexpectedly passes away, Jane finds a true crime forum as a way to distract herself from the grief. Along with four amateur sleuths, their group hunts for killers from their computers. Their group has gathered fame with recent cases, but they will soon investigate their toughest case yet. Three girls have been murdered in their home in Delphine, Idaho without a single clue left by the killer. The case has received nation-wide media attention and amateur sleuths from everywhere are determined to solve the case. Jane's group is determined to solve the case first but with every answer comes more questions. The group never could imagine how this case would end. Now a year later, Jane has decided to break her silence and give the true story of the Delphine Massacres.

I would highly recommend this book for fans of True Crime. Although this book is slow to start, the story quickly picks up with the Delphine Massacres and I was completely hooked with the investigation. This book makes you debate if True Crime podcasts and amateur sleuths do more harm in an investigation than help. As the group digs further into the investigation, it seems that they were willing to do almost anything to solve the case. The conclusion of the investigation was wild, and I was completely surprised with the ending. Overall, I couldn't get enough of this mystery tell-all.

This Book Will Bury Me comes out March 25th.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to review This Book Will Bury Me. All thoughts and opinions are my own.