Loved this one…the many possibilities! I did have an idea of who the killer was but I could not put this one down!

Winstead always has such a way of sucking me in with her books - this one centers on true crime obsession. The mystery itself kept me turning the pages but what this author does so well is in character building. She creates flawed narrators that help create a layered and interesting story beyond just the mystery at its center. I know there’s some controversy already with its similarities to actual crime cases which is always going to get muddy feedback but I personally wasn’t really familiar with them so I didn’t pick up on it. Another banger from ashley winstead for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy before the March 25th release. This book had me on the edge of my seat and true crime people will love this book. I am in shock how much this book talks about “the almost exact” Idaho murders that took place in the USA and I can’t figure out how she knew these girls were killed and it had nothing to do with that. The story was so much like the real life version. Anyway, I give it 3 stars. I was confused at the ending.

🎧📖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 and advanced reader copy of this book.

Whoooaaaaaaaaa. I turned this book on and didn’t turn it off. Through my run and house cleaning… my 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.

I absolutely loved it and the book!

Wow! I always know an Ashley Winstead read is going to be good but this one exceeded my already high expectations. It captured me from the beginning and had me hooked until the end. I read it in two sittings even though it's on the longer side.

Jane's grief and desire to distract herself from her father's death was touching and helped add another element to the story. It was hard to read at times but it helped me understand why she became so engrossed with the case and was at times reckless. All the characters were well-written and their backgrounds unique. I loved how they embraced Jane and worked well together and offered her a support she needed.

As a true crime fan, I found it fascinating to learn about the internet sleuths and the lengths they will go to find information. Ashley did a good job at giving Jane a conscious and understanding of the real people involved in the case versus her need to know more and solve the case. Once the twist started coming together, I was at the edge of my seat and I loved how it all came together.


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

At first, I struggled with how to rate this book. From the very beginning, I was completely drawn in. As a true crime enthusiast, I loved the incorporation of the true crime forum and the amateur sleuths, it made following their investigations incredibly engaging.

It wasn’t until a friend mentioned the Idaho 4 case that I began to notice the striking similarities. While this didn’t stop me from reading, since many thrillers and horror novels draw inspiration from real events, I couldn’t help but see just how closely some details aligned with that case. That said, I appreciate how Winstead ultimately took the story in a different direction, introducing a unique twist and an unexpected ending that truly caught me off guard.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend that readers experience it for themselves and form their own opinions.

Disclaimer to readers to please check triggers and author note about the premise of this book. It has similarities to real life events and ongoing cases, some fictionalized details are very gruesome, in addition to the MC grieving her father, death details also mentioned. This is a dark true crime themed book, not a light mystery.

With that said, I loved all the commentary about the obsession with true crime. It’s a constantly growing trend, looking at some of the murder cases that inspired this novel, and recent news of the CEO death.

Like many others, I’ve always had a fascination with true crime documentaries and have watched plenty of them. I really appreciated the tone of the book and drive of our main character, Jane, going by the online handle Searcher. The sleuthing and investigation aspects had me at the edge of my seat. It was tense and frustrating, as many of these cases are. Joining a group of online sleuths, they become FBI consultants after Jane discovers new DNA that will hopefully catch a serial killer.

I struggled a bit with the first half of this book while reading but enjoyed it more upon listening to the audiobook. Jane finds out her father died, the in between of grief, shock and moving on, were sad chapters, but I understand this was also the author’s way of coping with her personal grief.

Right after the halfway point when our characters come close to finding the killer’s identity is when the plot finally picked up. There were a few red herrings and many suspects, and I loved predicting what happened.

Audiobook narration by Leslie Howard had me invested and engaged in the story all over again. Her delivery added to the ambience and atmosphere of the novel.

Overall, it was an interesting take on the genre. The last quarter of the book is nonstop revelations and suspense, with a slightly rushed ending, but I recommend it to all fans of gritty true crime.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Tantor Audio for the free review copies.

I couldn't put this book down! I read it late into the night (something I never do) and kept turning pages even when I had vowed to stop at the end of the chapter. The writing kept the pace moving quickly from start to finish and I had to know how the case would end. That said, I did figure out the big twist around 60% into the book and was disappointed that my theory turned out to be correct.

I really enjoyed the found family aspect of this story, and thought the characters were developed well. The true crime aspect and the amateur sleuthing was a unique take on a mystery and I really enjoyed reading the parts that were written as a chat conversation between the team. As they put together the clues and discussed different theories, I became totally engrossed in the story just as the characters became obsessed with solving the case.

At first I was a little put off by the feeling that the reader didn't have all the information (references to things like a book or a person that the reader would have heard of but the author wasn't referring to), but those things came to make sense in the end. I also found the footnotes distracting, but mostly ignored them after a while.

My Instagram review will run closer to publication date, and I will update the social links to include it once it's posted.

As a huge true crime fan, This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead was high on my must-read list. The premise immediately hooked me—following a group of armchair detectives as they work together to solve a string of murders? Sign me up! I loved how the story leaned into the internet’s obsession with true crime, showcasing both the thrill and the ethical dilemmas that come with amateur sleuthing. If you're a fan of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, you’ll likely enjoy this one too, as it has a similar mix of investigative intrigue and online detective work.

While the central mystery kept me engaged, I found myself unsure about the inclusion of Jane’s father’s passing and his past. While it added depth to her character, it didn’t feel fully integrated into the main storyline, making it seem somewhat out of place rather than enhancing the overall plot. Additionally, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at times with how closely some of the crimes in the book resembled the real-life Idaho college murder case, which is still making headlines. The similarities made parts of the story difficult to separate from reality, and I wish there had been a bit more distance between the fictional and real events.

Overall, this was an intriguing read with a great premise, but I wanted a bit more cohesion between the different story elements and more sensitivity in how the crimes were depicted.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead
What a ride! ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5 stars)
Pub Date: March 25 2025

This was my first book by this author and now I must go blaze through her others!

This one follows 24 year old Janeway Sharp as she falls into the intense world of online true crime sleuthing after the unexpected death of her beloved father. She gets sucked into the lure by a horrific crime that occurs right near her hometown so she can physically do her investigation and help her crack the case before the others. This gains her serious clout with the online community so much so that she is invited to join an elite group of four other tenured members to keep solving crimes. They begin looking into a horrific triple murder at a college in Idaho where things start to spiral out of control. Will Jane and her group crack the case before more students are murdered or will Jane and her friends be the next victims....?

I definitely recommend it for readers who like true crime, found family trope, and classic clever whodunnit stories.

I will say I wasn't a huge fan of the online chat style as it was a bit tough to follow at times and keeping the sheer number of chat participants straight. Thankfully that's only briefly used and not persistent throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ashley Winstead back with another banger! So many topics were represented in This Book Will Bury Me: grief, mother/daughter, online friendships, college days, true crime. The internet sleuthing guild was an eclectic group that reminded me of Cerulean Sea. The murder cases were realistic and terrifying. As a true crime fan I enjoyed the nods to real life personalities, podcasts and cases. This book is kind to the victims as well. I loved it!

I am a bit torn on how to review this one. On one hand, I like how it is written as the main character’s memoir of her time as a true crime sleuth. I flew through it, which is saying something as I believe the book is over 450 pages. However, it does feel icky to pretty much copy/paste the details of the very recent Idaho murders that have not even gone to trial yet. I think that was particularly jarring because there was no author’s note or any other kind of acknowledgement of that in the eARC I read. I see there is an author’s note on Winstead’s social media now and, hopefully, it is also in the final published copy. Overall, I think Winstead is an excellent writer, but I do think this could have been handled a little differently.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book held my attention from the very beginning and never let it go. I loved the perspective of this book. It made it so interesting to see that it was being told from the future and almost like it was a memoir.

I have a tiny gripe about how it ends but I don't hate it, it's fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead. This dark, twisty thriller delivers an immersive blend of psychological suspense and gothic atmosphere. Winstead’s writing is gripping, layering tension and dread with each chapter as the protagonist is pulled deeper into a world of secrets, obsession, and eerie discoveries. The mystery kept me hooked, though at times, the pacing felt uneven—some sections flew by, while others dragged a bit. The characters are compelling, but I wanted more depth in some of their motivations. Still, This Book Will Bury Me is a haunting, chilling read perfect for fans of unsettling, slow-burn thrillers.

following jane through her grief was absolutely captivating. i found myself relating to her emotions at different points in her journey, especially her obsession with uncovering every detail (something i can relate to in my own life). this story will keep you on your toes and have you eagerly trying to piece together the mystery of who the murderer really is.

I’m normally a book binger but I needed to take my time reading this one. I saw some backlash against the content being closely aligned with a current news story and so I read this one with some caution. While I do see where others would be unhappy about this story line I do think if you read the book in its entirety it’s evident there’s awareness around the nature of true crime and the nature of the world’s obsession with it and it’s dark underbelly. There is a common thread of grief throughout and the different ways people grapple with death. I’m glad I took this one slow. Thrillers / true crime / mystery aren’t my typical genre but this one really held my interest and stuck with me. An interesting book worth taking your time on about more than current events and more about finding your chosen family in unlikely places and circumstances. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.

3-Star Review

Ashley Winstead is an auto-read author for me, so I couldn’t have been more excited when I was approved for andvanced copies to review. Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite live up to the hype. While the premise was intriguing—blending true crime obsession with amateur sleuthing—the execution fell flat.

The story was fine, the twists were fine, but overall, it felt predictable and dragged on far too long. The pacing was slow, making it difficult to stay fully engaged, and while there were moments of intrigue, they didn’t pack the jaw-dropping punch I’ve come to expect from Winstead’s thrillers.

That said, I still appreciate her writing and will always pick up whatever she releases. This one just didn’t hit the mark for me. An average thriller, but not her best.

Thank you, NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and RBMedia, for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

I have to start off by saying I’m not a huge thriller reader, but I love Ashley Winstead and the premise of this book sounded super interesting. I was hooked from the start of this book, and I loved following this journey of amateur sleuthers. There were so many good twists and turns, and I came to care about the characters. The ending was super satisfying.

I do feel like this was a little bit long, and could’ve been edited down a bit. I also didn’t find myself caring about Jane’s story/her discovering her father’s past— I felt the urge to skip those chapters to get back to the cases they were working on.

I have a love-hate relationship with this book. On one hand, I really enjoyed the true crime aspect of this book. The family relationships, sleuthing and twists and turns were enjoyable to read. That being said, it was incredibly predictable, I really disliked that the book was loosely based off of the University of Idaho murders, it just left me feeling yucky. I also found that the book was very long, too long, making it drag on during different parts. I enjoyed the characters, the suspense and the way that the story was told. I still can't decide how I felt about this book - there were things to like and things to dislike... I walked away a little disappointed, however not once did I consider this a DNF.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader and audio copies.