3.25
The beginning is really touching, but as you explore the true crime aspects further ,it becomes really interesting .Even when parts became predictable, it was still entertaining and engaging. I also loved the found family aspect of the story. I do feel that the book was a little long, but it was still enjoyable.

I want to start off by saying that Ashley Winstead will always be an auto read author for me. I had the privilege of meeting her on a previous book tour and she is lovely.

I am having a hard time with this because I loved the story. I loved the group of misfit true crime sleuths, I loved the sneakiness of Reddit, I was obsessed with that holy moly twist and the end. If the murders had been a different focus, this would’ve been a slam dunk for me.

However, the direct similarities between this story and an open murder investigation is too great to ignore. There were even small moments of the current crime that were a direct copy in the story. I don’t know how that’s possible, to write a fictional version of a very active murder case, but I felt like it was wrong. What if a victim’s family member or friend picks up this story? I can’t imagine the hurt of seeing something sensationalized for entertainment when it is your life. That is why I struggled with it, despite there being so much to love.

This was an engaging foray into true crime with an underlying story of grief. I liked this but I didn’t love it. It took me a while to read this one mostly because I don’t have much brain power to eyeball read these days - not because of the quality of the book. I was entertained throughout! Maybe not obsessed but entertained. There are twists but none of them too shocking, but I did quite enjoy the sleuthing and the mystery and the found family of it all!

Jane encounters tragedy when her father passes away unexpectedly. During this time, she finds solace with an online group of true crime sleuths who form a tight bond from afar. The crime they find themselves wanting to solve has captivated the nation- the Delphine murders.
Written from the perspective of Jane, it is easy to see how one can get immersed in seeking out the criminal yet miss clues that are glaringly evident. In the case of true crime investigation, at what point is it okay to cross the ethical line? Or is it?
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

If Ashley Winstead has no fans, I'm dead. This book was insanely good. I was so angry when I had to put it down to attend to other things (aka work). I appreciated the author's note at the beginning.. I think if that wasn't included, there would be a lot of controversy surrounding this book once released. I did feel a bit bad enjoying this as much as I did, because the plot feels so "ripped from the headlines". But I enjoyed despite that!

This is a very suspenseful book that was well written. Even when parts became predictable, it was still entertaining and engaging. I also loved the found family aspect of the story. I do feel that the book was a little long, but it was still fun and enjoyable.

Thank you so much to Ashley Winstead and Sourcebooks Landmark for my copy of this book. It was about Jane, a woman who unexpectedly loses her father, which leads her into an obsession with true crime. She finds community with a group of online sleuths who teach her how to hunt killers and become her friends. Then the news of three college girls shakes the online forum and everyone is racing to solve the crime.

Jane and her friends start to realize that the clues don't add up and the police aren’t doing their job. The media is making everything worse and every answer leads to more questions. They start to feel like they may be walking into a trap, and the killer may see them coming, and even be setting a trap.

Thoughts: This was a love letter to the true crime community and the found family it creates. I loved the idea of building a community around a passion, like I have done with books. I thought the group was perfectly captured and the way the forum brought them together was beautifully written. The way we are taught not to trust strangers as children, and then the dichotomy of how that is how many of us meet our closest friends is striking and interesting to see in print.

I was bummed that I figured out most of the ending from about 60% of the way in, but there were a few loose ends that I couldn’t see coming. I liked the way that Jane’s story ended, and how she balanced her grief with throwing herself into true crime. This read much more like a true crime book than a thriller, and I thought there were too many chapters that ended leading to something that was never really resolved. This book is slower than Winstead’s others, but still has her amazing writing that immerses you in the characters and their lives. 4- stars

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is a fictional true crime tell-all style narrative of an amateur sleuth pulled into a high-profile murder investigation, all while making peace with the death of her father from a sudden heart attack.

Although this is a work of fiction, the author draws on real-life cases and it really gives the story a believable feel. I found myself often wondering throughout the book which elements were “real” from the actual cases and which were fictional. The author said she included elements from the cases of the University of Idaho, Gabby Petition, Golden State Killer, and Abraham Shakespeare cases.

Overall, this one definitely kept me in suspense and I enjoyed it. I’ve gravitated from reading mostly thrillers to now reading mostly romance. So when I do read a thriller now, I feel extra gullible and never see the twists coming. This book was no exception and took turns I wasn’t expecting all the way through the end.

3.75
I went into this blind so I didn't know what the book was about, what its premise was, nothing. And up until the I want to say maybe 30% to 40% mark I was kinda bored and considered dnfing it since I was so confused and felt like it dragged on. I decided to continue and I am glad I did because the ending really paid off. it got so engaging, suspenseful, thrilling and I was waiting to see what happened next.

Read this if you love:
-True crime
-Book in a book trope
-Online sleuthing
-Twists

The main characters are well-developed and well-thought-out since I often find it hard to remember multiple characters or distinguish characters, but here I had no problem.

Thank you Sourcebooks and the author for the arc.

I want to be buried with this book.

I am well and truly obsessed. The masterful writing and plot mapping made this story so beyond brilliant I am salivating.

Exploring the relationship between true crime investigators and official law enforcement crime investigation is fascinating, but this book takes it to the next level. Told in hindsight by the main character, we see a unique perspective on the story. We know tragedy occurred, and she hints at what is to come periodically through the narration, but the way the details come together and are revealed is so incredible, I was jaw dropped and mind blown.

Yes, I did solve the case before the characters did, and yes I am very proud of that. This book made me feel ALIVE as I was following the investigation and trying to put myself into the story, much like I would with a crime show on tv.

Ashley Winstead never misses and this just another example of her genius at work.

This is a contemporary, twisty, thoroughly modern thriller with plenty of meta references to true crime podcasts, subreddits and forums. Perfect for fans of Olivia Muenter and Alice Feeney. The inclusion of chat threads and messages was engaging and the main character’s first -person POV was just unreliable enough. I didn’t really get the illusions and footnotes to Natalie’s book that plagued the author, but the footnotes overall were different and offbeat. The unfolding of Citizen’s involvement with the cases was just the right amount of believable and surprising.

I’m giving this book about a 2.5 star rating, but it was hard for me to come to a conclusion.

While this is simply my opinion, this story was way too close to a recent case which has yet to be solved. I felt that fictionalizing the Idaho murders which have not yet gone to trial, not only is in poor taste, but it also discredits what is currently happening with the true case.

I continued reading this story because I wanted to see it through and see if my theory was correct (shocker: it was) but was overall disappointed in the author’s choice to model the story around something so real and fresh.

I love this author and hope her next book is something I’ll enjoy more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I had a pleasant reading experience with this book. Although I found some parts to be a bit unrealistic, it didn’t deter me from turning the pages.

I didn’t fully understand the transition from the main character being a “dropout college student whose father had just died” to becoming an “online crime sleuth.” Perhaps we were meant to accept that as it was?

While I also appreciated the characters being referred to by their “online” nicknames, I found the back-and-forth between using that and their real names towards the end of the book confusing. By that point, I was uncertain who was who.

I enjoyed the plot that spanned a significant amount of time between multiple sets of murders, but some of the aforementioned aspects prevented it from becoming a five-star read for me.

The beginning is so emotional, but once you get deeper into the true crime it gets real interesting.

Once I really got into the delphine story I was absolutely hook line and sinkered into this story and couldn't put it down.

I love how they're their own little family of sleuths. The FBI clearance is an added bonus. But once they get to Delphine....whoa!

Even had a few laughs pop out

Highly recommend this LARGE addition to the Ashley Winstead catalog

Ashley Winstead delivers a haunting and suspenseful literary thriller in This Book Will Bury Me, a novel that masterfully blends psychological tension, dark academia, and an unrelenting sense of mystery. With her signature sharp prose and intricate character work, Winstead crafts a story that is as thought-provoking as it is chilling.

At the heart of the novel is a protagonist caught in a dangerous web of secrets, ambition, and obsession. As the narrative unfolds, the reader is drawn into a world where truth is elusive, and every revelation deepens the intrigue. Winstead’s writing shines as she explores themes of power, mortality, and the weight of the past, keeping readers on edge with every unexpected twist.

The atmospheric setting and moody, immersive storytelling make This Book Will Bury Me an unforgettable read. With a perfect balance of psychological depth and gripping suspense, this novel is a must-read for fans of dark literary thrillers. Winstead once again proves herself a master of the genre, delivering a book that lingers long after the final page.

I've read and loved all previously published books by this author. However, this one did not meet my expectations. Her previous books always held my attention and had me eagerly turning pages seeking the next plot twist. . IMO this book was too long and at times the writing was slow paced causing me to loose interest.in the story.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I have read Ashley Winstead other books and I loved them. In this book we have our main character Jane who is obsessed with true crime and after her dad passes away she starts getting into more tied crime to distract herself from the grief.
So when 3 murders happen in her city, she and her armchair sleuths get to work in solving it and we see how she gets tangled up in this.
It was a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC—these are my honest thoughts!

Another 5 star thriller from Ashley Winstead! I loved this one. I loved the way it was written, different from her other books. It’s written as the narrator and main character is writing a tell-all book. I loved the forum format and how the story unfolded. I felt like a sleuth myself. She kept me guessing and I loved the outcome. So happy this one was a hit for me!

Wow I loved this. This is one of the best true crime thrillers I’ve ever read. It was hard to put down, and it feels like a fresh take on a theme that has been overdone. This is by far my favorite from Ashley Winstead. You can tell she actually puts effort into her thrillers, unlike many thriller authors these days.

I won't rehash the whole plot, but a large part of this book is based on the real-life Idaho college student murders, and there are a lot of mirrored events. Some people are not happy about it. I understand why people have this view, but it did not bother me. You can check other reviews to see what some of the similarities are. There are actually several murder cases discussed in the book though, and I was really invested in all of them! I'm tired of books about podcasts, so I was happy that this one chose to focus more on online sleuth forums and message boards instead. I loved the characters, a ragtag group of detectives working together. The book also touches on topics such as found family, how we treat murders like entertainment, and the tension between law enforcement and online detectives.

I do not know that much about the real life Idaho murders…however, there was ONE small detail I did remember. Because of this, I did figure out what the big twist was going to be pretty early in the book. This ended up being (partially!) correct, but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all. In fact, it made it even more fun to watch how the sleuthers were going to arrive at the same conclusion!

3.75 stars rounded up. This was a very well-written thriller but very slow-moving until the end. I did figure out the twist about halfway through the book. Overall, I was engaged and won't hesitate to pick up Winstead's next book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.