As someone with a complicated relationship with true crime, this one hit a nerve - both for better and worse. There was a time when true crime was my go-to, especially during the pandemic. I couldn't get enough of podcasts, documentaries, and late-night binges of "Dateline." Diving into cases, following every new detail, and rooting for justice felt meaningful. But as time passed, the moral weight of it all started to affect me. The exploitation of real-life tragedies, the fanatical obsession that seemed to consume people, and the growing awareness of the ethical gray areas left me feeling a little gross - to the point where I dropped it entirely and haven't looked back.

That said, reading this book felt like revisiting a complicated old friend - familiar but uncomfortable. The premise instantly hooked me: Jane Sharp, a college student reeling from the death of her father, becomes consumed by online true crime communities. Her descent into obsession feels painfully relatable for anyone who's ever lost themselves in a quest for distraction. When a chilling triple murder in Delphine, Idaho, captures the world's attention, Jane and her group of amateur internet detective friends dive headfirst into the case, determined to crack the mystery before anyone else.

At first, I was completely absorbed. Winstead captures the allure of true crime obsession with precision. While I did read some forums and Reddit posts on cases I was interested in, I never got to "armchair detective" status. Some of those people were intense! In this book, Winstead focuses heavily on this culture - with these characters, it's not just about solving mysteries but about connection, purpose, and, sometimes, a desperate need for control in an uncontrollable world. I appreciated how the book didn't shy away from examining the darker side of that obsession: how it can exploit victims' families, how it feeds off real pain, and how easy it is for people to lose themselves in the chase for "justice." In that sense, the book felt like a sharp, timely commentary on the true crime phenomenon that's exploded in recent years.

However, as much as I wanted to love this book, my feelings remained mixed as the story unfolded. The initial setup was compelling, but the deeper I got into the plot, the more it began to feel eerily familiar - almost too familiar. The parallels to the real-life University of Idaho murders were hard to ignore, and while true crime fiction often draws from reality, it felt unsettling here. The fictionalization of a recent, deeply traumatic event felt borderline exploitative at times, especially considering how fresh that tragedy still feels. I couldn't help but wonder if it was too soon for a story so clearly inspired by real events.

Another issue that took away from my enjoyment was the book's pacing and structure. Winstead's writing shines when she explores the psychological toll of true crime obsession or the ethical dilemmas faced by amateur detectives. But the constant use of cliffhangers - especially the repetitive reminder that the narrator had made "mistakes" and was being "wrongfully accused" - became exhausting. Nearly every chapter ended with this heavy-handed hint, which quickly felt like the author didn't trust readers to stay invested without constant reminders of looming disaster. It pulled me out of the story instead of drawing me deeper into the mystery.

The ending also left me frustrated. What started as a layered, thought-provoking narrative became overly tangled, with too many threads trying to tie themselves up neatly. Sometimes, the beauty of a good thriller lies in ambiguity and letting the messiness linger. Here, it felt like the book was trying too hard to deliver justice and a clean conclusion, and in doing so, it lost some of the sharp commentary that made the beginning so strong.

That said, there's still a lot to enjoy here. Despite figuring out the killer early on, I remained invested in Jane's journey. Her voice felt authentic, and her internal struggles were some of the most compelling parts of the novel. I also really liked her fellow armchair detectives and the sense of family they built. Their connection was really sweet. I also liked that, throughout the book, Winstead raises important questions: Why are we so fascinated by violence? What's the cost of that fascination? And at what point does seeking justice turn into exploitation?

In the end, this book mirrored my complicated feelings about true crime itself. It was gripping and thought-provoking but also unsettling and, at times, uncomfortable for reasons that might have been unintentional. While I didn't love it, I can't deny that it made me think - and maybe that's the mark of a worthwhile read.

Listen I absolutely adore Ashley and all of her writing— this book was chock full of thought provoking symbolism and ideologies of how to handle emotional fray outs. That being said, while I’m not personally sensitive to the Idaho murders being used in this book because I recognize she used it as a way to ground readers into the reality of what true crime does to us as a society… I was painfully aware— the entire time reading this— that so many details were taken directly from the actual murders in a way that I lost touch if I was reading nonfiction or fiction? Maybe that’s the point of the story but I didn’t think it landed the way it intended… I wish this would have been pushed for publishing and have future saints released first. Then once the trials for this case are over Ashley could have written a powerful afterward that gives a bit more clarity and depth to the overall effect this case had on her, because it obviously did given the entire premise is based off of that horrific crime. I admired the way she grieved through this book.. it was visceral and painful but felt a bit disorienting to the overall theme of the plot…. Sort of felt like two separate stories happening at once? Again, I adore her and support any read she has but this one wasn’t my favorite, and I know she’ll be ok with that. Beautiful writing. Testament to true crime sleuths. Thought provoking. A polarizing read as many are already aware but worth the time if you’re up for it!

This book has the mindblown-reveal vibes of Freida McFadden with a deep and dark true-crime flavor. Jane loses her dad, and throws herself into an online community to find connection. She winds up befriending group of amateur crime sleuths, and this changes her life forever.
The writing style was really interesting - it reads like a tell-all memoir. Second-person POV can be jarring, but in this book it absolutely flowed and added to the experience.

I became obsessed with this and can't wait to see it blow up!! ❤️

When Ashley Winstead writes a new book, I'm definitely going to be reading it! This book was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it didn't disappoint.

When Jane's dad passes away, she chooses to grieve by joining an online community of true crime detectives. All of a sudden, her life has more purpose as she joins forces trying to put away the bad guys.

This book had me hooked right from the start. I had my suspicions on what was going to happen and who was involved but I'm pleased to say I wasn't always right with some of the twists. I enjoyed the unique format of the book and while it did drag a little in the middle, things quickly picked up again and I found myself zooming towards the finish.

This Book Will Bury Me is a gripping story about the dark fascination we have with the true crime world. As you read this book there will be times when the story really seems to be following true actual events that are happening in the news and you have to stop and wonder is that what really happened but it's a book of fiction, that is just how wonderful a writer Ashley Winstead is. College student Jane Sharp is living her life on campus and enjoying parties, friends, and college life when her father unexpectedly passed away. Looking for a distraction from her grief, she falls down the rabbit hole of the true crime world when a local woman is pulled out of a lake dismembered and in trash bags. What starts as a search for purpose quickly turns into a chilling investigation that reveals more than she expected. Winstead captures the world of true crime fans and shows Jane's journey through an online community of amateur detectives. The friendships and rivalries among these sleuths add to the story as they balance their fascination with the dangers of obsession. With Jane's recent loss, she is seeking a purpose and a connection in the chaotic true crime world. Things intensify when the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho, grabs national attention. As Jane and her friends dive into the investigation, they uncover a web of deception and media sensationalism. As the tension of the investigation builds, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns. As Jane and her friends get closer to the truth, the stakes rise, and the line between the hunter and the hunted blurs and adds even more suspense. This book is suppose to reflects the thoughts and events a year after the Delphine Massacres allowing for Jane to share her story and the revelations that she made when she became a true crime junkie trying to solve a murder and the problems that it caused. This book will leave you questioning justice and the lengths one will go to uncover it. Get ready for a wild ride that will keep you turning pages and staying up way past your bedtime.

Thank you to nergalley for the arc of this book will bury me. This is an easy read and easily enjoyable even at 480 pages it does not feel long. It is a whodunit of violent crime based on a group of amateur sleuths who come together as a group to solve various crimes. There are many personalities but they become almost a strange little family unit. Four stars.

This was a slow burn, but captivating and entertaining. Dark, suspenseful, and somewhat disturbing.

For fans of true crime, this book will keep you busy in a chase of a serial killer before it strikes again.

Synopsis:
After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...
So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions, and begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...
Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...

Thank you so much Sourcebooks Landmark, Ashley Winstead and NetGalley for this eARC

Definitely recommend.

Ashley Winstead has quickly become my go-to for a dark thriller, and her newest, This Book Will Bury Me, is no exception to the trend! This is Jane Sharp’s memoir on the events that made her infamous, written against the advice of her lawyer and to dispel the rumors that have been following her around. When Jane’s dad dies, she quickly falls down the rabbit hole into the world of true crime and online sleuthing. Befriending other amateur sleuths online, she quickly becomes obsessed with the sorority girl killings in Idaho and now it’s time for her to tell her side of what actually happened.

This book is a page turner, drawing you in immediately by hinting at a darker side of everything. All the foreshadowing was done so well! It’s a fascinating mystery, slowly unraveling from the point of a view of an ordinary woman. Anyone can be a detective and solve a crime, which makes the characters seem more relatable. My only criticism is that for a while the mystery feels awfully similar to a real life 2022 murder, which begs the question of inspiration - how long authors should wait before using real life to inspire their work. Other than that, it’s a truly well written story told using Internet chats and first person point of view, and I absolutely loved it!

4.5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this novel!

I know this is a controversial book, but I have to say that it is the best thriller I have read in a very, very long time.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞:

• true crime
• a mishmash cast of characters that actually work really well together
• a story that you can’t put down
• want to be an amateur sleuth
• a book that tackles the process of grief
• serial killer storylines

This was a unique read about the true crime world. There’s been a lot of recent thrillers that focus on the true crime podcast but this one is a fresh take on it by focusing on the super sleuths in the true crime forums. We see what drives them and how they fall into a group where they feel welcome. The characters were well developed and the plot was engrossing. It explores why some of these people get involved in the true crime world and how it almost becomes an obsession. The book gets wild towards the end but I couldn’t put it down. It is all written like a tell all book from the perspective of one of the super sleuths. I loved the ending and found the whole book wildly entertaining.

i absolutely devoured this book. consumed by grief for her father, jane abandons her former life and falls down a true crime rabbit hole, accidentally or intentionally (depending on who you ask) making herself part of the story. the portrayal of grief is so well done, the way it strains jane's relationship with everyone and everything around her except the obsession she feels brings her closer to her father felt raw and authentic. jane is a perfect antihero, behaving at times absurdly but never unbelievably. there were predictable aspects of the mystery, but i could never have guessed how the author would fully tie everything together. a nuanced and hypnotic account of true crime, grief, and found family. 5 stars ⭐️

* i received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

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

Personal review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Received this book as an ARC, for my honest opinion through NetGalley- it’s a long one, which I didn’t realize in its digital version, just shy of 500 pages. I was consumed by the true crime aspect of this book, and the south Florida setting. Jane as an easily likeable character, as a college senior, at a crossroads after the untimely death of her father and struggling to come to terms with it. She turns to the internet sleuthing groups and through a group of other sleuths gets involved in a college slaying in Idaho. This was the one part that I thought was very close to the actual recent college slaying, but nonetheless I like how the author layed out this book - told in past tense. The characters were well developed and I loved the twists.

Synopsis:

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions, and begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

I kept seeing this one from my thriller friends on bookstagram and I was so thankful to receive in ARC from in exchange for a honest review!

This was a fun read, very true crime heavy and captivating. At first I wasn’t a fan of the writing style and wanted to get to the juicy parts, but as I kept reading and settled in the style grew on me, and the reflection and character development were important parts of the story. By chapter 5 I was completely hooked.

If you like true crime mysteries or binging murder/crime documentaries you won’t be able to put it down! Put on your best arm-chair detective pants, grab a snack, and LETS SLEUTH!

This Book Will Bury Me is written like a tell-all memoir about an internet sleuth who helps with a true crime murder case that is all over the news and internet. But it is so much more than that. Jane explains in detail the events of her life that lead her into the true crime forums. She talks about the cases that suck her in and shows how and why she falls down the rabbit hole. Then we get to the big case of the novel. It’s gory. It’s violent. It’s fascinating. I won’t go any further with plot, but will say there were too many jaw dropping moments to count. I gasped audibly. My heart was racing as I was turning pages as fast as I could.

Be sure to read the author’s note which is at the very beginning of the book. Don’t skip this! Along with content warnings, she talks about the real-live cases she draws inspiration and details from and her own personal experience (partially similar to our main character’s).

This book was SO good. It had so much depth and I loved the behind the scenes look at what went on with Jane and her friends. It was captivating. It’s on the longer side, but I felt there was never a dull moment and every part of it was important to understanding her and who she is and what actions she took and why. I’m still wowed!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This comes out March 24th and I highly recommend it!

I did not like how closely this mirrored the Idaho murders of 2022. Not just drawing inspiration. There were way too many parallels.

Thank you Sourcebooks for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this and couldn’t put it down, it was very original which is rare to find in thrillers lately.

I unfortunately did guess the twist, but that is a more of a me problem. I did think this was too lengthy and could’ve been shorten significantly, I also didn’t *love* the ending.

Could this possibly be my new favorite Ashley Winstead novel?! OBSESSED WITH THIS STORY

And it may be because I’m a true crime girlie, but what an impressive novel.

This story will catch you from the start. The end of every single chapter has you wanting to know immediately what is happening next.

I highly recommend this to all thriller fans who want to read a truly unique novel that is totally fun to read!

This was a DNF for me at 40%. I just couldn’t get past the comparison with the Idaho murders.
I also don’t understand- her dad died of natural causes, so why does she think she needs to “investigate” and figure it out. It would make more sense if he was murdered and then she got so obsessed. But really- I just couldn’t do it with how close this is to the Idaho murders and it was not an easy read to me.. I felt like it was dragging.
Had to put this one down.

80/100 or 4.0 stars

I did not realize until I was a little bit into this, based on reviews, how similar the crimes were regarding the Idaho massacres. I agree with comments/reviews that Winstead could have just made this a true-crime non-fiction book instead, however, she is not the first person to do this, and will not be the last. There are books out there that use real life killers, vicitims, and stories that give the author's monetary gain and attention, and most of the time you wouldn't know it unless the author admitted to it...ie The House in the Cerulean Sea. The author's note at the beginning helps explain why Winstead chose to write a novel instead, but I can agree it is not in great taste to do so. With that being said though, I want to rate this book as a novel with honesty.

This book was well written and engaging. While the killer being within the group was obvious, it was still an interesting read. I enjoyed the writing stlye, and happen to own another book by Winstead that I will be reading when I get a chance.

I usually figure out the twists. This time, I didn’t. And that alone is enough to make This Book Will Bury Me a standout read.

As someone who has been obsessed with true crime podcasts in the past, this book was right up my alley. I loved being immersed in the world of web sleuthing—it felt raw, real, and unsettlingly authentic. Jane’s grief for her father bled through the pages, making her obsession with solving these crimes feel not just compelling, but deeply human. Her motivations extended far beyond her internet investigations, and that made her feel like a fully fleshed-out character rather than just a protagonist driving a mystery forward.

One of the moments that stuck with me was Jane’s realization that, despite how much she’d shared and bonded with her online friends, meeting them in person was a stark reminder that they were still just strangers on the internet. That nuance—along with the complex dynamics between the sleuthing group, law enforcement, and the wider online true crime community—was handled so well.

This book was gripping, emotional, and brilliantly plotted. It burrowed into my mind and didn’t let go. If you love true crime, intricate mysteries, and characters that feel real, this one is a must-read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.