I was compelled to finish this, although several things bothered the shit out of me. True crime folks might dig this more. An interesting premise, entirely unrealistic in its unfolding, but that's reading, am I right? Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, book publishes March 25

i really enjoyed this! i'm not huge into true crime but i do like watching/listening to a docuseries/podcast here and there, and this felt like an insight into that world. it was fascinating to learn about! our main character jane is grieving her father who recently passed away, and her grief sends her into a spiral that causes her to completely lose herself in solving real life crimes. she joins an online community of amateur sleuths and forms a close friendship with a group who become the face of the true crime community after they help solve a case.

i was absolutely hooked from the beginning. the obsession that jane had with solving crimes and the bond she forms with this group was addicting to read about. the lengths they go to find a serial killer had me on the edge of my seat. and honestly, i was gagged when the truth came out. i truly did not see it coming (i think if you are a seasoned mystery/thriller reader you probably will but i was SHOCKED). i also loved the adored the family aspect of it, especially because they were understanding about jane's grief and knew that in some way, what they were doing was helping her move on from her father's death.

the ending did feel a bit too clean. it wrapped up perfectly which made it unbelievable and that's probably the only thing i didn't like or would have preferred were different. other than that, i had such a fun time with this book!!!

I have loved every book that Ashley Winstead has written. This was no exception. If you are looking for a top-notch thriller/mystery, then look no further because I think I have found your next book.

I have read multiple books by Ashley Winstead and enjoyed them. This one was good but what I didn't like was how it was so obviously based on the 2022 Idaho students murder. I followed that case hardcore and this was literally the exact story with other things added to it. So it was predictable, and it just felt kinda……not right to me. I can see others that didn't follow the case liking this book and thinking it's entertaining. Personally, I just couldn't get into it like I wanted to, unfortunately!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I did not realize that this book was based off of a real case until I was already reading it. Maybe that is my fault but I also would have loved a warning before reading it.

I liked "In my dreams I hold a knife" but this book felt long and dragged out for me, especially once I realized the case it was inspired by.

A dark, compulsive, and mind-bending exploration of obsession, truth, and the dangerous allure of true crime.
When three college girls are murdered in Delphine, Idaho, Jane and her digital crew are determined to crack the case before anyone else. But what starts as an intellectual challenge soon turns into something far more sinister.
I really loved this book. I loved the format, the internet amateur sleuths and the footnotes. It really grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let me go.
Chilling, thought provoking and unputdownable!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Ashley Winstead's previous release was one of my favorite books of 2024 so I was very excited for her next publication. THEN I realized it was about armature sleuths and armchair detectives which made me even more excited. This was probably in my top 3 anticipated releases of 2025. I am sad to report I have very mixed feelings about this book. Let's break it down (also will talk about this in an upcoming video on my booktube channel).

The First Half- the first half was incredible and easily was going to be my top book of the year (I'm not being dramatic). We get introduced to a group of characters who participate in an online forum "solving," true crime cases. It's mixed media so we get to know them through their online chats and interactions. We also focus on a main character whose father has unexpectedly passed away and journey with her through the grief of his loss. Grief is a very strong topic in this story which I felt was done well. Not only are we solving crimes with our MC but she is in pursuit of understanding her father more. We get introduced to our main case, one in which is parallel to a real life, horrific, murder, the Idaho state case. You will find reviews that talk about their feelings on the ethics of this, I'm going to skip that. I do enjoy books that retell or fictionalize crimes that have occurred such as Bright Young Women. In the first half, I was excited that this book seemed to be taking a similar approach as Bright Young Women. In summary, I LOVED the first half. I enjoyed that this wasn't solely a thriller but also focused strongly on the characters and was moving at a slow enough pace that made the plot and character development of the story believable.

The Second Half- Now, as always, this will be a spoiler free review but I am going to discuss my feelings about the latter half of the book now. I HATED the second half. I felt that the care of the real life case was mishandled and fictionalized beyond what felt appropriate. I hate to compare books but, in my opinion, BYW did a great job of this. In, This Book Will Bury Me it started to feel too sensationalized and mishandled. Now, who gets to decide where this line is? None of us. We can all comment on it, express feelings, write about it, debate the ethics but none of us really get to decide where this line is drawn. I will still read the authors work and look forward to her next release, meanwhile I did not enjoy how things turned in this part of the book. We also get more information about her dad and I was fine with what was revealed, I just really struggled with the way it was written. I also didn't like how the second half became more about shock value and less about the characters and aspects I felt were more believable at the start of the book. In the authors last release, it was a slow burn, character driven story that had a wild ending but still felt in line with how the rest of the story went. I did not feel that way about this book.

I will still hold on to how the beginning made me feel, but the last half really ruined it for me.

Synopsis: Following the death of her father, Jane Sharp drops out of college and finds solace in an online true crime detective community. Jane’s new internet friends become entangled in the investigation of the murders of three college girls in a small Idaho town where nothing is as it seems. Now, one year later, Jane has decided to write a tell-all that will reveal the shocking secrets of the case.

Thoughts: I read this at the end of last year, and it made my top 24 of 2024 list and was easily my favorite thriller I read the entire year. Written in a tell-all memoir style, this book takes the reader on a journey through a slow burn, character driven introspective that is so full of shocking twists it will make your head spin. The writing is absolutely stunning, weaving an intricate mystery plot that had me hooked from the first page and kept me reading way past my bedtime. The complexity of the characters and their relationships, as well as the exploration of grief, adds an extra element of humanity not often found in the thriller genre. This is definitely one of the smartest and most entertaining thrillers I’ve read. Go preorder it ASAP!

Read this if you like:
💻 true crime
💻 murder mysteries
💻 armchair detectives
💻 Reddit
💻 memoir-style format

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of This Book Will Bury Me in exchange for an honest review. I requested this one by Winstead's name alone since Midnight is the Darkest Hour was one of my favorite reads last year.

Given that, I didn't realize this was based on true crime and involved a real-life case that is still pending. I can understand how some reviewers are upset that Winstead based the cases so closely on reality, but isn't that kinda what true crime is about? All in all, it's messed up, in my opinion, that anyone makes money off of others' misfortunes, but alas, since I'm not really into true crime, I don't know the details of the cases or how close this reflects them.

This Book Will Bury Me grabbed my attention initially, but I must admit that I was bored through the middle part. Many conversations were happening in a subReddit, including the sleuthing aspect of figuring out who the murderer is in a series of cases. This felt drawn out.

But... the twist and the ending saved this for me. I'm still thinking about it.

You could tell that writing this had to have provided some therapy for Winstead, who states in the beginning that she wrote this after losing her father. It felt like it could have been somewhat autobiographical, and I think it was intended to feel that way...? Who knows if true crime saved her? For that, I will not judge.

This Book Will Bury Me will be released to the general public on 3/25/25 if you want to check it out.

Thank you NetGalley, SourceBooks/Landmark and Ashley Winstead for the opportunity to read and review This Book Will Bury Me.
This is a fast paced, addicting story about five strangers who work together as amateur true crime solvers to hunt an elusive killer of multiple college age girls. It was very realistic with lots of twists and turns and my own decision making changed many times.
My favorite character is Jane Sharp who is fully developed with lots of emotion and I wanted her to succeed , be well liked and enjoy her new career as crime solver. The death of her father sends her into a tailspin but she uses her relationship with her dad positively and it makes her a more well rounded person.
As the sleuths try to solve this multi-faceted crime it got confusing as to who was honest and who had things to hide-really made me think.
Jane learns some valuable lessons about life as I did too. We always think we have solved life’s problems but there are too many to solve completely. I enjoyed this story and look forward to more from Ashley Winstead.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. I have read a couple of Ashley Winstead’s other novels, and I have enjoyed them. It’s perfect for fans of true crime. I believe that the main crime may be based on the Idaho Murders, which was interesting. I do think it was risky of the author to base her story on the Idaho Murders since it is such a recent case. Of course, Winstead had to create an ending for her case. I was able to guess the twist, but I think a lot of readers may not. I think the ending was rushed and unrealistic. I did think that the story was engaging and I kept wanting to read, but I still think it may have been too soon to write a fiction book based on this case.

Ashley Winstead is a master thriller writer. Every book I’ve read by her I’ve enjoyed this one included. She hooks the reader from the start and doesn’t let up until the conclusion. I flew through this story because I needed to find out more information and see how it was going to end which is always so exciting as a reader. It was loosely based on current true crime stories but done in a positive way. This is going to be a big hit. 4.5/5 Stars

First of all thank you @bookmarked for the arc of my most anticipated 2025 read! I love @ashleywinsteadbooks and this was no exception! I low key loved that this one returned to a college campus (like her first book)! This is a book for the true crime fan that wants to see all sides of the story! Jane is such a captivating protagonist who kind of stumbles into a life of whodunnit. The side characters only add to the story (mistress was my absolute fave). This one is thick but reads so quickly. The last 100 pages particularly I felt like I was racing to the finish line!! This one is out March 25th and you don’t want to miss it!!

This Book Will Bury Me is a true crime thriller heavily inspired by the University of Idaho murders. It follows Jane Sharp, a young woman who drops out of college following her father's death, to help solve murders with fellow internet sleuths. She and her fellow internet sleuths become famous, and grapple with that fame as they solve their next case - which turns out to be stranger and more complex than they would've ever guessed.
Wowowowow I loved this book. I ate it up! I was so mad when real life kept interrupting my reading! I did guess a twist, but it didn't stop me from loving this book. It was addicting, like Dont F*ck With Cats, but better. I had trouble sleeping if I read this at night though - you've been warned. I really appreciated the authors note at the beginning of the book, and the care she took with addressing the issue of true crime.
I would warn readers to check out trigger warnings - and would recommend people experiencing the death of a parent (or any death close to them) steer clear of this book, especially for a particularly depictive funeral scene.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much @netgalley for my advance copy! Its no secret Ashley Winstead is my all-time favorite and I think she is a literary genius! She is a genre bender, and I honestly don’t know a clearer sign of talent, but I digress. Let’s dive into my thoughts on her newest!

True Crime lovers unite! This was so cinematic it was like watching a Netflix documentary. I was personally obsessed with the Idaho murders (and still am) so this got me in a chokehold immediately. I loved that we got to follow these amateur sleuths and piece together parts of the story alongside them. It really added to the twisty, suspenseful and difficult parts of the cases. I was truly shocked by the reveal as I did not see it coming in the slightest. I also loved the short chapters. The small bites kept the pace and excitement flowing at top speed.

I also must mention, this one really tore at my heartstrings. The love letter to her father (in the novel and outside) was so emotional. I felt all her grief, longing and love. Winstead is a goddess among us mortals. Don’t make me pick a favorite of hers because every time I read her newest, it becomes it.

This is basically a fictional account of the Idaho murders, but I enjoyed how the book touches on internet sleuthing and the online true crime community. While this a little too long for me, it was a good psychological thriller and great for anyone who is into true crime.

Wow, this book was an intense, slow burn that pulled me into a dysfunctional, true crime-obsessed group! Ashley Winstead really nailed creating something unique, disturbing, and engaging—totally bringing out my true crime obsession. It's a bit long, but I couldn’t stop reading as the characters bonded over solving serial murders, each with their own motives. Plus, I loved the Star Trek and Heathers references!

Janeway Sharp, 24, is grieving her dad and turns to true crime boards. When she helps solve a decapitation case, she’s invited into a special crime-solving group with a quirky mix of characters. They race to solve a brutal college murder in Idaho, gaining fame on TikTok, but things spiral out of control as they get tangled in media chaos. When Jane finds a crucial clue, they head to Idaho to stop the killer.

The big twist was a little predictable, but the dark, creepy tone kept me hooked. This Book Will Bury Me is a great thriller with a unique, engaging vibe. Highly recommend if you're into suspenseful, unconventional thrillers!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC for review.

I've been a fan of most of Ashley Winstead's thrillers in the past so had high hopes for this one. There have been several books over recent years that have really made me reflect on how we consume true crime, our fixation with it, and the sources we listen to. I think this book was attempting to take that angle, as well as some reflection on grief, but did so in a...questionable way.

The crime at the center of this book is based on a very real and very recent case that hasn't even gone to trial yet. When I say based on, I mean literally detail for detail. Names, locations, victim and perpetrator details were barely changed if at all. For a book that seems to be critiquing our obsession with true crime, it's a weird choice.

Maybe this would be understandable if our protagonist, Jane, who joins a very 'we did it, Reddit!' group of internet sleuths, comes to see the error of her ways. While Jane maybe showed some character growth when it came to her grief, the ending of the book was sorely lacking when it came to any hard-hitting commentary about the predatory and obsessive nature of some true crime communities, or the impact on victims. For a *real life* case where this was a very real issue for victims' families, I'm kind of surprised that this book ended without that discussion.

Winstead's plot twists have been pretty staggering in the past, but I saw where this one was going about halfway through. Though it was an engaging read, it was not her best thriller and I felt weird picking up on all the little details that mirrored the real case. The author acknowledges that she was inspired by it, but fails to reach any high-level commentary that would justify including it detail for detail.

Jane is looking for a way to escape from the sudden death of her father and finds comfort in an online true crime community.  Four "armchair" sleuths take her under their wing and use their unique skills to help solve crimes.

Thoughts 💭
I thought this was really well done.  The author really shows Jane's struggle. She pushes most things to the side and hyper focuses on the true crime community. While I occasionally enjoy true crime stories, I didn't realize how intense the online community can be.  It seems very competitive and cut throat at times. The dynamic of the group was fun to navigate.  They all come from different backgrounds, experiences, and ages. This makes them contrast and at the same time compliment each other nicely. I had an idea of what the twist at the end would be since there were plenty of clues along the way.  This was an enjoyable, twisty read. 

I didn't realize until after reading other reviews that this closely mirrors the Idaho Murders and is therefore controversial since there are so many parallels. I rated this book off my initial thoughts. 

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I understand that this book is not without controversy. It does have some shocking comparisons to the Idaho students murders. I didn't know about that going into the book. I hardly read the summary because I love this author, so I knew I wanted in. None of her books are for people who are easily triggered. Her last book drew inspiration from an infamous cult. I enjoyed that book as well.

I also think that this book is particularly for true crime enthusiasts and highly online people. It's a critique of sorts. As a big true crime follower, I can't deny it's often morbid and that there are people in the community who go too far.

But even more than that, this book is about grief, in its many forms, and finding community and a reason to keep going, even if that reasoning is flawed. I think this book was beautiful in so many ways. It's longer than I usually prefer but it never hit a lull.

Jane is at college having the time of her life when her mom calls with terrible news. Her dad is very ill. By the time Jane makes the several hour trip across Florida to her family home, he passed away. This leads Jane to spiral. She's too young to lose her father and they have so much unfinished business.

In her grief, she quits school and throws herself into a local crime story she sees on the news. It connects her with sleuths from all around the country and the high from solving that case, and the sense of purpose that comes with it, is what Jane has been missing in her life.

The online group she "meets" has more experience than her, but she still has a lot to add, since she's young and fresh out of the college life that many of their victims had been living. She's a fresh set of eyes and she's a natural.

As she becomes more absorbed in this true crime life, ethics and boundaries blur and we find ourselves asking how far this group of sleuths would go to solve a crime? Would they commit their own?

It was a great time. The group aspect made it feel kind of cozy(not in the traditional "cozy mystery" sense) and I felt as if I was investigating without having to work too hard myself(because these guys move fast!). I hate to say it was a fun, relaxing, juicy read, but it was to me.