For Fans Of: Megan Collins, Alice Feeney
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘
Genre: 🔪 Thriller
Violence: 🪓🪓🪓🪓[described after fact]
Triggers: grief, loss of parent, extreme violence, discussions of weight

Synopsis: This Book Will Bury Me—by the author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife—reads like a true-crime tell-all written by Jane in the aftermath of a brutal series of murders. But she is neither perpetrator nor victim: she is among the cadre of true-crime obsessives, driven to join their online community to escape the grief of her father’s death. Jane soon finds herself among an elite group who turn their crime-solving skills to 6 co-eds slain in an Idaho college town.

Thoughts: This book excels on so many levels: plot, pace, characters, mystery. True-crime fans will find this reads like fact & thriller lovers will adore the plot’s twisty complexity, all aided by short, cliff-hanging chapters. For a book stocked full of people & moving pieces, Winstead creates 3-dimensional characters who avoid caricature. Jane in particular is multi-layered: full of youthful naivete & poor life choices but with a keen intelligence & deep well of empathy. With its blend of hindsight narrative & real-time play-by-play, the novel expertly builds the intertwined threads of its mystery while parceling out tantalizing clues. All the while, it raises incisive questions about whether armchair detectives are a help or a hindrance in solving crimes. This is a disturbing tale that is not for the faint of heart or the thriller newbie. But it is also a deeply relatable story of grief. I found Jane’s ultimate realizations on the topic both poignant & insightful.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark & NetGalley for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely devoured "This Book Will Bury Me." As a true crime junkie myself I really appreciated the research and effort that went into this book and building the characters. Web sleuths can get a bad wrap but they are also so helpful and keep going on cases that have been cold for decades. I loved the main character Jane, and going on her grief journey hit very close to home. Highly recommend this book to all fellow murderinos!

I have loved a lot of previous books by Ashley Winstead, so I was eagerly anticipating this as well.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: if you are/ have been interested in the online true crime community, this is definitely worth picking up.

The good:
- I was hooked throughout this entire story. Every time I put it down I found myself thinking about the book.
- There was such a raw depiction of complex grief and navigating life while grieving.
- This was such a unique story. From the footnotes, to the point of view, to the introspective lens on the true crime community, it was truly distinct from anything else I’ve read (which I find challenging to come across).
- I grew to really love the characters and especially came to empathize with the main character, Jane.

What I struggled with:
- This is a fictionalized version of very recent true crime cases (Gabby Petito, The Idaho murders, etc.)
-The murders at the University of Idaho heavily “inspired” this story. Details from this book felt a little too on the nose from the real life crime. At the same time, many details were omitted or completely different from the real case. This weird mix kept pulling me out of the story.
-The names, places, and events could’ve easily been altered and my enjoyment would’ve been much higher- I question why this wasn’t done.

Ultimately, I was quickly drawn into this story and the lens through which it was told and enjoyed my experience for the most part. I’m just not sure where I stand on using such recent, unsolved, tragic events as such a large plot point.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Adding this: read through a few reviews of this book and I‘m absolutely disgusted, I didn‘t know much about the real case but what the fuck, definitely changing my rating immediately!!!

I really enjoyed the multi media aspect, telling the story and adding the forum chats. Absolutely adored the found family in this, found family will always and forever be my favorite trope! I could not put this down and the chapters ending with the little foreshadowing had me on the edge of my seat!
A huge part of this book was inspired by the university of Idaho massacre that happened in 2022, that didn’t sit right with me at all! So be aware of that before you read this!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

It’s sad to say this didn’t work for me. As a long-time Ashley Winstead fan, I was beyond excited to dive into this book, but I was left disappointed. The first 20% was intriguing enough to keep me on my toes and wanting more, but after that, it went downhill. The characters felt bland, and I was expecting so much more from them. While the plot had potential, very little happened for the majority of the story, and it just dragged.

That said, I did enjoy how descriptive the crime scenes were—at times, it felt like I was right there in the book. Overall, I don’t think it’s a bad book, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks landmark

Thank you NetGalley and Ashley Winstead for this ARC. What a ride this book took me on. I do love true crime and follow some true crime podcasts. This case was very similar to one that is currently still being investigated. It is a very hard and sad story to follow. As the female character Jane goes through her grief after losing her father, I could feel what she was going through. A very well written story and interesting set-up from a true crime groups viewpoint. I can see how this story might be hard for some readers to follow with it being tied to a real life case, just be forewarned going in. Ashely Winstead you are a wonderful author and can not wait to see what you come up with next.

This was an engaging read that works great if you don't think too hard about it...but unfortunately, I think too hard about everything. ☹️ I do enjoy thriller writers tackling the True Crime fandom because it pretty much immediately cracks open just how weird it all is, but also in order to make it matter at all you have to let the nerds win once in awhile. In this case that involved these people getting insanely, freakishly lucky finding murder weapons and clues, and then they get kind of famous (???) which tipped it over into feeling more like a wish fulfillment fantasy for armchair detectives.

Which is unfortunate, because I liked Winstead's take on, basically, fandom friendships and the bonds that can form when you throw yourself into a fandom because your real life sucks. And after being a little put off by the very similar hot, rich, successful but damaged MCs of Winstead's first two books, I was pleased to see her write a main character who's a complete wreck.

Overall, this was fine. It kept me guessing. I'm neither angry nor thrilled about it. I'll keep picking up Winstead's work in this genre because there's something there that gets me, though.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.

Book review - 3.5 stars rounded up

✨This book has so much to love including its fast pace, multiple layers, richly developed characters and one of the absolute best endings I’ve read in a thriller. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, that ending hit – and it was just absolutely astonishing.

✨In addition to being a compelling thriller, this book is also a harrowing, devastating and ultimately beautiful study into the journey of loss, grief and acceptance seen through the lens of a daughter who is coping with the death of her father. As a daughter who has lost her father, I can tell you that these were the most tender and authentic aspects of the book.

✨In true Ashley Winstead style, she is able to blend a cunning thriller with a social commentary on the true crime sleuthing community as well as elements of found family, grief, a father-daughter story and – wait for it – Star Trek. I say “in true Winstead style” because this is the author who writes romance novels in between her mind-blowing, “what the heck is in this woman’s head” knockout thrillers. Is there anything she can’t do?

✨Now I must veer into a less positive aspect of my review – and that is the inclusion of the eerily similar details to the Idaho college murders. There has been much discussion of this in the book community, and it almost kept me from reading the book — but I wanted to read for myself before making a judgment call. I must admit, it was very off-putting for this reader to see the details so similar to such recent murders.

📚 Read if you like:
✨True crime
✨Online communities
✨Found family
✨Father/daughter narratives
✨Stories of the grief journey
✨Compelling thrillers
✨Serial killer stories
✨Multi-layered, fast-paced suspense
✨Star Trek

Thank you source books and NetGalley and the author for the arc of this read !

What an amazing read for a true crime fan like myself this book was everything you could ask for. The characters were great as each added something to the story and of course the writing is amazing with some twists and holds your attention. I would have liked more about the murders and maybe a bit less a lot the main characters personal life as it felt unnecessary and really didn’t relate to the story. I think that’s my only negative thing about the book but overall it’s such a great read, and I think the majority of thriller readers would love this book.

I understand where everyone is coming from in regards to this book being similar or inspired by the idaho killings. But, I really freaking enjoyed this and I love Winsteads writing so much. Honestly it's loosely inspired by the Idaho killings..like there is so much more to the story and it could honestly be similar to so many other murders as well..

Anyways I truly enjoyed this one and cannot wait to see what Winstead has next!
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy !

This Book Will Bury Me follows Jane Sharp, a college student reeling from the sudden death of her father, who dives into the world of online true crime communities as a way to cope with her grief. When three college girls are murdered in Delphine, Idaho, Jane and her newfound sleuthing friends join the race to solve the case, only to realize it’s more twisted and dangerous than they ever expected. Told a year after the shocking events, Jane finally reveals what really happened, delivering a story that’s part confession, part cautionary tale. While the setup had me intrigued, I struggled with how slow the pacing was—it felt like it took forever for things to actually get moving. That said, once the story hit its stride around the 55%-60% mark, I couldn’t stop reading. The book-within-a-book style worked okay but wasn’t for me, and it was hard to ignore how closely it mirrored the University of Idaho murders, which made it feel a little too real at times. Overall, it just didn’t fully click for me, though I’ll admit the last part was gripping. It’s a solid 3-star read for me.

Love!! I love Ashley’s books!! I have read all the thriller ones! And I have this one pre ordered already to go with my set of all the Ashley Books! I’m excited to tell my book friends to read this!

I love that this has sleuth detectives in it and is the premise of the book cause I love that in my real life! My family calls me DJ for detective Jessica! Haha! I have not read anything like this before! Will
Be recommending 5 stars!

This is a hard one to rate, because it's making a comment on the fascination with true crime and how dangerous it can be, and it's well-written (Winstead's books always are), but it also seems to be based very closely on a real crime.

This book will bury me:
This is the most outstanding thriller I have read to date. My heart was pounding like crazy and I had to reapply my deodorant frequently while reading this. I lost so much sleep over this story (which I believe is inspired by the Ohio co-ed murders)

“there will come a point in this story when you'll think to yourself, My God, how could she have done that? Who would ever make that choice? And I need you to remember who I was at the time: a girl who owed her father a legacy, So when the time comes, please remember- there's no more powerful motive than that”-Janes confessional

In the wake of her fathers death, Jane becomes seized with the overwhelming desire to investigate true crime mysteries
The story is told in between a true crime investigators chat room/ forum and Janes real life. It does a FABULOUS job of making you feel like you are involved in the investigation. I felt SO INVESTED. Jane and I were both obsessed.
You know when you get sucked into something so intense that you forget it’s fiction?? That happened to me.

Another thing that was done so well I had to make a note of it was the artful foreshadowing that still manages to keep the reader guessing.
It made me feel like I was in an episode of criminal minds but all the characters were a different version of Garcia. This was just so good and it’s going to be a long time before I can shut up about it.

The Last Housewife and In My Dreams I Hold A Knife were two books that left me on the edge of my seat. I DNF'ed Midnight is the Darkest Hour because I just couldn't get into the Twilight vibes it gave. But this one being based around true crime sold me!
If you know me, I have loved true crime for many years. True crime is what led to the many murder mystery thrillers I would read when I started my bookstagram journey. The idea that average people from across the United States could come together online to solve cases is incredible. So when I learned that this story revolved around 5 strangers that became friends who worked together to help the police solve crimes, I knew I was going to enjoy the story.  
It was interesting to see how Jane's grief of her father's passing was evident and how she devoted her life into true crime to help her deal with it. The way the five sleuths came together to work on cases together and how the friendships developed was nice to read about. Hearing their pasts and their mistakes that led them to where they are now. 
Overall, I enjoyed this one! Some parts seemed to drag and others seemed to have too much detail that I often lost a little interest. This book was also wayyy too long. Over 400 pages? No need for that. But! The heart of the story was entertaining so I'll forgive the excess pages just a little.

I enjoyed this book, it kept me guessing and reading way longer than I should have each night. It flows well and is easy to read, and is quick paced. My only criticism is that the crime in the book is so closely related to an actual crime that is fairly recent. So recent that it is still in the news and trials are still occurring. There are differences, but even the descriptions and names of the victims are shockingly similar. While I get using real life to inspire, profiting off someone else’s real life tragedy is in poor taste and the timing is even worse.

What a well thought out, well researched, well written book. It was such a long read but I was so invested it really didn’t feel long. I read it in one sitting and absolutely loved it! 4.75 stars

Wow. I really enjoyed this book. Although I do understand some other reviews mentioned they did not like the closeness of the Idaho Murders, I felt like it changed enough for a completely different story. The character development was amazing, even with many characters. A surprising twist at the end kept me guessing. I also appreciated the unique memoir tone used in the formatting.

This Book Will Bury Me was one of my most anticipated thrillers of 2025, and it absolutely delivered. With quick chapters and an addictive pace, I was hooked from start to finish. The online forum and internet sleuthing added a unique layer to the story, offering an intriguing glimpse into how strangers connect over mysteries. I also loved the found family aspect, with a diverse group of characters forming unlikely bonds over their investigations. The twists and turns kept me guessing, though I will note that the murders almost mirrored an active real life case, which may be unsettling for some readers. Overall, it was an intense and gripping read that I couldn’t put down.

4 stars

Ashley Winstead brings the world of internet sleuths and armchair detectives to this thriller novel centered around main character Jane Sharp. Jane is a young c0llege student grieving the loss of her father and finds distraction in an internet chat group focused on solving crimes, mainly grisly murders. When a trio of sorority sisters are brutally murdered in Delphine, Idaho, the chat group gets to work and Jane's ability to put herself in the mind of another makes her an instant star, granting her entrance into the elite crime solvers private chat.

This book was a grisly good time with short chapters, excellent pacing, and compelling characters. I especially loved the older members of the group, "Lightly" and "Mistress". I am seeing a lot more older characters recently and I love this representation. Both of these characters brought heart and a moral compass to the narrative, helping Jane navigate her changing life situation, including her grief as well as the intense and dangerous trajectory of new life in crime solving.

The intensity builds as the story progresses and once the twists started happening, they just kept hitting.

If you love a good murder podcast, or books such as "I'll Be Gone In the Dark", do yourself a favor and grab a cop of this book as soon as it's released.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.