I really enjoyed reading this book about true crime armchair detectives. It is told from the point of view of Jane. I think I would have enjoyed it more if we would have had multiple points of view. It did keep me guessing towards the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The fact that this is essentially a true crime account of the real-life Idaho Murders, only packaged as a novel, feels a bit tasteless to me.

First off, I would like to thank SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and the author, Ashley Winstead, for allowing me to read this book, This Book Will Bury Me. The following opinions are solely my own.

This story is written in first person by the main character, Janeway Sharp, aka Searcher. She is explaining the events about a year after they occurred in a book that she has written to explain her side of things. It is also in response to a book written about her, and she wants to set the story straight. Us, the readers, are reading her book, but this is a work of fiction.

Jane's father died suddenly from her heart attack. He was the person she loved most in the world, and she was left devastated and searching for answers about her father and the life he left behind. She becomes interested in true crime when a dismembered body is found in a local body of water. She joins a true crime community and soon becomes known as an armchair detective savant. She is invited to join a small,elite group of armchair detectives with screen names of: Citizen, Goku, Mistress, and Lightly. Her name is Searcher. When a serial killer strikes a few hours away and at least six people are murdered with barely any evidence left behind, they decide they will be the ones to solve the crime. Will they be able to do so, and what lines will they cross to be the ones to do so?

As stated in my last post, I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I thoroughly enjoyed it; the only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I don't know if the story caused me to reflect or will stay with me in the long run. This book was just published on March 25, so get your hands on it ASAP.

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BOOK REVIEW ✨

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

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

Rating: 3.5⭐️
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Yes, no, or maybe: Maybe!

Read if you like:
-internet sleuthing
-true crime
-plot twists
-raw stories about grief

This book was gripping! We follow Jane as she reveals to the world what really happened 1 year ago when she and her internet sleuthing friends investigated the crime of the century. Jane also does this while confronting the grief of losing her father so suddenly.

In my opinion, this book shines a light on grief, the consequences of ego, and the dangers of obsession. This was a new author to me, and I truly enjoyed the writing as well as the pacing of the plot.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this novel due to it essentially being a retailing of the University of Idaho Massacre. I never felt like the author was trying to die respect the case or the victims, it felt more like she was shining a light on it. I also believe the fictional location (Delphine) was a nod to the Delphi Murders. All that being said, I would like to know:
1. Why did the author choose this true crime case?
2. Why did she choose to publish this book so close to the trial of the real life murder?
3. Did she inform the families of the victims about her book?

Overall I did enjoy the book. Ashley is clearly a fantastic writer, but I would just like to know her motivations for writing this particular storyline.

**Available NOW**

I couldn't put this book down! The pacing was just right, and the narration felt like stream of consciousness story telling. I'm not great at guessing the twists (I read for the vibes) and this book had just enough red herrings to keep me second guessing. I've seen criticism online about the story being pulled from the headlines, but I went into it without knowing much about the true story it was based on. I watch Dateline and see true crime stuff on Instagram like other Millenial women, and This Book Will Bury Me really made me reflect on how macabre creating and consuming that content can be.

Travel to Delphine, Idaho as the crime of the century unfolds and five true crime internet sleuths decide to crack the case. Jane Sharp just lost her father and thrusts herself into the deaths of three college girls. Along side the other sleuths, will they be able to crack the case, or will the police stop them at any and all costs?

Honestly I gave this 3 stars. It was a premise that I've read so many times before. Also there were SO many moving parts of the case that you had to keep track of. .

This one was tricky for me to review and process my thoughts because I kept jumping between really liking it then wondering what the heck was going on. But then I realized that was kind of the point. To take the reader on a roller coaster. I will say I was genuinely SO curious how this was going to end. I kept waiting for one of the members of Jane’s group to be bad but I also kept wondering if any of her obsession with doing the crime had to do with her dad’s murder. The ending really made the book better to me. The last 15% was the best part of the book! All in all, I enjoyed it. I mostly listened to this on audio. I thought the narration was good, though It didn’t pull me in as much as others have. I think I preferred reading this one physically.

Ok. I sat on this one a few days before reviewing because I had a lot of thoughts and I hoped my opinion would change. Spoiler alert, it did not. I find it to be so disrespectful to basically copy cat real life murders to begin with.. but to copy cat real life murders where the trial hasn't even happened yet? The Idaho murders are so so fresh! imagine being one of the victim's parents and picking this book up not knowing what it was... and then seeing tid bits (large tidbits IMO) of your child's murder. I have historically been a big Ashley Winstead fan, but wow am I disappointed in her after this.

I am just the biggest fan of Ashley Winstead. She has absolute range. I have loved everything she's written from her rom coms to her thrillers. This book was no exception. I am a huge true crime junkie fan and this book had me hooked from the very beginning. I feel like Ashley does such a good job with an unreliable narrator. You can oftentimes be frustrated with them, but then you are just their biggest fan and rooting for them by the end. I think this book did such a good job of touching on themes of grief while also being a real thriller novel. Like I said, range. I did this book on audio and physical copy and really enjoyed both.

This wasn’t my favorite read from this author, but it still had its moments of intrigue. The storyline is definitely gripping, and as a thriller, it keeps you engaged from start to finish. However, I found it hard to connect with the main character. At times, her actions and mindset made me uncomfortable, and it was tough to root for her. While that may have been the point, it did affect my overall enjoyment. Despite this, the book still delivers a solid thriller experience, with twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages. If you’re a fan of the genre, it’s worth reading, but it’s not going to top my list of favorites.

DNF

I did not realize this was a true crime novel and based partly on real stories like Gabby Petito, Golden State Killer, and others.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

Ashley Winstead is a gifted writer and exciting storyteller. Her characters are dynamic and all the twists and turns are guaranteed to keep you guessing.

While I appreciate the talent that goes into creating a story about grief, loss, and true crime obsession - this book was not for me. I struggled to identify with the main character and her motives. I also felt that there were too many similarities to the Idaho case. I felt disappointed and icky reading it while the case is not closed.

I know there are many that will enjoy this one but it missed the mark for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to have recieved an ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley. I really enjoyed Ashley Winstead’s latest book This Book Will Bury Me.

I am not a true crime person so this was a whole new world for me. This story begins with Jane’s loss of her father. She is grieving and looking for something to distract her yet give her purpose. She stumbles onto an online amateur sleuths website and quickly becomes friends with four other people (around the US) who try to solve murders. After helping to solve a few cases, they decide to meet up in person to try to solve a bunch of murders at a college. Will Jane and her friends help the police find the serial killer?

The ending took me by surprise and I did not see the twist. This was a great story and I really enjoyed playing detective along with the characters.

I think I actually hated this. I am not even talking about how it was a fictionalized account of a real life crime that still hasn't been tried. I am talking about the insufferable characters. JaneWAY. Ick. She is a savant. For no real reason. The message boards just swoop her in with open arms because she is just soooo smart. The message board lines were super cringy. Every single thing Jane did was annoying. The only character who was at all interesting or likeable was Mistress. And I don't understand the title of this book at all. Who is it burying?

Ashley Winstead knows how to hook a reader—I'll give her that. The premise of "This Book Will Bury Me" is sharp, suspenseful, and darkly intriguing, and the beginning pulled me in immediately. In fact, I was all in… until I wasn't.

Somewhere along the way, I realized the fictional murder at the heart of the story was a reimagined version of the Idaho college murders. That's where the experience shifted for me. Not because Winstead wasn't up to the task—she's a great writer—but because that real-life case had already been dissected, sensationalized, and emotionally draining in every way. I wasn't interested in revisiting it, even from a new fictional perspective.

Still, if that connection doesn't bother you (or if you somehow missed the real-world events entirely), this book is a solid, haunting mystery. "This Book Will Bury Me" has its strengths and could be a standout for the right reader. Just… know what you're walking into before you dive in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First of all, the writing is amazing and as usual, Ashley Winstead is a fantastic story teller.

Unfortunately, she lost the plot. As in, should have never written about true crime cases that are so fresh and aren't even closed yet. I read the authors note and I understand that she wanted to discuss the exploitation of true crime, but all she did was become exploitive herself. It's horrifically graphic when it talks about CASES THAT ARE REAL. I don't know why she couldn't just make up a fictional case and use that and internet sleuths. It was entirely unnecessary to bring in real cases.

I was hoping it was going to be broadly based on the real life cases, but it was basically like she was reading from the case file. Honestly I'm really sad and disappointed in the author and the publishing team for this. I hope the families never read some of the graphic scenes in this book.

To write this kind of book, the families need to consent and I haven't seen that anywhere. If they come out and say they approve of the book, I'll take back this review.

A suspenseful and engaging read! Short chapters and blog chat format made this a fast-paced story. All the characters were complex, well developed and intriguing. There were a few different plots and connections that were cleverly interwoven and a few surprising twists that caught me by surprise. While I was really hooked on this storyline and the POV told by the amateur sleuths, I had mixed feelings about this being based upon the Idaho murder case, mostly because it’s still ongoing. If you’re a true crime enthusiast- I recommend diving into this one!

So many twists & turns in this engaging true crime thriller. Those who followed the Idaho college student murders will appreciate the loose references to the case. Did not see the twist at the end!

This Book Will Bury Me
by Ashley Winstead
Pub Date: Mar 25 2025

The main character in "This Book Will Bury Me" is a true crime enthusiast who works to solve active crimes and aid the police. I loved her character and her detailed descriptions. This is an intense slow burner of a read with a complex, constantly changing, well thought out plot. If fiction based, true-crime events, or grief of losing a parent are triggers for you then this may not be a great fit.

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...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...

Many thanks to #NetGalley, #Sourcebooks #Landmark for providing me with an E-ARC of this Thriller!