Hooked me from the first page! Ashley Winstead at her finest! I love both her romance and suspense ( and truly in awe of the talent it requires to do both SO well). This was right up there with her debut, In My Dreams I hold. Knife for the level of taut suspense and rapid pacing it keeps for the entire length of the book.

I will say I figured it out EARLY, but it did not at all detract from my enjoyment of how it got there. I loved the inclusion of the subreddit threads and also the elements of familiarity from the headlines. A must read for suspense fans!

This Book Will Bury Me is a unique, twisty and slightly dark suspenseful thriller. I had a hard time putting this one down. We are slowing introduced to integral characters through what we believe is an honest narrative. As the pages unravel, we get more and more information in the events of the story.

The narrative is so unique in this one. We don’t know what is happening or what the narrator is alluding to until it unfolds. The character development is so creative and well done. The way Ashley bleeds information slowly helps us to get an understanding of what is happening and how these characters are involved. It was intriguing, it was suspenseful, it was twisty and the ending was great. I honestly loved this on. I think there were some slow parts which is why I rated 4.5, but overall I was hooked and had to finish!

Thank you to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark, and Ashley Winstead for my eARC of This Book Will Bury Me in exchange for an honest review. Pub Date for This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is 25 Mar 2025. Rated up for 4.5 stars.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is a twisty, suspense-filled thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The novel follows a group of characters, each hiding secrets that slowly unravel in a maze of mystery, making for a gripping read that’s hard to put down. Winstead masterfully layers the plot with surprising twists and turns, ensuring the tension never lets up. As the narrative unfolds, it’s clear that no one is quite who they seem, and just when you think you’ve figured things out, another curveball leaves you questioning everything. The suspense never falters, and each revelation feels earned, adding depth to the story without feeling contrived.

What really sets This Book Will Bury Me apart, though, is the way Winstead develops her characters. They’re complex, layered individuals whose motivations feel real and relatable, making their actions—and reactions—believable even as the story delves deeper into the dark. There’s an emotional payoff as well, as the conclusion lands with a sigh of contentment, neatly tying up the story while still leaving a bit of lingering mystery. It’s the kind of ending that gives you that perfect sense of closure, without feeling overly tidy. A must-read for anyone who loves a smart, intricately plotted mystery with rich character development.

Wow! Just wow! Ashley Winstead has done it again—this book is nothing short of phenomenal! From the gripping premise to the masterful execution, I was hooked from start to finish.

Jane is such an outstanding main character. Her obsession with true crime, fueled by grief and a desperate need for purpose, felt so raw and relatable. Her relationships with her online sleuthing group, her drive to uncover the truth about the Delphine Massacres, and her parallel search for answers about her father—it all just clicked. I found myself rooting for her, even when I wasn’t sure how deep she’d get pulled into the darkness.

The format of the book was so unique. It’s written like a true crime confession a year after the events, complete with fascinating footnotes that made it feel like I was diving into a real case. Every twist had me second-guessing everything, and I loved how the suspense built with each chapter. The ending was absolutely perfect—so satisfying and chilling!

The writing, the details (and the purposeful gaps), and Jane’s singular perspective made it one of the most gripping thrillers I’ve read in ages. Ashley Winstead has delivered another masterpiece. Highly, highly recommend to everyone!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Actually a 3.75 ⭐️

What a wild ride this book was. The twists were twisty and I loved that it was told like a tell all book from the main characters POV. I could not put it down.

Now for the meh:

I went into this so excited because I LOVE Ashley Winstead books. I read the authors note at the beginning so I knew she was going to be mentioning some real life cases within the book. However, it wasn’t until after I finished it that I came to realize the murders in this book are freakishly similar to the real life Idaho University murders. Like details are creepily similar. And that doesn’t feel “inspired by”.

This would have been a five star book for me but I had to drop it down to a 3.75 because I just think the author could have made up her own murder case and not used such similar details to an ongoing case that hasn’t been resolved yet.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I thought the set up of it being written like a memoir was interesting, but for a book that is critiquing true crime obsessions and a mature sleuths it felt weird to have the main murder clearly be the exact murder that happened in Idaho. I also thought the subplot with her dad seemed a little out of place.

"I had no choice but to write this book. Read the rest, and then tell me who’s the villain."

If you're into books about amateur true crime sleuths or if you're drawn to crime fiction that's inspired by reality, get ready for Ashley Winstead's newest thriller.

"I swear, we started with good intentions. We wanted to play nice."

This Book Will Bury Me a murder mystery told from the perspective of Jane, the online true-crime junkie, who helped ID the perpetrator after she obsessively tracked details of the case. It's a book-within-a-book, as the murders are all in the past, and Jane is now writing her own memoir of what happened. And it's a cautionary tale of what happens when society's collective obsession with crime goes too far.

"Was that really what solved crimes - a hive mind talking?"

I noticed a few significant plot holes that kind of ruined the big reveal in terms of believability for me (primarily that a 12-years-ago murder has remained unsolved because no one was ever able to find a match for the DNA left behind at the crime scene, yet our killer would absolutely have had his DNA on record because (spoiler!) he was a naval officer, and the DOD keeps DNA records of all armed forces personnel in the event of having to identify their remains ..

"Maybe that’s the real definition of fate: when the universe hands you exactly what you want, the one thing you could never turn down, a perfect trap of your own making."

But even though I had to suspend disbelief quite a bit, I still really enjoyed Winstead's ability to craft a story. Her narrative voice was unique and held my attention all the way through. The book was grisly, gory, and compelling, and I loved the way the internet sleuths became real-life friends.

——

A huge thank you to Ashley Winstead, Sourcebooks, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

After the tragic loss of her father, young adult Jane is sucked into the world of online sleuthing. Joining an eclectic group on onlines detectives, she becomes completely absorbed in a case that rocks the nation- a possible serial killer slaying co-eds in Idaho. The narrative is told like a memoir of Jane in response to an inaccurate true crime book’s popularity. I loved this framing device, and Jane as a main character is incredibly compelling. At its heart it’s a book about dealing with grief, the ethics of true crime as a genre, and the benefits of community/found family. Ashley Winstead is one of my favorite thriller authors out there, and this is another entry into my favorites list from her. I was in a hellish reading slump when I decided to pick this up and it really did the trick! I loved it!

This review will be posted on my Instagram @boozehoundbookclub closer to the pub date.

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.

Amateur Sleuths who are part of an online true crime community throw themselves into hunting for a diabolical killer and solving the recent murders of three college young women. They leave their armchairs where they have done their sleuthing online to join up and hunt down a killer of the women. Along the way this 'found family' of online sleuths will bond, will ponder, will question others, and will question themselves.

Jane Sharp, who is still grieving the recent death of her father, joins the online group who fill a void in her life. There she finds friends, a purpose, a distraction from her grief, and danger! The group is an interesting one with distinct, flawed, interesting and flawed individuals. They have a common goal and do their best to get to the bottom of things.

I found this book to be enjoyable, intriguing, and well thought out. My one main issue is that it does lag in the middle. I feel a little editing could have benefitted the book a bit. Having said that, I enjoyed the twists, reveals, the sense of danger and suspense toward the end of the book.

If the setting Delphine, Idaho and the killing of the college women rings a bell, Abigail Williams and Liberty German, were murdered and their real like murders have been dubbed the “Delphi murders” This book may feel to close and too soon for some and several reviewers have voiced this in their reviews.


Overall, an enjoyable book about online sleuths hunting for a killer. As with her other books, this book was well written, well thought out, thought provoking, and tense.

DNF. Very disturbing that this book clearly draws from the very REAL events of the 2022 University of Idaho murders. I was really disappointed when this realization struck me -- I LOVED 'In My Dreams I Hold a Knife,' so I was beyond thrilled to receive an early copy of Winstead's next novel. It feels, no, IS extremely insensitive and gross to fictionalize something that is very real and, not only that, but create parallels upon parallels between what happens in the book and what happened to Kaylee Gonglaves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin (the Idaho murder victims). These victims also have yet to receive justice! The trial doesn't take place until 9 months from now! Hugely disappointed.

Started off a bit slow, but it did pull me in and kept me wanting to know more. I liked the internet sleuths angle, who hasn't gotten sucked into a rabbit hole online? And the author did a good job of showcasing that these online groups really can cause harm to a case. I wish it were a bit shorter as some parts drug on, but it is well written which helped. Despite that it had me needing to know more and I couldn't stop reading. If you're a fan of true crime/detective type stories I do think you'll enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC.

I looooove Ashley Winsteads books SO much! This one was good but not my favorite. Slower than usual, and not nearly as dark as the other ones.

Unfortunately this was my first read by this author and and I'm not impressed.. at all 😭 the overall idea of this story is great but, it fell flat as 💩 in its execution..
main pain points with this read:
-this easily could have been 50ish pages shorter.. maybe 100..
-main character wasn't likable (some supporting charactors, Lightly & Mistress, were)
-killer was obvious to me way too early and kind of destroyed the path/s the author was trying to make you follow instead..
-too much of a grasp for the ending resoluton...

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC. Expected publication date is March 25th 2025

After the death of her father, Jane needs a distraction. She finds one in a true crime online forum, and she finds a new family in her fellow online sleuths. So when a massacre of college sorority girls happens in Idaho, Jane and her newfound family immerse themselves to try to solve it. Ashley Winstead chose a unique writing style with this mystery; it is written to the reader. It is written as if by main character Jane herself where she alludes to messages that she assumes the reader already knows. It even includes footnotes (which as an ebook reader can be tricky depending on which device you’re using). While the writing itself was creative, there was too much of it. Many of Jane’s asides could have been edited for a more concise story. Even with the pacing being slow at times, mystery readers will likely find this a satisfying read. One more caveat though, for a book that is a commentary on true crime sleuths exploiting crimes, this book kind of exploits a true crime. Yes, details were changed, but this book felt a little too close to the real University of Idaho killings.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ashley Winstead is an automatic read author for me. I was beyond excited to dive in to her latest work.

This Book Will Bury Me reads like an extensive deep dive in a rabbit hole on reddit. After I lost my father in 2022; I also found myself in many reddit rabbit holes. I find this easy to relate to with Jane. Her endless searching for answers on the cases she works and about her father made her very likeable to me. I did find some suspension of disbelief is required that everyone was able to uproot to go to Idaho on a whim. With that being said I still found this book compulsively readable. I would recommend this book to others looking for a fast pace and that enjoy all the intricacies of true crime.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Ashley Winstead for allowing me to read this ARC.

This Book Will Bury Me pulls you in with a chilling premise and keeps you hooked with its sharp twists and eerie atmosphere. After losing her father, college student Jane Sharp turns to an online true crime community for comfort and distraction. But when she and her internet friends dive into the infamous Delphine Massacres, the case turns out to be darker—and more dangerous—than any of them imagined.

Told a year after the case’s shocking conclusion, the story unfolds like a slow confession. Jane’s obsession with solving the murders feels both relatable and unnerving, and as the mystery deepens, so does the sense of dread. The book is not just a clever whodunit; it’s also a sharp critique of true crime culture and the fine line between seeking justice and exploiting tragedy.

The twists come fast, the tension never lets up, and the ending left me stunned. If you’re a fan of dark, twisty thrillers with a psychological edge, this one is for you.

This was pretty hard to read. Not just because of what the author has done with the story but I found it to be kind of boring. It wasn't really keeping my attention and took me forever to read it. I'm usually a quick read but not with this one. This may work for others, but it's not for me.

Dnf for reasons below. I can't get behind making money off real tragedy

I started reading this book and wondered why it seemed so familiar. I always keep my TV on for background noise. It's most often in the ID channel. I was not far in and put my Kindle down to get a snack, and that's when I heard the TV talking about whatever case, and that's when it hit me. This book is a fictional version of the Idaho 4. I started thinking maybe that I was exaggerating, so I continued on more. I wasn't wrong. I had to dnf about 40% in. Before I quit. I came to read the reviews to again make sure I wasn't wrong. I wasn't.

This thriller begins with Jane/Janeway (dad was a Trekkie) explaining that after the unexpected death of her father she took solace in a true crime forum, one that eventually led to her writing a book to explain what controversy happened while she was “sleuthing.” Grief turned her into an obsessed college drop-out, forgetting to eat or go to the bathroom, instead searching the internet for clues to a stranger’s macabre murder. Feeling adrift and helpless after her father’s funeral, small revelations of clues made Jane feel like a “quixotic warrior” fighting a “virtual windmill.” So, of course after a victory, she became addicted to a true crime “Network” and considered the other participants friends.

But even though her group was acknowledged as the elite internet sleuths, it’s increasingly obvious they have rivals and the book that Jane is writing (and we’re reading) refers to another woman with her own book and an apparent legal action.

This is an absolutely fascinating story about true crime detectives — those working through social media and making bold contacts of friends and family, and even showing up to crime scenes, all done outside of official police investigations. Jane truly goes down a rabbit hole, but she makes the other four in her group (Mistress, Citizen, Goku, and Lightly) her new family. And I imagine that’s what happens to internet sleuths — they’re 21st century pen pals with a purpose. This book is jarringly loosely associated with the real life Idaho student murders, before the final trial of the accused murderer, so I’d expect some criticism from other reviewers. That fact didn’t put me off — in fact, it was easier to imagine the plot line. Winstead’s novel is really about the people currently obsessed with true crime and our information-laden society that allows insiders to participate in unsolved crimes. Michele McNamara’s “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” is the non-fiction masterpiece of true crime investigation and obsession, and Ashley Winstead’s fictional thriller is just as thrilling. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Harlow has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES Jane describes her parents’ neighborhood as having blooming birds of paradise in early September, but in Florida these usually bloom in late winter to early spring.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!