I am a big fan of true crime, and I love Ashley Winstead's writing. I am also fascinated by what draws people - especially women - to true crime, and how the consumption of it is changing owing to social media and the increase of true crime podcasts and documentaries.

Winstead's new book explores all of that and also looks at the relationship between a father and a daughter, told through the eyes of a grieving 24-year-old college student.

If you're familiar with Winstead's writing, you'll know she's a fan of morally ambiguous narrators. You'll also know her writing is scalpel-sharp, but also poignant. Jane, in the aftermath of her father's death, is looking for comfort and answers. Jane finds her focus in an online forum for amateur true crime sleuths and, eventually, as part of a small, more focused group who dissect and attempt to solve real cases as they play out. Meanwhile, she is trying to find out who her father was before he became her Dad and why he died.

Winstead took inspiration from many cases for this book, the most obvious being the Idaho University murders in Moscow, Idaho. There's lots of nods to the case - some of them very close to the bone - and every reader will have to make up their own mind about whether they're okay with that. I think it's fitting with what Winstead is doing here, which IMO is providing a commentary on how people and groups are inserting themselves into the narrative of cases as they play out because of how accessible information is online now. It's an interesting conversation, and I think she handles it very well.

And it isn't a new thing, either: Emma Cline did it, and so has Catherine Ryan Howard. Look at Bright Young Women, All Good People Here, Notes On An Execution. The difference is that this case is still awaiting trial, and the victims' families haven't gotten justice or closure. Again, every reader will need to make their own call on how they feel about this.

I thought this book was very well done, I loved the cast of characters and the found family element, and I really liked how it explored grief. It was right up my street.

☆ Book Review- This Book Will Bury Me ☆

✍🏻 Author: Ashley Winstead
📖 Genre: Thriller
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5
💻 Format: Kindle @netgalley
🫶🏼 Read if you like: true crime, internet sleuthing, serial killer, twisty slow burns, intricate characters
Swipe for synopsis ——>

True crime lovers- this is one for you! I am a huge fan of Ashley Winstead, and this cemented my love even more. Honestly, when I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about this book. Theorising. Wondering. OBSESSING over it. It certainly didn’t feel like a 400-and-something page thriller.. I absolutely flew through it!! It is heavily based on the tragic Idaho University murders that will go to trial later this year, so I’ll leave that with you as a reader as to if this is a book for you…

This book took true crime and internet sleuthing to a whole new level. It explores the obsession of true crime in a captivating yet unsettling way, and centres around the lengths amateur detectives/civilians will go to for the satisfaction of solving a crime. The mystery was continuous, there were so many twists and turns which had me glued to the pages. There was a constant sense of unease that left me unable to trust literally anyone!

I also need to touch on how eloquently Ashley wrote about the grief of losing a parent, and how she incorporated Jane losing her father as the core reason she felt the need to investigate these murders. Ashley drew on her own experience of losing her father, which made this part of the story very personal and emotional. It was so, so beautiful to read ❤️

I’ve enjoyed all of Ashley Winstead’s books even if I can wholeheartedly agree they are not for everyone. The writing takes a while to sink into, but once you’re hooked there’s no stopping.
This was a particularly interesting story told as if it were a memoir of Jane, an “internet sleuth”
, who joins a ragtag group of other sleuths and gets swept up in solving a murder investigation (or two, or three.)
The story was highly emotional when Jane mentioned her recently deceased father and grappled with grief throughout the book.
It had that strange, ethereal dark edge that all of Winstead’s books seem to have and it’s why I keep coming back. Similar in style to ‘In the Cut’ by Susanna Moore which often receives mixed reviews too.

3.5 stars
The Book Will Bury Me follows Jane as she becomes an armchair detective following the sudden loss of her father. This is a book that requires your full attention to fully grasp, fortunately it is equally as gripping. I struggled to tie some aspects of the story together but overall nicely executed.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter. It was such an intriguing perspective to write this story from and it felt so immersive. One thing I always like about Winstead’s books is that they keep you guessing and this one was no different. There were some twists that I didn’t see coming and finding out how they played out kept me feverishly reading. The last 15% of this book was so good and also the final words were so heartbreaking. Overall, a great read.

3.5⭐️

I went in completely blind to This Book Will Bury Me and I’m glad I did because I think if I’d read many reviews beforehand, I might have spoilered things for myself.

Janeway Sharp is our MC and while struggling with the recent loss of her father, she finds a new obsession in true crime and strikes up an online friendship with a group of amateur sleuths.

I didn’t connect with Jane at all which frustrated me. While I appreciate she was grieving her father, she made some decisions that baffled me and I feel like she didn’t really help herself. I did like the dialogue between her and her increasingly important fellow armchair detectives, the online forum sections of the book were written well. I also may be the only reader that didn’t actually guess the twist!

This book was longer than it needed to be but it was entertaining for the most part.

One of the best addictive thriller i've read all year, so fast-paced, full of twists.

A must to add on your TBR for 2025.

I absolutely loved this book. I love Netflix documentaries and this was as similar and amazing. I loved the main character and could feel her pain through losing her father and her attempt to distract herself from reality by spending time on an online forum.. but things just keep getting worse and more terrifying. Absolutely brilliant, if you loved the documentary Don't F**k with Cats, you'll love this book. Nothing like I've ever read before, 👏

Yet another fantastic book from Ashley Winstead. This Book Will Bury Me was every bit as good as her previous three novels: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, The Last Housewife, and Midnight is the Darkest Hour, which were all 5⭐️ reads for me.

This Book Will Bury Me had a compelling and intriguing storyline, lovable characters, and crazy twists that I didn't see coming at all.
I was drawn in immediately, and I honestly couldn't put it down.

I love how unique each of Ashley's novels are. They aren't cookie-cutter thrillers. They are very different from other thrillers out there.
Writing the novel from a true crime sleuth perspective was a great idea. It really gives you insight that you wouldn't have gotten from another angle.
Ashley is definitely one of my go-to thriller authors now, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

I can't recommend highly enough.

5 well deserved stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Aria & Aries, and Ashley Winstead for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There's a character who's introduced and right away you'll think, yeah, they did it. Every chapter keeps pointing to them, and by the time the reveal happens, you're like, well, no shit. But if you're not hung up on needing an earth-shattering twist, this ends up being a really fun ride—a solid nod to armchair detectives that’s more about the journey than the shock.

Finally a five star read, my first of the year and one that will be with me a long time! This is written unlike anything I’ve read before and I loved the style. When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it and rushing my jobs so I could get back to it. This rarely happens for me and hasn’t happened for a long time.

After losing her father to a heart attack, Jane becomes involved with some amateur sleuthing with a group she finds on the internet who tackle true crime investigations. As she becomes more involved she finds herself becoming a big part of the community, she begins talking to her dad’s ashes and she isolates herself off from people around her, gives up on her college course, is missing shifts at her Starbucks job and solely focusing on the sleuthing.

Jane is telling us her story, incorporated within the story are some true crimes that readers will have heard of, the message board on the true crime network partly tells the story too as we see how the sleuths work together. She has integrated herself within the small group of amateur detectives who are dubbed the best of the best and they soon find themselves focused on the brutal slaying of three college students in Idaho (this is based on the true story in 2022 so some may find this sensitive) The book reads like non fiction and I was so intrigued and really puts a magnifying glass on how these true crime obsessed amateur detectives really can solve cases the police can’t.

Many thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for my gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review

4.5 stars
This book was influenced by real-life events that I didn't know too much about being from the UK, so I am basing my review on the contents of the book alone. Please be aware of this before going into it, as this could be triggering content.

This Book Will Bury Me is a gripping and tense story that I could not put down. Following armchair detectives, it was really interesting to see how far some Internet sleuths will go, especially when it comes to true crime.

The characters in this story are complex and flawed in their own way. Jane, whose story we are reading, is struggling with grief when she finds herself falling down the rabbit hole of true crime forums. She takes risks, some of which are incredibly risky and dangerous, which leads to a very tense but addictive reading experience. I also liked the discussion in this one about how powerful but also dangerous true crime sleuths can be when it comes to the actual investigation.

This was my first every Ashley Winstead, but I can assure you it will not be my last. This book was a compelling and engaging read that I recommend. However, I can see how triggering this book could be, especially for those who are more knowledgeable of the real-life case.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a massive fan of Ashley Winstead, so I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this book. And boy, did she not disappoint! This is definitely a bit different compared to Winstead's other books, featuring a good old (and dark) mystery and a real deep dive into the world of online true crime forums and ragtag amateur detectives, but with a real emotional through line that tugs at your heartstrings. The story is told from the perspective of a young college student, Janeway (I really love this name), after the tragic loss of her father, whom she was particularly attached to, and the way she immerses her grief in this new world she finds, the new friends she finds, and the mysteries that come closer and closer to home. I thought Winstead dealt with the way grief manifests in peoples' lives in such a nuance and understanding way, especially around the coping mechanisms they develop, unhealthy or healthy. The book doesn't shy away from real people or their emotions or frankly, their obsessiveness, and is packed with plenty of really intriguing twists that made it really difficult to put down!

This is an intense, dark and unique novel which makes for addictive reading. Ashley Winstead takes us into the world of online true crime groups, where armchair detectives, who love to solve puzzles, hunt for clues and information on current crimes, sometimes to the point of obsession, often causing more hindrance than help to the police.

The narrator, college student Janeway (Jane) Sharp, becomes distraught and totally paralysed with grief when her father dies suddenly, so returns home to her mother. Jane has always loved true crime, so when she reads about the dismembered body of a woman found in a bag in a lake not far from her home, she can’t help wanting to find out more about the crime.

Coming across an online group of four armchair detectives renowned for solving crimes, Jane starts to follow their discussion and after assisting in solving the case, she is invited to join the group. Then when the news breaks of the murder of three college students in Idaho, the group become intensely involved in discussing the case and following clues to find the killed and Jane finds herself immersed in a close-knit community of people who accept her, and instil her with a sense of purpose.

The group of five are an eclectic bunch with an interesting dynamic due to a wide range of ages and experience. While their success as a group makes them respected, they are also a target for jealousy and rivalry by other online groups ready to deride any mistakes.

Based on the 2022 real life murders of a group of University of Idaho students in eerily similar circumstances, this novel has attracted some controversy, particularly as it is the man accused of their deaths will not stand trial until late 2025. The author’s note is worth reading as she explains why she chose to base this novel on these horrific murders.

I found this tale of grief, loss, obsession a twisty, gripping slow burn, always changing direction with enticing cliff hangers left at the end of chapters. It did slow somewhat in the middle, especially when Jane is mulling over the overwhelming pain she feels at loss of her father, but the ending has a shocking twist that more than compensates. Readers of crime, especially true crime, will enjoy this portrayal of online groups with their bizarre theories and the discussion of whether they sometimes go too far in getting involved in the search for answers.

This was one of my highly anticipated reads of the year and I really loved it. A fictional true crime tell-all style narrative, This Book will bury me follows Jane, an amateur sleuth pulled into a high profile murder investigation, all the while making peace with the death of her father from a sudden heart attack.

This book was awesome from start to finish. The author has based the book off The Idaho murders of 2022 which made me go down the Google rabbit hole and I felt some events closely resemble those of the actual case. However, I suggest reading the author's note at the beginning as she explains the why and how she used these real and horrific events as part of this book and it will make a lot of sense.

I enjoyed the short chapters that ended in cliffhangers and created a slow sense of foreboding. I particularly liked how Jane became a part of the online sleuthing group to cope with the grief of losing her father and the other characters became the support group she needed. While I had an idea of the big twist I couldn't figure out the motivation behind it.

It is a thought-provoking read about how armchair detectives can be helpful in carrying out an investigation but can also cause terrible damage.
Ashley highlights the growing fascination with true crime and people's obsession with actually inserting themselves into the investigation.

It is dark, it is gritty and it is a page turner as there are more murders and more crazier twists. Smart, sophisticated and utterly bingeable this is a perfect book for true crime lovers.

Thank you @headofzeus @ashleywinsteadbooks and @netgalley for a digital ARC to read and review.

It's hard to gather my thoughts on this. For almost half of the book, I was solidly sucked in, despite not being sure how I felt about the writing style. And while I enjoyed the injection of the true crime threads/conversations to move along the story, the main character's point of view felt very different for the author. It was much cheesier.

The last 40% was a quick unraveling, for me. It pains me to say that, but the last part didn't hold up and I found myself less glued to the narrative.

I think Winstead knows how to tell a story! Despite what I just mentioned, I stayed up late to finish this because I (and apparently I'm the minority) did not guess who did it until the "reveal". So, again, I struggle to find where I land, here. This is definitely a bingeable story, and I will still pick up whatever the author writes next, but it wasn't my favorite of hers.

And, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the real life case this was based on is a still open case, which is an odd choice. Much more could have been fabricated.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book!

This Book Will Bury Me is a clever and gripping thriller. The author skillfully avoids glamorizing serial killers, instead offering a fresh and timely perspective that feels very relevant. This modern take breathes new life into a genre that can sometimes feel too mainstream and predictable.

While not every twist and turn was a complete surprise, there were enough unexpected moments to keep me engaged. The characters are well-developed, the plot is strong, and the pacing is perfect, making it hard to put down. Overall, This Book Will Bury Me is a smart thriller read.

Started so strong. The setup was heart-wrenching, and I felt the grief of the MC so acutely. It made sense she turned to this grim obsession to make sense of it all. We're introduced to a very vivid and distinct group of sleuths, all matching an interesting archetype. We're intrigued by this book written as a response to a salacious tell-all shared by She who shall not be named. The writing and atmosphere were strong, with a very interesting look at the true crime community.

Brilliant set up, and I couldn't put down the book for the first 70%. However.... I guessed the twist about halfway in. Which at first was fine. I liked seeing the clues being dropped supporting my theory, made me feel well smart. But even that got old at some point. The author could've put a bit more work into throwing in some kind of red herring or making it less obvious who the bad guy was. It just got a bit frustrating where I wanted the book to acknowledge the obvious. (I will say there are narrative reasons for the characters not to see it, but still).

For that reason, the book felt like it overstayed its welcome a bit. It went from something I couldn't put down and snuck in a couple of pages with any time I had an occasion, to something I could easily put down at the climax cause I was tired. And I think it would just be small tweaks that could make it perfect.

Ashley Winstead remains my favourite thriller author, but this one won't top her own chart for me.

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for the ARC.

This Book Will Bury Me is an utterly compelling and chilling thriller that immerses readers in the dark world of amateur sleuths and true crime obsession.

The novel follows Jane Sharp, a college student who, after her father’s sudden death, finds solace in online true crime communities. There, she connects with a group of armchair detectives, and together, they become entangled in investigating the infamous Delphine Massacres.

Winstead masterfully crafts a narrative that feels like a true crime memoir, with Jane recounting the events that unfold as their investigation deepens. The use of online chat excerpts and forum discussions adds a layer of authenticity, that had me fully immersed in the whole sleuthing experience.

The novel skillfully explores themes of grief, obsession, and the ethical boundaries of amateur investigations. Jane is both relatable and complex, making her journey as gripping as it is thought-provoking. The plot is intricately woven, packed with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

However, it’s worth noting that the fictional crime bears striking similarities to real-life events, which some readers may find unsettling.

Overall, This Book Will Bury Me is a gripping, thought-provoking thriller that will resonate with true crime enthusiasts and mystery fans alike. Winstead expertly blends fiction with the realities of online crime-solving communities, crafting a novel that is as entertaining as it is unsettlingly reflective of society’s obsession with true crime.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this - all opinions are my own.

This Book Will Bury Me
Ashley Winstead

“I’ve come to think fate is a trap we set for ourselves.”

This is a compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

“Most people like to pretend the world is a happy place and people are inherently good. But those of us who are awake understand it’s a hellscape. We crawl the dark underbelly of human life looking for glimpses of the truth, rare visions of the monsters we all are under our masks, driven by compulsions to hurt and destroy that burn like secret bonfires in our hearts.”

I loved the ethical questions of where is the line and how far is too far in crossing it that apply to crime sleuths.

“The path you’re racing down is dangerous. Ruinous, even, if you don’t know how to stop and catch your breath. It’s a long, dark night out there. Horrors around every turn. Protect yourself.”

I really got into this one and the twists and clues and was kinda hoping for a second book at one stage.

“But I suspect I was born to fall into rabbit holes.”

All in all, I definitely enjoyed this. Recommend giving it a try.

“To the true crime community: we need your help. Please use everything in your considerable arsenal to find our daughter’s killer. He’s out there, free to hunt and kill more people. We don’t have anyone else to turn to. You’re our last, best hope.”

This Book Will Bury Me is out now on kindle or released 5th August in trade paperback in Australia.

“Dead Girl Gold Rush”.