I questioned whether to give feedback for this one but i’m going to - I really don’t feel comfortable that this book is so clearly based on a recent case that is still ongoing where the families still don’t have justice. There’s so many details that match the exact case which I think is just lazy writing, this book concept could’ve worked with a fictional case so i’m not sure why Winstead felt the need to use a real case that is still very much ongoing and raw - it feels very disrespectful to the victims and their families. Had I known this from the outset I wouldn’t have requested it.

The writing is good but by reading this I've discovered I don't enjoy books about the armchair detective community as i found the message exchanges very cringe and dull. I had to try hard not to skip them. I agree with the other reviewers that using the Idaho 4 true crime case leaves a bad taste in one's mouth, especially as that case isn't resolved yet. It actually made me feel depressed while reading as I kept seeing those poor victims in my mind, which was distracting. This book reminds me of the problem I have with the true crime community itself; it feels very murder-for-profit. It would have been better to keep it fictional. However, I'm scoring the writing and cover etc, so 3.5 rounded up.

This Book Will Bury Me stands out as a deeply emotional and thought-provoking thriller. Winstead’s narrative masterfully explores how we process trauma and the ways our obsessions can either save us or lead us down darker paths. The shocking twist leaves you completely breathless, showcasing Winstead’s remarkable storytelling prowess. She effortlessly blends suspense with a heartfelt exploration of what it means to confront our fears and seek the truth. Perfect for fans of intricate mysteries and those who appreciate a deeper exploration of the human experience, this book is a must-read that will undoubtedly keep you on the edge of your seat.

"All those people who go there to gawk. It's like the worst thing that ever happened to us is their entertainment."

And when I say this is Ashley Winstead's best book yet? What then?

5+ stars from me for Ashley Winstead's "This Book Will Bury Me". Thank you to Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus, and NetGalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've been thinking a lot about the Menendez brothers these days, as are most people. I've also been thinking a lot about Jeffrey Dahmer, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Jodi Arias, and Ted Bundy. And Ryan Murphy's fat, bald head. I've been thinking a whole lot about Eliza Clark's Penance, true crime podcasts, Columbine, gun control, male psychosexual predation, and our generation's fixation on the extremes of crime in white, developed countries. Ashley Winstead's latest release tackles all of these things I've been thinking a lot about, in terms of how we look at (white) crime. I'd even go so far as to say "This Book Will Bury Me" is a contemporary metafictional novel before it is a conventional thriller.

The novel, in the form of a juicy tell-us, is about Janeway Sharp who, after the unexpected loss of her father, becomes engrossed in the world of true crime and becomes an amateur online crime-solving sleuth. Jane joins a clique of five eclectic, Signal-using individuals across America who put their skills together to catch gruesome killers using true crime Internet forums. Her world gets turned upside down with a horrible campus killing in Idaho takes the nation by storm and Jane and her crew fight to be the first to solve who's the killer. I will say that I'm quite proud of the fact that I, here in the Caribbean, figured out a bad guy by relying solely on my attention to American geography.

This new book by Winstead tackles our fetishization of serial killers and their victims and it parodies true crime culture in its various culty forms and virtual manifestations. This novel is also rather woke (I mean that in a good way) in that it devotes a lot of necessary attention to pointing out society's obsession with white serial killers, pretty white female victims, and crimes among the wealthy and privileged. As someone who thinks a whole lot about how the world is changing because of Internet use and social media, and how online spaces affect the way the postmodern hivemind interacts with crime in a detached, parasocial manner, I couldn't get enough of this book. I tore through all 500 pages in the middle of school and work and I was sad when it was over.

Like Janeway, society's relationship to the gruesome via the Internet is cannonballing out of our control. Crime and death are the zeitgeist, and this obsession follows us into our homes, occupying our screens near-incessantly. We have the paradoxical privilege of being constantly connected to and emotionally detached from criminal morbidity, to the point of making mainstream a very uncomfortable subculture. If the promise of a super meta serial killer whodunnit isn't enough to make you read "This Book With Bury Me", then maybe Winstead's commentary on these topics will.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Compulsive…
Compelling, compulsive and pacy murder mystery interwoven with a moving account of personal grief whilst shining a spotlight on the nature of true crime consumerism. The tale is brutal and well written, wholly disturbing, and characters so well drawn that they are wholly credible. It is, in fact, impossible to put to put down until the final page has turned. An edge of seat, one sit read.
It is abundantly clear, perhaps too much so, that this piece of fiction is based around a current, active and ongoing murder case. Facts of this case, minutiae even, are evident throughout the text and are clearly identifiable. Therefore, for the purposes of this review and rating, the ethics and morality of such a decision are not being examined.

Just no.

Blatant exploitation of an ongoing actual case. This isn't "ripped from the headlines" fiction this isn't "social commentary" this is just wrong on a million and one levels.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about look up the Idaho 4 then if you still think this is ok, well that's on you. Also it's set in a town called Delphine. Good lord seriously. I can't even...

I enjoyed Ashley Winstead's debut thriller In My Dreams I Hold A Knife, which falls squarely into a sub-sub-genre of books I have named Something Bad Happened While I Was At College, Now It's Coming Back To Bite Me, but with reservations; I found the back-and-forth chronological structure too choppy and scattergun, and the secondary cast underdeveloped. In this context, This Book Will Bury Me is a big improvement. Winstead's novels tend to star women with difficult relationships with their fathers, but this one draws more closely on her own experience of losing a deeply loving and loved dad. The protagonist, Janeway, is known as Jane but respects her name's connection to Star Trek, one of her dad's big passions, especially after he dies in her senior year of college. Devastated, Jane drops out and comes back home, where she starts trying to find out all the things she didn't know about her dad in the hope of understanding why he refused to go on medication that could have saved his life. As she searches, however, she ends up getting involved in a true crime forum, and her closest friends become a group of amateur sleuths. When three college girls are murdered in Idaho and nobody can work out who killed them, Jane's hobby becomes an obsession.

This book is absolutely compulsive reading. I loved the straightforward structure and the way Winstead explored how Jane's grief over her dad drove her actions. The backstory here is beautifully woven into the story in a way that doesn't distract from the main plot - even a seeming digression onto a Star Trek forum! I agree with other reviewers that some aspects of the investigation were unbelievable and the final twist is easy to guess. But I don't tend to read for a big 'twist at the end', and with this one, I actually thought it made sense that the readers figure it out before Jane, as it really builds the tension as we realise how much danger she and her fellow sleuths are in. My rating reflects my enjoyment of the novel; however, as I'm British, I wasn't aware of the 2022 Idaho murders until I'd finished the book and, having checked out the details, I agree with other reviewers that it's deeply uncomfortable that Winstead draws so heavily here from what is still a live and very recent case. I've no idea why she does this, as it would have had no impact on the novel if she had simply made up a slightly different set of events. I'll be interested to see how this is addressed nearer the publication date.

After the death of her father Jane joins an online group of amateur detectives and is quite good at solving crimes.

When three girls have been killed Jane makes it her task to solve the murders.

What an unusual and modern read this was. I really enjoyed the plot and liked Jane and the pressures she put on herself.

There are a few twists and a lot of drama. I really enjoyed it

This was very good. I enjoyed it a lot as it is possibly my favorite one of her books. Highly recommend this title, thanks to the publisher for my copy.

After the unexpected death of her father, Jane becomes obsessed by true crime and drops out of college. She joins an online chat group and together, the amatuer sleuths chip away at unsolved cases together, with some success.

Then there is news of the deaths of three college girls. But the case is a strange one, puzzling the police and the sleuths. They are missing something crucial and as they work their way towards it, it is clear they may be in danger.

While I had some clue as to where this one was headed, I did not guess the precise details and this novel had me flying through it to find the answers.
It also addressed what I imagine to be many issues involved in true crime groups and the court of public opinion (without evidence), which was really interesting.
The author has become an auto-read author for me and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this gifted review copy.