I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’ve loved all of Ashley’s previous books but some things with this just didn’t sit right with me.

Written in the style of a memoir, this is a non-fiction fiction story about Janeway who is dealing with the loss of her father and who gets caught up in the world of online true crime sleuths determined to solve the latest murders first.

Though the authors note does explain that the story is inspired by and largely based on real events, it just hit too close to home with how close she kept the names and the places etc of the Idaho murders.
Whilst I understand a lot of books have been based on real events, it felt in bad taste to make the names of the victims very similar to those in real life, and to keep the location the same.
Especially when this is still an ongoing investigation. I can’t help but think of the victims families and how they would react to seeing this..

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to NetGalley and Ashley Winstead for this ARC!

I was a bit let down by this one. I love a strong narrative voice and this one definitely pulled me in quickly but honestly the book started to feel a bit fetishising of true crime by the end. Especially when the author is writing so closely to real life cases it feels like something that caused actual genuine suffering is being used as creative fodder for a lukewarm book. Wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read but it lost its potential for sure.

Gripping and engaging, I struggled to put this book down and couldn't concentrate on any of the other books I was meant to be reading. Jane is a wonderfully flawed character and I enjoyed the different people we met in this book. Struggling with grief is hard and watching her become obsessed in her journey to cope was fascinating, and as it was inadvisable. The commentary on how the internet sees what it wants to see and flips at the drop of a dime was also well done, and I also enjoyed how Jane addressed why she published the book in her eyes.

All in all, I will be reading from this author again.

This Book Will Bury Me
Ashley Winstead
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

UK release date: 27th March 2025

SYNOPSIS:
After the unexpected death of her father, Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime and solving open murder cases. In the morbid internet forum underground, she befriends 4 online amateur sleuths and finds friendship, a purpose and even a taste of glory. So when the shocking death of 3 college girls shake the world, the group descend on Delphine to solve a crime that might just be a lot more than they expected. One year after the events that left the world reeling, Jane is ready to tell her truth and the events that really unfurled around the murders.

THOUGHTS:
Ashley Winstead always writes about real world controversial topics and This Book Will Bury Me is no different. It centres around true crime and the obsession the world has with true crime and serial killers. I will preface this with saying I'm not a true crime girlie and I really don't understand the fascination with it, but each to their own.

I really enjoyed This Book Will Bury Me and I'm just obsessed with Ashley's writing, I will read everything she writes (and so far I have!) I liked all 5 of the characters within their group and the dynamics between them all.

I will say I did she the twist coming, however I feel like she lays it out there very clearly for you to see, so it's probably something she wants you to pick up on? And I did find a little slow towards the end before it picked back up.

Having looked at some reviews, it looks like there is a bit of controversy around the murders in the book a quite similar to the murders of Idaho college students. I would suggest reading Ashley's foreword before diving into the book, if you are going to pick it up.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to @netgalley @headofzeus & the author for an e-arc.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is getting some flack given it's partially based on real-life murders and some readers feel Winstead is profiting from real-life tragedy. Winstead includes a preface noting [its inspiration] but assures readers it's not non-fiction. Which is good as I don't read non-fiction. It does however, she explains, reference actual murders and I was reminded of Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll which included reference to Ted Bundy's final murders. Here our narrator is Janeway (Jane) whose father dies of a heart attack while she's at college. They were close so Jane tries to find a reason for his death, becoming part of The Real Crime Network, before splintering off to join a small eclectic group who garner media attention when they help break a case.

This is a cleverly written narrative within a narrative. Kinda. Jane is our narrator, but she's also referencing other accounts (media and books) recounting the same events... some of which vary from her telling. It felt very real as it's written in second person so I initially DID (briefly) wonder if there was a book out there criticising Jane and her fellow amateur sleuths.

I very much appreciated the way Winstead uses Jane's father's death as a motivating factor for her to seek answers

'If, like you've claimed, you want to find the causal roots of what unfolded—the first domino that set the rest in motion—it was this: my father's death and my desperation to do something about it.' (3%)

I also liked that she circles back to that at the end, Jane better understanding her father's life, decisions he made and the role fate plays.

Winstead offers up good character development here, particularly given our characters are just online voices for much of the novel. Jane is somewhat naïve but also fragile and likeable and I felt the need to protect or defend her against her unseen (but often-referenced) critics.

The arc that the group travel here is an interesting one. From heroes to villains to heroes and back again. I appreciated that Winstead is measured in her portrayal of them and fellow true-crime buffs and podcasters. We see the good, bad and the ugly, including the benefits of the 'hive mind' - something the internet and social media has made easier.

'We were using the supercharged method of a hive mind to search and analyze and consider meaning, which allowed us to be in many places at once, think many thoughts at warp speed. To this day, I still believe it's a paradigm shift.' (32%)

In her narration Jane knows she's walking a fine line as she and the other group members become involved in a second series of murders with Jane discovering evidence that links the crime to one a dozen years earlier.

'So I spiraled by sinking deeper and deeper into the screen, forgetting about life outside it, convinced I was chasing seven women, a killer, and my missing dad across the universe.' (52%)

I loved Winstead's writing, and the plot's twisty and quite shocking, but I think the highlight of this book is the way it's told - placing we readers front and centre... embroiling us in the case and in Jane's story. It also reminds us that we deal with grief in different ways. As Jane puts it:

'... the person I was closest to, who'd loved me the deepest, had died, suddenly and unexpectedly, and nothing would ever be the same.' (2%)

NB. I read an electronic copy of this book on kindle so quotes reflect my progress through the book rather than page numbers.

4.5 stars

I had read only one book by Ashley Winstead before, which was just okay for me, but I'm so glad I requested her latest release because I loved it from start to finish.

The book is written as a memoir by Jane Sharp, a young woman who after the sudden death of her father becomes obsessed with true crime, and finds herself entangled in a very infamous case. Since her reputation has been slandered after the case, she decides to write her own version of what happened.

From the beginning I was drawn into the story because of this type of narration. There are footnotes, which work really well, and Jane often addresses the reader, explaining her actions. I always felt sympathetic towards her, mainly because of the representation of her grief over her father's sudden passing. It was very emotional and well written, and it added another layer to the story.

Apart from Jane, I also really liked the other characters, who become a sort of family for her. They are very different people, all drawn to true crime because of different reasons, and I really enjoyed the relationships between them. 

The mystery in itself was quite predictable. It was easy to understand what was going on, especially if you've read many mysteries. Still, the plot was always fast-paced and absolutely engaging, and the suspense was really well done. I never wanted to put the book down, and I was always anxious to see how everything would turn out. Another interesting aspect of the story was the representation of true crime sleuths, and the discussions about how true crime and social media are changing the way crimes are investigated today. I found it all very thought-provoking.

This is definitely a different read. Unique, disturbing, entertaining and full of suspense
I am not sure I liked any of the characters, I found Jane to be rather irritating. Her dad has died u expectedly and she becomes fixated with true crime, she makes friends with a group of sleuths online, they are all a little dysfunctional. Her days become filled with purpose, a distraction from her grief.
When a mass killing occurs at the campus of a small university in Idaho Jane and her sleuth friends become involved, can they find the serial killer.
The story does drag on a little in the middle, definitely a slow burner, there is a big twist as the book comes to an end and the killer is revealed.
Written in a quirky style which helps keep the pages turning.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Aria & Aries Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
My first book by this author and I look forward to reading more.

I totally binged this!! It felt like listening to a true crime podcast or a fast-paced documentary!
I loved the way we were being both told the story through Jane’s book while also talking about her story after the fact and all the little extra tidbits in the footnotes.

It was so fast paced and action packed, which I found surprising given a large quantity of the story is told from Jane’s bedroom. The characters all felt so real to me; I want a hug from Lightly so bad!!

The way the story grapples with the good, bad and grey areas of true crime is a very fun theme, constantly adding a different layer to the events as they happened.
The handling of grief as almost another character itself was great too.

This definitely was heading towards a 4 star for me, but I didn’t love the ending so took an extra star off as it felt a little rushed and didn’t give me the closure for all the characters that I was hoping for after feeling so attached to them throughout the book.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book honestly surprised me. At the beginning I was very unsure of what I was getting into but as I kept going, I couldn't stop turning the pages.
I did have an inkling of part of what was going to happen towards the last third of the book but the way it all turned out still had me shocked. I haven't been gripped by a thriller like this since reading Freida McFadden although this was a little less crazy and a lot more realistic. I also loved the way Ashley dealt with the topic of grief and the way it can turn you into having a never ending amount of unanswered questions.
I'd definitely recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of true crime/crime podcasts and the like.

I’m always up for, and enjoy, an Ashley Winstead book and this was just as good as expected. This take on true crime and the power of the internet is a great read and still in keeping with Winstead’s writing style.

This has got to be one of my favourite reads of the year so far and for me it was an amazingly enjoyable read. I’m not one to rehash the overview as I rarely read them myself and prefer to go into a story not knowing what it’s all about and I find that works well for me in this book and oh boy it was one heck of a superb story that has me guessing throughout. It’s a slow burn of a beginning but soon I found myself totally immersed into the plot and I just couldn’t stop reading and when I had to I found myself thinking about the book so much and rushing to get back to the story.
I loved the characters they were all so believable and well crafted and all praise to the author for that and perhaps one day we may perhaps see some more from one or two of them I would love that.
So a fabulous read that I just can’t fault and if you love a good thriller then this is the book for you and a 5 star book for me although I think it deserves more than 5 I can give and many thanks to the author for a stunning read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Aria and Aries, Head of Zeus for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I was really enjoying this book until I realised it felt very familiar to the Idaho 4 case. So I went and looked it up, just to make sure, and it was not ony similar, the first murders are a near copy of the case... which I found a bit distasteful, especially considering the case isn't even closed it. A shame, because I actually enjoyed the idea behind the book.

I could not have been more hooked by this book. True crime, internet sleuths, a group of found friends who get together to investigate one of the biggest murders – it is fascinating, gripping, almost entirely unputdownable. I loved Jane, I loved her misfit group of sleuths, and the way the case unravelled with so many twists and turns.

I was incredibly moved – and deeply affected – by the heart of the book being about Jane's grief at losing her father, and the author note at the end. I picked this book because I was fascinated by true crime and internet sleuths, and I love Ashley Winstead's writing, and in a truly bizarre coincidence I started reading it only a couple of days before my own Dad died, and then reading it this week, in the days after his death, it has had a huge impact on me, much more than I ever imagined. The last chapters reflected such a strong light back on me – all the questions I have after my dad's death, that I know I will never be able to answer. There were a lot of tears.

Books, huh? They always seem to find you at the right time.

This one is truly brilliant. Gripping, human, tense and twisty, and also hugely emotional. The easiest five stars.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

At first I was going to rate this book 4.5 stars - I went in very blind and didn't know what to expect. I'd really enjoyed In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and the writing in This Book Will Bury Me really didn't let me down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in a day because I was so hooked.

However, I then looked at other reviews. And I was pretty shocked to see that the Delphine murders that become the main focus of the book have a LOT in common with a real life murder case at Idaho University just a few years ago - a case that has yet to go to trial.

A quick scan of other reviews will give you a full break down of all the similarities, not least of all the setting - a small university in Idaho - and the descriptions/names of the victims.

Considering I felt this book did a really good job of looking at the True Crime phenomenon and wondering how close is too close, and when does it become exploitative, the similarities to a real, recent case feel in very bad taste.

After thinking it over, I can only give the book 3 stars for writing quality.

A young woman joins an online crime-solving board and gets in over her head when investigating a series of murders. Designed to read like nonfiction, this is an entertaining and pacy thriller full of tension, which was fairly predictable but definitely fun to read.

This Book Will Bury Me is the latest thriller from Ashley Winstead and my first read from her, but definitely not my last. The story follows Jane Sharp, a young woman who, after the death of her father, becomes increasingly involved in a group chat filled with true crime enthusiasts and amateur detectives. When they stumble upon a couple of real-life crimes, they take it upon themselves to investigate and solve the cases.

What I loved most about this book is how gripping it was from start to finish. The main character is well-developed, the narrative is strong, and the central mystery is compelling. While the case itself might not be groundbreaking, the writing is excellent, and the pacing keeps you hooked, making it a worthwhile read.

The ending is somewhat open-ended, but it suits the novel well. Winstead has crafted a strong thriller, and after reading this, I definitely need to explore her backlist, her writing is simply captivating.

Thank you Aria & Aries / Head of Zeus & Ashley Winstead for this read.

Ashley is SO good at hooking me. At this time she's 100% an autobuy for me and this book was definitely not a let down!

I feel like this shone a light on the very real life of true crime fanatics and our behaviour when major crimes happen. While this addresses very real behaviour when it comes to true crime, it also weaves multiple murder cases in which us as the readers are hanging on each word, to find out who was responsible.

The way the book is written as a memoir was very clever. It allows us to understand Jane, see the raw emotions of hers from recent events as well as take us on a wild ride just like she is, as we journey to the big reveals.

This book was really exciting from start to finish with characters that you come to care about and feel like you are friends with, plenty of true crime action, suspense and of course shocking twists!

Loved it and if you are a true crime lover and wish to take almost a front seat on a wild journey / ride to solve multiple murders then you should pick this up!

Releases 25th March and this is one I will definitely be purchasing to add to my shelves!!

Firstly thank you net galley and head of Zeus for this early copy of “this book will bury me” as always the thoughts are my own and I will be very honest about how I feel about this book.

Ehrrmmm…

I have a lot of things to say about this book and unfortunately they’re not good… so let’s start with what I did like about this book
-characters
(I really liked the friend group for the first 50% of this book but after that only 2 remained in my mind as likeable)
-forums
(If thats the right word, I really enjoyed when the whole armchair detectives would talk about the cases)

And that’s it now for the things I really didn’t like

- coping the Idaho case
(If you get inspiration that’s fair but pretty much copy and paste in not a tasteful way then to add your own fictional murders on top of that just take away just to fit your character storylines in)

-Gabby Petito
(Before I started this book I just watch the documentary on the Petito case so it was very fresh in my mind so to just name drop gabby for whatever reason is very icky) i understand that it’s true crime so it fits but that’s very real and even though you’re coping a case (that hasn’t even when to court yet) but working it in a fictional way to name drop a very real victim in. Could have easily referenced the case without name dropping and everyone would have known what the case is.

Then just the reasons for the character to write her own book isn’t the right reasons when she was very much in the wrong. Her treating her dad’s death as a case when quite frankly i didn’t really care for. (I understand what she was doing though)

To start naming shows and movies is the most random thing ever? We pretty much got a full chapter about a Star Trek fanfic?? Like what then we move to twilight then buffy the vampire just very strange..

So I said I was going to be honest…

Unfortunately this book made me really uncomfortable. I knew going into it that it was inspired by the Idaho murders but there is a moral line between taking inspiration from a case and creating a fictional crime and just straight up copying several important facts about a case that is still very raw and ongoing and this book crossed that line. For that reason I can't recommend it and I'm so sad because I'm a huge fan of this authors previous work but this was not it for me.

This book was so real to me. I was invested from the start! Jane/Searcher had such a raw and complicated character arc, investing time both in the murders and her father's past.
This book was a really interesting look into the internet sleuth/ online true crime community. Things like this will always interest people, but the team in the book investigating in the way they do, with such composure had me re-evaluating their characters. I thought that this would be a look into the crime obsessed people who take things too far and remove the victims of their dignity. Of course, sometimes that was the case with this book, but the group had real intentions of solving the case.
It also took a look at the faults and failures of the police department. The contamination of evidence, the racism that occurs, preventing victims and families of victims justice by not taking the same quick action they would if it were a white person.
Such a complex take on crime investigations, and true crime communities, coming together but also clashing.
Of course, we need to talk about the outstanding plot, and character arc. This was my first read of anything by Ashley Winstead, but she has become a must read for me now. The pacing and the reveals and the energy this book held in its pages was something else. It reimagined the depth of with someone would go to to protect the ones they loved, to complete something they had become far too involved in to let go.
Jane was marvellous. From her finding the murder weapon in her very first case to the address she wrote in the very last chapter, she knew herself by the end. Knew in her bones the way she had impacted the lives of the people around her, and what her actions would mean. But she did it anyway, because what else was she supposed to do.
Citizen. Those Heathers references had me from the very first moment he called Jane Veronica. It was too much for me to look past it.