This Book Will Bury Me

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.

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 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

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.

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

"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.

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.

What an absolute page turner! Has to be on my top reads and thrillers for this year. Ashley Winstead is my auto buy author for a reason and this one proves why. Once again. I could not put this down as the book gripped me until the last word. It is a seriously addictive thriller and a must read according to me. Since it presents and narrates the sub genre in a way that is gripping and yet different. It makes you feel for both the characters and the victims while presenting them in a different style.

I love the way the characters and supporting characters are created and built up. The narration style is brilliant and different from the others in this genre of thrillers. It makes you feel and has themes of pain, loss, grief, society and several others which I shall skip to avoid giving any spoilers. It is a thriller yet quite human as it tries to bring several themes into the story and yet as a reader it all came together for me, holding my interest until the end. I also liked how the recent online phenomenon of online sleuths, reddits and social media is used here. Especially the crime influencers on the latter.

Loved the twists and I could feel the thrill and tense atmosphere. The scare was jumping out at times which I loved about this. I also loved how some of the little things tied up and that's always a treat as a reader. Absolutely recommend. A 5 star read for sure!

Thank you Aria & Aries and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

This book gave me goosebumps. It felt so original and had me gripped throughout. You go into the dark depths of an online crime busting group that was exciting to read. It kept me guessing right until the end!

I'm not familiar with social media platforms and the whole setting and characters of this story is overwhelmingly light and young. Despite that it is a fun and enjoyable read. Jane Sharp is one of these characters who struggles to fit in, and her involvement with real life crime networks and online forums after a personal tragedy pushes her into the stereotypical "misfit" pigeon hole. Along with fellow misfits, they seeks to sleuth their way to answers when three college students are cut down. It is a shocking revelation that students with their heads down scrolling don't make good witnesses, and it is a sign of our times, sadly, that the real world takes a back seat. This is a great fun read, with lots of tension and twists.

It all starts on 31st of August 2023 at a 90s throwback party for students at the University of Central Florida in Orlando – perhaps this is the last time that our narrator Janeway (hello, Star Trek) Sharp is truly innocent. She receives a call from her mother with the news that her father has had a heart attack. Jane rushes to the hospital to receive the worst news, her life would not be the same again as her father means everything to her and she unravels. To distract herself from her grief she starts going down the rabbit hole of true crime forums, sparked by a gruesome discovery of a body in a bin bag discovered in a Floridian lake. She becomes involved with the RealCrimeNetwork, acquiring the handle of Searcher, along with other members Goku, Mistress, Citizen, and Lightly. This group becomes central to an investigation into a mass killing of female students at the University in Delphine, Idaho. Each member has a different reason for their true crime passion but for Jane it becomes her eulogy to her father. The million dollar question is what direction will the eulogy take?

This is an intense slow burner of a read with a complex, constantly changing, well thought out plot which despite the books length keeps me riveted throughout, indeed, cliffhanger endings have me on tenterhooks. It’s suspenseful, brimful of tension and has so many twists and turns that you might be in danger of whiplash. There’s high risk, plenty of shocks, navigating the truth from lies or misdirection and bravely stepping up despite the dangers of what you might encounter and so at times it’s quite an adrenaline rush.

One of the things I enjoy most is the tone the author strikes in this very well written novel. There are a different shades of dark and some light, night and day with the mood often on the greyer end of the spectrum. There’s the occasional injection of humour but as the crimes investigated are of a violent nature clearly the pitch is dark. I enjoy how things are in constant flux with all the plot directions beginning to connect.

The storytelling has multiple layers to it, central is the puzzle of Jane herself and how to categorise her, what her grief leads her to but also the value of the group to her personally. All of them are obsessed and that leads to flaws in the murder investigation alongside several major breakthroughs. There are many questions to be asked about the true crime networks. How far is too far in the quest of the truth? Who are the villains of the piece? How culpable are they when things get out of hand? I find this a fascinating aspect of the plot and the rivalry between the different true crime groups is an intriguing element too. This feels very current and fresh as there is most certainly terrific interest in true crime.

As it builds to a cracking ending there are a number of scenes that are very moving. Overall I find this a compelling read from the tantalising start to the very end. It’s completely engaging, it’s very powerful in places with aspects that will resonate, especially if you have lost someone that you love. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Head of Zeus/Aria and Aries for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I've never read anything by this author, but I will in future. It is gory, suspenseful, chilling, and I was hooked from the very start. I am so glad to have read this book, it will stay with me for a long time.

... Off to find more Winstead books now...

<i> This Book Will Bury Me</i> tells the story of a girl, Janeway Sharp, who has a hard time dealing with her father's sudden death, so she buries herself in true crime.

The book mostly focuses on a serial killer who kills several college students in a quiet university town, a murder so gruesome it sends the entire country into a frenzy. Several details about the murders take inspiration from reality, as Ashley Winstead notes in her Author's Note. There are many similarities between the Idaho murders and the ones from the book, which take place in Delphine, Idaho.

However, the book is so much more than that. There are many twists and turns I didn't see coming, and, although it was longer than I would've liked (there were many details that could've been edited out like longer conversations between the sleuths on the website, the ongoing references to the book about her which only makes sense later on, and Jane's search to find more about her father, and the eyerolling fatphobia), but overall, I was hooked.

The killer in the book is different from the one in the real case, and there are many other details that she drew from her own life and other popular cases. I loved the book, I just wish it was a bit shorter, as a more fast-paced tone would've fit the book better. The main character was mostly likable, and the side characters were fully fleshed out and likable.

I enjoyed this book. Light fun reading. The story moved at a great pace and even though a bit predictable, very enjoyable and I can't wait to read more from this author

Wow I couldn't put this book down! Totally compelling and obsessive, I loved this modern take on the serial killer trope. Perfect for those of us chronically online, but still accessible to the general reader! Really enjoyed the plot and characters. Will read more of her books for sure.