Ashley winstead knows how to carve out a story and draw you in!
This book will bury me was a wild ride! I had no idea where things were heading and was pleasantly surprised by the ending!
Five amateur internet sleuths hunt for an elusive killer turns
Jane Sharp is grieving the loss of her father, and finds an Internet forum dedicated to solving murders, to distract her from the grief she makes friends with an interesting group of sleuths. As they work the case clues lead them to the scene of the crime, can Jane uncover the true story and set the record straight?


This was such an interesting story! Especially as it’s written as a tell all to set the story straight about what happened. I really enjoyed Janes character and you could feel her grief through the pages. This was a very captivating read and I cannot wait to read more by Ashley Winstead!! Thanks to netgalley and Aria&Aries for the arc

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.

<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

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...

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'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.

Like a lot of other people here, I am torn. I didn't know until just before reading it that the author has used a current real-life case, dubbed 'the Idaho 4'. A case which still has a trial next year.

Putting that aside for a moment, I think this is a three-star solid crime thriller about how we view dead women and our fascination with true crime (either via playing amateur detective or podcasts). Unfortunately the supposed twist was pretty predictable early on, and, at times, I found the pacing of this book slow-going. I think the strengths of this book was the found family Jane falls into and how she realises her grief for her father fed into her desire for answers.

So why 1 star?

My issue is that, for a book that is making statements about violence against women being entertainment, it contributes to trivialising the death of three young women (and one man) by using real details from the Idaho 4 case. These details easily could've been changed (for starters, why not change Idaho to Oregon and some of the key details about the victims whereabouts?). Given the trial hasn't started, surely this is also plain irresponsible, even if the book changed the outcome?

For the lack of due diligence, I have to give this 1 star.

Thanks to Aria & Aries/Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Aria & Aries/Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the ARC.

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!

Objectively, this isn't a badly written novel, and having read In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, I didn't expect anything less.

I found the commentary on the consumerization of true crime thought-provoking, and timely as it has become a form of media people have gravitated towards. And to some, it has become a form of entertainment - something that does not sit right with me, as real-life violent crime should never be looked at as entertaining.

So, when I saw that the novel would be diving into this, I was eager to read a discussion about this topic. Yet, whatever valid points were made were nullified by the events the novel was clearly inspired by: the 2022 University of Idaho killings, a brutal and thoughtless murder of four young individuals. However, I use the term "inspired" loosely. The book takes this case and copies it. Of course, things have been added or changed to a degree, but the core case does not vary enough from reality, making this particularly distasteful. Especially because the families of the victims have yet to receive any justice, as the long-awaited trial against the man accused of the crime will only begin in August 2025.

So, the novel criticises true crime fanatics - which to a degree is completely valid - while simultaneously monetising a tragedy, which doesn't go hand in hand and defeats the commentary the novel wanted to provide.

I wanted to like this, and there is analysis here that could have been brilliant but the way it was approached was completely off-putting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.

The unexpected death of Jane's father pushes her to become obsessed with true crime forums where amateur sleuths work together to take a punt at solving unsolved crimes, with varied success. There's a breaking story of three college girls, murdered in their own home and five wannabe-detectives desperate for answers.

As someone who can't watch crime based shows with others because I can guess the entire plot halfway through, this was one that I couldn't completely guess which is a novelty. I did really enjoy this but even as someone who is not American, this was a direct comparison to the Idaho Four which did leave a bit of a sour taste in the mouth. Had it been more fiction than fact, I'd have rated it higher which is really disappointing because this was a compelling, well-written book.

That being said, if this was marketed more as a commentary on serial killer obsessions and the difference in cases when pretty, white girls get murdered in comparison to pretty much anyone else, I think it wouldn't have felt so heavy reading it. I loved In My Dreams, I Hold a Knife so maybe I just had high expectations. I know Winstead can write, she wrote well in this, but I just wish it were more fiction.

Thank you to Zeus and Netgalley for granting me access to this ARC!

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.