3.5 Stars. After her father's unexpected death, Jane Sharp finds solace in an online community focused around true crime. This group is entirely focused on SOLVING these crimes, and ethics and morals are not a problem for them. Jane goes deeper and deeper into these investigations and completely loses herself in the process. This is an interesting spin on a popular topic like true crime. Jane's character is VERY surface level and the "twist" wasn't very surprising. In all fairness, I like to go into books completely blind but if I had known this book was centered around true crime then I probably wouldn't have picked it up.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is a true-crime based novel.

"Jane is reeling from the death of her father. She turns to a true-crime forum and becomes immersed in the idea of helping. Her legwork on a prominent case gets her invited to join a long-standing group. Murders of several college students take them all to Idaho. Things don't add up and they believe they're searching for a killer that's smarter than any they've seen before. And it feels like they're walking into a trap."

This story is told from Jane's POV as if she's writing a book about what happened with her and the group as they worked to solve the crime. Jane even shares some things the lawyers tell her not to. This book is longer than Winstead's other books, but the pacing is very good.
Jane is a morally gray character (You expect that from Winstead) She's willing to do whatever it takes to find evidence - she lies...a lot.
There's a big twist at the end. You may guess what's coming but it's just a guess. Interesting ending.
Be sure to read Winstead's response to using a real-life case.

Leslie Howard is good with the voices on the audio but there were many times I had difficulty understanding her, especially when she spoke in a subdued voice. Most audiobook listeners I know are doing some other activity while they listen and I think you should take outside noise into consideration when setting voice levels - whispers are very difficult to hear.

Another good story from Winstead.

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead is a medium paced thriller that shows just how dangerous things can get when you obsess over them. Janeway (Jane) is reeling from the unexpected death of her father, when she learns of a local woman whos chopped up body pieces turn up in a lake not far from her house. From this point forward, her life is never the same. Jane dives into the all consuming world of true crime and quickly finds herself teaming up with an online group of other true crime fans to take matters into their own hands and solve one of the biggest true crime stories of the decade.

This book overs a very interesting look into the true crime groupies you can find anywhere online, including Reddit, and how obsessed some of these people can get over finding the truth. I will be honest, I did not like the main character, but I feel that is supposed to be how the story plays out. Her and her ragtag team of detectives constantly over step boundaries in order to pursue their own agenda and self assured-ness in order to feel some type of way about solving a case. I know some people were knocking this book for Winstead's use of the Idaho Murders and how similar her book is to the real life case. I actually enjoyed her portrayal of the case, and how people on the internet went nuts over it, and completely obsessed over it. I think she mixed in some elements from other famous cases into it as well, so it wasn't an exact rip from the headlines.

All in all, I thought this book really put into perception how viral cases can get now a days, due to the number of true fan fanatics, and outlets for sharing information, It shows what can happen when someone looking for an escape gets obsessed with an outlet to the point they cannot control themselves anymore and the dangers of true crime fanatics.

This book has been all over my socials and I knew I wanted to read it! Thanks to Netgally, I received an ARC audio copy. The narrator was fantastic and did really well keeping the reader intrigued. I have not read a fast paced thriller like this in a while, so it was a nice change.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I can understand why some found this book exploitative of the recent Idaho murder case of three college students, however, I found it an enjoyable work of fiction focusing more on internet sleuths than a true crime story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Tantor Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by Ashley Winstead, with the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Leslie Howard. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Janeway Sharp heads home to grieve with her mother. She becomes obsessed with true crime and soon becomes part of an online armchair detective group, finding purpose and friendship. When three college girls are killed in Idaho, Jane and her friends are determined to solve the crime.

Ashley Winstead has once again created a book that you’ll have a hard time putting down, especially if you are obsessed with true crime (and who isn’t?). This book, told in a story-in-a-story format, will pull you into the hunt for a serial killer. It will have you thinking about the online true crime obsessives – good or evil or somewhere in between? It’s also a story of grief and trying to come to terms with losing someone we love.

I love Ashley Winstead and will read anything she writes, so my expectations were already high going in. Needless to say, "This Book Will Bury Me" exceeded those. I did not see the ending coming - I had a couple other theories that were slowly peeled away - and I was thrilled by the surprise. Have already recommended to others!

I’ve been hit or miss with Ashley Winstead books, but This Book Will Bury Me is a home run. It’s twisty, idark, and unpredictable, must-haves for me in a thriller. There’s a character in TBWBM that I think everyone can identify with, which is why I predict it will be in beach bags everywhere this spring and summer. Even if true crime isn’t your thing, this peek behind the dark side of sleuthing is so entertaining!

Winstead has become one of my favorite authors when she writes thrillers, so I knew I had to read this one. I love her story telling and her twists and this did not disappoint. When you are fully headed in one direction, she pulls the rug out from under you. I love it!



This book has an underlying theme of loss and grief. I lost my dad seven years ago, and while it was not sudden like in Jane’s story, I can appreciate the grief she felt and her longing for distraction. However, while I know there needed to be a reason for her to get into the true crime forums, this part didn’t completely work for me. It just seemed forced and out of place with the rest of the story.



That said, I did love the true crime element along with the friendships formed. Found family is one of my favorite themes, and I really appreciated how this one was executed. It was also interesting how they went about solving the crimes – though maybe not 100% believable. My advice is just to go with it and enjoy the ride.



The most unsettling part about this one (thanks or my bookstgram friends that helped me put a word to it) is the similarity to the 2022 University of Idaho murders. I continue to have mixed feelings about it, but I would still recommend it with caution. True Crime lovers please read it and let me know what you think!



This one is out this week, March 25, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. If you haven’t read Winstead before, be sure to check her out!



Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review. The narration was very well done!

Okay, Ashley Winstead has done it again! I’m a huge fan of her work, and while this one wasn’t quite my favorite of hers, it *did not* disappoint!

This audiobook has all the good stuff: true crime, serial killers, suspense, and a gripping thriller that pulls you in from the start. After Jane suddenly loses her father, she takes up a new hobby to cope with her grief, and it leads her to an unlikely group of friends… and WAY more trouble than she ever expected. The character development? Top-notch, as always. Jane was such a complex and relatable character, and I loved the quirky, unique group of people she gets tangled up with—each one adding something special to the story.

Let’s talk about the narration: Leslie Howard absolutely nailed it. Her voice work was clear, and she expertly shifted between male and female characters, making each one feel distinct and real. The pacing was just right, keeping me hooked the entire time. You could feel the emotion in her voice, and she really brought the suspense to life.

It took me a little bit to really get pulled into the story, but once I did...... I was ALL IN. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, and there were definitely some emotional moments that tugged at my heartstrings.

Overall, I’d give this 4 stars! If you’re into crime thrillers with a solid emotional punch and fantastic narration, this one is definitely worth checking out! 🔍📖

Thank you to SourceBooks and Macmillan Audio for the digital copy to review.

I have loved all of Winstead’s books and this was no different. It is centered around Jane Sharp, who has suddenly lost her father and finds the best way to deal with her grief is to channel it into an obsession with true crime, and she finds she is pretty good at it, and then the Idaho murders occur, so she sets out to Delphine, Idaho with other fellow sleuths that she has befriended.

This is a story of loss, grief, and coping, more so than a ‘thriller’ per se, and I think that is why I was drawn to this. I really felt for Jane, for all that she was going through, and for trying to understand her feelings, which were big feelings, and how to handle someone you are so close to being there one day and tomorrow they are not. Grief affects people in vastly different ways, and Winstead does a great job at capturing this in here. I had both ebook and audio, and the audio was wonderful. I listened in one sitting, I could not stop. This Book Will Bury Me is out this week, and I hope it is on your list.

Jane’s father has died unexpectedly and to try and handle her grief she becomes engrossed in the amateur sleuth world online. Here, she meets people that are eager for her ideas in solving a murder that’s been in the news. After that murder is solved, the news is flooded with reports of 3 sorority girls deaths in Idaho. So Jane and her new friends travel to Idaho to discover who killed these girls and to hopefully stop this monster before he strikes again.

I love true crime so this was definitely up my alley! I thought the chat forums were very realistic as well as the different people coming together to try and solve these murders. I was slightly disappointed with the twist. I had a gut feeling as to where it was going about half way through. And then the ending did feel slightly unrealistic. It was gearing up to possibly be a cliff hanger so I thought there might be a sequel but then the author seemed to have forced the ending. Still did enjoy it and would rate this 3.5 ⭐️

Thabk you to Netgalley for allowing me to listen to this admission lol in exchange for an honest review!

Seemingly less 'inspired by' a true crime and more like a slight adjustment of real-life events. Approaching this as a piece of fiction, I was enjoying the exploration of the impact of citizen sleuths on criminal investigations. However, I found it too close to a current untried real case.

🪦 This Book Will Bury Me - Ashley Winstead

3.25 ⭐️ - Man, I wanted to like this more. I struggled with this - If you’ve done any research or following along on Bookstagram, you know this one is “based on” the Idaho University murders. While I say based on, I really mean, very closely mirrored.

I liked the blog/reddit vibe of the amateur sleuthing online. I liked the audiobook. I struggled to read this once I knew what it was about but the audiobook felt easier to digest. Like someone was telling me a story about the murders and not a fictionalized mirrored account. I love Winstead and her dark academia books but this is at the bottom for me. That case isn’t closed yet and the families don’t have closure, so it feels a bit icky to already have a factionalized tale about it. If you’re interested in Winstead books, let me recommend one of her others for you!

Thank you Netgalley, Tantor Audio, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the early ARC and audio copy! This one is out 3/25.

AH-MAZING five-star read and an incredible audiobook—I was hooked from the very first chapter!

Jane is grieving the sudden loss of her father and desperate to understand why he refused to take medication that could have saved his life. In her search for answers, she stumbles across the chilling case of a local woman found dismembered and is quickly drawn into an online true-crime group obsessed with the case. Adopting the name Searcher24, Jane finds comfort—and purpose—among this tight-knit crew of amateur sleuths who quickly become her second family. As her obsession with solving crimes grows, so does her confidence… and her curiosity.

But when Jane travels to the murder scene, everything changes. The stakes skyrocket, the danger feels very real, and Jane begins to wonder: Can she uncover the truth about her father’s death? Will her instincts help catch a killer—or put her directly in their path?

When (not if) you pick up this propulsive thriller, clear your calendar—you will not want to stop once you start. I'm a huge fan of audiobooks, and the narrator absolutely nailed it—bringing every character and suspense-filled moment to life. The tension practically jumped off the page!

I highly recommend reading or listening to this one with a buddy or your book club—I would have loved having someone to talk to about my questions, theories, and reactions!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Ashley Winstead, and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to read this ahead of its release on March 25, 2025. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While *This Book Will Bury Me* shares surface-level similarities with the Idaho murders, it quickly takes its own unique direction. Readers should go in with an open mind, as it veers away from the true details of the Idaho college murders. The banter between the group of characters adds a compelling dynamic, balancing the darker elements of the plot. Though the initial resemblance to real-life events made it a bit difficult to settle into, the novel ultimately stands on its own as an engaging and suspenseful read.

There is some controversy surrounding this book. I will touch on that in the review. I did finish the entire book because I was hooked and even when I tried reading something else, I wanted to finish this.

Jane feels unmoored after her father's death. In her grief, she ends up becoming obsessed with a local crime and joins a true crime forum. She ends up being instrumental in solving the case and this obsession blooms. In her forum, she becomes part of a group with a retired police detective, a retired librarian, a computer whiz (hacker), and a man in the Navy. After being highlighted by a national news program, they become famous and are made fun of a lot in the forum. When a horrific crime, the stabbing death of three sorority girls in Idaho breaks, the group decides to descend upon the college town to solve the crime. But what they bring maybe even worse.

Okay, the similarities between the case in the book and the real-life slaying in Idaho are uncomfortable, to say the least. The author could have easily changed more details and the location to make this less disconcerting for the reader. However, as the book goes on and another crime is committed, there are some major differences. Also, the role of the true-crime investigators in the happenings is the true subject of the book. I am taking a star because I found this crass.

Additionally, there are some parts of this that were incredibly predictable. Another star off for that.

If you can stomach the similarities to a murder case that still has not gone to trial, you may enjoy this book as there are differences.

The narrator was excellent and had great voices for the characters.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tantor Audio for the DLC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Tantor Audio for the gifted ALC, and thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark from the gifted ARC!

Guaranteed, Ashley Winstead will write one of the buzziest books of the year any year she puts out a book. I knew This Book Will Bury Me would captivate me to the point of obsession.

I wanted to savor this book. Reading Winstead is a unique experience for me, because I often start her books, and then restart them at a random point because I don’t want them to be over. I’ll do anything to prolong spending time with her words. The depth and layers of this story made that an even more enjoyable experience. Which is weird to say about a book that pays homage to the Idaho murders. But she did the subject matter justice.

It’s true that solving murders has changed with “armchair sleuths.” I loved how this book highlighted the good and bad side of a community of amateur detectives being involved in solving high profile cases.

It goes without saying that I loved this book. It was layered, intelligent, engaging and completely captivating. Winstead gets better and better with each book, and I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

You better believe that I SQUEALED when my dear friend @ashleywinstead asked to send me an ARC of her latest book! Followed by a finished copy as well from @sourcebooks - your girl feels SPOILED! Thank you so much for the variety of ways you allowed me to access & read this one - I am SO grateful!

In the age of internet sleuths & the true crime community being ever present - This Book Will Bury Me takes the best (& arguably the worst) of this community and brings it to LIFE! Inspired by various true crime cases, Ashley brings to life a group of amateur sleuths who find one another in an online true crime forum & are hell bent on solving the case at hand and ensuring justice is found. Driven by morally gray characters, a Winstead signature, you’ll find yourself torn between being upset with and rooting for each of them, especially the MC!

The MC, Jane Sharp, who is grieving the recent & abrupt loss of her father carries a profound impact on the way in which the storyline plays out. The way in which her grieving & seeking support is woven into the details of this book is not only a powerful touch, but an even more personal one as well for Ashley, who lost her dad recently.

Knowing the personal component of this book, I can only commend and compliment Ashley for the way she could create such a story out of something so challenging that she was enduring herself. It not only takes immense courage, but it also is an honor to her own father - which is incredibly well done!

In being aware of the inspiration behind this book, I feel it’s important for me to state that Ashley truly goes above and beyond in her work to bring us these books. Her attention to detail in changing aspects of the storyline to be respectful of these real life cases is admirable and should be noted. This intentionality is clear through the authors note and additional information shared in the end of the book, which I want to direct future readers attention to - because it’s incredibly important! Do not neglect to read that additional information!

I am continually impressed and captivated by Ashley’s books & the way in which she writes - Bury Me was NO different and dare I say her best work yet?! 🙌🏼

The audiobook was incredibly well done - featuring deep emotion, suspense & intrigue! Loved it!

This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for my ALC!

Jane Way Sharp, a 24 y/o college student, finds herself moving back home after the unexpected death of her father. Jane is reeling from her father’s death and finds it difficult to accept her new reality. In the hopes of distracting herself, she becomes involved in solving the grisly murder of a woman from a nearby town in Florida. Jane puts herself in dangerous situations intent on finding answers for this woman and due to her instrumental role in solving the case, she is invited to join an elite group of armchair sleuths.

The sleuths include Goku, a tech guy, Mistress, a retired librarian, Citizen, a military officer, and Lively, a retired police officer, all solving homicides from the comfort of their own homes. Jane loves being apart of this group and feels like they are a family – especially when it seems her own mother doesn’t understand her and her newfound family does.

Soon after, there is a brutal triple homicide that Jane and her fellow sleuths become obsessed with. As they work the case, they realize they cannot solve the murders from googling online and must meet in person. The sleuths are determined to solve this case by visiting the crime scene, talking to the family, and working with the police. Unfortunately, when they think they’re close to finding answers, they become the center of the case.

Winstead brilliantly tells this story through Jane, the narrator. Jane is writing a memoir about her experiences with the armchair sleuths and “setting the record straight” as some other characters have painted her in a different light. Winstead also expertly weaves in the story of a young woman grieving and trying to find her place in the world. Leslie Howard did a wonderful job narrating this story and was able to portray how Jane was feeling with ease.

Well, this story may seem a bit too close to reality for some due to it being inspired by true events – 2022 University of Idaho Killings, which is set to go to trial later this year. This book is going to be a must-read for true-crime fanatics!