This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead was a propulsive, and immersive thriller that took me completely by surprise. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did however FMC Jane was endearing, flawed and honest. As she chronicled the worst event of her life that propelled her into the arms of the true crime community and forever changing the trajectory of her life.
What’s It About?
This novel is a book within a book focused on Jane’s narrative and experiences. She begins her tale by describing the cataclysmic moment when she was last introduced to a nation of onlookers during an FBI raid where she’s being taken into custody. Immediately you’re captivated and anxious to learn about what led to that moment and what’s going on now.
Jane explains how her life was changed due to grief following the surprising passing of her father and her losing what she felt was her tether to the world around her. Struggling with her loss and grappling with her identity and forming a life without her father she channels these emotions into the true crime community. She joins a group of dedicated true crime enthusiasts under the pseudonym Searcher. They all go by their screen names and she comes to know them as Lightly, Citizen, Goku, and Mistress.
Together they work as amateur sleuths solving cases. Then the biggest case of history shocks the country when a massacre occurs on a college campus in which three young women in a sorority are brutally murdered. With very little clues and local police bumbling their way through finding a suspect and solving the case they become fixated on finding the killer before they strike again.
Yet, the more involved they become the higher the stakes become. Until, they find they’re entangled within a web of lies and deceit that threatens to be the undoing for them all.
Book Details
Release Date: March 25, 2025
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Mystery-Thriller, Crime, Suspense, True Crime
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million
The Key Players
Jane “Janeway” Sharp: Narrator and protagonist. Jane is a college student who’s drowning in grief following the loss of her father Daniel Sharp. Her grief leads her to the true crime community where she becomes fixated on helping solve cases for others as a way to gain control over the instability of the world.
The True Crime Network Sleuths:
After Jane joins the true crime group she becomes close with the characters below.
- (Citizen) Peter Bishop- full of equal parts charisma and mystique he’s the self-proclaimed leader of the group that takes notice of Jane and brings her into the fold providing mentorship and validation.
- (Lightly) George Lightly- a retired police detective that became disenchanted with the politics and bias of the police force who spends his free time trying to solve cases for those who are often forgotten and overlooked. Level-headed and mature he serves as the group’s moral compass dispensing valuable wisdom.
- (Mistress) Tammy Jo Frazier- A former librarian who supports and nurtures everyone in the group and in real life. Her past history with violence has led her to become a champion for victims.
- (Goku) Brian Goddins- socially awkward and eager to fit in he is the groups tech expert.
Tropes and Representation
Found Family: The Real Crime Network becomes Jane’s chosen family while she struggles to connect with her mother after losing her father due to their grieving styles being different.
Unreliable Narrator: Jane’s narrative is the primary perspective of the novel. The combination of Jane’s grief, guilt and naiveté blur reality creating a disconcerting experience that will have you questioning the truth.
Sinister Secrets: From the hidden truths lurking beneath the surface of the small Idaho town where the massacre occurred to the secrets that the members of the true crime network hide from each other. There’s plenty happening that will shock and surprise you.
Mental Health/Grief Rep: This novel beautifully depicts the psychologically damaging aspects of grief and how it shapes and changes a person. It also unpacks how online obsession with true crime can lead to disassociation and moral fatigue.
Let’s Talk About It
I know there’s a mild controversy regarding this novel and how it writes about the true crime case of the Idaho massacre that occurred at a college campus. However, I can’t tell you anything about the similarities between the novel and the real life case as I didn’t follow or even know anything about that particular case. There is an author’s note at the beginning of the novel discussing this. I decided to take it at face value and enjoyed it for the work of fiction I presumed it to be. Yet, if you’re well versed with this case and feel uncomfortable with a work of fiction covering or talking about it this may not be the novel for you. Just wanted to share this as a caveat.
Content
For me this novel covered the complexities of grief while also critiquing the true crime community and our obsession with the macabre. Winstead does an excellent job of her critique and commentary on the true crime community without being judgmental or overly negative. Allowing you the reader to see it from all angles and make your own judgement. Let’s dive into the themes that made this novel pop.
When Grief Becomes Your Identity
Quickly, you see how Jane’s loss of her father unravels her. She struggles with her identity and trying to figure out the next steps for her life. Hence why, she ends up becoming drawn to the true crime community. She feels purpose and connection. As though she can make her father proud and save other people in the process unlike the way she was able to save her father. However, her palpable grief altered her cognitive function leading her to make decisions that put her in danger in some cases, and led her down paths and places that perhaps she would’ve been better off not traveling.
Yet, we aren’t exploring Jane’s grief exclusively. Every member of the true crime network group she joined is holding a secret grief whether it’s from death, PTSD, or some other form of loss. And, it’s due to this that they’ve become sucked into the true crime community in the first place.
The Ethics of True Crime
Winstead also questions the ethical responsibility of the true crime community. She shows how content creators, bloggers, amateur sleuths, and journalists sensationalize the murders of human lives commodifying it for personal gain. Yet, what’s worse is that this particular content wouldn’t be popular without the consumption of average humans who’ve become fans of murderous cases involving serial killers, and other violent crimes. It begs the question why are we making the murder and death of others our entertainment?
However, Winstead also explores how the true crime community can be an asset as there are instances where internet sleuths have helped police detectives in solving cold cases, and crimes. How amplifying cases for those of minorities is the only way that they gain traction and have a chance of being solved. Due to the lack of media coverage or racial bias that exists within law enforcement.
The Inescapability of Bias
When it comes to young, pretty, wealthy, white women that have suffered a violent deadly crime the media pays attention. You see how during the Idaho massacre the case reaches national attention with many people empathizing and connecting with the girls. Yet, in other cases involving Black women such as the first case Jane worked on and the case that Lightly worked on in the past the public outrage didn’t hold the same weight or garner the same attention.
Truth versus Narrative
Another interesting theme Winstead explores is how the truth can be manipulated to fit a particular narrative. This happens on various occasions in the true crime community. Where assumptions become facts and lead to witch hunts that damage lives and lead to more violence and destroys reputations in the court of public opinion.
Digital Intimacy and Alienation
The members of the true crime network feel like a real family with true connections. Until, they realize that they’re not who they thought they were. You see the dichotomy of internet and par asocial relationships. While they’re great social tools in which we can connect and engage with like minded people. They’re also glorified echo chambers that feed our fixations and obsessions go unchecked.
Writing Style
Winstead’s writing style was spectacular. She maintained a voice that was sharp, self-aware and introspective as Jane’s narrative unfolded at each stage of the story. Thus allowing you to connect intimately with her and trust her. The prose Winstead used felt similar to how grief unfurls in the mind. Jane was able to look at crime cases with analytical accuracy. Then dive into her deepest thoughts about life, death, and sharing her raw emotions.
The atmosphere was dense with grief. If you’ve ever experienced grief you’ll pick up on this immediately while reading this novel. It may be triggering for some but I found it affirming as Jane put into words what the grieving process looks like. The unpredictability, guilt, anger, sorrow, and struggle to find a way to move on.
It also felt heavy with suspense and foreboding as you know that everything is going to fall apart it’s just a matter of determining how, why, and who.
Plot Development
This is a slow burn thriller that focuses on character development as a way to move the plot forward. There may not be a ton of action in the book but there’s so much happening in between the lines you’ll be smart to pat attention as those nuggets will come in handy eventually.
While this wasn’t necessarily a twisty thriller I didn’t expect things to unfold the way they did. So when the cat was out of the bag I felt just as shocked and troubled as everyone else. The pacing towards the conclusion was electric and propulsive. And the concluding events gave you a satisfactory ending with some bite.
Characterization
The characters in this novel were superb and well-developed. They had layers, secrets, and were deeply flawed. Winstead allowed you to develop a connection with these characters to believe in them and trust them. This made many of the events that transpired to really hit home.
Jane is riddled with grief and making strange decisions based on this fact. She has this desire to leave a legacy for her father and is in search of the truth of who he really is so she can better understand him and process her grief. Yet, much of what she does is more to assuage her guilt and gain purpose and recognition for her own internal drivers. And, this is something that she must end up reckoning with in the end.
Citizen (Peter Bishop) is an interesting character. He’s someone that you want to gain their respect and is a natural born leader. Yet, he’s mysterious and doesn’t reveal too much about himself as he has secret motivations as to what compels him to this dark obsession with true crime.
George (Lightly) was drawn to true crime because of the failings he witnessed as a police detective when it came to serving and protecting minorities. This has made him jaded in many ways, yet he still has integrity and a sense of loyalty to the law enforcement.
Tammy Jo Fraizer (Mistress) may be elderly but she’s a fierce sleuth that’s able to use her empathy and nurturing personality to win others over. She became apart of the true crime community due to her personal history with violence and only desires to bring to justice those that caused harm to innocent lives.
Brian Goddins (Goku) is more than just the tech superstar of the group. He’s fiercely loyal and desires nothing than to be accepted for who he is. He’s the most understated of the team but cares deeply for everyone.
Is It For You?
If you find that true crime is your guilty pleasure and you don’t mind critiquing the unsavory elements of this community you’ll enjoy this novel. However, keep in mind that this thriller is a slow burn that primarily focuses on psychological elements to create the foreboding and sense of suspense that’s present throughout the novel.
I wouldn’t recommend it for those that followed the Idaho murders closely or that are easily triggered by stories where grief is a focal point. While I’m not sure how similar event in this novel are to the real case I do know many said it cut to close for them to feel comfortable reading it and that’s okay. And when it comes to grief Winstead doesn’t hold her punches and you can feel grief’s presence soaked in every word on the page.
Final Thoughts
This novel took me by surprise and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The writing style, characterization and well explored themes is making me rethink Ashley Winstead’s work as she’s quickly become an author to watch. Additionally, I really appreciated the raw way she explored grief and how deftly she was able to critique the true crime community while also showing them respect and humanizing them.
