Well-written and thoughtful, Ashley Winstead’s This Book Will Bury Me is a must-read for true crime fans, although it may be too dark for those who live off popcorn thrillers.
Following the unexpected death of her father, 24-year-old college student Jane Sharp finds herself looking for a distraction, finding it in the Internet world of amateur armchair sleuths. Haunting her childhood room, Jane’s only real conversations are with those hiding behind screen names and limited to the subject of grisly crimes.
After Jane plays an instrumental role in solving the murder of a middle-aged woman, she’s invited to be a part of an elite group of sleuths. These include Lively, a former police detective; Goku, a high-level techy at Amazon Web Services; Citizen, a military officer; and Mistress, a retired librarian.
While in “real” life, Jane may be an underpaid barista fruitlessly seeking answers about her father and unable to bond with her mother over their loss, this group gives Jane the opportunity to be special. Thanks to their sleuthing skills, they’re even featured on Newsline, much to the jealousy of their online sleuthing community. It’s a much-needed distraction from Jane’s grief over her father.
When a triple homicide rocks the college community of Delphine Idaho, Jane’s new group again rises to the challenge of obtaining another “win.” Soon, however, it becomes clear that the truth can’t be discovered in the blue light of a computer screen. Aiming to prompt a break in the case, Citizen leaks police information that instead fragments the group when an irate Lightly quits. The group is also publicly shamed by the Delphine police, who refer to the true crime community–and them specifically–as the “insidious force” that instigated the near-fatal beating of a boyfriend of one of the victims.
Villainized and intent on solving the Delphine tragedy, the group reunites when a second triple homicide occurs. The group rents an Airbnb in Delphine, finally meeting in person yet still not using their real names. But with the tiny town teaming with online sleuths, their presence isn’t exactly welcome. And visiting a crime scene, the victims, and affected society is a much different experience when done in person versus online. Can they actually solve these crimes, or will the killer(s) prove elusive?
Winstead expertly navigates themes as this action unfolds. Most notably, according to Mistress, those drawn to true crime can be divided into four main types, which are defined as the Detective, the Defender, the Victim, and the Killer. Taking this advice to heart, Jane once mentions that while the group would spend a lot of time discussing which types they are, they would learn they are “dead wrong” about themselves. This plays beautifully into the action of the story and its resolution, as well as the evolution and development of Winstead’s characters.
Winstead also explores making peace with the death of a parent. Through online forums, Jane searches to understand her father, to include why he failed to take care of his health in later years. This component is poignant, moving, and relatable. We all want to understand the ones we love. And we want to understand tragedy. The issue, however, is that these goals may prove elusive.
For some, This Book Will Bury Me will seem a bit too real. The primary crime to be investigated mirrors the Idaho State murders, the trial of which is set to begin in August of this year. The death of a parent is also hard to read. But real can be beautiful. This book isn’t simply the story of amateur sleuths solving a mystery. It’s a story of a young woman finding herself, finding her place, and making peace with the loss of her father. While it clocks in at 480 pages, the story Winstead tells is so intriguing that one doesn’t notice the relatively long length.
So, no. This isn’t a popcorn thriller. This Book Will Bury Me is much more satisfying than that.
Sarah Reida only reviews books she overall recommends. A writer of dark comedy thrillers, she is in the process of revising her sophomore novel. Her debut, Neighborhood Watch, received a Kirkus Star and was honored as an Amazon editorial pick as one of the Best Books of the Year So Far 2024. Join Sarah’s elite group of Instagram followers here.
