The Brave Bookshelf Dispatch
Books, brave conversations, author news, and one internet thing I’m probably overthinking.
Hi friends,
This week, I fell into another internet rabbit hole.
Which, honestly, is starting to feel less like a bad habit and more like research.
The topic?
D4vd.
Or more specifically, the murder-trial chatter I somehow just found out about online.
Please forgive me. I am old, as my teen son likes to remind me, and apparently always three trends, two memes, and one suspicious YouTube video behind.
I haven’t even listened to his music yet.
I know.
My teenager is probably somewhere shaking his head in disappointment.
But what caught my attention wasn’t just the online story people are discussing now. It was how D4vd became famous in the first place.
Because that part?
That feels like a whole new world compared to when I was growing up.
So grab your coffee, tea, or emotional support bookmark.
It’s time for another Brave Bookshelf Dispatch.
📁 THE BRAVE BOOKSHELF CASE FILE
Case: When the internet turns an everyday person into someone everyone knows.
Back when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s, becoming famous felt almost impossible unless someone else opened the door.
You needed a record label.
A producer.
An agent.
A manager.
A person in a suit who decided whether you were worth the risk.
There were gatekeepers everywhere.
And most regular people never got close enough to knock.
Now?
Someone can make music from home, post online, build a following through YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, gaming spaces, streaming platforms, or whatever app my son will have to explain to me next week…
And suddenly they’re not just a kid making something in their room.
That is exactly what happened to David Burke. Burke began composing music in 2021 for his Fortnite gameplay montages. He first achieved commercial success with his 2022 singles "Romantic Homicide" and "Here with Me", both of which earned multiple platinum certifications and were recorded in his sister’s bedroom closet.
Now D4vd is a name.
A brand.
A person strangers feel like they know.
That is amazing.
And also completely terrifying.
Because the internet can give someone a career before they’ve even had time to figure out who they are.
One day you’re making music, videos, edits, jokes, art, or posts from your bedroom.
The next day, people are watching.
Commenting.
Judging.
Digging.
Shipping.
Accusing.
Defending.
Turning your life into content.
And as a thriller writer, my brain immediately goes:
What happens when fame finds you too fast?
💻 KIM VS. THE INTERNET
This week’s question:
Can the internet make someone famous before they’re ready to be known?
Because that’s the part I keep thinking about.
So why did I choose D4vd for this example? Well, here is a little bit about him. D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, is one of those artists who shows how much fame has changed. As mentioned earlier, instead of coming up through the old-school route of record labels, producers, and industry gatekeepers, he built attention online first. He started creating music while also being connected to gaming and online platforms, and his songs gained traction through places like TikTok, YouTube, and streaming apps.
What pulled me into the D4vd story was his recent arrest and the disturbing online discussion surrounding reports of a dismembered body of a 14-year-old girl found in a Tesla connected to him, along with allegations involving having sex with this minor and claims about a possible murder motive tied to exposure before his tour and reissue of Withered.
I’m still catching up on the details — again, please forgive me, I am old, as my teen son likes to remind me — so I don’t want to treat internet claims like proven fact. You can Google “D4vd,” and you’ll get all the details I may have missed.
I’m not going to pretend I know everything about the D4vd situation. I just stumbled into the conversation, blinked, and thought:
Wait.
How did we get here?
But I do know this:
The way people become famous has changed.
A lot.
And that change is fascinating from a story point of view.
Because the internet doesn’t just create fans.
It creates detectives.
Some helpful.
Some not so helpful.
Some who should maybe drink water and step away from the comment section.
Online fame can turn strangers into investigators, critics, defenders, conspiracy builders, and people who believe they have a right to every private detail of someone’s life.
That is a lot of pressure.
Especially for young artists.
Especially for teens watching it happen and thinking fame looks easy.
Because from the outside, it can look like magic.
Post the song.
Go viral.
Get followers.
Get streams.
Get noticed.
Escape your regular life.
But thrillers know better.
Thrillers ask:
What does fame cost?
Who is watching?
Who is lying?
What gets hidden when everyone is looking at the wrong thing?
And what would you do to keep your fame and fortune?
That last one gives me chills. Because we know what D4vd was allegedly willing to do. Murder.
Not cute little spooky-season chills.
More like “maybe I should clear my search history and go fold laundry” chills.
📚 BOOKS THAT START THE CONVERSATION
This would make such a good thriller.
Not the real story exactly.
Because lawsuits exist.
And I enjoy not being sued.
But the idea of it?
Oh, absolutely.
Imagine a teen musician who becomes famous by accident.
He starts posting songs online because he needs music for his own videos. Maybe gaming clips. Maybe short films. Maybe he just wants to make something that belongs to him.
Then one song goes viral.
At first, it’s exciting.
Followers.
Interviews.
Fans.
Messages from people who say his music saved them.
A label that suddenly wants him.
A manager who says, “Trust me.”
But then something terrible happens.
A murder.
A missing fan.
A friend who knew him before he became famous.
And suddenly the internet does what the internet does.
It starts building its own version of the truth.
Clips get taken out of context.
Lyrics become “evidence.”
Old posts get pulled apart.
Fans turn on each other.
Someone starts posting anonymous messages that sound like clues.
And the main character has to figure out what really happened before the online story becomes the only story anyone believes.
Tell me that is not a thriller.
Actually, don’t tell me.
I’m already suspicious of everyone in this imaginary book.
🔪 THRILLER THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
Here’s the version my brain started writing without permission:
A teen boy becomes famous after one song goes viral from his bedroom.
He thinks music is his way out.
Out of his small town.
Out of family stress.
Out of being invisible.
Then one of his biggest fans disappears after a concert.
The police ask questions.
The internet asks louder ones.
Everyone starts dissecting his lyrics, convinced he confessed to something in a song he wrote months before anything happened.
But the real clue isn’t in the song.
It’s in an old gaming video.
A reflection in the screen.
A voice in the background.
A username no one noticed.
A person who was there before the fame, before the fans, before the world started watching.
And the scariest part?
The killer knows the internet is easier to manipulate than the police.
See?
This is why I cannot casually learn about anything.
My brain immediately turns it into a body count.
📚 WHAT I’M READING RIGHT NOW
This week, I’m reading a middle-grade novel, “Wish You Well” by Jamie Sumner, and I’m giving this one 5 stars.
It’s emotional.
It’s heartbreaking.
And these characters?
They have completely grabbed me by the heart and said, “You’re coming with us.”
The story follows Violet Marino, who does not want sympathy. She does not want people fussing over her. She does not want new friends.
She wants to play soccer and deal with the whole slowly-going-blind thing on her own terms.
Which I love.
Because Violet is feisty in the best way.
She’s hurting, but she is not fragile.
She is scared, but she is not helpless.
She has walls up, but you can feel why they’re there.
Then she meets Wyatt, who is charming, dangerous in the “this kid has terrible ideas” kind of way, and living with a newly transplanted heart.
And Noor?
Sharp as a blade.
Armed with excellent snacks she can’t eat because of chemo.
These three kids should not work together.
Which, of course, means they absolutely do.
When a wish-granting foundation keeps calling, Wyatt comes up with a plan: team up and game the system. One wish is fine. But three sick kids on three epic adventures?
That’s history-making.
At first, it sounds like a scam.
Then it starts to feel like friendship.
And that’s where the book gets you.
Because when you finally let people in, you also give them the power to hurt you.
Or leave.
Or matter.
A lot.
💛 The brave conversation: This book opens up questions about illness, friendship, independence, fear, and what it means to be seen as a person instead of a diagnosis.
📖 The hook: Three kids with big diagnoses and bigger personalities team up to scam a wish-granting foundation, and somehow it becomes an emotional joy ride.
👀 Who might connect with it: Middle grade readers, reluctant readers, teachers, librarians, parents, and anyone who loves stories about messy friendships, brave kids, and characters with huge hearts and even bigger attitudes.
🗣️ Question to ask after reading: When you’re going through something hard, is it easier to push people away or let them help?
This one is making my heart hurt in the best way.
Which is rude.
But also exactly what I want from a book. Check out my full review and get the book!
https://open.substack.com/pub/kimbartosch/p/a-heartbreaking-story-about-letting?r=5a6umq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
🎤 NEW ON THE BRAVE BOOKSHELF
In case you missed it, here’s what’s new:
📚 Latest Review: https://open.substack.com/pub/kimbartosch/p/a-twisted-psychological-thriller?r=5a6umq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
✍️ Coming Soon: More book reviews, brave conversations, spooky thoughts, and probably more proof that I cannot hear one strange internet story without turning it into a thriller.
You can catch up here:
My website on Substack is always free, and if you’re on this newsletter, you’re already subscribed, so just click on the link above. But if you would like to support me, you can subscribe to a paid subscription of $5 to $50 and cancel/unsubscribe at anytime. No pressure. 😁
📅 AUTHOR EVENTS & BOOKISH NEWS
Here’s what’s coming up:
📍 Funky Ferndale Art Fair — September 26, 2026 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
I will be in Ferndale, Michigan, signing and selling my book “Ask the Girl” with my fellow SCBWI.org Michigan authors, and I would love for you to stop by and say hello! You can also discover and explore local art, food, and entertainment!
And behind the scenes, I’m currently working on:
🔪 The Kill App revisions
👻 More spooky bookish content
🎶 Trying not to turn viral music fame into a murder mystery
📚 Reading books that emotionally attack me and then expecting me to function like a normal person
Bold of them.
💬 YOUR TURN
Reply and tell me:
Would you read a thriller about a teen musician who goes viral and gets pulled into a murder mystery?
You can reply with just one word:
Yes, No, or Obviously.
Bonus points if you tell me what clue should crack the case:
A song lyric?
An old video?
A deleted comment?
A fan account?
A hidden username?
A recording no one was supposed to hear?
I’m nosy, but in a bookish way.
Until next time,
Kim
Author | Book Reviewer | Host of The Brave Bookshelf
P.S. I still haven’t listened to D4vd’s music yet, so yes, I am officially behind. My teen son is right. Please keep me in your thoughts during this difficult time.