I am very excited to present my review of Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston. Huge thank you to Viking Penguin, Pamela Dorman Books, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC for review.
My wife was introduced to First Lie Wins by Elston due to book club and she liked it so much she told me I should read it. I did back in May and loved it so much. This books is one of few that I have read very quickly. Anatomy of an Alibi is the newest. When i finished First Lie wins i couldn’t wait to review it. Check it out here.
At the end of the Kindle version of First Lie Wins, there was a preview of this book and I was instantly hooked. I have been anxious for this to come out and when I received an email about a giveaway on Goodreads I immediately jumped to NetGalley to see if an ARC was available. I requested this November 3 and was approved the same day. It was fortuitous because I had just finished the book I was reading and needed a new one. I was honored to be approved so quickly.
Anatomy of an Alibi is about an interesting collection of characters. Camille is a wealthy woman looking to get out of a stale marriage, Aubrey, a struggling bartender with a past full of loss, Hank the attorney who is a partner in a law firm with Ben who happens to have been murdered. Ben also is Camille’s husband, the very one she was trying to divorce. These characters will be intertwined in one of the most entertaining stories that will keep you guessing. A true thriller from start to finish. You will be constantly guessing who the killer is. Everyone has secrets, and nothing is certain throughout this story.
The book opens with Aubrey pretending to be Camille to give her an alibi so she can find a reason to leave her husband. Camille finds Aubrey’s name in Ben’s brief case and thinks he is cheating with her. When that is clearly not the case, both Camille and Aubrey want to know how they are connected. Morally grey but innocent as Aubrey is to believe. The books bounces back and forth through time and between characters. Each chapter is a different character’s story going as far back as 10 years prior to what is happening right now. I am not personally a fan of this style of writing, however, this was still easy to follow the story line and I didn’t have to go back to refresh myself on the timeline.
This kind of story is one of those that if I go into further plot detail, i risk spoiling something that could lead to predicting the ending. Elston is so good at the twist ending I don’t want to deprive anyone of the ride this book is going to take the reader on.
The 4 main characters, Aubrey, Camille, Ben, and Hank are very well written. Deep histories and overall complex characters really help to keep the reader invested in the story. Even though I was trying not to trust any of them, it was hard not to like them. I really felt invested in their story and determining their guilt or innocence. There are also some great secondary characters that just add to the richness of this book. My favorites are Deacon and Silas.
This was a great book. I’m so glad I had the chance to read this for an honest review. I would have reviewed this one at the bar anyway. Honest review is I give this a 4.5 but since Goodreads doesn’t do half stars, I am very happy to round up and give it 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃. Anatomy of an Alibi comes out in Hardcover, ebook, and Audio on January 20, 2026. Keep an eye out for the Barnes & Noble Pre-Order sale and grab this one right away. You’ll thank me later.
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