Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

Ashley Elston has really been taking off. Her previous thriller, First Lie Wins, is currently being made into a series by Hulu starring Octavia Spencer and was an Amazon Editors' Pick for one of the Best Books of 2024. Her newest release, Anatomy of an Alibi, came out in January 2026 and quickly became a New York Times Bestseller. Anatomy of an Alibi deals with bullying, death, gun violence, blood, a car accident, murder, incarceration, and death of a parent.

When Camille Bayliss entered Chantilly's Bar, she was obviously out of place as her designer clothes did not fit in next to the man wearing a biker vest without a shirt underneath it. Or rather, Camille would have been out of place. But Camille Bayliss never stepped foot into Chantilly's Bar - that was Aubrey Price wearing Camille's clothes, driving Camille's car, holding Camille's phone, and using Camille's credit card. All so that Camille's husband would not know that Camille was trying to find evidence of his wrongdoing so that she could dissolve their marriage without contest. A foolproof plan it was not, but it was the only one that Camille had. She didn't know that when she got home, she would find her husband, Ben, dead. What Camille and Aubrey soon realize is that they're in real trouble. They both had reasons to want Ben dead but now they only have one alibi between them.

When I read First Lie Wins, my first of Ashley Elston's books, it took off a little slow but I ended up enjoying it. That is not true of Anatomy of an Alibi. I feel like this one really hooks you from the very beginning, although it does get a bit slow in the middle. The characters were not altogether "likeable", but I would definitely say they were relatable. I did not always, perhaps I would even say that I did not often think their choices were the best choices available to them, but I could usually see why they got there - especially as the book went on. The plot was an interesting concept to start with but did settle into something you see relatively often. But I did enjoy the story for the most part. I liked that it had several different points of views and you infrequently would get glimpses of the past, but I found the ending to be somewhat predictable and I found myself needing to trudge through the middle.

I'm giving Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston 3.75 stars out of 5. It was a quick read that I enjoyed for the most part. If you really like thrillers or are looking for something on the simpler side, I would give it a shot.

For more from Ashley Elston, check out https://ashleyelston.com/

Pairs well with apple crumble and not monitoring your partner's every move.

Review of First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston