Even the secrets have secrets.
When I started reading Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston, I knew pretty quickly that something much deeper was going on. Aubrey says something in the opening chapter that immediately struck me as odd. When someone asks why she orders gin, she says, “I can't order anything else,” like she's not permitted to. That line stuck with me because it felt…off. Not wrong exactly, but like there was more underneath it. Turns out, that instinct was correct.
I realized this was going to be a twisty one when the chapters started moving back and forth between Before the Alibi, The Alibi, and After the Alibi. Timeline jumps always make my brain pause for a moment (or ten), so I actually made notes while reading to keep track of who was doing what and why. It slowed me down a little, but it helped me keep the growing pile of secrets organized. And there were a lot of secrets.
Aubrey and Camille make a deal that benefits them both. Aubrey wants to find out who really killed her parents, and Camille wants out of her marriage. On the surface, their arrangement seems mutually beneficial. But of course, both women have their own private motives they’re not sharing. And it’s all fun and games until somebody gets killed and the secrets start tripping over each other.
I’ll admit, I didn’t trust Aubrey at first. She’s perfectly comfortable pretending to be someone else for a day and then uses part of that time to visit someone in prison. That felt shadier than an old oak tree to me.
As the story unfolds, each timeline reveals another piece of the puzzle but not enough to give away the answer. I spent a good portion of the book arguing with myself:
She couldn’t have done it because…
But he couldn’t have because…
Unless they did it together…?
No, that doesn’t work either…
You get the picture. The mystery kept shifting just enough that I was never confident in any theory for very long. When the truth finally came out, the rug was successfully pulled out from under me.
And the ending was very satisfying. Let’s just say there’s a bit of justice outside the system, which is always something I appreciate in a thriller.
One lingering thought I had through all of this: Isn’t divorce easier? Sure, it’s expensive, you will exit with less than you entered, but compared to all the planning, manipulation, and general subversion happening here, it feels like the more time-efficient option.
Why should you read this book? Because it raises a question that sits quietly underneath the entire story:
Do we ever really know the people we think we know?
Readers who strongly dislike timeline jumps or multiple points of view might struggle with this one. But honestly, the effort was worth it. All those moving pieces eventually come together in a way that makes the whole puzzle snap into place. Or at least… it seems like it does. Because with this story, you can’t help wondering if there might still be one more secret hiding somewhere.
