It seems like at the start of the year I crave a good Thriller. Give me the jumps, the suspicious characters, the mystery to solve. I am a True Crime podcast enjoyer but for some reason kicking off the year with a good scare is one of my favorite things. It could also be that I enjoy way too many Holiday Romances that my mind is ready for something different, very different. Either way, this year was no different.
Last year I read a book by the author Ashley Elston, First Lie Wins, and I was pleasantly surprised to see her new novel Anatomy of an Alibi offered as one of the January 2026 BOTM (Book Of The Month) options. I didn’t even really know what the book was about beyond two women swapping lives and the need of a solid alibi. (Also the cover is adorable, I can’t help but confess I am book cover judger.) There was the hint of secrets, lots of secrets. And I will say, I was not disappointed. This read gave me all the perfect Thriller feels: suspicious, shock, anxiety, and major trust issues.
Ashley does a great job of keeping us as the readers unsure of so many pieces of the bigger picture, but this isn’t done in a way to trick the reader it is done as a way to follow along with the characters in the story. In this story we have two main ladies; Camille and Aubrey. From the outside they are complete opposites. Camille is married to a very successful lawyer, Ben and she grew up in one of the richest families in Louisiana. Aubrey was an orphan when her parents were killed in a car accident and from that point her life has been a struggle of survival. Even though they look disconnected that is far from the truth. They become even more connected when Camille’s lawyer husband Ben ends up dead.
I love a Thriller that will peel away information as it arises, like we are the detective assigned to the case. In this instance it felt like we were more like Hank, the lawyer / past business partner of Camille and Ben Bayliss. Ben is found murdered without any understanding from Hank as to why. We are left with the obvious questions of who, what, when, and why. Things at first seem simple but as everyone starts to realize everyone else’s lies things become a little more murky. We are given so many perfect suspects, so many lies, so many shocking secrets that your crime junkie heart will be in love of all the twisty turns. This was a perfectly non graphic, thriller that will keep you on your toes wondering who the murder was! I devoured this read in two days, I just had to know who killed Ben and why. I never did figure it out, but the true criminal was, in my opinion the perfect criminal for this crime.
If you love a Thriller with numerous suspicious characters, lots of secrets, lots of lies, this is the perfect read for you!
