This was a collection of short stories from some very big name authors. I really enjoyed the stories by Freida McFadden and Sallie Hepworth. The others fell a bit short for me - and sadly, the Chris Bohjalian story was my least favorite. That was the one that I was looking most forward to, so it was a big disappointment.

This was also posted on Goodreads.

I loved this little collection of stories. Not only was every book so very binge able, but it helped me discover new authors as well. My favorite of the collection was ex wives club. I did not see that twist one bit. I’m happy I read thru all of these books and feel even more honored to be selected for this collection with NetGalley.

I read these months ago, I can´t believe I forgot to write a review! I was hooked from the beginning on all of these short stories. Freida McFadden was the reason for my interest and I soon found myself wanting to read more works by Chad Zunker, David Lagercrantz, Sally Hepworth, Chris Bohjalian, and Wanda M. Morris. In fact, I actually enjoyed ¨Small Things¨ the most in my opinion!! I devoured all of these stories in 1 day. I highly recommend this collection if you´re a fan of thriller, but also love short stories that keep you hooked from the beginning. Similar to someone who has trouble sitting through a 3 hour movie, but will devour 6, one-hour Netflix episodes in 1 sitting.

Hmmmm. These were certainly not my favorite short stories. I did enjoy Freida’s Death Row. I actually enjoyed this more than most of her books. The other stories I would rate between 2 and 3 stars.

I have no words this collection did take some time but I love it!!

I don't even know where to start to be honest, the stories were amazing, the characters all held a spot in my heart, and the outlines were amazing!

I was glued, and I mean glued to this lot as I was reading. I just couldn't get enough and lets just add the other half thought I had disowned him for my kindle LOL.

Thank you so much and cannot wait for more Freida books also!

There was so many twists, and I for sure did not see a lot of them coming they had me that is for sure. This really kept me on my toes and I was always second guessing my own thoughts!

The past and present chapters really did play a part in this, it's always good to have a change in what you read, this collection really did it for me. Would I recommend it well yes I would, and my nana is already started it and she is on her 2nd book.

Thank you again

These were all fun to read. Some were slower than others but overall they were all on theme for alibi’s.

Unfortunately I have decided to DNF this one, it wasn't for me.
I will continue to check for future books from this author as I like to give author's a second chance and I won't be put off from DNF this one for my future reads.

Overall a great collection of novellas from some great mystery writers. I like that each story is different. It allows you to pick up the book and put it down in-between stories and you won't have to remember what happened.

The Ex-wives Club - A great novella from Sally Hepworth. There were a lot of suspects in this story and it was entertaining watching the police sort through the varying alibis.

The Skydivers - Chris Bohjalian did a great job telling this story and making me think it was going one direction, then pivoted, and we went a completely different direction. Well done.

Small Things - A quick novella from Wanda M. Morrison. I love that Hannah found a hobby that brings her joy amidst her abusive relationship, too bad her husband had to be such a dick. I loved the ending of this story.

Death Row - Well I was not expecting that ending! This was a twisty novella and there was a lot of story packed into this novella.

False Note - David Lagercrantz tells a story of an abusive father and his meek son in a way that keeps you engaged and questioning what is going to happen. I was not expecting that ending and I look forward to reading more of David's work in the future.

Good Neighbors - This was a quick novella and Chad Zunker did a great job of packing a lot of excitement into this short story. I was able to guess part of the ending, but I was surprised by part of it.

The Alibis Collection is everything I hoped it would be: sharp, fast-paced, and filled with bite-sized psychological thrillers that punch above their weight. With six stories from top-tier authors like Freida McFadden, Sally Hepworth, and David Lagercrantz, this anthology gives you a full spread of suspense from murder and manipulation to quiet revenge and moral gray zones.

Favorites:
Death Row by Freida McFadden: Classic McFadden madness! Twisty, dark, and delivered with a killer ending that had me literally say “no way” out loud. Felt like she was breaking the fourth wall.

The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth: Loved the setup: a celebrity chef is found dead in his own freezer, and his three ex-wives all have "perfect" alibis. Super satisfying reveal.

Small Things by Wanda M. Morris: A standout. Smart, emotional, and deeply cathartic the kind of story that sticks with you.

Not every story hit 5-star status for me the False Note felt a little flatter in pacing but overall, this was a perfect palate cleanser between longer books or for when you’re craving something dark and digestible.

This collection is great for short attention spans, late-night reading, or just scratching that “one more chapter” itch.

Thank you, NetGalley, the author, and the publisher, for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing/Short Stories, and the multiple authors for giving me an early chance to read this fun collection in exchange for an honest review. These are perfect short stories for those who love psychological thrillers and suspenseful stories!! My favorite of the bunch was Freida’s and I still think about the ending! Definitely a fun collection to check out for someone thinking about reading thrillers!!!

I enjoyed my time with these six short stories! I thought it was pretty impressive that these authors could wrap up a thriller in the short amount of time they did. My favorite stories from the collection were the last two, Good Neighbors and Small Things. Would recommend this collection for a short and thrilling escape!

3.5 stars overall. These short stories are entertaining and crime fans will enjoy! Frieda’s book was my favorite with her typical twisted plot. The other books in the collection were pretty average for me.

Great collection! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

False Note - 2 stars

False Note had an interesting premise, but it didn’t fully come together for me. Compared to the other pieces in the collection, it felt a bit weaker in execution. While I appreciated the potential in the storyline, I struggled to stay engaged as the characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out and the pacing moved a little too quickly.

Short stories can be tough as they have such a limited space to make an impact. I think this one could have benefitted from more development. I wasn’t able to really connect with the characters or their motivations, which made it hard to feel invested in the outcome. The plot had promise, but it unfolded in a fairly predictable way, and the ending didn’t land with the emotional punch I was hoping for. Still, I can see the foundation of a good story here, and with more depth and expansion, it could have possibly been much stronger.

The Skydivers - 3 stars

The Skydivers is a suspenseful short story that follows two brothers who have nothing in common. Their late father leaves them property. One brother wants to keep it and one brother wants to sell. Which brother will get what they want?

The opening was great and gave me high hopes and expectations. There was dual narration, which I enjoy. But this was my second least liked in the collection. There was potential, but I didn’t know enough about the brothers to truly connect. That is sometimes the issue with short stories.

The story felt rushed, and the characters were one-dimensional. The epilogue did wrap things up nicely, but I just wanted something more.

The Ex-Wives Club - 4 stars

Sally Hepworth's The Ex-Wives Club is a fun, suspenseful short story about three ex-wives of the same man who is found murdered in the freezer at his restaurant. All three of them are suspects and they all had motives to commit murder.

The premise, though outlandish, is unique. The characters are witty and relatable, and the dialogue is sharp and humorous. The plot had twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The ending, however, felt a bit rushed, and some of the questions I had weren't fully answered. Overall, I enjoyed this short read.

Good Neighbors - 5 stars

Chad Zunker's Good Neighbors is action-packed and suspenseful . short story that will have you on the edge of your seat. This book is a masterclass in building tension and creating an eerie atmosphere.

Zunker is one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint. The premise, which follows many domestic thrillers these days, sucked me in from the first page. The characters were interesting and as developed as they could be for such a short story. The plot was fast paced and filled with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end, and the climax is truly shocking. The ending was wrapped up well also. I really enjoyed this short story.

Small Things - 5 stars

Wanda M. Morris's Small Things is a chilling and suspenseful short story that will have you on the edge of your seat. This book is a masterclass in building tension and creating an eerie atmosphere. It tells the story of a scorned woman out for revenge, and she is not going to stop until she gets what she wants. I wanted more. I wish this was a full novel.

The plot is filled with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end, and the climax is truly shocking. Hannah was THAT GIRL and I loved watching her be a determined main character. This was my favorite short story in the collection.

Death Row - 5 stars

Freida McFadden's Death Row is a chilling and suspenseful short story that will have you on the edge of your seat. This one was darker than I usually expect from this author, but I loved every second of it. I was so curious to see how it would.

I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put the book down. The characters are incredibly well-developed and complex, and the dialogue is both witty and unsettling. The plot is filled with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. I think I might be in the minority, but I loved the ending. Huge twist that had my mouth wide open! he climax truly shocked me.

A really enjoyable collection of novella's from some of my favorite authors.

Death Row
While Kara is trying to look out for her neighbor and friend she accidentally becomes a witness to a crime and her small neighborhood turns into a crazy scene crime scene. As her husband and the police search her small neighborhood for her, a criminal is also trying to hunt her down. Fast paced story that doesn't stop until the very end.

Ex Wives Club
I-m a fan of Sally Hepworth and she is a go to writer for me.. This was a good short story, I liked the idea behind the ex-wives friendship and the who could have done it storyline. It seems restaurant owner and chef Curly was loved by everyone but his family and those closest to him.

False Note
I've never read anything by this author before and I really enjoyed this short story. I liked the whole idea behind it and I thought the whole thing came together at the end. Well done.

The Skydivers
I found this short story an interesting and different take in the mystery series. How could the accident have happened, it doesn't seem possible, one brother gone after two brothers skydive over their family farm to spread their deceased father's ashes. A bystander who saw it happen and has previous experience in skydiving tried to help the police figure things out but she finally gives up and leaves. Then some interesting things come to light. Good short story!

Good Neighbors
While Kara is trying to look out for her neighbor and friend she accidentally becomes a witness to a crime and her small neighborhood turns into a crazy scene crime scene. As her husband and the police search her small neighborhood for her, a criminal is also trying to hunt her down. Fast paced story that doesn't stop until the very end.

Small Things
For me this was the perfect story to end the Alibi's Collection. When Hannah entered in to her quick marriage years ago she thought everything would be perfect. After years of trying to have a baby, her husband starts to become verbally abusive and gaslights her. When he tried to take away the only thing that gives her joy will she finally stand up for herself?

The Alibis Collection (1-6) by Various Authors:
Death Row by Freida McFadden
The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth
False Note by David Lagercrantz
The Skydivers by Chris Bohjalian
Good Neighbors by Chad Zunker
Small Things by Wanda M. Morris

First of all, I would like to extend my gratitude to the authors of each short story, Amazon Original Stories for publishing and to NetGalley themselves for my copy of this ebook!
I have heard a lot about Freida McFadden recently, but am yet to read any of her work so this was a great introduction to not only her writing style, but the writing of many other authors. I do, however, wish that it was possible for me to access the audiobook simultaneously for peak engagement with each story. As these are all bite-size, I think these would be perfect to read or listen to on your daily commute or during routine tasks- subject to multitasking abilities, of course!

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‘Death Row’ by Freida McFadden

First of all, I think that this one may have been my favourite. Off of the back of this, I will definitely be reaching for some of McFadden’s full-length novels.

This one is more of a psychological sort of drama/thriller, which if you were to read to quickly, would be soured by missed clues and plot points. Our main character, Talia, is our narrator throughout- however, the jury is out on whether she’s a reliable narrator or not. This led to a lot of back and forth, on my part, when it came to forming my opinion on her guilt (or not?). Basically, just read it and all will be revealed...

3.5 ⭐.

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‘The Ex-Wives Club’ by Sally Hepworth

I loved this one to be honest! I have never come across any of Hepworth’s work before, but I will definitely be looking to read more. This premise grabbed my full attention straight away. Considering that this was only short, at 83 pages, I found that the characters were all quite well rounded; you could really get a feel for their personalities through the page, which I found lacking in a few of the other short stories of this collection. We had some to-ing and fro-ing, with alternating timelines to drip feed us new information from almost all of the character’s perspectives, which definitely kept it interesting and paced well. In my opinion, this story is one of the best suited to the Alibi’s collection, which is described as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with”.

3.5⭐.

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‘False Note’ by David Lagercrantz

When I was starting this, I thought there was potential for it, I felt invested in the plot- but I feel like in short format, it just fell a little flat for me. So I remember feeling frustrated, I expected more. If you like an unreliable narrator, then this may be the short story for you. However, if you hate being lulled into a false sense of security, then you must steer clear. I just don’t enjoy the way that men write female characters.

Just another reason why we should always have our wits about us. Mad-eye Moody did say *ahem* ‘CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!

TW: Domestic Abuse

2⭐.

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‘The Skydivers’ by Chris Bohjalian

I feel that Chapter One set this story up really well, however, for inclusion in a collection of stories named ‘Alibis’, I fear this was absent. I liked the idea of the alternating time lines with the Chapters marked by ‘The Day It Happened’ and ‘The Night Before’, but ultimately I think this story wasn’t for me.

Also, tell me why so many stories that I’m reading lately are set in Vermont! Season of the sticks, I guess.

1⭐.

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‘Good Neighbors’ by Chad Zunker

I enjoyed the dual point of view, alternating between Kara and her husband, Jackson. Due to this, the plot doesn’t lose its momentum so it doesn't feel like an effort to read, with twists to keep us SAT. While most plot points have been done before, it doesn’t make for any less of an interesting short story.

Moral of the story, don’t try to be good neighbours.

3⭐.

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‘Small Things’ by Wanda M. Morris

This one was an interesting premise but, all together, an expected result- definitely more of a domestic drama.
I particularly love that Hannah chooses to do what she enjoys despite her husband’s insistence that she be more of a traditional housewife who he appears to view as less-than or subservient to him (ew!). Love the ending, stand on business girl! But I feel that detail was lacking in the latter parts of the story, meaning that we don’t get to see the action or the resolution of the drama.

One final comment for this one, I wouldn’t wish Hannah’s husband (whatever his name was) on anyone, even my worst enemy.

3⭐.

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I had already anticipated that I would enjoy some stories more than others, but my particular favourites were ‘Death Row’ and ‘The Ex-Wives Club’. Now I don’t know what this says about me, but I enjoyed the short stories written by women a lot more.
I think I would have to average this rating out at around 3 ⭐.

A major plus point, my Goodreads goal for the year is absolutely thriving.

Writing short stories requires a very particular skill set, one that doesn’t always translate into a full reflection of an author’s narrative strengths. While this collection was certainly enjoyable and offered a variety of voices and themes, I felt that it occasionally fell short in truly allowing each author’s talent to shine through. That being said, there were standouts that left a lasting impression on me—particularly The Ex-Wives Club, Small Things, Good Neighbors, False Note, Death Row, and The Skydivers. Having previously read longer works from some of these authors, I can confidently say their full-length writing better showcases the depth of their storytelling abilities; nevertheless, this anthology remains a worthwhile compendium that highlights a spectrum of creative approaches and provides readers with an accessible introduction to their work.

Some of these stories were better than others. I’m not going to dive into each one separately. A couple I’m not even sure how they were approved to be written.
One comes to mind as Ozzy Osbourne meets Jerry Springer. Who comes up with this stuff?!
Overall good quick easy reads and a nice way to see if you enjoy a new author you haven’t read before. I’ve rated each short story separately on goodreads. Thank you for to NetGalley for the opportunity.

1) death row - love Freida and her writing. So this one did not disappoint at all. Talia is on death row for murdering her husband. But all of a sudden one day she sees him at the jail. Is he actually dead?
2) the ex wives club - this was my favorite one. When a man ends up dead, his 3 ex wives are the main suspects. Did they all do it or was it someone else?
3) false note - written by the author of the girl in the spider web. Even though he has passed away, this was included which I thought was very cool. It is about a toxic father son relationship.
4) the skydivers - 2 brothers go skydiving to spread their fathers ashes. Of course something bad happens and a lady who was out exercising sees everything.
5) good neighbours - I really enjoyed this one as well. It makes you think how far will you go to help your neighbour. Kara tells Mindy she will keep on eye on her house/husband. What she sees one night sets out a series of events and maybe regret for Kara.
6) the small things - this one was just okay. Hannah had a shed in her backyard which is her only safe place from her toxic husband. How far will she go to protect that and herself.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
A Twisty, Addictive Ride from Six Master Storytellers

The Alibi Collection is the kind of anthology that sinks its hooks into you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. With contributions from powerhouse authors Freda McFadden, Sally Hepworth, David Lagercrantz, Chris Bohjalian, Chad Zunker, and Wanda M. Morris, this collection delivers an intoxicating mix of tension, clever misdirection, and gut-punch revelations.

Each story feels like a perfectly wrapped gift — distinct in style, but united by a shared undercurrent of suspense. McFadden brings her signature “just-one-more-page” pacing, Hepworth adds her razor-sharp character insight, Lagercrantz injects a cerebral complexity, Bohjalian paints cinematic atmosphere, Zunker delivers tight, propulsive plotting, and Morris infuses emotional depth alongside the intrigue.

What’s truly brilliant is how each author plays with the idea of an alibi — not just as an excuse for a crime, but as a mirror for human nature. Lies, half-truths, and the stories we tell ourselves all come under the spotlight. By the end, I was equal parts exhilarated and unsettled (in the best possible way).

If you’re craving dark twists, morally gray characters, and an anthology you’ll be recommending for months, The Alibi Collection is your next obsession.

Thank you to Freida, Sally, David. Chris, Chad, Wanda, Amazon Publishing & Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 🖤