A fast, easy-to-read anthology that’s full of tension, shady moral areas, and those little choices that can send a normal life spiraling into chaos. The Alibis Collection kinda feels like a bookshelf get-together where domestic drama, psycological suspense, and page-turning thrills get passed from one author to the next and most of the time, the hand-off actually works.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ — Gripping, clever, and brilliantly paced
The Alibis Collection is a masterclass in suspense and intrigue. Each story weaves complex characters with unpredictable twists that kept me hooked from start to finish. The pacing is flawless, balancing tension and revelation perfectly. A few moments felt slightly rushed, which is why I’m giving it 4.5 stars instead of 5 — but overall, this collection is a must-read for any thriller fan who loves clever, dark mysteries.

The Alibis Collection is good and all six of the stories are short and fast paced. They deal with suspense, murder, betrayal, lies, trust issues, etc. They kept me guessing and some of them had some surprising and shocking twist too which I enjoyed. A couple of the stories could have had a better ending I think because they were confusing to me as to what really happened and who did what and needed more detail. My favorite stories in this collection was Death Row, The Ex-Wives Club, Good Neighbors, and Small Things. Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for giving me the opportunity to receive a complimentary ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I had such a great time reading this book! It pulled me in right from the start and kept me turning the pages. The writing flowed so well, and I found myself completely invested in the story and characters. It’s one of those reads you just don’t want to put down.
huge thanks to the publisher for sending me an early copy!! I’m so glad I got to read it ahead of the release day and can't wait for the world to get to enjoy it too!!

I really enjoyed the Alibis collection as a whole. All of the short stories were interesting and entertaining. They were full of suspense, mystery, drama, secrets, lies, and betrayal.

I've read books from Freida McFadden, Sally Hepworth, and Wanda M. Morris before, which I've loved. It's the first time I've read anything from David Lagercrantz, Chad Zunker, and Chris Bohjalian. I'm definitely keen to read more from all of them.

My favourites of the six short stories were:
The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth
Small Things by Wanda M. Morris
Death Row by Freida McFadden

Overall, my ratings are as follows:

Death Row by Freida McFadden 4/5
The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth 4.5/5
False Note by David Lagercrantz 3.5/5
The Skydivers by Chris Bohjalian 3/5
Good Neighbours by Chad Zunker 4/5
Wanda M. Morris 5/5

I highly recommend the Alibis collection.

4 stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Amazon Original Stories, Freida McFadden, Sally Hepworth, David Lagercrantz, Chris Bohjalian, Chad Zunker, and Wanda M. Morris, for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Short stories can be such hits or misses, but this one managed to knock it out of the park with bite sized stories that drew you in and provided a satisfying ending to them even though they were not long. It is hard to get people invested in the story when said story has a limited number of pages to endear the reader to the character and the plot, but the authors in this collection did an excellent job of that. My personal favourite had to be the Ex-Wives club.

This was such a good collection of thrillers!! Anything Freida McFadden or Sally Hepworth and I’m there. Definitely recommend!! Thanks NetGalley!

The Alibis Collection contains six short stories from some of the biggest names in mystery and suspense. While it features equal representation between female and male writers, some of the stories were better for me than others.

The first story in the collection is "Death Row" by Freida McFadden and, true to form for McFadden, it's filled with tons of dark twists and turns with a strong female lead. The story, as the title would imply, is the story of Talia, a woman on death row for the murder of her husband, but then Talia starts seeing said husband very much alive and well. McFadden's writing really creates a sense of suspense and tension, as well as the claustrophobia, fear, and despair that come with Talia's looming execution. The ending delivers a pretty big final twist that I didn't see coming, and although it was a bit out of left field, I liked it. Four stars.

Sally Hepworth's "The Ex-Wives Club" felt very cinematic in its storytelling with a strong, well-rounded ensemble cast. Even though it's a short story with a relatively large character list, Hepworth provides a lot of character development and a great description of the setting throughout that helped me track what was happening easily. Though it did start a bit slow for me, it kept me guessing throughout. When the final timeline and truth of the murder was revealed, it felt like a satisfying conclusion. Four stars.

"False Note" by David Lagercrantz must have been a bit lost in translation for me. I couldn't like any of the characters, and in a story like this, a reader really wants to have someone to root for, even if they end up being an unreliable narrator. This story centers on the murder of an abusive opera singer and the son who is trying not to become like his father... but failing. I found the story dull and hard to get into, and I didn't really feel anything in the end. A two-star entry.

I wanted to like Chris Bohjalian's "The Skydivers," but it fell apart for me in the final pages. Bohjalian does a great job setting up a grisly and mysterious skydiving death. Is it suicide? Murder? But in the final pages, the story ties up in a very fast "tell" that felt rushed and strange. It broke all the rules of "show don't tell" that a reader wants in a mystery like this, and it was a big let-down, akin to a big reveal of unmasking a killer and then doing a quick recap of how they did it to tie up all the loose ends in a tv crime show. This was also two stars for me.

"Good Neighbors" by Chad Zunker is a twisty story of a nosy but well-meaning neighbor who witnesses a murder and is pursued by the killer in the minutes after. It was okay, but the further I got into it, the more suspension of disbelief it required until it just got totally unbelievable for me. Everything from the characters' actions to the dialogue felt unnatural. It also didn't really play into the theme of the Alibis Collection because there wasn't really any kind of alibi or investigation done; it was more suburban suspense. Another two-star entry.

The final story of Amazon's Alibis Colllection, "Small Things" by Wanda M. Morris, was perhaps the strongest for me at 4 out of 5 stars. "Small Things" tells the story of Hannah and her emotionally abusive husband Randy. Hannah's one escape from Randy's torment is her growing jewelry business, which she manages out of her backyard shed. She has small fantasies and daydreams about bad things happening to Rusty with deepening darkness as his abusive and controlling behavior increases. This one felt like it ended much too suddenly with a twist that I didn't see coming but that also felt just a bit "off." Hannah was a very likeable character, though, and she was easy to root for throughout. Rusty was, perhaps, a little "textbook" in his characterization... but that's not to say that I haven't encountered plenty of men just like him, unfortunately. A decent, quick read, it was my favorite of the collection.

This is a good collection for picking up here and there, especially for readers who are already fans of the featured authors, but some of the stories were definitely stronger than others. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced read.

I enjoyed this group of short stories. Great reads that you can read in one sitting. I loved the concept of these and will definitely be looking for more like it in the future, and will be checking out some of the authors I wasn’t familiar with before reading

I loved every one of these stories!! My favorite is definitely Small Things. I recommend this collection to anyone who loves thrillers and they are a quick read.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, this was such a fun little buffet of thrillers and suspense basically a tasting menu from some of the biggest names in the genre. If you’re a mood reader (🙋‍♀️), this is the perfect way to jump between fresh, bite-sized plots without fully committing to a whole novel.

There’s definitely a bit of everything here: psychological twists, moral dilemmas, relationship drama, and straight-up adrenaline-pumping suspense. Some stories stood out more than others (Freida McFadden’s entry was easily my favorite tense, dark, and twisty in all the best ways), but overall there wasn’t a dud in the bunch. Sally Hepworth and Wanda M. Morris also brought their A-game, with that relatable, emotionally layered tension I love.

Sure, a couple stories felt a bit underbaked like they had all the right ingredients but not quite enough time to develop fully but that’s the tradeoff with anthologies. Overall, though, the collection kept me turning pages and delivered exactly what I hoped for: fast, compelling, and clever little thrillers you can knock out in a coffee break.

If you’re a fan of these authors already, you’ll definitely vibe with this collection. And if you’re new to them, it’s a great sampler to see whose style you might want to explore next.


✨shaye.reads

This was a fun collection of domestic thrillers as little palette cleansers between larger books. As with most short stories, I found myself wishing more than once for a little more meat on the bone — some plots held a lot of promise with more length for developing tension and deeper characters. This was rarely the fault of the story, but more an issue of the short format itself.

False Note — If you like toxic relationships and comeuppance for narcissitic behavior, this story is for you. I wished for a more clear resolution, which came a little abruptly and without the punch I hoped for. Trigger warning: domestic violence.

Death Row — This was one of my favorite stories in the Alibis Collection, with an unexpected and satisfying twist. I loved the writing style and structure that McFadden delivered.

The Ex-Wives Club — Filled with unlikable characters, the victim most of all. While this novella was engaging and has a pretty tidy resolution, I would have loved more pages to flesh out the dynamic between the wives. As it was, the ending felt a bit abrupt and hollow.

The Skydivers — This was my favorite from the short story collection, but I found that the epilogue dropped in like a dead weight. What came next after the culprit reveal felt both too complicated and too quick of a leap.

Good Neighbors — I felt this story fell victim to its short format the most, with a good deal of telling vs. showing and an overall wooden feel that kept me distanced from the emotion. I did like the underlying plot and would likely have enjoyed it in a full format.

Small Things — crisp writing, enjoyable characters, and an entertaining plot line. In my opinion, Wanda M. Morris delivered the best structured story out of the Alibis Collection and I would have loved to spend more time in this world.

Overall, fans of thrillers are likely to enjoy this collection, especially if they are comfortable with the short story format or wanting just a quick dose of tension that doesn't require a big time investment. Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, and the authors for an advance copy for honest review.

Alibis is a fun collection of six short thriller stories, all centered around the idea of having—or needing—an alibi. Each story is written by a different bestselling author, including Freida McFadden, Chris Bohjalian, David Lagercrantz, Chad Zunker,, Wanda M. Morris and Sally Hepworth. The stories are quick to read and full of suspense, each with its own twist. My favorites were “Death Row” by Freida McFadden, which had a shocking ending, and “Small Things” by Wanda M. Morris, which was clever and satisfying. Some stories, like “The Skydivers,” felt slower and more predictable, but overall the collection is a fun mix of mystery and suspense. What I liked most is that you can pick it up and read a story in one sitting. It’s perfect if you enjoy short, twisty thrillers or want a book that keeps surprising you without a huge time commitment.

My favorite book in this series was Frieda McFadden, Death Row, followed by The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth.
Second favorite was Small Things by Wanda Morris.
I didn't care for False Note, or the Sky Divers.
All of these short stories held your attention and were well written! Great series by Amazon.

Well written murder stories with enough twists to keep you wondering. I liked the Sally Hepworth and Wanda Morris stories the best.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

Death Row: tbh I just didn't like the twist. The story itself was fine I was just disappointed by the end plot

The Ex Wives Club: Loved this short story! I liked the police procedural x timeline with many character povs. Somehow it all came together even though there was heaps going on and not a lot of pages.

False Note: The story was well written but I didn't enjoy the plot personally being told from a woman abuser about a woman abuser, a lot of self righteousness going on.

The Skydivers: Interesting premise, not sure about the cyclist pov and then her just shrugging and wandering off, I predicted the twist but the not the why, unfortunate that the characters were so unlikeable.

Good Neighbours: Fun sleepy suburban drama that picked up quick and moved fast, the twists are fairly obviously laid out but a fun fast story

Small Things: A good for her tale. Easy to see where it was going but a satisfying lil story. The murder was more brutal than I'd expected.

Today I’m doing something a little different and dipping into Alibis, a collection of six bite-sized mystery and suspense stories available through Amazon Original Stories. Big thanks to NetGalley, Freida McFadden, Sally Hepworth, and the rest of the contributors for the ARC and the twisted fun.

The full lineup includes:
• Death Row by Freida McFadden
• The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth
• Fire and Ice by Alafair Burke
• A Wild True Crime by Kimberly McCreight
• The Price by Angie Kim
• Off the Cliff by Lisa Unger

Each story has its own flavor, but they all deliver on suspense, dark humor, and clever twists in under an hour. These are the kind of quick hits that you can squeeze in between tasks, but they stick with you longer than you’d expect.

From tangled exes to icy revenge plots and unreliable narrators, the collection plays with what makes a good alibi—and who actually gets away with what. Some stories lean sharp and snappy, others take a more layered approach, but all of them serve up their own little punch of drama.

I had the most fun with The Ex-Wives Club, and Death Row left me second-guessing myself in the best way. If you’re a fan of domestic suspense, morally gray characters, and smartly crafted twists, this is a collection worth checking out.

Thanks again to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, and all six authors for the early peek!

Thank you for allowing me to read these stories as ARCs.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the different novellas. Each on their own and most from authors that I truly love! Some I haven't heard of yet and it was a great way to get me introduced to them! I enjoyed that each was short and super fast to read, I also enjoyed that they did not connect together and they can totally be read out of order. Highly recommend the series to anyone that even just loves one of these authors!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing | Amazon Original Stories for gifting me a digital ARC of the complete Alibis collection of short stories by Freida McFadden, Sally Hepworth, David Lagercrantz, Chris Bohjalian, Chad Zunker, and Wanda M. Morris. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Motive. Means. Opportunity. Without proof of all three, the guilty can walk free. But even with an alibi, the innocent can still be condemned. For six award-winning, bestselling authors of psychological suspense, truth and lies weave together in a tangle of conflicting loyalties, hidden crimes, and dark secrets. Pull one thread, and there’s no telling what will unravel.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading and listening to this collection of short stories by 6 famous authors. While I liked them all, for me the women's stories outshined the men's and were my favorites. This was a good collection to take your time with, enjoying each distinct story.

In a Nutshell: A collection of six suspense thrillers set around the concept of alibis. A fairly mixed collection, with two stories outstanding, two just average, and two not worth a read.

The 'Alibis’ series is described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with.”

This isn’t the best of the Amazon Original Collections, but is a decent enough option in general. The six stories are too much of a mixed bag in terms of quality.

I have already reviewed the individual stories of this series as follows:
Story 1: Death Row by Freida McFadden – 4 stars.
A compelling dual-timeline story with a clever twist and an ending that blew me away. The best story of the collection for me.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7687085486

Story 2: The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth – 3.25 stars.
A pacey domestic suspense with a large cast and good use of the dual timeline narrative.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7697719976

Story 3: False Note by David Lagercrantz – 2 stars.
Could have been much better had the characters not been so stereotypical.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7724010304

Story 4: The Skydivers by Chris Bohjalian – 1 star.
Only the prologue hits the mark in this disappointing story.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7744437724

Story 5: Good Neighbors by Chad Zunker – 3.75 stars.
The only story that actually deserves the label of mystery-thriller, even though it is fairly predictable.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7752654824

Story 6: Small Things by Wanda M. Morris – 2.5 stars.
Good characters, but straightforward plot. Works better as a domestic drama.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7765130539

Overall average for this collection: 2.75 stars.

Not a must-read, but a good option (except for the middle two stories) to those looking for quick reads.

My thanks to Amazon Original Stories for providing the DRC of the Alibis collection via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the series.