I loved this collection! Each story was amazing and I wanted more! I went in only familiar with Freida McFadden and Sally Hepworth and came out a new fan of Lagercrantz, Bohjalian, Zunker and Morris. I think The Ex Wives Club was my favorite but they were all great!

I feel like it isn’t fair to rate the collection as a whole because each piece is individual to the writer.

Death Row was creative and I enjoyed the suspense, the last two books I read by the author weren’t as exciting as The Housemaid (in my opinion). I love the authors books over all, my favorites being Ward D and Brain Damage but I feel like the writing and the tone lately does not compare. Death Row seems to be getting back to that vibe.

Small Things was creative and I wasn’t expecting the twist. I enjoy books where the underdog wins, but not in a way that you would expect.

The Ex Wives Club was hard to follow for a piece of it but then it got really interesting and I don’t know if that was a “me” issue or not, but I loved it. I love Sally Hepworth’s writing, the emotional books + her thrillers. I love how everything came together.

False Note I feel like I probably liked the least because there was an element of confusion, and all the characters were awful. However, I feel like it may have been overshadowed in a way because there’s always an element of comparison when within a mix of other short stories.

The Skydivers.. I couldn’t connect with. I felt like it could have been executed a bit differently. It just wasn’t for me.

The Good Neighbors was a typical drama, someone trying to do “good” and gets manipulated, but it was enjoyable.

Overall they were quick, easy enjoyable reads. Thank you NetGalley + Amazon for the ARCs.

Overall, I completely enjoyed the Alibis Collection. I was familiar with a few of the authors, but not all. It was a great introduction to each individual's style of writing. I enjoyed a few more than others-but it was all time well spent!

Definitely recommend for fans of thriller novellas, who want a quick escape. While there's a lot of story packed into a handful of pages, they're easy to pick up on the fly when you have a few minutes, and stay in touch with what's going on.

If you're looking for new authors to try out in the genre, it's a good glimpse.

Recommend-yeah!

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the early digital Alibis Collection copy!

3.5 stars overall

Some of these were great and others not so much. But a few also seemed out of place in an 'Alibis' collection. Maybe if it was named something else

Death Row: I enjoyed the first part of this short story but the ending ruined it for me. Not the bit before the ending, we had clues easily pointing to that but the final part. Maybe would have worked better as a full length book where McFadden's twists and turns could be properly explored?

The Ex Wives Club: This one fit best with the Alibi theme and was a fun read, but the men in it were awful and the policing even worse

False Note: Another where the Alibi does come into play but I don't understand why he wouldn't at least tell his lawyer his alibi so he could find CCTV of him somewhere other than his father's house?

The Skydivers: This worked best as a short story, not leaving me feel like parts should have been explored further, but it also strayed the furthest from the Alibi theme

Good Neighbors: I enjoyed this as a short story too, but again, little in the way of Alibis. A very enjoyable read though and my favourite story of the collection

The Small Things: I wish we saw more of the crime and investigation in this but Morris does a great job showing how emotional abuse can push someone to their breaking point

Anything with Frieda McFaddens name on it is something I want to read! I lived the short stores by multiple authors in this book. Allowed a good stopping point before the book takes over my whole day! Haha. Pick this one up! You’ll enjoy it for sure!

★★★★

I stumbled across the Alibis Collection and could not wait to dig in! As the name suggests, this is all about alibis—suspects with alibis almost too good to be true, suspects with alibis who nonetheless find themselves behind bars, and everything in between.

I really admire all the authors for creating these fantastic tales and pulling readers in so quickly, plotting some complex stories! About half were new-to-me authors, and I am so excited to have discovered them and to be reading more of their work!

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, Freida McFadden, Sally Hepworth, David Lagercrantz, Chris Bohjalian, Chad Zunker, and Wanda M. Morris for a copy. All opinions are my own.

Did I read this entire collection in one sitting? Yes. Did I guess any plot twists? No! Would I do it again? Absolutely. Each story was beautiful crafted and had me in the edge of my seat. I swear these were all written in crack format. I knew going in I already love Freida and Sally but discovering a new found love for David, Chris, Chad and Wanda was perfect. Catch me reading more by those authors soon!

3/5 Small things By Wanda M. Morris
I really enjoyed this one too, but I wish it was slightly longer so we could find out what happens next. It was my second favourite out of the whole collection.
4/5 Good neighbours By Chad Zunker
I love this one, but I honestly wish it was longer and we could find out a bit more of how it all unfolds. But good, quick read, would definitely recommend this if you want an easy read.
2/5 The Skydivers by Chris Bohjalian
This one was my least favourite, so far from the collection. I just got really bored and felt like it was very wordy. I just couldn’t get into this one, but did finish reading it and did like the storyline.
3/5 The False Note by David Lagercrantz
I honestly really enjoyed this book didn’t expect a lot of the twists, but still enjoyed it just as much. I do feel like there might be a bit to much description in some of the chapters, but still such a good story.
2/5 The Ex-Wives Club By Sally Hepworth
This book was very interesting, and it have some twists that I didn’t expect, but I did find myself skimming through a lot of it as I was getting quite bored, but still wanted to know how it ended.
2/5 Death Row by Freida McFadden
I did quite enjoy this book a lot of twists and turns. A lot I wasn’t expecting to happen. I just got a little bit confused towards the end, and I feel like if there were more details along the way may have been able to clear some things up. However, I did quite enjoy this read

4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you: NetGalley for this ARC ebook.
Publication Date: June 2, 2025

This was a fun collection of 6 psychological thriller short stories by some really great authors.

Out of the 6, my top 3 short stories were Death Row by Freida Mcfadden, The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth and Good Neighbors by Chad Zunker

This was an ARC Ebook provided to me for my honest review & although it was a great read, I am actually very excited to listen to my 3 favorites short stories from this collection via audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC ebook of The Alibis collection. I hope there will be more short story collections like this in the future.

#Netgalley #AmazonOriginalStories
#AlibisCollection #DeathRow #TheExWivesClub #GoodNeighbors
#FalseNote #TheSkydivers #SmallThings

Absolutely amazing loved all of the books in this series! 5 stars for all of them! Will be recommending the series to everyone!

They were okay. Some of the stories could have been a little longer. And some made little to zero sense. That’s usually how I feel about these types of books.

Death Row- 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ex-wives Club- 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
False Note- 1/5 ⭐️
The Skydivers- 2.5/5 ⭐️⭐️💫
Good Neighbors-2.75/5 ⭐️⭐️🌟
Small Things-4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 6/2/25

*Thank you @NetGalley, @AmazonPublishing, and @BrilliancePublishing for sending this ebook and audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: A series of short story thrillers

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: I enjoyed these quick reads to break up some longer books I’m currently reading. There were 3 that I enjoyed more than the others and recommend! The other three were not my favorites. The narrators for all six stories were excellent!

Freida McFadden and Sally Hepworth are always a yes for me, so when I saw this collection with them and so many others, it was a must read! Don’t miss this amazing collection from this fantastic set of authors!

Thank you to NetGalley, all of the authors, and the publisher for this collection.

Alibis Collection - ARC Review

Alibis Collection Review
By: Freida McFadden, Sally Hepworth, David Lagercrantz, Chris Bohjalian, Chad Zunker, and Wanda M. Morris
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

This was my first time reading a multi-author short story collection, and I was pleasantly surprised by how each author brought their unique style and suspenseful twists to the table. Here’s a breakdown of my thoughts on each story:

🔪 Death Row by Freida McFadden 🔪
Talia is on death row for murdering her husband, but as the story unfolds through alternating timelines, things may not be as clear cut as they seem. True to Freida’s signature style, twists are thrown in that make you question everything. A solid psychological ride!

🧊 The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth 🧊 
This was one of my favorites! Celebrity chef Ian Curley has cycled through wives and children like ingredients in a recipe until he ends up dead in his restaurant freezer. Detective Charlene Li and her partner dig into the lives of those closest to him, gathering alibis. Each perspective adds to the tension, leading to a not so sinister ending.

🎭 False Note by David Lagercrantz 🎭
A haunting tale about a famous opera singer and his son. The father is manipulative and abusive, and the son is determined not to follow in his footsteps. When the son’s girlfriend leaves him for his father, things spiral fast. Dark and emotionally tense.

🪂 Skydivers by Chris Bohjalian 🪂
This one didn’t quite land for me. While it had an interesting premise, I found myself confused by the end and still wondering what exactly happened.

💍 Small Things by Wanda M. Morris 💍
Anything by Wanda is an automatic must-read for me. In this story, we meet a talented jewelry maker with an Etsy shop and a controlling husband. When he takes away her one safe space her shed, she finds a new way to express her creativity, and it’s anything but sweet a powerful, chilling read.

💭 Overall Thoughts 💭
This collection is perfect for thriller lovers looking for bite sized suspense. Each story packs a punch and offers something different, from psychological twists to domestic revenge. A few stood out more than others, but overall, I truly enjoyed the ride.

This was a great collection featuring stories from authors I admire. Each story offered something unique and exciting.

I really enjoy these collections that Amazon does. I enjoy having short reads by multiple authors. It let's me quickly find new authors with low risk. These are all on Kindle Unlimited so easy to read, return and get the next one. This was done around Christmas with a romance set and I liked that one too! Found a few new favorite authors! I may not enjoy every book but not too much time is invested in each one! I reviewed each book separately on Amazon.

A varied selection of titles, with some exceeding expectations and others falling short. An ideal palate cleanser between more substantial reads.

She does it again! Absolutely had my attention since the beginning with great character development. The ending? I audibly GASPED! Did not see that twist coming and I absolutely LOVED it. Must read “Death Row” by Freida Mcfadden

My average rating for this collection was 3 stars.
My favourites were #6 (4.25 stars) and #2 (4 stars). My least favourites were #1 and #3 (both 2 stars).
I appreciated the variety of approaches to the single theme, but I dislike loose threads that are never fleshed out.
I'm aware that a short story by its nature is limited, but some of these stories did manage to do a satisfying job.

I really enjoy when publishers put these collections together! This includes 6 short thrillers by authors I recognize but had not read before. This is a great introduction to these well known authors.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC.