Two women, Camille Bayliss and Aubrey Price switch lives for twelve hours to uncover secrets tied to Camille’s suspicious husband, Benjamin Bayliss. When Benjamin is found murdered the next morning, both women need an airtight alibi but only one of them has it. With timelines tangled and identities blurred, one wrong move could unravel everything.
I listened to this on audio, and while the narration was good, it did take me a little while to fully get my footing. Between the shifting POVs, the mixed-up timeline, and two women literally being the same person for a stretch of the story, it was a lot to track at first. Once it clicked, though, I absolutely flew through it and honestly didn’t even mind all the extra chores I got done while listening.
There are so many moving pieces to this plot, and I loved how they eventually wove together. We get a lot of lessons in alibis: how to build them, how to break them, and how dangerous they can be, right up to the final sentence. The scrambled timeline kept me intrigued and occasionally perplexed in a way that worked for the story’s tension.
Camille Bayliss and Aubrey Price couldn’t be more different, which is what makes their brief time as the “same” person so fascinating. Camille, the wealthy socialite, needs an alibi—and she gets one, which is very lucky considering there’s a dead man in her house. Aubrey, meanwhile, technically does and doesn’t have an alibi, and that gray area is where so much of the suspense lives.
Aubrey was easily my favorite part of the story. Her world—full of criminals, misfits, and fiercely loyal friends—felt raw and real, and I loved the found-family dynamic. It’s clear these people have survived hard things together, and they’ll do anything to protect one another.
Everything unfolding in the present is rooted in something that happened years ago: an accident, a possibly wrong conviction, and the lingering question of what really went down. This story is tightly wound and cleverly structured, and it kept me engaged right through to the end. I did guess the twist, and I’ll admit I checked how much time was left at one point (never a great sign), but I was never bored—just overwhelmed in the best way by how much was happening and how many secrets were in play.
And that last sentence? Perfect. It leaves you with the unsettling feeling that some stories, and some crimes, are never truly finished.
AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP |★★★★
Anatomy of an Alibi is out now. Huge thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and MacMillian Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
