Captivated: A Guest Post by Ashley Elston

Lives unravel as lies resurface in this story of two women who hatch one chilling plan. Ashley Elston, author of First Lie Wins, weaves a web of deception in this suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing. Read on for an exclusive essay from Ashley on writing Anatomy of an Alibi.

A few years ago, I was captivated by a murder trial that got national attention. A lawyer from a wealthy southern family had gotten away with all kinds of crimes for years until the murder of his wife and son. His trial was fascinating to watch in the same way a train wreck would be. What really intrigued me was how his tech gave him up in the end. I started thinking about how every single detail of our day is tracked in some way, from the smart watch keeping up with our hearts’ beats per minute to the GPS tracking every mile driven to a credit card recording every dollar spent.

But what’s the alternative? Would that lawyer still have looked guilty if he had an extended period of time around the moments his wife and son were murdered with absolutely no data at all? I think so. Maybe even more so. The best alibi isn’t someone vouching for you, it’s the data collected that paints the picture of every minute of your day (as long as that data works in your favor). 

Then I started thinking about how you would get around that. It was fun thinking every step through: Could your data tell your story even if you’re not the one it’s tracking? Would it just take someone else driving your car, ordering your same coffee, following along with the normal activities of your day while your real movements were completely hidden?

That was the story I had to write!

But writing a follow-up to FIRST LIE WINS was hard. Very hard.

I rewrote this story three times. Added characters and plot points, took them away, then brought them back. I kept restructuring it, making sure the reveals and timeline matched up the way I wanted. I overthought everything. But at some point, I just had to trust myself and believe in the story I wanted to tell. I couldn’t be prouder of this book, and I’m so excited for everyone to read it.

ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI is story about swapped identities, small town drama, family secrets, and putting your trust in a stranger. It’s full of twists and turns, set in South Louisiana, with multiple timelines and POVs. I hope you love it as much as I do.