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The Alibi

How far would you go to protect what you love?

He’s handsome, charming, and the city’s beloved Lord Mayor. He’s also a cheating husband. But is he a killer?

When a surfer discovers the gruesome remains of council staffer Lauren Ellis in sand dunes just metres from Lord Mayor Andrew Ashley’s beachside home, rumours of his close relationship with the victim quickly begin to circulate.

Andrew’s secret affair with local newspaper reporter Elle Nolan is proof he can be an unfaithful husband – but is he also guilty of murder?

As the search for answers continues, Andrew refuses to tell police where he was the night of Lauren’s death.

When Andrew reaches out to Elle from police lock-up begging her to provide an alibi for the night in question, she quickly realises that instead of just reporting the story, she’s about to become irrevocably entangled in it.

A thought-provoking and page-turning thriller from the International Best-Selling Author of domestic thriller series The Secrets We Keep and The Truth We Tell that will make you question – how far would I go to save what I love ?

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 21, 2023

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About the author

Nikki Lee Taylor

10 books146 followers
Nikki Lee Taylor is an Australian author. In 2024, she was awarded the Sisters in Crime Scarlet Stiletto Award for Crime Fiction. Her latest title, Wildling Road, also won the 2025 Hawkeye Manuscript Development Award.

Nikki has written three independent titles, including International Bestseller The Secrets We Keep, The Truth We Tell, and The Alibi.

Nikki is a former news journalist, coffee addict, dog trainer, and competes in canine scent work trials with her dog Saxon. She lives in Newcastle, NSW.

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5 stars
17 (19%)
4 stars
47 (54%)
3 stars
15 (17%)
2 stars
6 (6%)
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1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for books_with_sass.
438 reviews31 followers
July 12, 2023
Thank you to BookSirens for a digital copy of Nikki Lee Taylor's whodunit The Alibi, out now on Kindle and in paperback.

A body has been found in the dunes close to Lord Mayor Andrew Ashley's house, and when it is identified, it turns out to be a colleague who he sometimes worked closely with. We switch between the points of view of five different people to see the entire story unfold. The police think Andrew did it and are trying to prove that. Others can't believe he would ever do something like that, but he won't tell the police where he was. He needs an alibi, but how will he get one, and will it keep him out of prison?

The writing flowed well, and had me intrigued. The plot was relatively gripping, I wasn't sure what Andrew had to do with it, but I was sure he did. Characters were well-developed with backstories to explain how they got to where they are. There were red herrings throughout; a false confession, suspicious text messages. The ending was a twist that I didn't anticipate. Switching between so many people sometimes became a little much, but the chapters always stated who the narrator was.

All in all, this was a great mystery revolving around murder, political issues, and nature conservation. If you enjoy Cheryl Bradshaw or Christina Dodd, then you will enjoy The Alibi.
Profile Image for MJ.
237 reviews12 followers
August 6, 2023
“All units. Human remains found in the south dunes of Stockton Beach.”

I want to start this review off by saying that I have never read a book with FIVE POVs – you’d think it would be confusing – but it was magnificent. 10/10 recommend.

Elle Nolan
“I was a binge eater. And it sucked.”

Elle is filling in as lead crime reporter at the Tribune when body parts surface on the beach. Stress surrounds her throughout the case and her vice is food. I love how the author brought binge eating, purging, and the guilt that comes along with it, to light. I haven’t read many thrillers that bring this sort of awareness with the twists and turns. It was thoughtful but impactful.

Lord Mayor Andrew Ashley
“I was a liar and a fraud and soon everyone would know.”

Lord Mayor Andrew Ashley of Newcastle is a family man. He and his wife, Stella, and their two boys: Jackson and Levi are the picture-perfect family. Lord Mayor loves his town and wants to protect it at all costs. But how far is too far? The author wrote this character perfectly to fit the role – juuust the right amount of cocky, narcissistic, gaslight-y behavior wrapped into a seemingly put together, “has it all” politician.

Stella Ashley
“Once upon a time, I told myself Andrew wasn’t the type to deliberately hurt a woman. Now I wondered, what if I was wrong?”

Mrs. Lord Mayor Ashley is nothing without the clout of her husband. Should she stay, should she go? What will the consequences be either way? The doubt that was written into this character helped in keeping you guessing through the entire read. Whether you were doubting Stella, or the circumstances that surrounded her.

Senior Sergeant Lucy Dickson a.k.a. “Dicks”
“It was bad enough that what I did was interfering with my personal life, but now it might be the loophole that allowed a man to get away with murder.”

Lucy Dickson is Senior Sergeant at Newcastle PD, and oh, the web she weaves... Dicks is either investigating by the book (much to her supervisor’s dismay), or playing by her own rules to tempt fate. Despite the PD drama, I loved learning about her home life and the Lucy that lives behind the badge.

Lauren Ellis
“I think they were looking to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”

29-year-old Newcastle City Council employee, is identified through her washed up body parts on Stockton Beach. Being heavily involved in conservation and environmental initiatives, she’s the perfect target for a crime of this nature. The way that the author kept you guessing until the very end..! Amazing. I was shook.

“For Stella, …
For Lucy, …
And for me…”


LOVE the trauma bonding.. beautiful ending.

*I received an advance review copy through Book Sirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Lori Peterson.
1,331 reviews40 followers
February 23, 2026
Received as a review copy from Booksirens, this is an honest review.

Author Nikki Lee Taylor wrote a dangerously addicted book with The Alibi. Everyone has their own secrets to keep within this small town; it's when the tragic death of Lauren Ellis, whom had worked with the town's Council, those darks secrets that Andrew, Elle and Lucy are threatening to emerge. The complex web of personal and professional relationships are slowly beginning to hang everyone as the search of an elusive killer is tearing the small town as justice for murder is bringing forth a harrowing reckoning no one knows what it'll mean for those affected once the dust settles.


The author beautifully shatters expectations not only when the killer is revealed and wrote an out of the blue epilogue that makes the story even more a thrill ride than it already was.


Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Jessica.
515 reviews4 followers
June 12, 2023
Bad choices… they always come back to haunt you.

Unfortunately, everyone makes them.

This book is all about bad choices and where those choices lead. Lord Mayor Andrew Ashley is passionate about his town, but the choices he makes and the affairs he has while trying to protect that town end up hurting his family and others. Fortunately, Lucy Dickson is not about to let him Ashley get away with his crimes and her investigation inadvertently leads her to the real criminal - someone everyone thinks they can trust and someone the reader doesn’t even consider a suspect.

I really enjoyed the mystery element of this novel and found myself caught up in the “who dunnit” element, but it was slow at times. In particular, there was a great deal of emphasis on the setting and the Gemini Bird, an endangered species that happened to be found there. I couldn’t get into this part of the plot line and, unfortunately, it occupied quite a bit of the plot.

The ending was also disappointing. There is an interesting twist, but also some unanswered questions. For instance, what happened to Ashley? It’s sweet how everyone trauma bonds… but also sort of a cop out because this sort of ending doesn’t require all the ends to be tied.

All in all, this was an intriguing book with the potential to be riveting.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Pru.
427 reviews3 followers
May 19, 2025
The body of Lauren Ellis is found in Stockton sand dunes, nor far from Lord Mayor Andrew Ashley's family home. When news breaks of a "very close" relationship between the two, the community speculates, but surely the charming and wholesome mayor isn't capable of murder. If he is innocent, then why does he not tell the police where he was at the time!?

Local newspaper reporter and mistress of Lord Mayor Ashley, Elle Nolan just wants to report crime. Instead, she writes about the council, which led to her affair with the mayor. When Andrew asks Elle to be his alibi for the night of the incident, she realises that her life will never be the same again.

The Alibi is an interesting and gripping crime fiction that I devoured. I loved the history and facts about Newcastle that I learned along the way, and I enjoyed the mention of so many key landmarks in the area. The final twist was very surprising but made total sense. It's worth the read!
Profile Image for Tracie Crane.
214 reviews3 followers
June 5, 2023
I usually find an abundance of characters in a book overwhelming and hard to follow, but this is the first time I felt like every character made the story more interesting.

Told through alternate chapters, with the chapter title being the character narrative. I enjoyed the story and was actually surprised in the end, by who was the murderer.

A fast paced story with interesting characters who fans of murder, mystery and political power would enjoy reading. I definitely will read more books by this author.

I did find some grammatical errors, but chalked it up to reading an advance copy. It would have been a 5 star review, but the ending left me with a few questions that I felt should have been addressed.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
876 reviews29 followers
June 8, 2023
Elle Nolan is a reporter, keen to get on the crime circuit and make her writer father proud of her. She gets drawn into a murder investigation, and makes a mistake, which leaves her worrying about her choices in love and life. How far will she go to feel better about herself.

An interesting read, I liked Elle but felt frustrated with her at times, particularly over some of her choices that mixed work with her personal life. This is written from several points of view - as well as Elle, we have Lucy, the police officer investigating a murder; Andrew, the mayor who is manipulating people for his own good; Stella, Andrews wife, who thinks she knows everything that Andrew is up to and finally Lauren. It’s an interesting story, some really good twists, and an ending I didn’t guess. Recommended.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Profile Image for Deyae.
41 reviews10 followers
June 21, 2023
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really liked reading The Alibi by Nikki Lee Taylor. It was quite intriguing. The suspense is on during the whole book and I must admit I didn't foresee it ending the way it did.
The author did a really great job throwing us, as readers, off of the real suspect until the very end, when he's revealed—which I thoroughly enjoyed!
The characters were also well-written and easy to understand/connect to, which made it easier to quickly get absorbed in the story.
The only thing that I hope improves is the typos. They weren't a lot that they hindered my reading experience, but enough to notice.
Profile Image for Andrew.
739 reviews4 followers
July 13, 2023
I loved this book, which stage by stage revealed the story of a murder. A pacy story which revealed itself rather like the layers of an onion. It all hinged on the Mayor and whether he committed a murder, as he refused to say where he was.

Some great characters were introduced in the story and some great passages of dialogue too. Some people who felt they were looking on the story from the outside soon found themselves on centre stage. I loved the ending to the story.

This was my first book by this author but if won’t be my last, and I found I didn’t want to put the book down as I needed to know what had happened. Happy to strongly recommend this story to others.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Leanne J.
321 reviews3 followers
September 12, 2023
3.75⭐️

I had this on my kindle for a while and have been meaning to pick it up. I decided to finally read it on holiday and it was a perfect holiday read.

I enjoy it when chapters are headed with the name of whose POV it is from. It makes it easier to follow along. Initially I did have to pause to remember who the character was because there were a few, but never for long. The author managed to connect the characters and not have any unnecessary to the story. I found the story to be engaging and it kept me entertained.

It was a faced paced read with murder, mystery and some twists and turns. I will definitely read more by this author and recommend this one.

Thank you to @nikki.leetaylor for reaching out and providing a gifted copy for an honest review.
Profile Image for Christine Edwards.
8 reviews
April 6, 2026
The story was set on my home town, so I found the accuracy of the landscape and the attention to this detail pleasing.

Although the story has multiple characters, I did not find this confusing as the layout separated the storylines by chapters

The story was well written, kept me engaged with the plot and the characters and the plot twist refreshing.

This was a great read with short, punchy chapters that kept me wanting more.

The author could easily have dragged out the story with unnecessary detail and waffle, however she did not. Instead she presented a story that was easy to read, interesting, just enough detail but with mystery, intrigue and and a surprise. Just the way I like my stories.

This is a great read and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Profile Image for What Sam Reads.
145 reviews119 followers
August 11, 2023
I received an ARC from BookSiren & the Author. Thank you for the opportunity to read & review The Alibi, which is out now on Kindle and in paperback.

This review is my opinion and in no way swayed by outside sources.

I enjoyed this read. It was a fast-paced book with short chapters (my favorite)! The story line is easy to follow, although, I believe there is some ‘fluff’ that could have been left out. I love this was a multi-POV book and each chapter was a different character. It really helped pull the story together.

My biggest critique is that there are quite a few typos that were not caught before it went to publishing.
Profile Image for Simone.
202 reviews7 followers
June 8, 2023
This was an interesting book, but I’m not 100% sure how much I enjoyed reading it. There are four main characters and each chapter tells part of their story from their point of view and it took me quite a while to remember who was who. Reading it felt like a bit of a chore quite often and I kept thinking that I felt like I was just wading through filler words. There was a good twist in the end that I did not see coming and that was worth the fourth star for me. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Pheadra.
1,173 reviews64 followers
June 19, 2023
I enjoyed this story and the short punchy chapters about a woman whose body washes up on the beach. The media goes in to a frenzy over who killed her and why, and the chief suspect is the Lord Mayor.
Charming and sneaky the attractive Lord Mayor gets a woman with an eating disorder to lie for him, providing him with an alibi, but this comes back to slap him in the face when his son confesses to the crime.
The only weakness for me was the ending, tied together in a neat bow. 4 stars
I received an advance copy of this book and am submitting this review voluntary.
Profile Image for Sharon.
278 reviews
June 13, 2023
This book was intriguing, with a plot that held my interest and kept me guessing. The characters (four main ones) were well-defined and each necessary to the overall story. The author told the story from each different point of view, which I appreciate in a book that is a combination of varying characters. Excellent psychological thriller!
I received an ARC of this book. My review and my decision to post one, is entirely of my own choosing and content.
242 reviews
July 13, 2023
I'm not usually a big fan of stories that switch points of view because it can be confusing, but it worked well in this book. The characters were interesting, if not particularly likeable. All had faults and weaknesses.
I think the storyline is good and I didn't guess the killer.
It was great to read a book set in Australia!
I would like to read more from this author.
I received an advance copy of this book Book Sirens. This is my honest review.
Profile Image for April.
788 reviews11 followers
July 31, 2023
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The story is through the point of view of a few characters, I had to flip back a couple times to clear things up. I am not a fan of long paragraphs but I understand why they are used. Once I really got reading I found the book so hard to put down. The alibi caught me off guard a bit.

I can see myself reading other books written by this author.
Profile Image for J-l.
170 reviews
June 14, 2023
This was an enjoyable and well written whodunit that I would recommend for fans of murder mysteries that take place in small Australian beachside communities. Throughout the book I couldn't stop thinking, how good looking could the Lord Mayor possibly be?!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
#BookSirens
#BookLovers
#Bookworm
#ARC
982 reviews8 followers
July 11, 2023
This was a really good thriller. I really enjoyed all the characters. The plot was original and the surprise ending shocked me! It was a mix of politics, corruption, and a cheating husband that took 4 strangers and intersected their lives in an unexpected and inextricable way. I highly recommend this book!
Profile Image for Tam.
2,196 reviews56 followers
July 11, 2023
A complex, suspenseful plot with tension so thick that it felt palpable. Wonderful characters with depth and substance. I was immediately drawn in and held captive from beginning to end.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
219 reviews2 followers
July 21, 2023
Very interesting read! My only slight struggle was that a lot of characters were introduced very quickly, and it took awhile for me to get the hang of who everyone was. That may just be a personal thing, and not necessarily an issue for everyone. It definitely kept me wanting to read more and more! I enjoyed the twists, and enjoyed the book as a whole!
Profile Image for Pat.
1,096 reviews36 followers
July 24, 2023
I really enjoyed Interesting backstory and development of characters in this multiple point of view murder mystery. Plenty of red herrings and twists, to keep you guessing. Seems a lot of people had own motives. The mystery flowed along at a good pace with interesting well developed characters. *I was given a copy via BookSirens and am voluntarily giving my honest review.
Profile Image for Hannah.
13 reviews
August 11, 2023
I thought this was written well. The storyline was captivating and I found myself continuing to reach for it to read more. I thought the plot moved quickly without feeling like it was it was missing substance. There were a few type-o’s, but overall I really enjoyed reading this.

I received this book for free from BookSiren. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Jaq.
104 reviews
June 6, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. It had me thinking it was so many characters along the way. This is an absolutely fantastic Thriller, 100% worth a read.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for  Sophie.
2,254 reviews
June 25, 2023
I liked this story. The characters were interesting. I enjoyed seeing the story's action from their point of views. It was an interesting way to write the thriller by allowing the reader into the characters' minds.
I was entertained by this thriller because the storyline was well made. It was not boring. It kept me hooked into the last moment.
I received a complimentary copy of this story and I freely left this review.
Profile Image for Ann.
560 reviews138 followers
June 14, 2023
Really good book! Held my interest all the way through, and the characters were well-developed. I look forward to more from this author. Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC.
23 reviews
May 31, 2025
Long winded

The book felt like it could have been cut in half and still gotten the point across. In addition the twist felt disjointed, like there was no flow. Overall dissapt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews