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Alibis Collection #2
The Ex-Wives Club
When a restaurateur and serial philanderer turns up stone-cold dead, his trio of exes falls under suspicion in a sharp-witted and suspenseful short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Darling Girls.
Celebrity chef Ian Curley is found dead in his walk-in freezer. The prime suspects are his three ex-wives, who meet up every Friday evening in their favorite corner booth of his restaurant. It’s a tradition for Anita, Mary-Jane, and Rosie to drink, dine, and commiserate. But commit murder? All aggrieved, each one has a motive and an alibi. And a brilliant detective has reservations. Who did it? The night will tell.
Sally Hepworth’s The Ex-Wives Club is part of Alibis, a collection of stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
Celebrity chef Ian Curley is found dead in his walk-in freezer. The prime suspects are his three ex-wives, who meet up every Friday evening in their favorite corner booth of his restaurant. It’s a tradition for Anita, Mary-Jane, and Rosie to drink, dine, and commiserate. But commit murder? All aggrieved, each one has a motive and an alibi. And a brilliant detective has reservations. Who did it? The night will tell.
Sally Hepworth’s The Ex-Wives Club is part of Alibis, a collection of stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
83 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2025
7470 people are currently reading
14396 people want to read
About the author
Sally Hepworth
22 books48.6k followersSally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, most recently Darling Girls. Sally’s novels have been called “darkly charming” and praised by authors Emily Giffin and Liane Moriarty as “totally absorbing” and “fiction at its finest.”
Sally's novels are available around the globe in English and have been translated into over 30 languages. She has sold over two million books worldwide.
Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family.
Sally's novels are available around the globe in English and have been translated into over 30 languages. She has sold over two million books worldwide.
Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,222 reviews
July 9, 2025
In a Nutshell: The second story in the Alibis collection. Quite entertaining as long as you know what to expect from this author. Better read as a domestic drama than as a thriller, even though the mystery is decent. A nice, quick, one-time read.
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Plot Preview:
This is the second standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with.”
Woohoos:
🥂 83 pages long, but can easily be completed at a go. Nice quick tempo and no drag.
🥂 Great prologue – on par with that of good full-length thrillers. Tougher to do this in a short work!
🥂 Flawed characters whose personalities come out well as the story proceeds. The cast list is fairly extensive for a short story, but I was able to keep them clear in my head.
🥂 Nice use of the shifting narrative perspective. Not a common choice in short fiction as it is trickier to execute in the limited space, but implemented well here.
🥂 The back and forth plot development from two timelines: the night of the murder and the day of the investigation. A good way of uncovering the secrets bit by bit!
IDKs:
🔪 Not a thriller, more like a domestic drama. Then again, all of this author’s “thrillers” are domestic dramas, so I was better prepared for it this time around.
🔪 Mostly typical in its execution. Even though I am not a regular thriller reader, I still found it fairly straightforward, except for the main reveal.
🔪 Regular supply of twists and surprise revelations through the narrative. A few click; many are abrupt.
🔪 The ending is good, but some part of it feels like a deus ex machina.
All in all, this was a fairly entertaining work. It might not stick in my head for long as there’s not much novelty, but it was not boring either.
A good choice for those looking for a quick popcorn domestic-suspense story.
3.25 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Alibis’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
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Connect with me through:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
A reputed chef is found dead in the walk-in freezer at his restaurant. On the night of his death, all three of his ex-wives and his two adult children were present at the restaurant. The former three, because they have a tradition of meeting every Friday for dinner. The latter two, because they work at the restaurant. Each of them has a strong motive to kill the chef, but each of them also has an alibi. Now it is up to Detective Charlene Li to sort through the clues and figure out what happened. If only her assistant weren’t such a nincompoop.
The story comes to us from the third-person perspective of almost all the key characters from two timelines.
This is the second standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with.”
Woohoos:
🥂 83 pages long, but can easily be completed at a go. Nice quick tempo and no drag.
🥂 Great prologue – on par with that of good full-length thrillers. Tougher to do this in a short work!
🥂 Flawed characters whose personalities come out well as the story proceeds. The cast list is fairly extensive for a short story, but I was able to keep them clear in my head.
🥂 Nice use of the shifting narrative perspective. Not a common choice in short fiction as it is trickier to execute in the limited space, but implemented well here.
🥂 The back and forth plot development from two timelines: the night of the murder and the day of the investigation. A good way of uncovering the secrets bit by bit!
IDKs:
🔪 Not a thriller, more like a domestic drama. Then again, all of this author’s “thrillers” are domestic dramas, so I was better prepared for it this time around.
🔪 Mostly typical in its execution. Even though I am not a regular thriller reader, I still found it fairly straightforward, except for the main reveal.
🔪 Regular supply of twists and surprise revelations through the narrative. A few click; many are abrupt.
🔪 The ending is good, but some part of it feels like a deus ex machina.
All in all, this was a fairly entertaining work. It might not stick in my head for long as there’s not much novelty, but it was not boring either.
A good choice for those looking for a quick popcorn domestic-suspense story.
3.25 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Alibis’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
June 3, 2025
Celebrity chef Ian Curley has been found dead in his walk-in freezer.
The prime suspects are :
His three ex-wives, Anita, Mary Jane, and Rosie, who were dining together in their favorite corner booth of his restaurant, as they do every Friday night. (Yes-they actually like one another)
His latest girlfriend, Emma.
His son, Max and his daughter, Daisy.
And, a couple of other members of the staff.
Every one of them has a gripe with him-and every one of them has an alibi. Will the detective in charge be able to crack the case?
I love Sally Hepworth and eagerly await each new book, so I was excited to see her name included in this collection. It had a few moments-but didn’t leave much of an impression on me! 3 stars ⭐️
Sally Hepworth’s The Ex-Wives Club is part of “Alibis”-Amazon’s latest collection of original short stories. This time the common theme is lies, truth, and deception. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. This one is 84 pages in length.
The prime suspects are :
His three ex-wives, Anita, Mary Jane, and Rosie, who were dining together in their favorite corner booth of his restaurant, as they do every Friday night. (Yes-they actually like one another)
His latest girlfriend, Emma.
His son, Max and his daughter, Daisy.
And, a couple of other members of the staff.
Every one of them has a gripe with him-and every one of them has an alibi. Will the detective in charge be able to crack the case?
I love Sally Hepworth and eagerly await each new book, so I was excited to see her name included in this collection. It had a few moments-but didn’t leave much of an impression on me! 3 stars ⭐️
Sally Hepworth’s The Ex-Wives Club is part of “Alibis”-Amazon’s latest collection of original short stories. This time the common theme is lies, truth, and deception. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. This one is 84 pages in length.
November 14, 2025
Famous chef-restaurateur Ian Curley is found dead in his walk-in freezer...
...Ian's three ex-wives were dining in their favorite corner booth for their weekly Friday night get-together. His two adult children were also present and working. All five are prime suspects with strong motives, and each one has an alibi. Detective Li and her bumbling assistant are putting the pieces together, but will they solve the case...?
The Ex-Wives Club is part of the Alibis Collection, offered exclusively through Amazon and Audible, and free to borrow with Amazon Prime. Each of the six short stories about lies, truth, and deception is meant to be read or listened to in one sitting. I chose both options, and the audiobook, narrated by Anthea Greco, was my preferred format for this immersive experience.
Although the characters were nicely flawed and there were a couple of decent surprises, I craved more depth through backstory, and an ending that went a little deeper, too. I liked the alternating timelines, but every chapter was too short.
I have read and enjoyed all Hepworth's domestic-suspense novels and short reads. I'll soon be reading her newest novel Mad Mabel, which is due to be published in April 2026.
3.25⭐
...Ian's three ex-wives were dining in their favorite corner booth for their weekly Friday night get-together. His two adult children were also present and working. All five are prime suspects with strong motives, and each one has an alibi. Detective Li and her bumbling assistant are putting the pieces together, but will they solve the case...?
The Ex-Wives Club is part of the Alibis Collection, offered exclusively through Amazon and Audible, and free to borrow with Amazon Prime. Each of the six short stories about lies, truth, and deception is meant to be read or listened to in one sitting. I chose both options, and the audiobook, narrated by Anthea Greco, was my preferred format for this immersive experience.
Although the characters were nicely flawed and there were a couple of decent surprises, I craved more depth through backstory, and an ending that went a little deeper, too. I liked the alternating timelines, but every chapter was too short.
I have read and enjoyed all Hepworth's domestic-suspense novels and short reads. I'll soon be reading her newest novel Mad Mabel, which is due to be published in April 2026.
3.25⭐
June 10, 2025
4/5 ⭐️ I honestly enjoyed this short story wayyy more than I thought I would. It was quite fun and the characters were pretty interesting! This is definitely one short story that I wish was longer!
July 1, 2025
Pretty good short - felt like it should have been a novel, and I wanted more of it and to learn more about both the murder and the characters. Looking forward to the author’s next release
September 22, 2025
So entertaining and had so much potential! Boujee ex wives all suspects of unaliving the restaurant owner ex husband ? Who still saves them a table and doesn’t make them pay? Obsessed. Wish this was full length !!
September 13, 2025
EXCERPT: "Most men wouldn't be happy to have their ex-wives gathered in a room, let alone gathered in the corner booth of his own restaurant," the reviewer wrote. "But chef Ian Curley isn't most men. The women teasing Ian and laughing with the staff contributed as much to the ambiance as the smells that wafted from the kitchen.
Each member of the Ex-Wives Club is separated by a decade in age - Anita is fifty, Mary-Jane is forty, and Rosie, his soon-to-be third ex-wife, is just thirty years old. Ian is fifty-five."
Ian had been delighted. "You can't buy this kind of press," he said. He wasn't wrong. And since he started seeing Emma - another five years Rosie's junior - interest in the whole set-up had skyrocketed even further.
ABOUT 'THE EX-WIVES CLUB': When a restaurateur and serial philanderer turns up stone-cold dead, his trio of exes falls under suspicion.
Celebrity chef Ian Curley is found dead in his walk-in freezer. The prime suspects are his three ex-wives, who meet up every Friday evening in their favorite corner booth of his restaurant. It’s a tradition for Anita, Mary-Jane, and Rosie to drink, dine, and commiserate. But commit murder? All aggrieved, each one has a motive and an alibi. And a brilliant detective has reservations. Who did it? The night will tell.
MY THOUGHTS: I adore Sally Hepworth's writing but, honestly?, this ought to have been a novel, or a movie - think Knives Out! There is far too much going on and far too many characters whom we really don't get to know for it to be successful as a short story.
The resolution had me laughing, though - classic and most unexpected!
Sally Hepworth’s The Ex-Wives Club is part of Alibis, a collection of stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
⭐⭐⭐.3
#Alibiscollection #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: SALLY HEPWORTH's novels have been called “darkly charming”, “totally absorbing” and “fiction at its finest.” She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Short Stories via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of the Alibis Collection for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Each member of the Ex-Wives Club is separated by a decade in age - Anita is fifty, Mary-Jane is forty, and Rosie, his soon-to-be third ex-wife, is just thirty years old. Ian is fifty-five."
Ian had been delighted. "You can't buy this kind of press," he said. He wasn't wrong. And since he started seeing Emma - another five years Rosie's junior - interest in the whole set-up had skyrocketed even further.
ABOUT 'THE EX-WIVES CLUB': When a restaurateur and serial philanderer turns up stone-cold dead, his trio of exes falls under suspicion.
Celebrity chef Ian Curley is found dead in his walk-in freezer. The prime suspects are his three ex-wives, who meet up every Friday evening in their favorite corner booth of his restaurant. It’s a tradition for Anita, Mary-Jane, and Rosie to drink, dine, and commiserate. But commit murder? All aggrieved, each one has a motive and an alibi. And a brilliant detective has reservations. Who did it? The night will tell.
MY THOUGHTS: I adore Sally Hepworth's writing but, honestly?, this ought to have been a novel, or a movie - think Knives Out! There is far too much going on and far too many characters whom we really don't get to know for it to be successful as a short story.
The resolution had me laughing, though - classic and most unexpected!
Sally Hepworth’s The Ex-Wives Club is part of Alibis, a collection of stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
⭐⭐⭐.3
#Alibiscollection #NetGalley
MEET THE AUTHOR: SALLY HEPWORTH's novels have been called “darkly charming”, “totally absorbing” and “fiction at its finest.” She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Short Stories via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of the Alibis Collection for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
June 7, 2025
The second story in the Amazon Originals Alibis Collection and this one almost has more alibis than the detectives can handle.
Celebrity chef Ian Curley is found dead in his freezer and there are plenty of suspects including three ex wives who are all great friends, his girlfriend Emma, his son Max, his daughter Daisy and several staff members. Everyone has an alibi so it is a case of who is lying. The answer is most of them!
I thought this was a very entertaining and well written who dunnit well worth four stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Celebrity chef Ian Curley is found dead in his freezer and there are plenty of suspects including three ex wives who are all great friends, his girlfriend Emma, his son Max, his daughter Daisy and several staff members. Everyone has an alibi so it is a case of who is lying. The answer is most of them!
I thought this was a very entertaining and well written who dunnit well worth four stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
June 11, 2025
Sally Hepworth never disappoints. Her thrillers are not the typical; they usually blend the psychological with the emotional for thrillers with great depth and character development. Short stories are tough, though, because of the heavy lifting that must be done in such a short burst. She did a solid job of bringing an ex-wives’ club to life, with murderous consequences, in a way that was entertaining and engaging. But of course, like all short stories, I wanted more.
July 17, 2025
2.5 ⭐
It started off quite promising, but I ended up getting quite bored. It's still well-written, and there are some good scenes.
It started off quite promising, but I ended up getting quite bored. It's still well-written, and there are some good scenes.
July 10, 2025
the setup…
Ian Curley is a renowned chef and restaurateur with a thriving restaurant in Melbourne. His three ex-wives, Anita, Mary-Jane (MJ) and Rosie, meet there every Friday in the same corner booth to share their past marital woes (he foots the bill). His two children, Max and Daisy, work for him. When Ian is discovered dead in his commercial freezer, there’s no shortage of suspects, including his new child girlfriend Emma. But, they all seem to have rock solid alibis.
the heart of the story…
Detective Charlene Li and her hapless partner Adrian Collins are tasked with figuring out who murdered Ian and untangling the suspects’ whereabouts. I loved getting everyone’s point of view and Detective Li’s follow up interrogations. It was intriguing from the onset, especially after each gave color to who Ian was, really.
the narration…
I loved Anthea Greco’s voice tone, accent and storytelling! She was part of the “thing” that hooked me so quickly.
the bottom line…
Despite its brevity, there’s a lot of meat here. I got a strong sense of every character, tough to accomplish in a short story with this many characters. Thought I had it solved but that twisty little ending caught me off guard. This so perfectly fits in with the collection and Hepworth does it again.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy of the entire collection. All opinions are my own.)
Ian Curley is a renowned chef and restaurateur with a thriving restaurant in Melbourne. His three ex-wives, Anita, Mary-Jane (MJ) and Rosie, meet there every Friday in the same corner booth to share their past marital woes (he foots the bill). His two children, Max and Daisy, work for him. When Ian is discovered dead in his commercial freezer, there’s no shortage of suspects, including his new child girlfriend Emma. But, they all seem to have rock solid alibis.
the heart of the story…
Detective Charlene Li and her hapless partner Adrian Collins are tasked with figuring out who murdered Ian and untangling the suspects’ whereabouts. I loved getting everyone’s point of view and Detective Li’s follow up interrogations. It was intriguing from the onset, especially after each gave color to who Ian was, really.
the narration…
I loved Anthea Greco’s voice tone, accent and storytelling! She was part of the “thing” that hooked me so quickly.
the bottom line…
Despite its brevity, there’s a lot of meat here. I got a strong sense of every character, tough to accomplish in a short story with this many characters. Thought I had it solved but that twisty little ending caught me off guard. This so perfectly fits in with the collection and Hepworth does it again.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy of the entire collection. All opinions are my own.)
June 20, 2025
2 stars! ⭐️⭐️
The second book in the Alibis short story collection and my least favorite so far.
I like Sally Hepworth, so I wish this one had a little more excitement.
The second book in the Alibis short story collection and my least favorite so far.
I like Sally Hepworth, so I wish this one had a little more excitement.
June 8, 2025
3.5 stars
Really good final twist but feels a bit ‘clunky’!
Really good final twist but feels a bit ‘clunky’!
July 13, 2025
3 stars
I have enjoyed this author's work so I thought I would give this short story a listen. I'm glad it was short! I often struggle with short stories, maybe there's not enough time to create compelling characters or a story.
The premise of this one is who killed the celebrity chef? There are a lot of suspects!
I did like the idea of his ex-wives continuing to meet up and eat at his restaurants. I'll bet the conversations at that table were scintillating!
I have enjoyed this author's work so I thought I would give this short story a listen. I'm glad it was short! I often struggle with short stories, maybe there's not enough time to create compelling characters or a story.
The premise of this one is who killed the celebrity chef? There are a lot of suspects!
I did like the idea of his ex-wives continuing to meet up and eat at his restaurants. I'll bet the conversations at that table were scintillating!
July 23, 2025
Wanting to fill my summer with a mix of novels and short stories, I came upon this collection of short pieces called the Alibi Collection. This short story by Sally Hepworth deals with the murder of a celebrity chef. The man’s prominence was not only due to his culinary abilities, but also the three ex-wives who regularly met at the restaurant for lunch, and two grown children whose resentment spilled out during every conversation. As two Melbourne detectives piece things together, they come across a number of motives and alibis baked into a stunning reveal. Hepworth does well keeping this piece on the reader’s mind throughout.
The discovery of celebrity chef Ian Curley’s dead body in his restaurant’s walk-in freezer is a scandal. However, the headlines will pale in comparison to the investigation two Melbourne detectives must undertake to find his killer. Curley had theee ex-wives with reason to kill him, and two adult children whose resentment spills out regularly. The ex-wives meet weekly for a meal at the restaurant and their stories could surely create many reasons for Ian to want them gone. As motives mesh with alibis, the detectives must find a weak angle that will tell all and catch a killer. Sally Hepworth knows her stuff and works things well to leave the reader wondering.
I enjoy short stories with the ability to lure me in. Sally Hepworth succeeds as she pens a story that mixes mystery with tense revelations. There are great characters, developed swiftly with little time to see how they will work, and a plot that uses surprises to keep the reader begging for more. There are twists that leave this addictive story one I was pleased to discover.
Kudos, Madam Hepworth, for a wonderful mystery told in quick chapters.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
The discovery of celebrity chef Ian Curley’s dead body in his restaurant’s walk-in freezer is a scandal. However, the headlines will pale in comparison to the investigation two Melbourne detectives must undertake to find his killer. Curley had theee ex-wives with reason to kill him, and two adult children whose resentment spills out regularly. The ex-wives meet weekly for a meal at the restaurant and their stories could surely create many reasons for Ian to want them gone. As motives mesh with alibis, the detectives must find a weak angle that will tell all and catch a killer. Sally Hepworth knows her stuff and works things well to leave the reader wondering.
I enjoy short stories with the ability to lure me in. Sally Hepworth succeeds as she pens a story that mixes mystery with tense revelations. There are great characters, developed swiftly with little time to see how they will work, and a plot that uses surprises to keep the reader begging for more. There are twists that leave this addictive story one I was pleased to discover.
Kudos, Madam Hepworth, for a wonderful mystery told in quick chapters.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
January 1, 2026
I'm spending my New Year's Eve reading some of the novellas I couldn't get to earlier in the year, and this is one of them!
I liked how this story, even though it's a novella, kept me guessing until the very end. While I had my usual hunches and gut feelings about who was involved in the crime (and I was correct to some extent), I will admit how they went about it and their motives behind doing it caught me a little off-guard, so it gets one star for that. It also got another star because I just like bad things happening to horrible rich people. I'm sorry, Ian deserved everything that was coming to him.
With that said, I didn't really like how there were so many characters and side characters involved in a story that wasn't even 100 pages long. It resulted in a lot of moving parts, and it was somewhat difficult to feel invested in the story at times. I get that the story jumps between the night of the crime and the present day with the police interviewing all of the suspects, so it makes sense that the story would have a lot of characters to begin with. However, like so many other novellas, the characters in this one weren't developed enough to feel fully invested in the story at times. If the story only focused on the three ex-wives, that would be a totally different story, but that is not the case here.
I liked how this story, even though it's a novella, kept me guessing until the very end. While I had my usual hunches and gut feelings about who was involved in the crime (and I was correct to some extent), I will admit how they went about it and their motives behind doing it caught me a little off-guard, so it gets one star for that. It also got another star because I just like bad things happening to horrible rich people. I'm sorry, Ian deserved everything that was coming to him.
With that said, I didn't really like how there were so many characters and side characters involved in a story that wasn't even 100 pages long. It resulted in a lot of moving parts, and it was somewhat difficult to feel invested in the story at times. I get that the story jumps between the night of the crime and the present day with the police interviewing all of the suspects, so it makes sense that the story would have a lot of characters to begin with. However, like so many other novellas, the characters in this one weren't developed enough to feel fully invested in the story at times. If the story only focused on the three ex-wives, that would be a totally different story, but that is not the case here.
December 28, 2025
Thrilling short read
An entertaining short story, where everyone is a possible suspect. This is part of the Alibis collection, all thrilling short stories.
I will continue to read whatever Sally Hepworth writes.
An entertaining short story, where everyone is a possible suspect. This is part of the Alibis collection, all thrilling short stories.
I will continue to read whatever Sally Hepworth writes.
June 17, 2025
This was a really fun mystery!
With short chapters, no dull moments, fast paced and a pair of quirky policeman!
Ian Curley, a famous chef, is found dead inside his restaurant freezer with multiple wounds.
He was such a hateful person!
There are so many suspects: three ex-wives, a daughter, a son, a girlfriend, his employees, you name it!
The strangest thing is they all had irrefutable alibis!
When I thought I had figured it out, at the end I was gobsmacked!!!!
😲😲😲😲😲😲😲
With short chapters, no dull moments, fast paced and a pair of quirky policeman!
Ian Curley, a famous chef, is found dead inside his restaurant freezer with multiple wounds.
He was such a hateful person!
There are so many suspects: three ex-wives, a daughter, a son, a girlfriend, his employees, you name it!
The strangest thing is they all had irrefutable alibis!
When I thought I had figured it out, at the end I was gobsmacked!!!!
😲😲😲😲😲😲😲
August 24, 2025
Who killed Ian Curley? Every single one of the characters in this short story had motive, so you’ll keep guessing until the very end. Speaking of the end, it felt like the story just suddenly stopped rather than ended. Otherwise, I recommend the audio version if looking for a short read to pass the time.
June 13, 2025
#2 in the alibis collection. This is juicy whodunnit where everyone is a suspect. I’m a Sally Hepworth fan and she shines with domestic fiction. The ex-wives form a friendship over their past marriages to the same guy. Who could blame them for airing out their grievances? Their husband is an asshole, but would one of them go as far as killing him?
June 8, 2025
This has cozy mystery vibes and felt like I was playing a game of Clue. It was a fun short story who dunnit.
September 28, 2025
Story 3.5 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Anthea Greco
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Anthea Greco
September 5, 2025
“But every wife threatens to kill her husband. On a daily basis! Ex-wives do it on an hourly basis!”
₊ ⊹ . ݁⋆˙⟡ 𝟐.𝟓 ⇾
𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 & 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴
This short story follows the murder of a wealthy restaurant owner, with his ex-wives, children, and staff as the prime murder suspects.
This book was so short, and I'm so indecisive, so as of now this book is a 2.5 star for me. Maybeeee leaning more towards 3 stars; not sure yet. I'll update my rating if my mind changes... 😌
𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦
💍 thriller
𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴
💍 revenge
💍 whodunnit
💍 rich people drama
₊ ⊹ . ݁⋆˙⟡ 𝟐.𝟓 ⇾
𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 & 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴
This short story follows the murder of a wealthy restaurant owner, with his ex-wives, children, and staff as the prime murder suspects.
This book was so short, and I'm so indecisive, so as of now this book is a 2.5 star for me. Maybeeee leaning more towards 3 stars; not sure yet. I'll update my rating if my mind changes... 😌
𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦
💍 thriller
𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴
💍 revenge
💍 whodunnit
💍 rich people drama
October 7, 2025
The Ex-Wives Club by Sally Hepworth is the second short story in the Alibis collection. This is another entertaining and quick read that I enjoyed.
June 9, 2025
I love Sally Hepworth's writing! It's twisty & keeps you guessing until the very end.
Ian Curley is found dead in his restaurant & the suspect list is long! It includes each of his ex wives, his current lover who is 30 years his junior, and various employees...including his own children. As police interview each suspect the truth slowly begins to seep out--Ian Curley was not a good man. It's not a matter of who wanted revenge, but who wanted it most...and who had the chance to seek it first.
This was a quick + fun read but there were just so many characters for a such short story. Other than that I enjoyed it!
Ian Curley is found dead in his restaurant & the suspect list is long! It includes each of his ex wives, his current lover who is 30 years his junior, and various employees...including his own children. As police interview each suspect the truth slowly begins to seep out--Ian Curley was not a good man. It's not a matter of who wanted revenge, but who wanted it most...and who had the chance to seek it first.
This was a quick + fun read but there were just so many characters for a such short story. Other than that I enjoyed it!
June 25, 2025
3.5⭐️ rounded up (though I’m on the fence rounding up vs rounding down).
Kindle unlimited audio
Not a bad little short story. Multiple moving parts, multiple suspects. I find short stories difficult to rate as they can only give you so much in under 100 pages. Usually takes me that long to decide if I even like a book! This one is worth the hour of your time. Plot is a little silly and far fetched but it’s fiction and a ‘who- dun-it’ type thriller…
Writing is good, characters are ok- not memorable, but they serve their purpose for this quick story.
Kindle unlimited audio
Not a bad little short story. Multiple moving parts, multiple suspects. I find short stories difficult to rate as they can only give you so much in under 100 pages. Usually takes me that long to decide if I even like a book! This one is worth the hour of your time. Plot is a little silly and far fetched but it’s fiction and a ‘who- dun-it’ type thriller…
Writing is good, characters are ok- not memorable, but they serve their purpose for this quick story.
June 20, 2025
Short and sweet murder mystery. Ian is a 55 year old chef shows up as dead early on, while by the end of this novella, we find everyone could have knocked him off, including his three ex wives, his son, his daughter and his staff, as well as the reader. So not a nice guy, but a bit of a fun read. 3.5 stars
January 23, 2026
This was a fun little audio that I listened to free thanks to Kindle Unlimited.
It's a short crime story built on interviews with suspects in the death of Ian Curley - essentially a rich jerk that has wronged everyone he's ever met.
There were definitely a lot of names in such a short space of time, so the characterisation wasn't great. I did get the ex-wives and daughters etc a little bit confused - not at all helped by the fact that this was something I listened to while working so was not at 100% focus.
Still an easy way to spend the time and I enjoyed the conclusion, even if it seemed to not quite suit the story I listened to.
I think I might have to keep exploring Sally Hepworth's books, they're a lot of fun!
It's a short crime story built on interviews with suspects in the death of Ian Curley - essentially a rich jerk that has wronged everyone he's ever met.
There were definitely a lot of names in such a short space of time, so the characterisation wasn't great. I did get the ex-wives and daughters etc a little bit confused - not at all helped by the fact that this was something I listened to while working so was not at 100% focus.
Still an easy way to spend the time and I enjoyed the conclusion, even if it seemed to not quite suit the story I listened to.
I think I might have to keep exploring Sally Hepworth's books, they're a lot of fun!
Read
June 11, 2025No rating because it was too short and I also don't know how I feel about this book. It was...okay? Nothing impressive. My favorite part was the authors note when she said the names of men in this book were of real people and that men would do anything for their fifteen minutes of fame 🤣
***
Love Amazon for putting out these short stories 🤭 Fingers crossed this one's as good as the first one!
***
Love Amazon for putting out these short stories 🤭 Fingers crossed this one's as good as the first one!
June 28, 2025
3,0 ✨✨✨
(Audiobook)
(Audiobook)
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