First Lines: It's interesting to note that there are two groups of people who are rarely, if ever, suspected of murder. These groups are elderly women and little girls.
When her neighbor turns up dead in their quiet Melbourne suburb, whispers begin to swarm around 81-year-old Elsie Fitzpatrick. Why should the neighbors be whispering about Elsie? She's grumpy, fiercely independent, never without a sarcastic comment, and minds her own business. But someone found out her secret.
Elsie hasn't always been Elsie. At one time, she was Mad Mabel Waller, Australia's youngest convicted murderer-- a secret she's kept buried for decades.
That is, until 7-year-old Persephone moves in across the street. Full of opinions, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries, she sets her sights on Mabel and refuses to be deterred. With a 7-year-old shadow, a neighbor who seems to have it in for her, the police sniffing around, and the media circling like vultures, Mabel does the only thing she can: she takes matters into her own hands.
~
The first two sentences of Sally Hepworth's Mad Mabel told me that I was in for something special. By page five, I was in love with Mabel. Perhaps it was because I identified with her a bit, but I loved her voice and her grumpy, sarcastic wit. I lost count of the times I laughed out loud at one of Mabel's comments.
But there's more to Mabel than being a sharp-tongued, grumpy old lady. As she told her story to two young podcasters, my heart broke for her. The more I read, the more I wanted a Happily Ever After for her. Was I under her spell? You bet.
The marvelous thing about Mad Mabel is that the entire cast of characters shines. They aren't static or cardboard. They change before our eyes, and they hold surprises for us. Not only did the characters hold surprises, but the plot did, too. One of the characters seemed a bit "off" to me, and by the book's end, I was miffed that I didn't guess the truth about the person.
If you're in the mood to be charmed by a character to the point where you'd move heaven and earth to bring her joy; if you're in the mood for a story where you have a little trouble putting all the puzzle pieces into the correct places, well, there's only one thing to do: read Mad Mabel.
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
eISBN: 9781250284556
St. Martin's Press © 2026
eBook, 348 pages
Standalone Thriller
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.
Ok, I already love Mabel's character, Cathy! She sounds fantastic. The Melbourne setting sounds good, too, and that young neighbor sounds like the right touch. Not that my wish list needs any more additions, but...
ReplyDeleteYou've got to include Mabel!
DeleteI just finished this one last week, too, and enjoyed it so much that I insisted that my visiting granddaughter take it back to Ft Worth with her. She doesn’t always share my taste in books, but I think this one’s a definite winner, one that we can talk about next time I see her.
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering about this book! I just keep seeing positive comments without any particulars, so I hadn't taken the time to look it up for myself. Now I'm off to add it to the ever-growing list...
ReplyDeleteIm seeing this on all the blogs. Love the characters.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have been seeing lots of praise for this book. I'm putting it on my list and seeing how long the hold list is at my library. Hopefully, not too long. Thanks for the info, Cathy!
ReplyDelete