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Mad Mabel
Sally Hepworth
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
St. Martin’s Press
352 Pages
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Genre: General Fiction | Women’s Fiction
Hepworth has written a twisty, character-driven story that alternates between two timelines, slowly peeling back the layers of a decades-old mystery. The story is about Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, an 81-year-old curmudgeon who lives a quiet life. Her peace is shattered when a neighbour is found dead. Because he is older, it seems like natural causes, but his death sparks a police investigation that just might expose Elsie’s past—because back in the 1950s, Elsie was Mabel, and she was the youngest person ever to be convicted of murder. Is Mabel a vicious killer, or is she just misunderstood?
I loved reading about Mabel and all the drama she went through that made her the person she is today. I also loved reading about Elsie in the present as she tries to keep hiding her past while true crime podcasters, the media, and the police take over her neighbourhood. I loved that Elsie finally found the strength to set the record straight. This story is humorous and heartfelt in its own way, especially since Elsie has a new neighbour named Persephone. Persephone is only seven years old and is determined to make friends with the grumpy lady across the street.
The best part of this book is the character development. Elsie is a wonderful protagonist—witty and smart-mouthed, but also very resilient. Her relationship with Persephone helps smooth her edges to balance out the darker side of the story. The way Hepworth wrote the dual timelines made them very easy to read; while I usually prefer the older timeline, both were winners in this one. I was invested in Mabel’s childhood, of course, but I was also cheering Elsie on in the present. This isn’t just a mystery asking if she did it, but rather why it happened at all. I really enjoyed this book because it was more than just a thriller; it was emotional, well-written, and had fabulous female characters. It’s such a satisfying feeling when a dual-timeline mystery actually delivers on both ends instead of one being a “filler” for the other. All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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