Book Review: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

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Mad Mabel  by Sally Hepworth  is a domestic thriller about the youngest person convicted of murder in Australia, Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick. Now 81 years old, Elsie is living on Kenny Lane and has been for the past sixty years. When a mother named Roxanne moves into Mabel's neighborhood with her seven year old daughter, an unlikely friendship forms between Elsie and the seven year old child named Persephone. As Elsie's secrets come to light, her world comes crashing down.  Having read quite a few novels by Sally Hepworth, I requested an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Mad Mabel  without reading the synopsis of the story. I was thrilled when NetGalley and St. Martin's Press approved my request. The expected publication date of the book is April 21, 2026. Not knowing anything about the storyline before I started reading Mad Mabel  made the story much more interesting to me as I had no preconceived ideas. The tale was told from Mabel's perspective in alternating timeli...

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Adams, Ellery
  • A Killer Plot (A Books by the Bay Mystery, #1)
  • A Deadly Cliché (A Books by the Bay Mystery, #2)
  • The Last Word (A Books by the Bay Mystery, #3)
  • Written in Stone (A Books by the Bay Mystery, #4)
  • Poisoned Prose (A Books by the Bay Mystery, #5)
  • Lethal Letters (A Books by the Bay Mystery, #6)
  • Writing All Wrongs (A Books by the Bay Mystery, #7)
  • Killer Characters (A Books by the Bay Mystery, #8)
  • Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery, #1)
  • Peach Pies and Alibis (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery, #2)
  • Pecan Pies and Homicides (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery, #3)
  • Lemon Pies and Little White Lies (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery, #4)
  • Breach of Crust (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery, #5)
  • Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1)
  • Murder in the Paperback Parlor (Book Retreat Mysteries, #2)
  • Murder in the Secret Garden (Book Retreat Mysteries, #3)
  • Murder in the Locked Library (Book Retreat Mysteries, #4)
  • Murder in the Reading Room (Book Retreat Mysteries, #5)
  • Murder in the Storybook Cottage (Book Retreat Mysteries, #6)
  • Murder in the Cookbook Nook (Book Retreat Mysteries, #7)
  • Murder on the Poet's Walk (Book Retreat Mysteries, #8)
  • Murder In The Book Lover's Loft (Book Retreat Mysteries, #9)
  • The Secret, Book & Scone Society (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #1)
  • The Whispered Word (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #2)
  • The Book of Candlelight (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #3)
  • Ink and Shadows (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #4)
  • The Vanishing Type (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #5)
  • Paper Cuts (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #6)
  • The Little Lost Library (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #7)
  • The Tattered Cover (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #8)

Alam, Rumaan

Andrews, V.C.
  • Heaven (Casteel, #1)
  • Dark Angel (Casteel, #2)
  • Fallen Hearts (Casteel, #3)
  • Gates of Paradise (Casteel, #4)
  • Web of Dreams (Casteel, #5)
  • Dawn (Cutler, #1)
  • Secrets of the Morning (Cutler, #2)
  • Twilight's Child (Cutler, #3)
  • Midnight Whispers (Cutler, #4)
  • Darkest Hour (Cutler, #5)

Ballis, Stacey

Barton, Fiona

Butler, Octavia E.
  • Fledgling
  • Kindred
  • Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1)
  • Parable of the Talents (Earthseed, #2)
  • Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1)
  • Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, #2)
  • Imago (Xenogenesis, #3)

Caine, Rachel

Cameron, Lindsay

Cavanagh, Steve
  • Kill For Me, Kill For You
  • Twisted
  • The Neon Punch (Eddie Flynn, #0.25)
  • The Cross (Eddie Flynn, #0.5)
  • The Defense (Eddie Flynn, #1)
  • The Plea (Eddie Flynn, #2)
  • The Liar (Eddie Flynn, #3)
  • Th1rt3en (Eddie Flynn, #4)
  • Fifty-Fifty (Eddie Flynn, #5)
  • The Devil's Advocate (Eddie Flynn, #6)
  • The Accomplice (Eddie Flynn, #7)
  • Witness 8 (Eddie Flynn, #8)
  • Two Kinds of Stranger (Eddie Flynn, #9)

Chien, Vivien
  • Death by Dumpling (Noodle Shop Mystery, #1)
  • Dim Sum of All Fears (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #2)
  • Murder Lo Mein (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #3)
  • Wonton Terror (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #4)
  • Egg Drop Dead (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #5)
  • Killer Kung Pao (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #6)
  • Fatal Fried Rice (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #7)
  • Hot and Sour Suspects (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #8)
  • Misfortune Cookie (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #9)
  • Peking Duck and Cover (Noodle Shop Mystery, #10)
  • The Chow Maniac (Noodle Shop Mystery, #11)
  • Crime Rangoon (Noodle Shop Mystery #12)

Christie, Agatha

Clark, Mary Higgins

Copeland, Joi

Coben, Harlan
  • Fool Me Once
  • Tell No One
  • The Boy From The Woods
  • The Stranger

Corcoran, Caroline

Cosimano, Elle

Crabtree, Elisabeth

Crawford, Isis

Day, Maddie
  • Murder Uncorked (Cece Barton Mystery, #1)
  • Deadly Crush (Cece Barton Mystery, #2)
  • A Poisonous Pour (Cece Barton Mystery, #3)
  • Flipped for Murder (Country Store Mystery, #1)
  • Grilled for Murder (Country Store Mystery, #2)
  • When the Grits Hit the Fan (Country Store Mystery, #3)
  • Biscuits and Slashed Browns (Country Store Mystery, #4)
  • Death Over Easy (Country Store Mystery, #5)
  • Strangled Eggs and Ham (Country Store Mystery, #6)
  • Death Over Easy (Country Store Mystery, #5)
  • Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse (Country Store Mystery, #6.5)
  • Nacho Average Murder (Country Store Mystery, #7)
  • Candy Slain Murder (Country Store Mystery, #8)
  • No Grater Crime (Country Store Mystery, #9)
  • Batter Off Dead (Country Store Mystery, #10)
  • Scarfed Down (Country Store Mystery, #10.5)
  • Four Leaf Cleaver (Country Store Mystery, #11)
  • Deep Fried Death (Country Store Mystery, #12)
  • Scone Cold Dead (Country Store Mystery, #13)
  • Murder on Cape Cod (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #1)
  • Murder at the Taffy Shop (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #2)
  • Murder at the Lobstah Shack (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #3)
  • Murder in a Cape Cottage (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #4)
  • Murder at a Cape Bookstore (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #5)
  • Murder at the Rusty Anchor (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #6)
  • Murder at Cape Costumers (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #7)
  • Murder at the Toy Soldier (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, #8)

Day, Wendy

Dobbs, Leighann

Donoghue, Emma
  • Frog Music
  • Room
  • The Wonder

Elston, Ashley
  • 10 Blind Dates
  • 10 Truths and a Dare
  • Anatomy of an Alibi
  • First Lie Wins
  • The Lying Woods
  • The Rules for Disappearing (The Rules for Disappearing, #1)
  • The Rules for Breaking (The Rules for Disappearing, #2)

Evanovich, Janet

Fifield, Christy

Finder, Joseph

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

Foley, Lucy
  • Last Letter from Istanbul
  • The Book of Lost and Found
  • The Guest List
  • The Hunting Party
  • The Invitation
  • The Paris Apartment

Flynn, Gillian

French, Tana

Galbraith, Robert

Garcia, Jessie

Giffin, Emily

Grant, Allison Sweet

Halliday, Gemma

Hannah, Darci

Hannah, Sophie
  • The Monogram Murders (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, #1)
  • Closed Casket (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, #2)
  • The Mystery of Three Quarters (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, #3) 
  • The Killings at Kingfisher Hill (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, #4) 
  • Hercule Poirot's Silent Night (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, #5)
  • The Last Death of the Year (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, #6)

Harkness, Deborah

Hawkins, Paula

Hawkins, Rachel

Heath, Rebecca

Hechtman, Betty
  • Yarn to Go (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #1)
  • Silence of the Lamb's Wool (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #2)
  • Wound Up in Murder (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #3)
  • Gone with the Wool (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #4)
  • A Tangled Yarn (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #5)
  • Inherit the Wool (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #6)
  • Knot on Your Life (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #7)
  • But Knot for Me (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #8)
  • Knot a Game (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #9)

Hepworth, Sally

Herrera, Jennifer

Hollis, Lee

Hoover, Colleen

James, P.D.

Jewell, Lisa

Johansen, Iris

Kim, Angie

King, Stephen

Lapena, Shari

Lester, Angela

Lutz, Lisa

Martin, George R.R.

McFadden, Freida
  • Brain Damage
  • Do Not Disturb
  • Never Lie
  • One By One
  • Suicide Med
  • The Coworker
  • The Housemaid
  • The Housemaid's Secret
  • The Inmate
  • The Locked Door
  • The Perfect Son
  • Ward D

Meier, Leslie

Mendelson, Charlotte
  • Almost English
  • Daughters of Jerusalem
  • Love in Idleness
  • The Exhibitionist
  • When We Were Bad

Meyer, Stephenie

Minix, Sue

Mitchell, David

Miranda, Megan

Morgenstern, Erin

Morton, Kate
  • The Clockmaker's Daughter
  • The Forgotten Garden
  • The House at Riverton
  • The Lake House
  • The Secret Keeper

Moyes, Jojo
Nagel, Leslie

Nesbø, Jo
  • Headhunters
  • Macbeth
  • The Jealousy Man and Other Stories
  • The Kingdom
  • The Night House
  • The Son
  • Wolf Hour
  • Blood On Snow (Blood On Snow, #1)
  • Midnight Sun (Blood On Snow, #2)
  • Flaggermusmannen (Harry Hole, #1)
  • Cockroaches (Harry Hole, #2)
  • The Redbreast (Harry Hole, #3)
  • Nemesis (Harry Hole, #4)
  • The Devil's Star (Harry Hole, #5)
  • The Redeemer (Harry Hole, #6)
  • The Snowman (Harry Hole, #7)
  • The Leopard (Harry Hole, #8)
  • Phantom (Harry Hole, #9)
  • Police (Harry Hole, #10)
  • The Thirst (Harry Hole, #11)
  • Knife (Harry Hole, #12)
  • Killing Moon (Harry Hole, #13)

Nossett, Lauren
  • The Resemblance (Detective Marlitt Kaplan, #1)
  • The Professor (Detective Marlitt Kaplan, #2)

Orwell, George
  • 1984
  • Animal Farm

Paris, B.A.

Patterson, James
  • Against Medical Advice
  • Beach Road
  • Black Friday
  • Cradle and All
  • Don't Blink
  • Guilty Wives
  • Hide and Seek
  • Judge & Jury
  • Kill Me If You Can
  • Lifeguard
  • Lost
  • Mistress
  • Murder, Interrupted
  • Now You See Her
  • See How They Run
  • Swimsuit
  • The Beach House
  • The Chef
  • The Coast-to-Coast Murders
  • The First Lady
  • The Girl in the Castle
  • The Inn
  • The Jester
  • The Midnight Club
  • The Midwife Murders
  • The Murder House
  • The Noise
  • The Postcard Killers
  • The Quickie
  • The Summer House
  • The Writer
  • Toys
  • Truth or Die
  • You've Been Warned
  • Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1)
  • Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross, #2)
  • Jack & Jill (Alex Cross, #3)
  • Cat & Mouse (Alex Cross, #4)
  • Pop Goes the Weasel (Alex Cross, #5)
  • Roses Are Red (Alex Cross, #6)
  • Violets Are Blue (Alex Cross, #7)
  • Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross, #8)
  • The Big Bad Wolf (Alex Cross, #9)
  • London Bridges (Alex Cross, #10)
  • Mary, Mary (Alex Cross, #11)
  • Cross (Alex Cross, #12)
  • Double Cross (Alex Cross, #13)
  • Cross Country (Alex Cross, #14)
  • Alex Cross's Trial (Alex Cross, #15)
  • I, Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #16)
  • Cross Fire (Alex Cross, #17)
  • Kill Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #18)
  • Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #19)
  • Alex Cross, Run (Alex Cross, #20)
  • Cross My Heart (Alex Cross, #21)
  • Hope to Die (Alex Cross, #22)
  • Cross Justice (Alex Cross, #23)
  • Cross the Line (Alex Cross, #24)
  • Cross Kill (Alex Cross, #24.4)
  • Detective Cross (Alex Cross, #24.5)
  • The People vs. Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #25)
  • Target: Alex Cross (Alex Cross, #26)
  • Criss Cross (Alex Cross, #27)
  • Deadly Cross (Alex Cross, #28)
  • Fear No Evil (Alex Cross, #29)
  • When the Wind Blows (When the Wind Blows, #1)
  • The Lake House (When the Wind Blows, #2)

Pavone, Chris
  • The Expats (Kate Moore, #1)
  • The Paris Diversion (Kate Moore, #2)
  • The Accident
  • The Travelers
  • Two Nights in Lisbon

Picoult, Jodi
  • Between the Lines
  • House Rules
  • Leaving Time
  • Mad Honey
  • My Sister's Keeper
  • Nineteen Minutes
  • Small Great Things
  • The Book of Two Ways
  • The Pact
  • The Storyteller
  • Wish You Were Here

Quick, Matthew

Quigley, Mindy

Reichert, Amy E.

Reilly, Linda
  • Up To No Gouda(Grilled Cheese Mysteries, #1)
  • No Parm No Foul(Grilled Cheese Mysteries, #2)
  • Cheddar Late Than Dead (Grilled Cheese Mysteries, #3)
  • Brie Careful What You Wish For (Grilled Cheese Mysteries, #4)
  • You Feta Watch Out (Grilled Cheese Mysteries, #5)
  • The Girl with the Kitten Tattoo
  • Claws of Action
  • Claws for Celebration
  • Claws of Death
  • Escape Claws
  • A Frying Shame
  • Out of the Dying Pan
  • Fillet of Murder

Rice, Anne
  • Out of Egypt (Christ the Lord, #1)
  • The Road to Cana (Christ the Lord, #2)
  • The Witching Hour (Lives of the Mayfair Witches, #1)
  • Lasher (Lives of the Mayfair Witches, #2)
  • Taltos (Lives of the Mayfair Witches, #3)
  • Pandora (New Tales of the Vampires, #1)
  • Vittorio, The Vampire (New Tales of the Vampires, #2)
  • The Mummy (Ramses the Damned #1)
  • The Passion of Cleopatra (Ramses the Damned #2)
  • The Reign of Osiris (Ramses the Damned, #3)
  • Angel Time (The Songs of the Seraphim, #1)
  • Of Love and Evil (The Songs of the Seraphim, #2)
  • Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)
  • The Vampire Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles, #2)
  • The Queen of the Damned (The Vampire Chronicles, #3)
  • The Tale of the Body Thief (The Vampire Chronicles, #4)
  • Memnoch the Devil (The Vampire Chronicles, #5)
  • The Vampire Armand (The Vampire Chronicles, #6)
  • Merrick (The Vampire Chronicles, #7)
  • Blood And Gold (The Vampire Chronicles, #8)
  • Blackwood Farm (The Vampire Chronicles, #9)
  • Blood Canticle (The Vampire Chronicles, #10)
  • Prince Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles, #11)
  • Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (The Vampire Chronicles, #12)
  • Blood Communion (The Vampire Chronicles, #13)
  • The Wolf Gift (The Wolf Gift Chronicles, #1)
  • The Wolves of Midwinter (The Wolf Gift Chronicles, #2)

Ross, Barbara

Ross, Jennifer

Sanders, Angela M.

Sennefelder, Debra
  • The Uninvited Corpse (Food Blogger, #1)
  • The Hidden Corpse (Food Blogger, #2)
  • Three Widows and a Corpse (Food Blogger, #3)
  • The Corpse Who Knew Too Much (Food Blogger, #4)
  • The Corpse in the Gazebo (Food Blogger, #5)
  • A Corpse at the Witching Hour (Food Blogger, #6)
  • A Corpse Among the Carolers (Food Blogger, #7)

Setterfield, Diane
  • Bellman & Black
  • Once Upon a River
  • The Thirteenth Tale

Steadman, Catherine

Stevens, Chevy

Stockett, Kathryn
  • The Help

Sutanto, Jesse Q.
  • I'm Not Done with You Yet
  • The Obsession
  • The New Girl
  • The Reunion Dinner (Busybodies Collection, #2)
  • You Will Never Be Me
  • Dial A for Aunties (Aunties, #1)
  • Four Aunties and a Wedding (Aunties, #2)
  • The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties (Aunties, #3)
  • Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Vera Wong, #1)
  • Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping [on a Dead Man] (Vera Wong, #2)

Swanson, Cynthia

Swanson, Peter
  • All The Beautiful Lies
  • Before She Knew Him
  • Eight Perfect Murders
  • Every Vow You Break
  • Her Every Fear
  • Nine Lives
  • The Girl with a Clock for a Heart
  • The Kind Worth Killing

Tremblay, Paul

Tyler, Anne
  • A Patchwork Planet
  • A Spool of Blue Thread
  • Breathing Lessons
  • Clock Dance
  • Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
  • Ladder of Years
  • Redhead by the Side of the Road
  • The Accidental Tourist
  • The Amateur Marriage
  • Vinegar Girl

Unger, Lisa
Upson, Nicola
  • An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey, #1)
  • Angel with Two Faces (Josephine Tey, #2)
  • Two for Sorrow (Josephine Tey, #3)
  • Fear in the Sunlight (Josephine Tey, #4)
  • The Death of Lucy Kyte (Josephine Tey, #5)
  • London Rain (Josephine Tey, #6)
  • Nine Lessons (Josephine Tey, #7)
  • Sorry for the Dead (Josephine Tey, #8)
  • The Dead of Winter (Josephine Tey, #9)

Van Pelt, Shelby

Vinge, Marnie
  • Crazy for You
  • For Rosie
  • I Remember Everything
  • Swingers
  • The Getaway
  • The Way It Ends
  • What We Did That Night
  • The Haunting of Solomon House (Blair Graves, #1)
  • Cold Blood (Josephine Larson Book 1)

Ware, Ruth

Watson, S.J.
  • Before I Go to Sleep
  • Final Cut
  • Flashback
  • Second Life

Weisberger, Lauren
 
Wells, Rebecca
  • Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Ya Ya's, #1)
  • Little Altars Everywhere (Ya Ya's, #2)
  • Ya Yas in Bloom (Ya Ya's, #3)

White, Karen
  • A Long Time Gone
  • Dreams of Falling
  • Flight Patterns
  • On Folly Beach
  • That Last Carolina Summer
  • The Beach Trees
  • The Forgotten Room
  • The Last Night in London
  • The Lost Hours
  • The Memory of Water
  • The Night the Lights Went Out
  • The Sound of Glass
  • The Time Between
  • The Shop on Royal Street (Royal Street, #1)
  • The House on Prytania (Royal Street, #2)
  • The Lady on Esplanade (Royal Street, #3)
  • The House on Tradd Street (Tradd Street, #1)
  • The Girl On Legare Street (Tradd Street, #2)
  • The Strangers on Montagu Street (Tradd Street, #3)
  • Return to Tradd Street (Tradd Street, #4)
  • The Guests on South Battery (Tradd Street, #5)
  • The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street (Tradd Street, #6)
  • The Attic on Queen Street (Tradd Street, #7)

Williams, Amanda Kyle

Wilson, Teri

Yew, Samara

Zafón, Carlos Ruiz


Various Fiction Books

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