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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Book Review: My Fatal Valentine (Juniper Holiday, #5) by Leighann Dobbs

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NetGalley ARC Book Review of My Fatal Valentine (Juniper Holiday, #5) by Leighann Dobbs
My Fatal Valentine (Juniper Holiday, #5) by Leighann Dobbs opens with a Valentine's Day charity event being held at Juniper's mansion.  When the grand prize winner is found dead in one of the bathrooms, there are few clues and no witnesses.  Detective Mallard must solve the crime without the help of Juniper or lose his job.

Even though this is a cozy mystery that has a murder, it still put me in the mood for Valentine's Day.  I loved the jealousy between all of the contestants because it made the story more realistic and gave a good motive.  There were a lot of red herrings, and I have to say that I was stumped as to who could be the murderer.

What I loved about this edition of the Juniper Holiday series is that there was a little more fantasy involved with a witch needing to perform a spell to assist in solving the case.  The magical people of the town is something I feel like could be developed a little more in the series.  The characters were amazing, and I am still in love with the main characters.  I had been anticipating some development between Detective Mallard and Tori, but unfortunately, nothing came of it in this story.

I am excited for the next book to come out in the series ... it looks like it will be an Easter themed novel based on conversations between the characters in this novel.  Five out of five stars is what I give My Fatal Valentine (Juniper Holiday, #5) by Leighann Dobbs.

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