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: The Murderous Type (The Bookstore Mystery, #2) by Sue Minix

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book review the murderous type sue minix

The Murderous Type (The Bookstore Mystery, #2) by Sue Minix was published on May 25, 2023 and is about a crime writer named Jen, who has taken over her friend's bookstore.  When the mayor and a local restaurateur die, Eric, a local police officer, becomes a suspect.  Jen knows she has to prove his innocence.

A huge thank you goes out to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for approving me for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Murderous Type (The Bookstore Mystery, #2) by Sue Minix.  I love Minix's first book in the series so much, I knew I had to read the sequel.  I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Where has Sue Minix been hiding?  She is an amazing author, and I have just fallen in love with her mystery series.  I could just gush about her talent as a writer.  This sequel virtually picks up where the first book left off.  With that being said, it can be read as a stand alone novel, and the reader won't feel like they missed anything because the author does such a good job of giving the backstory of each pertinent character without giving away too much of the first book in the series.

Of course, Jen being the main character is my favorite in the series, but I really like the fact that she is an author.  There are times throughout the story that I wonder if the some of the details of her are autobiographical of Minix.  Other characters I like are Jen's friends, Brittany and Eric.  Brittany is a librarian and a bit of a mother hen but in a good way.  At one point in my life, I wanted to become a librarian.  Eric is the perfect guy pal, and I think the reason I like him so much is that he is a runner.  (I enjoy running, and the author seems to know how runners think, so I think she may be one.)

Throughout The Murderous Type, I kept trying to figure out who the bad guy or guys were.  At one point, I thought it was a particular person, but I was wrong.  With that being said, that particular character was involved, but not in the way you'd think.  There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing.

Five out of five stars is what I give The Murderous Type (The Bookstore Mystery, #2) by Sue Minix.  Run . . . don't walk to your nearest bookstore to buy this book.  I was entertained by this book, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

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