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: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich

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Book Review: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich
Book Review of Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich
Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich is the latest installment in the long-running and beloved Stephanie Plum series, and it opens with Joe Morelli asking Stephanie to dog-sit his famously quirky dog, Bob, while he’s out of town testifying at a trial. As expected, things quickly spiral into chaos when Stephanie has to bring Bob along while attempting to apprehend her usual lineup of FTAs. Between chasing fugitives, dodging danger, and juggling her complicated personal life, Stephanie also finds herself seriously questioning whether marriage is something she truly wants.

Each book in the Stephanie Plum series tends to follow a familiar and comforting formula, with everything wrapped up in a neat, tidy bow by the end. That predictability is actually one of the main reasons I keep coming back to these books. I always know Stephanie will get herself into trouble, Ranger or Morelli will step in to help, and the bad guy will eventually be caught. Sometimes I just want something familiar and reliable to read, and I don’t mean that in a negative way at all. These books let me escape reality for a while and provide plenty of laughs along the way. For me, the Stephanie Plum series is the literary equivalent of comfort food.

dirty thirty stephanie plum 30 janet evanovich
The last few installments felt a bit off to me, almost as if they had been ghostwritten, but Dirty Thirty feels much more in line with the earlier books in the series. I didn’t get that disconnected feeling this time around, which made the reading experience far more enjoyable. Unlike most previous endings, this one also leaves readers with a bit of a cliffhanger ... Stephanie receives marriage proposals from both Morelli and Ranger. Since she was previously engaged to Morelli earlier in the series and ultimately called it off, I’m genuinely intrigued to see if she’ll finally choose one of them and actually get married. I really hope she does.

One of my favorite characters has always been Bob, so I absolutely loved the fact that he played such a large role in Dirty Thirty. As an animal lover, I can’t help but adore this dog and the chaos he brings to every scene he’s in. Ranger was also a standout for me in this installment, and I really enjoyed how he was written in this storyline.

I gave Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich five out of five stars. I’m a little sad that I’ve finished it because I already want more, and now I have to wait another year or so for the next Stephanie Plum book to be released.

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