#sally-hepworth — Public Fediverse posts

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

I had expected a light, humorous read but Mad Mabel was not. It is a darker story about friendships, family, and how rumors can change a life forever. The story is set in Australia. It has a dual timeline. One tells us about Mabel’s past while the rest is as a senior citizen.

Mabel’s father never loved her. He blamed her for the first death when she was only three years old. Mabel’s mother drank too much and waited too long to reach out to Mabel.

The story is told by an 81-year-old Mabel who now goes by the name of Elsie Fitzpatrick. We learn that the only bright spot in her life was her best friend, Daphne. Life would have been unbearable without Daphne.

When Mabel’s neighbor is missing for a couple days, a young girl brings it to Mabel’s attention. Mabel climbs over a fence to check on her neighbor. She is too late and the police blame “Mad Mabel” for his death.

Her life is revealed through flashbacks that explain why she is seen as a killer. She knows that she is innocent and believes that the truth will be revealed but finds it difficult to allow anyone to help her.

Life was difficult for Mabel and her struggle was real. Mabel may not have been guilty, but she still carried plenty of guilt. Daphne was the only one who stood beside her.

I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. The mystery was what happened to the people around Mabel and was she responsible?

Mabel was a difficult person to love. She was cantankerous. She pushed people away. Life for her was better alone.

I grew to love Mabel and her little community of friends who had to force Mabel to let them help her.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries that involve senior citizens with characters who are a little odd.

I read The Good Sister before and enjoyed that one. Hepworth has a knack for creating characters that are a little different. She is great with family dynamics.

Published October 1, 2025

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.

I include links to purchase. As an associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

Books by Sally Hepworth:

Mad Mabel

Darling Girls

The Good Sister

What I am currently reading:

Two Bodies are Better than One by Erica Ruth Neubauer

Dark is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce

Here is a link to my review of The Good Sister

https://virginia-gruver.com/2024/04/08/the-good-sister-book-review/

Happy reading!

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Made Up Stories To Adapt Sally Hepworth’s Crime Thriller Novel ‘Darling Girls’ For TV
#Books #News #BrunaPapandrea #DarlingGirls #MadeUpStories #OrlaghCollins #SallyHepworth #SteveHutensky

https://deadline.com/2024/10/darling-girls-sally-hepworth-crime-thriller-tv-adaptation-1236121710/

We’ve all flipped to the end of a book to make sure that everything will turn out ok for a favorite character, right?

For the first time in my life I’ve just done this with an audiobook: “The Good Sister” by #SallyHepworth. I’m using the #LibbyApp. I dropped a bookmark and then hopped to the last couple of chapters and sampled a few moments so I could be sure that Fern and Wally would be ok. *Whew* what a relief. Now I can continue to listen stress-free. #bookstodon