October 7, 2026
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
Elsie Fitzpatrick is 81 and lives by herself in an unfashionable Melbourne suburb. She is grouchy, sarcastic, and sometimes nosy, but mostly just wants to be left to quiet life with her lifelong friend Daphne. That changes when her next door neighbor is found dead, and all of a sudden, Elsie finds herself in the spotlight for a crime that happened long ago.
A mystery with multiple twists and layers that will such you in from the first page. Mabel/Elsie is a wonderful character: she may be 81 but she is smart, sharp, observant, and independent, the kind of senior citizen we all want to be. Her backstory is heartbreaking at times and I was furious at the people who abused young Mabel. All of the characters are well-developed, from the two true crime podcasters (who I was prepared to hate but didn't), to the seven year old who decides to adopt Mabel, to the neighbors who love Mabel in spite of herself. With a protagonist who will remind you of Ove, this is Sally Hepworth's best book yet. Highly recommended.
