Review of Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

I loved the octogenarian main protagonist of Elsie and the darkly funny start to the book. Her heartbreaking history surprised me, as did the revelations at the end of the novel. This was my first Sally Hepworth read but won't be my last.

Elsie is an 81-year-old living in a Melbourne suburb, grumbling and mainly keeping to herself, aside from her best friend since childhood, a persistent 7-year-old girl who's determined to befriend her, and Peter, a kind young man across the street who she doesn't mind running into.

But when Elsie's next-door neighbor and nemesis dies and Elsie's the one who discovers the body, details of her past come out, and she's suddenly suspect number one in her neighbor's death.

The playful tone of the early pages reminded me of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series, which I love. But there's darkness in Elsie's past, and ultimately, tragic, poignant aspects of her life become clear.

Delving into Elsie's childhood is heartbreaking, and some moments she relates without passion might take your breath away; they were too much for a child to internalize. She experienced staggering loss, disappointment, glimmers of hope, and a few key loved ones who anchored her. Her coping mechanisms, which we come to understand, are wrapped in shocking truths. My heart ached for the child she was and all that she endured.

Some of the modern-day denouements were surprising, and those, along with the friends-like-family elements, made for an ending I didn't wholly expect.

This was my first Sally Hepworth read, and now I'm hooked.

I listened to this novel as an audiobook through my library and Libby.

More Reads You Might Like

Sally Hepworth is also the author of The Good Sister, Darling Girls, The Mother-in-Law, The Family Next Door, and other books.

For more Bossy reads featuring elderly protagonists, check out this link. And for more mysteries, please check out these Bossy titles.