Sally Hepworth has done it again. With Mad Mabel, she proves why she’s one of the most compelling voices in contemporary psychological fiction. This upcoming 2026 release is a stunning blend of mystery, character study, and emotional depth that lingers long after the final page. It’s sharp, funny, heartbreaking, and utterly unforgettable a story that reminds us how easily society turns people into monsters when it needs someone to blame.
The Story: The Legend of “Mad Mabel”
Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, at eighty-one years old, has lived quietly on the same picturesque Australian street for six decades. She’s the neighborhood curmudgeon, a sharp-tongued observer who prefers the company of her dog and her thoughts to that of her neighbors. But Elsie has a past one cloaked in whispers, secrets, and tragedy.
As a child, she was dubbed “Mad Mabel” after a string of suspicious deaths surrounded her, including one that led to her conviction as the youngest murderer in Australian history. She has spent a lifetime trying to outlive that name, to bury the past beneath decades of anonymity. But when her elderly neighbor is found dead and Elsie discovers the body, her dark legend resurfaces.
Suddenly, everyone wants answers again. And this time, Elsie is ready to speak. She agrees to tell her story to two young podcasters eager to uncover the truth, leading readers into a mesmerizing dual-timeline narrative that unravels her painful past and the haunting present that threatens to destroy what’s left of her peace.
A Brilliantly Drawn Character
Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is one of the most captivating and complex characters Sally Hepworth has ever written. She’s fierce, witty, deeply flawed, and profoundly human. Through Hepworth’s lens, we see how a misunderstood little girl can grow into a woman both feared and pitied a woman whose life has been shaped as much by rumor as by reality.
In her youth, Mabel was ostracized and vilified, the subject of endless gossip and cruel speculation. As an old woman, she’s learned to weaponize people’s fear of her. Yet beneath her grumpy exterior lies immense tenderness, loyalty, and grief. Her bond with her seven-year-old neighbor, Persephone, and a scrappy dog named Nugget, brings light into the darkness of her story, showing that even the most broken souls can still nurture love and connection.
Themes That Cut Deep
While Mad Mabel contains all the suspense and mystery readers expect from Hepworth, it’s also a deeply emotional exploration of community judgment, resilience, and redemption. The story asks a haunting question: how much of who we are is shaped by what others believe about us?
Through the alternating Then and Now chapters, we see both the cruelty of a society eager to label a young girl and the loneliness of an old woman who’s never been allowed to outgrow that label. It’s a commentary on the ways we punish difference, how gossip can become a weapon, and how difficult it is to reclaim your truth when the world has already decided who you are.
A Masterclass in Suspense and Emotion
Sally Hepworth’s writing shines here more than ever. She balances tension with empathy, crafting a narrative that’s as gripping as it is moving. The mystery of what really happened in Mabel’s youth unfolds gradually, each revelation both shocking and heartbreaking. The pacing is near perfect, the dialogue razor-sharp, and the emotional payoffs deeply satisfying.
By the end, readers are left questioning their own instincts. Was Elsie truly capable of the terrible things she was accused of? Or has she been a victim of fear, bias, and misfortune all along? The final chapters deliver the kind of emotional gut-punch Hepworth is known for divisive, unforgettable, and sure to spark conversation.
Final Thoughts
Mad Mabel is not just a thriller it’s a powerful, layered portrait of womanhood, trauma, and the long shadow of judgment. It’s about how stories are told, how reputations are built, and how truth is often the first casualty when fear takes over.
Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is a character readers won’t soon forget. At once maddening and endearing, guilty and innocent, she embodies the contradictions of being human. Sally Hepworth delivers her most ambitious and emotionally resonant work yet a novel that cements her place as one of the finest authors in modern suspense fiction.
Rating: ★★★★★
Preorder your copy of Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth here: https://amzn.to/3KKbRlL
