Mad Mabel

by Sally Hepworth ★★★★★

At eighty-one years old, Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is in full-on "zero fucks to give" mode. She's foul-mouthed and sardonic, and as she puts it, "I call people 'dipshit' with far more regularity than 'dear'." She's resided on Kenny Street in central Melbourne for almost sixty years, and while she knows everyone else on the street, "beyond the necessary interactions of neighbors...we don't interact at all, which is exactly how I like it."

There's one thing that she very much cares about, and that's preserving her anonymity. You see, Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is actually the woman known as "Mad Mabel", who "in 1959, at just fifteen years of age...became the youngest Australian in history to be convicted of murder." She's managed to keep that a secret from a revolving door of neighbors and the public for decades. But now, someone on her street has connected the dots.

When Elsie's ninety-three-year-old neighbor—and self-proclaimed 'nemesis'—Ishaan is found dead, the Kenny Street rumor mill starts rumbling. Before long, Elsie's secret is out, the press descends, the police grow suspicious, and her days of quiet seclusion are history. Did Ishaan die of natural causes, the most logical conclusion given his age? Or was the process accelerated by someone else? Perhaps a neighbor who has killed before?

From that point, the mystery becomes less about what happened to Ishaan and more about Elsie's past—and just how 'mad' she truly is. Sally Hepworth gradually reveals Elsie's backstory through flashbacks, which include a startling number of deaths and significant injuries that happened in her orbit. "Ever since I was a little girl, people around me have died, one after another." Elsie has an explanation for most of them, but the reader can't help but wonder if maybe she's as mad as the public believes.

But there's more to Elsie than her checkered past and gruff exterior. As we learn about her difficult childhood and witness her touching interactions with her neighbors—most notably Persephone, the seven-year-old daughter of a single mother across the street—a softer side emerges from beneath the surliness. Despite her fierce commitment to a cantankerous front, Elsie finds her defenses chipped away by Persephone’s pure childhood honesty and the unexpected warmth of her neighbors' compassion: "I continue to huff and mutter under my breath, desperately clinging to my curmudgeonly facade. I know if I let the veil slip, even for a second, I might just weep at his kindness."

Don't let the body count fool you—this is easily one of the funnier books I've read this year, packed with laugh-out-loud moments. Elsie's caustic wit is on constant display, and her dynamic with Persephone is comedy gold. While a few minor mysteries play out over the course of the novel, this is primarily a rich character study of a lonely child who grew into a lonely woman, finding ways to persevere through a brutal upbringing. Underneath the humor, Hepworth notes that the novel is ultimately "about the power of female friendship"—a theme that rings beautifully true, both in Elsie’s lifelong bond with her best friend, Daphne, and in the quiet sisterhood that forms on Kenny Street.

If anything, the novel could have been a bit longer; certain secondary storylines felt slightly rushed and could have added even more depth if given room to breathe. But aside from that small nit, this was a thoroughly enjoyable, quick read. Equal parts funny and heartwarming, it's a story I think nearly everyone will love.

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Quick Facts

• Title: Mad Mabel

• Author: Sally Hepworth

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

• Release Date: April 21, 2026

• Format: Ebook

• ISBN-13: 978-1250284556

• Pages: 348