Mad Mabel

I absolutely loved this audiobook!

Told in dual time frames - current day and back in Mabel's youth - this was an engaging mystery that Hepworth skillfully reveals to her readers, leaving us on tenterhooks with good twists and delightful teases. Narrated by the talented duo of Hannah Fredericksen and Jenny Seedsman, I found myself sneaking in listening time throughout my day as I was pulled further and further into the past and present of 'Mad Mabel'. 

Is she 'mad' or simply misunderstood?

But what surprised me the most about this book was how connected I felt to curmudgeonly Mabel, a character who will stay with me for a very long time. Think of her as Ove (the grumpy main character from A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman) ... except she may have a dark and deadly past. She lives in a small neighbourhood with an eclectic and nosey bunch who believe they know everything about everyone ... or so they think!

With a unique and memorable main character in Mabel who is equally sassy, sarcastic and smart-assy, great tension-building and a wonderful (and unexpected) human element that I adored (keep the Kleenex handy), this is my favourite Sally Hepworth novel to date! 

Get your preorders in today for its April 21, 2026 pub date! 

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for the complimentary digital advanced copy of both the audiobook and ebook that were given to me in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: Sally Hepworth

Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: eAudiobook from publisher via NetGalley

Narrators: Hannah Fredericksen, Jenny Seedsman

Run Time: 9 hours, 20 min 

Publishers: Macmillan Audio / St Martin's Press

First Published: April 21, 2026

Read: March 22-25, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: There are two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street for sixty years—longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past she's worked exceedingly hard at concealing—because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.