“It’s interesting to note that there are two groups of people who are rarely, if ever, suspected of murder. These groups are elderly women and little girls. On the whole, when it comes to murder, the stats very much favor the men. The odd woman is thrown into the mix every now and again, but she’s inevitably perimenopausal (and having been through the change myself, certainly understand why). But an elderly woman or little girl committing murder? It’s one in a million. I’ve always liked to think I was special.”
That’s the Prologue to Sally Hepworth’s novel Mad Mabel. Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is an eighty-one-year-old woman who lives in a small neighborhood in Australia. Although she seems to know everyone else’s business on her street, she keeps to herself, spending most of her time with her friend Daphne. Until, that is, seven-year-old Persephone moves in next door and pursues a friendship with Mabel.
An investigation into the sudden death of one of Mabel’s neighbors uncovers that she was called Mad Mabel as a youth and that over the years, several deaths had been attributed to her: her baby sister, her mother, her history teacher, her father and now, her neighbor.
The book shifts back and forth from “then” (her childhood) and “now.” There are also two true crime podcasters who give Mabel the opportunity to set the record straight. Slowly, the author reveals who is responsible for the deaths, exactly why Elsie is called Mad Mabel, and just how many people actually care for her.
If you’re looking for a sad story with a happy ending, then you must read Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth.
