Mad Mabel is a compelling dual-timeline mystery featuring an unforgettable older heroine, emotional depth, and exceptional audiobook narration.

Length: 352 pages / ~9 hours.
Narrators: Hannah Fredericksen, Jenny Seedsman.
Genre: Womenās Fiction

Acknowledgments:
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
Summary:
Eighty-one-year-old Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick has lived on her quiet, idyllic street for sixty years, known mostly as a nosy, curmudgeonly neighbourābut beneath that unassuming exterior lies a darkly hidden past. Once a little girl and now an old lady, Elsie has spent a lifetime concealing a troubling history, one marked by a curious pattern of people around her meeting untimely ends, proving that when it comes to murder, the most unlikely suspects are often the ones no one ever looks twice at.
My Thoughts:
There are two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladiesāand Mad Mabel leans brilliantly into that idea. In this clever and deeply character-driven mystery, eighty-one-year-old Elsie āMabelā Fitzpatrick has lived on her idyllic street for more than sixty years, known mostly as the neighbourhood curmudgeon who keeps a watchful eye on everyone around her. But beneath Mabelās brusque exterior lies a complicated past she has spent a lifetime trying to conceal, and when a neighbour dies under suspicious circumstances, long-buried secrets begin to surface.
Mystery and thriller lovers will especially appreciate how Hepworth tells Mabelās story across two timelinesāāThen,ā during her troubled childhood, and āNow,ā as she becomes a person of interest in a modern-day investigation. The pacing is excellent, with revelations delivered at just the right moments to keep the reader constantly guessing. Mabelās early years are marked by trauma, loss, an absent father, and relentless ridicule, and watching those experiences slowly shape the woman she becomes was both heartbreaking and fascinating.
What surprised me most was how deeply I came to care about Mabel. Despite her reputation, her unexpected friendship with seven-year-old Persephoneābeing raised by a single mom on the same streetāreveals the warmth and protectiveness beneath her prickly exterior. It adds emotional depth to the mystery and beautifully challenges the question at the heart of the novel: was Mabel truly āmad,ā or simply a survivor of an extraordinarily difficult life?
This is likely my favourite book Iāve read by this author. The character development is outstanding, and I found myself completely invested in Mabelās story, rooting for her even as doubts lingered.
The Narration:
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Hannah Fredericksen and Jenny Seedsman, whose performances were exceptional. Each narrator captured a different stage of Mabelās life so convincingly that I genuinely felt I was hearing the same woman across decades. Their narration added another layer of emotional depth to an already fantastic story.
Final Thoughts:
Mad Mabel is an engaging blend of mystery, dark humour, and poignant character studyāa reminder that the stories we tell about people rarely reveal the whole truth.

Lisa Campbell
I loved this as well! Great review!
thathappyreader
Thanks Lisa!
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer
Lovely review. I absolutely fell in love with Mabel. All the stars.
thathappyreader
Me too Kimberly.
Jonetta | Blue Mood CafƩ
Excellent review, Jodieš I didnāt expect the feelings I experienced about Mabel, either. The narrators were perfection.
thathappyreader
Thanks Jonetta!
thathappyreader
Agreed!
Carla@CarlaLovesToRead
I will be listening to this next week and am really excited to get to it. I can’t wait to meet Mabel. Wonderful review, Jodie.
thathappyreader
I think youāre going to love it Carla.
Her Digital Coffee
Great review, Jodie! I’m happy to hear that you cared and rooted for Mabel, that’s important to me as a reader and I’m looking forward to adding this to my list.
thathappyreader
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did Winnie.