The plot thickens, but the execution thins in Mad Mabel

💡 Exploring the story of Australia’s youngest convicted killer, Sally Hepworth’s thriller novel Mad Mabel was released late last year. The book’s title and first 10 pages drew us in, raising our expectations that we might be in for a thrilling story told with master craftsmanship... which turned out not to be the case.

The plot: Elsie is an 81-year-old woman living alongside her lifelong friend, Daphne, in a small, quiet neighborhood where all the residents know one another. One day, her neighbors notice that a resident has been missing for several days. Elsie then decides to break into his house, only to discover he has passed away, and immediately notifies the police. However, an old secret resurfaces when it’s revealed that Elsie is actually “Mad Mabel,” who was convicted of a murder over half a century ago, becoming Australia’s youngest convicted killer.

From that moment on, the events unfold across two parallel dramatic timelines: “now” and “then.” Through flashbacks of the past, Hepworth narrates Mabel’s story and her harsh childhood between an overbearing father and a weak, neglectful mother, alongside a streak of bad luck that ultimately led 15-year-old Mabel to commit a murder she viewed as an act of justice. Simultaneously, the present reflects the fallout from Mabel’s secret being exposed despite all the years that have passed — and how two online content creators eventually give her a platform to tell her story from her own perspective, after decades of absolute judgment and injustice.

The downside: Although the novel’s core premise had potential, the work was plagued by numerous flaws that were impossible to overlook. These range from illogical plot points that felt forced simply to set up the story of a victimized girl who suffered severe childhood bullying to clumsy, naive dialogue. The escalation of events felt cartoonish, compounded by a confusing shift in narrative voice between Mabel the child and Mabel the old woman. The elderly Mabel’s traits, such as her irritability and short temper, felt artificial.

Trick or treat? The novel also relied heavily on cliffhanger chapter endings designed to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, only to deliver nothing of real substance a few pages later, all while setting up major twists that were dumped on us in the final 50 pages. On the other hand, what we admired most was a subplot shedding light on domestic violence and escaping a toxic relationship with a narcissistic partner — though even that didn’t manage to escape the cliché-ridden writing.

Our verdict: In truth, our reading of this novel wasn’t influenced by any reviews — we didn’t even look at the book’s Goodreads page until after we finished it, and that’s when we were shocked. Mad Mabel garnered widespread acclaim and high ratings, with some calling Hepworth the queen of thriller fiction. If you’re a fan of crime and thriller literature, you might have better luck than we did.

WHERE TO READ IT- Physical and digital copies can be purchased on Amazon, and the audiobook is available on the Storytel app.