ALC Review: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
Mad Mabel
Author: Sally Hepworth
Narrators:
Hannah Frederickson
Jenny Seedsman
To Be Published: April 21, 2026
Audiobook: 9 hours 20 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: March 1-6, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea—or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.
Because Elsie hasn’t always been Elsie. Once upon a headline, she was Mad Mabel Waller—Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. But was she really mad, or just misunderstood? Either way, she’s kept her secret buried for decades.
Enter seven-year-old Persephone, a relentless little chatterbox who has just moved in across the road (armed with stickers, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries); Joan, who appears to have it in for Elsie; and a healthy dose of public interest—the cops are sniffing around, and the media is circling like seagulls at a picnic.
So Mabel does what she’s always done best—she takes matters into her own hands.
Is she a cantankerous old lady with a shady past? A cold-blooded killer with arthritis? Or just someone who’s finally ready to tell her side of the story?
Sharp, surprising, and wickedly funny, this is the unforgettable story of a woman who’s spent a lifetime being underestimated—and is about to prove everyone wrong. Again.
Jessica’s Review:
Meet Elsie “Mad Mabel” Fitzpatrick: The youngest girl to be found guilty of murder in Australia. She a rude, crotchety, old ‘Karen” at 81 years old. She has been living a quiet and ‘normal’ life until she discovers her nemesis neighbor dead. Suddenly she becomes the center of attention of… Well… Everyone because of who she was. She is all over the news and all she wants is to be left alone.
We have two time periods with Mabel telling us her story in the past and present. The narrators are superb! I adored Jenny Seedsman as present Mabel. She was perfection and her narration really brought Mabel to life! Hannah Frederickson was also wonderful, but Seedsman made the audiobook for me! I am #TeamMabel and enjoy every second, she is so gruff and honest. And just when you think you have Mabel figured out the reader meets young Persephone. I just loved their relationship! You just never know who you may gain as a friend.
Just when you think you have the story and its direction figured out, Hepworth surprises us by bringing everything full circle in a shocking and unexpected way.
Many thanks to the publishers for granting me an arc and alc. I enjoyed this one and almost always enjoy a Hepworth novel! Be sure to read this one come April 21!
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK (Mad Mabel will be released in the UK on July 9, 2026)
Audiobook Review: Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson
Without a Clue
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Published: February 17, 2026
Audiobook: 8 hours 43 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: February 24-28, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
When a mystery writer mysteriously dies on a cruise filled with rabid fans, his protégé (and personal assistant) teams up with a rugged cowboy and fellow writer to crack the case. One part Only Murders in the Building, one part Book Lovers, and a whole lot of laughs, Without a Clue will keep readers guessing and swooning until the very end.
If there’s one thing Penelope Mae Dupont prizes most, it’s her composure–her ability to stay calm in the face of stress. It’s a vital trait in her job as a personal assistant to renowned mystery author Hugh Griffin. But when Pip organizes a book cruise featuring The Fabulous Seven–seven celebrated authors from different genres who have supported each other through thick and thin–her famed composure is in danger of sailing away. One boat, hundreds of devoted readers, and seven Big Personalities. What could possibly go wrong?
Disaster strikes when, on the second day of the cruise, Hugh is found murdered. And, in the face of gross incompetence by the on-board security force, Pip realizes she’ll need to be the one to discover who did it. With the ship stranded in the middle of the Atlantic and no help on the horizon, it’s up to her to unravel the mystery. Along with her friend Nash–a dreamy Western author who’s just as rugged as the cowboys he writes about. As Pip’s composure starts to sink faster than a leaky dinghy, Nash becomes her anchor in a storm of clues and red herrings.
With Nash at her side, Penelope dives into the murky depths of the mystery, navigating treacherous waters filled with unexpected twists and turns. No one, not even a desperately hopeful mystery sleuth named Pip, could anticipate the wild ride ahead. Whether she likes it or not, she is on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and maybe, just maybe, she’ll find love along the way.
In this laugh-out-loud funny Clue-meets-Emily-Henry rom-com, Penelope Mae Dupont is about to find out that in the world of mystery and romance, you have to risk going overboard to find the truth.
Jessica’s Review:
This was such a fun novel to listen to! And Karissa Vacker narrated it: She is a narrator I look out for, so when I saw this one, I had to listen to it!
We have Penelope (Pip) who has organized a book cruise (that would be so much fun to go on!) featuring The Fabulous Seven and the cruise is seemingly going well until… we have a murder of one of the seven! And it was committed by another one of the seven! On board security is useless so Pip finds herself having to ‘catch’ the killer… without harm coming to anyone else. And along the journey comes a possible love connection… or is it?
Again, Without a Clue was so much fun! The listener gets a little bit of everything: mystery intrigue, murder, and maybe a love connection! Come on this cruise and follow Pip figure out just what is going on! You’ll be in for an adventure all the way unto the end! I was not expecting the novel to go the way it did!
If you need a fun read with some murder and intrigue, give Without a Clue a read or listen! Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an audio copy to listen and review. I enjoyed this one!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden
The Wife Upstairs
Author: Freida McFadden
Narrator: Angie Kane
Published: March 23, 2020
Audiobook: 9 hours 46 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: January 22-28, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Victoria Barnett has it all: a great career as a nurse practitioner, a handsome and loving husband, a beautiful home in the suburbs, and a plan to fill it with children. Life is perfect—or so it seems. Then she’s in a terrible accident…and everything falls apart. Now Victoria is unable to walk. She can’t feed or dress herself. She can’t even speak. She is confined to the top floor of her house with 24-hour care.
Sylvia Robinson is hired by Victoria’s husband to help care for her. But it turns out Victoria isn’t as impaired as Sylvia was led to believe. There’s a story Victoria desperately wants to tell…if only she could get the words out. Then Sylvia discovers Victoria’s diary hidden away in a drawer. And what’s inside is shocking.
Jessica’s Review:
Yes, there are similarities to The Wife Upstairs and Verity: An injured wife, a young woman hired to take care of her, a secret diary and many things that are not as they appear. Otherwise, they are different novels. A huge difference is that The Wife Upstairs is not sexually explicit and Verity is. In some ways I wish I had read The Wife Upstairs before Verity, but this wasn’t the case for me.
The narrator Angie Kane did a great job with her performances of both Victoria and Sylvia. I did have issues trying to understand when Victoria was attempting to talk to Sylvia, but that is what would happen in actuality with Victoria’s handicaps. I did find myself wishing I had a physical copy to see what she was trying to say.
The novel goes between Sylvia’s POV and Victoria’s diary. As with McFadden’s other novels, The Wife Upstairs is a quick and easy to read. I enjoyed it and like usual did not see the ending coming! I am still working on McFadden’s backlog of novels, while listening to her newer ones that keep coming out.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK