Mystery | Book Chatter

Mad Mabel
By Sally Hepworth
St. Martin’s Press, April 2026, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Witty and sharp.

The Rest of It:

“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.” ~from the publisher

There’s so much more going on here. For one, Elsie is also known as Mad Mabel. She was institutionalized for one murder at fifteen and accused of another, and her quiet suburban neighborhood hasn’t forgotten it. Every so often, it comes back to the surface, especially when a neighbor turns up dead. Fingers start pointing again and honestly, can you blame them? They know what they know. Elsie, for her part, is kind of over it.

Enter Persephone. Seven years old and far wiser than she should be, she ignores the whispers and shows up at Elsie’s door like it’s the most natural thing in the world. She lives next door with her mom, Roxanne, and even though Elsie is not looking for friends, especially not a child who lets herself in unannounced and immediately wants to play games, she can’t help but soften once she realizes Roxanne is dealing with her own darkness.

This book hits a really satisfying balance between humor and mystery. You keep wondering what actually happened all those years ago, and how anyone moves forward from something like that without carrying resentment or doubt.

Friends? Who needs them? Apparently Elsie does. Even when her interactions with the neighbors start with irritation, she finds herself enjoying conversation again, lingering over tea, even getting pulled into Persephone’s games.

I’m always drawn to stories that put older and younger characters together like this. There’s something about the blunt honesty of kids that gets under your skin. Persephone leaves a mark, whether Elsie wants her to or not. Watching Elsie try to process that is half the fun. She’s adorably flustered most of the time, but still sharp and fierce when it counts, especially when the people she’s come to care about are at risk.

Highly recommend.

Source: Review Copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Such Sheltered Lives
By Alyssa Sheinmel
Atria, January 20, 2026, 288pp.

The Short of It:

Such Sheltered Lives had its moments, but ultimately too many characters affected its flow.

The Rest of It:

Tucked among the pristine beaches and lavish manors of the Hamptons sits Rush’s Recovery, a rehabilitation center where ultra-high net worth clients can seek treatment away from prying eyes and paparazzi. ~ the publisher

The center’s patients masquerading as guests:

Lord Edward of Essex, a British aristocrat fighting his black-sheep status and a painful addiction.
Amelia Blue Harris, the daughter of a 90s rock legend struggling with an eating disorder.
Florence Bloom, a pop star trying to lay low after her latest tabloid scandal.

All of these guests are promised high-end care in a luxury setting; the BEST that money can buy. Each have their own therapist assigned to them, 24/7 but as good as this sounds, things are not what they seem.

For one, it’s easy for these guests to imbibe on their addictions. Lord Edward exists on his pocketed pain pills, Amelia starves herself or binges and then forces herself to get rid of all of it and Florence is just a mess, sleeping around and making bad choices. All this, while under 24/7 supervision. What gives?

Each of these characters have compelling reasons for being there but the author lost me with the alternating chapters and revealing a backstory that just didn’t strike me as being realistic. The creeping around and fraternizing with staff seemed inserted for drama, more than story flow. I didn’t care for any of these characters. I love a good flawed character but these characters don’t learn much and just seem to stumble along.

Sadly, I can’t recommend this one. Even the title doesn’t fit the story. They really aren’t sheltered at all. Had the author chosen to focus on one or two of the patients and not woven in that unrealistic backstory about the center itself, the story would have been better for it.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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