While You Wait for Mad Mabel 

Sally Hepworth is back with another novel featuring a complex and troubled character facing unforeseen circumstances. With suspense to keep you pushing forward and characters who redeem themselves as the story progresses, you are sure to be absorbed and forget all your other responsibilities as you read Mad Mabel. While you wait for your copy of this popular read, I've have some read alikes you'll devour. 

Mad Mabel 

Currently 81-year-old Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is a grumpy, lonely woman living a quiet life in her Melbourne suburb neighborhood. Her life quickly takes a turn when one of her neighbors turns up dead. This isn’t the first time someone in Elsie’s life has met a foul end though. In the 1950s Elsie was called Mabel and she was youngest person ever convicted of murder in Australia.  

Inspired in part by true stories, Mad Mabel is an unputdownable novel told in dual timelines and scattered with dark humor. You can find author interviews online where Hepworth speaks about the story’s inspiration which is fascinating to learn about! While you wait to uncover the truth about Elsie/Mabel, I have a few recommendations set in Australia where the truth about long past crimes is ready to be set free. 

Homecoming by Kate Morton 

On Christmas Eve 1959 a grisly murder is discovered in a small  South Australian town. The police investigate, but the case soon goes cold leaving the town to contend with a perplexing and unresolved murder.  

Sixty years after the murder, recently laid off journalist Jess is called to Sydney when her grandmother Nora is rushed to the hospital. When Jess arrives, she doesn’t recognize the woman her grandmother has become. At one time Nora was vibrant and strong, but is now frail and confused. 

When Jess goes to Nora's home to try and grasp what has become of her grandmother, she finds a true crime book that details the tragedy of the 1959 Christmas Eve murder. As Jess’s journalistic instincts takes over, she learns of a shocking connection linking her family to the crime that perhaps explains why it has remained unresolved to the present day.  

Like Hepworth’s novel, Homecoming it told across different points in time and reveals how finally letting secrets be known can allow people to heal. Homecoming is a slower building novel, but with a captivating mystery and deep care applied to the details, you’ll be so immersed in the story that you’ll fly through the pages.  

“An intricate, carefully crafted work of suspense populated by scores of vibrant characters and imbued with an abundance of humanity. … Homecoming stands as another stellar example of Morton’s excellence.” - Richmond Times-Dispatch 

The Dry by Jane Harper 

Federal Agent Aaron Falk is headed back to his rural Australian hometown for the funeral of his childhood best friend Luke Hadler who has been brutally slain alongside his family. Theories of what happened to the Hadler family swirl around town, but no one is certain about the facts of the killings. As the questions begin to build, Aaron is asked to investigate despite his own complicated history with the townspeople. 

Twenty years before, Aaron was suspected of the murder of a local girl. To break free from the criticism of the townsfolk Aaron fled and only escaped prosecution because Luke served as his alibi. The truth about what really happened has long been buried. Now Luke’s death threatens to bring up the secrets that could change everything.  

This gritty, debut novel from Jane Harper will transport you straight to Australia where you will feel the heat while reading. In 2020 The Dry was adapted into a movie. You’re in luck because you can grab both the book and movie from the library to fully immerse yourself in the story and compare whether page or screen did it better. Let’s be real though, I think we all know the book is always better!  

"It’s extremely rare and exciting to read a debut that enthralls from the very first page and then absolutely sticks the landing. Told with heart and guts and an authentic sense of place that simply cannot be faked.” - C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Off The Grid 

Red River Road by Anna Downes 

Katy Sweeney needs to find her sister Phoebe. A year earlier her free-spirited sister set out on a solo trip exploring the coastline of Western Australia. Shortly after the trip began Phoebe disappeared and Katy hasn’t heard from her since. With no evidence as to what happened the case has already gone cold. 

In an attempt to find Phoebe, Katy begins retracing her sister steps. That's when she crosses paths with Beth, a woman who's on the run from her past. It doesn't take Katy long to realize Beth might just be the key she's been looking for. Reluctantly, Beth agrees to help Katy, but it won't be easy to navigate the Australian outback in pursuit of Phoebe.

With a fast pace and intense suspense driving this story along, you will be on the edge of your seat while reading. Sally Hepworth herself reviewed Red River Road and said, “Utterly addictive and deliciously dark, this is Downes’ best book yet.”

While you wait to get your hands on Mad Mabel, the next best thing to read is a book the author herself enjoyed reading. She must have good taste, right? 

“In Red River Road, the freedom of #vanlife meets the cold metal of keys between fingers―an unsettling, deeply atmospheric novel that asks: where are women safe? With sharp social commentary and her signature lush prose, Anna Downes reigns supreme at excavating the thorny roots beneath intriguing subcultures, where beauty bleeds into danger. An up-all-night read you’ll think about every time you open Instagram.” - Katie Gutierrez, bestselling author of More Than You’ll Ever Know 

The Last Illusion of Paige White by Vanessa McCausland 

Paige White is a social media star. Her online presence is a complete photo documentary of her life. Each post is carefully curated, showcasing a perfect and wholesome family living in a lakeside town in Australia. That is until an image that's the antithesis to her normal posts appears on her account. Paige is then found dead of an apparent drowning.  

When Jane Masters, Paige’s childhood best friend, heads home for the funeral she starts sinking back into the community and discovers there's a darkness lurking beneath the surface. Was Paige’s death at her own hands or has something more sinister taken place in her hometown? 

While Mabel and Paige become well known for very different reasons, their stories highlight how the public view of a person isn’t always the truth. Digging deeper can reveal what has been hidden, intentionally or not. With the emphasis on social media The Last Illusion of Paige White is a far more modern story than Mad Mabel, but both novels are equally absorbing.  

“Compelling, haunting, and beautifully written, The Last Illusion of Paige White is a clever, page-turning modern mystery as well as a thoughtful exploration of female friendship, family dynamics, and the complex impact of social media on self-identity. You’ll be thinking about it long after you turn the last page!” - Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies