Description

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth comes a twisty tale of justice, redemption, and one irrepressible woman who’s not done breaking the rules just yet. 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 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 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.

Author: Sally Hepworth
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Published: 4/21/2026
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.21 lbs
Size: 9.52″ H x 6.34″ L x 1.2″ W
ISBN: 9781250284549