Read with Fern

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She’s lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years–longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else’s business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you’ve enjoyed any of Sally Hepworth’s many other domestic thrillers, her newest book will definitely be right up your alley. The book  follows the story of 81-year-old Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, known in her childhood as Mad Mabel. In the present day, Elsie lives a quiet life on a suburban cul de sac, largely avoiding the scandalous history of her youth. The story switches between Elise’s current POV and different points in her childhood, highlighting the key points in Mabel’s life that lead to her nefarious nickname.

The narration of this audiobook was phenomenal, with Jenny Seedsman narrating as Elise in the present and Hannah Fredericksen as Mabel in the past. Their seamless transitions between the two timelines created an addicting back-and-forth that had me racing through every chapter to get more answers. 

Overall, I truly adored Elsie’s no-nonsense and curt personality, especially when she was exasperated with her impertinent young neighbor, Persephone. For every sharp quip that had me laughing out loud, Elsie had an equally heart-wrenching reveal that had tears welling up in my eyes. Her friendship with Daphne was extremely bittersweet to me from the beginning, and their arc was a captivating slow burn woven into an already emotionally intense storyline.

If you’ve been looking for a new domestic thriller that will emotionally wreck you in ways you couldn’t anticipate, this is the perfect book to pick up! I’d also recommend Hepworth’s backlog of similarly gripping thrillers.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio & St. Martin’s Press for the free advanced copies in exchange for an honest review!