Mad Mabel

by Sally Hepworth · 2025

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is an eighty-one-year-old woman living a quiet, independent life in a Melbourne suburb. Known for her sharp tongue and grumpy demeanor, her carefully constructed anonymity is shattered when a neighbor is found dead and her past as 'Mad Mabel'—the youngest Australian ever convicted of murder—is exposed. As the police and media descend, the story shifts between the present-day investigation and a dual timeline exploring Mabel's traumatic childhood at the family estate, Rosehill. The narrative examines themes of justice, redemption, and the long-term psychological impact of childhood trauma, as Elsie navigates the suspicion of her neighbors and the persistent curiosity of a young girl named Persephone, all while confronting the secrets she has hidden for decades.