"Mad Mabel" by Sally Hepworth! OH, MY! I have just joined the "Mad Mabel Club" and a devotee of Sally Hepworth's books. I would have been her friend immediately upon meeting her. Such interesting relationships and reveals kept the pages turning almost fast enough to hear them turn.

As a lonely teenager desperate for love, she develops feelings for her history teacher *Mr. Loukas*, who grooms and manipulates her. He later dies under suspicious circumstances. Then other deaths follow...

The book slowly reveals: What did Mabel really do? Was it murder, or was it justice for a girl no one protected?

*Theme:*

It's a twisty, darkly funny thriller, but also heartwarming. It's about:
- Justice vs. judgment - why we label girls "mad" when they are actually abused
- Found family and unexpected friendship - the bond between an 81-year-old recluse and a 7-year-old
- Redemption - It's never too late to set the record straight