Book Series Guide

Author guide

Sally Hepworth Books in Order

Sally Hepworth is an Australian author of domestic suspense and psychological thrillers. She lives in Melbourne and is the author of novels including The Secrets of Midwives, The Things We Keep, The Mother's Promise, The Family Next Door, The Mother-in-Law, The Good Sister, The Younger Wife, The Soulmate, Darling Girls, and Mad Mabel. Her first novel, Love Like the French, was published in Germany in 2014. She has also written the separately published novella The Ex-Wives Club.

domestic suspensepsychological thrillerwomen's fictionfamily drama

Catalog record updated .

Sally Hepworth's Newest Book

Cover of Mad Mabel

Mad Mabel

novel · First published 2025

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. When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie's past start coming to light. Who was "Mad Mabel" fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose? Told with Sally Hepworth's twists, humor, charm, and heart, MAD MABEL is novel that weaves past and present together--through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of The Secrets of Midwives

The Secrets of Midwives

A strong introduction to Hepworth's recurring interests in family secrets, intergenerational relationships, and emotionally driven suspense.

Cover of The Good Sister

The Good Sister

A highly representative domestic psychological thriller with an unreliable perspective and a tightly contained family mystery.

Cover of Darling Girls

Darling Girls

A recent, acclaimed standalone that showcases Hepworth's mature suspense style and focus on traumatic family histories.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (12)
  1. Love Like the French

    novel · 2014

  2. The Secrets of Midwives

    novel · 2015

    "With empathy and keen insight, Sally Hepworth delivers a page-turning novel about the complex, lovely, and even heartbreaking relationships between mothers and daughters.—Emily Gifin Three generations of women Secrets in the present and…

  3. The Things We Keep

    novel · 2016

    ix, 356 pages ; 21 cm

  4. The Mother's Promise

    novel · 2017

    A poignant and breathtaking novel from the author of The Things We Keep and The Secrets of Midwives. All their lives, Alice Stanhope and her daughter, Zoe, have been a family of two, living quietly in Northern California. Zoe has always…

  5. The Family Next Door

    novel · 2018

    America's next favorite Australian author! "With jaw-dropping discoveries and realistic consequences, this novel is not to be missed. Perfect for lovers of Big Little Lies." —Library Journal, starred review Small, perfect towns often hold…

  6. The Mother-in-Law

    novel · 2019

    From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, she knew she wasn’t the wife Diana had envisioned for her perfect son. Exquisitely polite, friendly, and always generous, Diana nonetheless kept Lucy at arm’s length despite her desperate…

  7. The Good Sister

    novel · 2020

    There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three…

  8. The Younger Wife

    novel · 2022

    New from the author of The Good Sister, the breakout New York Times bestseller and “stunningly clever thriller” (People), comes Sally Hepworth’s latest novel of domestic suspense about the tangled vines of family secrets. "Smart,…

  9. The Soulmate

    novel · 2023

    Prepare yourself for a thrilling, addictive novel about marriage, betrayal, and the secrets that push us to the edge in this next book from the bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Younger Wife. Picture a lovely cottage on a…

  10. Darling Girls

    novel · 2024

    For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and…

  11. Mad Mabel

    novel · 2025

    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…

  12. The Ex-Wives Club

    novella · 2025

Frequently asked questions about Sally Hepworth

Is Sally Hepworth Australian?

Yes. She is an Australian author who lives in Melbourne with her family.

Source: sallyhepworthauthor.com (opens in a new tab)

What did Sally Hepworth do before becoming an author?

She worked as an event planner and human-resources professional. She began writing novels after the birth of her first child.

Source: static.macmillan.com (opens in a new tab)

What kind of books does Sally Hepworth write?

She writes domestic thrillers focused on family, relationships, and identity, often combining suspense with humor.

Source: us.macmillan.com (opens in a new tab)

Who influenced Sally Hepworth as a writer?

Hepworth has identified Roald Dahl as a major influence, admiring his originality and willingness to take risks in storytelling.

Source: images.macmillan.com (opens in a new tab)

Has Sally Hepworth won major literary awards?

Yes. Darling Girls won the 2024 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction, and The Good Sister won the 2021 Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel.

Sources: austcrimewriters.com (opens in a new tab)booksfromaustralia.com (opens in a new tab)