Sally Hepworth is an acclaimed Australian author who has made a significant mark in the realm of domestic thrillers and psychological suspense. Known for her incisive exploration of complex family dynamics, buried secrets, and the darker side of suburban life, Hepworth has established herself as a New York Times bestselling author. Since her publishing debut, her novels have sold more than two million copies globally and have been translated into over thirty languages, cementing her status as a master of modern domestic fiction who seamlessly blends quirky humor with emotional depth and unpredictable plot twists.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Hepworth showed an early affinity for storytelling, reportedly declaring her intention to become an author at just seven years old. After completing her secondary education at a private Catholic school in Toorak, she attended Monash University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. However, her path to becoming a full-time novelist was not entirely direct. Before finding her footing in the publishing world, Hepworth built a successful career in human resources and event management. Her professional life allowed her to travel extensively, and she spent significant periods living and working abroad in countries such as Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
The turning point in Hepworth’s literary career arrived during her maternity leave in the early 2010s. Inspired by the profound life changes of new motherhood, she finally pursued her childhood dream of writing a book. Her debut novel, Love Like the French, was published in Germany in 2014, but it was her 2015 release, The Secrets of Midwives, that served as her major breakthrough in the US market. The novel, which explores the interconnected lives of three generations of midwives, drew heavily from her own inquiries during her pregnancy and firmly established her unique authorial voice.
Following her breakthrough, Hepworth transitioned to writing full-time, producing a steady stream of highly successful novels that increasingly leaned into the psychological thriller genre. Her bibliography includes celebrated titles such as The Things We Keep (2016), The Family Next Door (2018), and The Mother-in-Law (2019). Her 2020 release, The Good Sister, earned widespread acclaim and won the 2021 Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel. She continued to dominate the bestseller lists with subsequent hits like The Younger Wife (2022), The Soulmate (2023), and Darling Girls (2024), which took home the prestigious Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction. More recently, her 2025 psychological thriller Mad Mabel, released in early 2026, won the ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year, exploring the tangled history of a woman convicted of murder in the 1950s.
Today, Sally Hepworth resides in her hometown of Melbourne with her husband, their three children, and a dog. After years of living abroad, she finds that her return to the bayside suburbs of Melbourne provides the perfect, familiar backdrop for the tense, domestic settings that populate her stories. Balancing her busy family life with her prolific writing schedule, Hepworth continues to craft addictive, character-driven novels that keep readers guessing until the very last page.
