An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten

Reviewed by Kristin

Maud is a most delightful 88-year-old Swedish lady who knows what she wants, and knows how to get it. She has a strong sense of justice and is not above putting on a little old lady act complete with a wavering voice and foggy memories when she is being questioned by the police in the wake of several suspicious deaths.

Maud has been quietly selling her valuables and enjoying little jaunts around the world as a reward for a life well lived. She is off to South Africa (again) to go on safari with a tour group. As she dozes on the airplane, she recalls memories from decades past. It appears that her ruthless ways did not begin in her elder years, but long, long ago.

I love that this second collection of stories goes back into Maud’s past after the first volume entitled An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good.  Maud may be manipulative and controlling, but this time around we learn about Maud taking care of her sister Charlotte and working as a language teacher at the local girls’ grammar school. Maud has a sense of right and wrong, and the means to carry out whatever vengeance is necessary when an innocent has been harmed, or may be in imminent danger. She is the protector of the weak, and when that works in her favor too, that’s all well and good.

Helene Tursten wraps up the collection in a way that could mean this is the end of Maud’s story, or it’s entirely possible that we may see another volume in a few years with Maud still living her best life. This is a small book which was easy to read in an evening. I have checked it out from the library (and now must return it as several other patrons are on the waiting list) but I think I will have to buy my own copies of both titles. Maud is one elderly lady worth re-reading.

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten

Reviewed by Kristin

Book Bingo categories take most of us to different places than our usual reading, and I am very thankful for this redirection.  I really dislike the “read a self-help book” square (what does that say about me?) and I often have trouble with the “read a translated book” square as well.  Fortunately, this time around I happened to spot a small book on the new shelf entitled An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten, translated by Marlaine Delargy.  Bingo!

Tursten is a well-known Swedish author with two published mystery series featuring Detective Inspector Irene Huss and Detective Inspector Embla Nyström.  When a publisher asked for a short story for their Christmas anthology, Tursten created a totally new character, one that didn’t fit the same molds as her other protagonists: 88-year-old Maud.  This little old lady doesn’t just stay home and bake cookies for loving grandchildren either.

Maud never married and doesn’t cook (that’s what take-out is for, right?)  She takes care of what is hers, by whatever means possible.  She was fortunate enough to inherit the rights to live in the apartment owned by her parents at the time of her father’s death.  The apartment was sold to cover debts with the understanding that the widow and her two daughters could continue to live there rent free, as long as they wished.  Seventy years later, Maud is holding the current owners to the terms of the original contract.

By hook and by crook, Maud has managed to accumulate quite a nest egg to support her preferred lifestyle.  She often takes jaunts to warmer climates for a few weeks, and has recently discovered the joys of all-inclusive spas: saunas, facials, pedicures and all.  Maud is a delight and surprisingly devious, although you would never know to look at her.

Whether or not you need a translated book for your Book Bingo sheet, check out this elderly lady.  She is definitely up to no good.