An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed
Helene Tursten
A prequel to An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, this little book explains how Maud acquired her, well, unconventional problem-solving skills. In the earlier book, Maud destroyed forever the notion of a sweet little old lady. In this book we find out how she got to be the way she is. Both books are great fun.
Helene Tursten is also the author of two superb mystery series, those featuring Detective Irene Huss (who investigates Maud's mishaps) and Detective Embla Nystrom. The books are translated from the Swedish by Marlaine Delargy.
From the publisher:
Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and... no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Huss investigations, features two-never-before translated stories that will keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home.
Ever since her darling father's untimely death when she was only eighteen, Maud has lived in the family's spacious apartment in downtown Gothenburg rent-free, thanks to a minor clause in a hastily negotiated contract. That was how Maud learned that good things can come from tragedy. Now in her late eighties, Maud contents herself with traveling the world and surfing the net from the comfort of her father's ancient armchair. It's a solitary existence, and she likes it that way.
Over the course of her adventures—or misadventures—this little bold lady will handle a crisis with a local celebrity who has her eyes on Maud's apartment, foil the engagement of her long-ago lover, and dispose of some pesky neighbors. But when the local authorities are called to investigate a dead body found in Maud's apartment, will Maud finally become a suspect?