An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten
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Web ID: 13393427Amazing read, perfectly dark.
This is perfect to read at a bookshop or at the park. It's interesting enough that you will always want to read more, but split into small enough sections that you can put it down and pick it back up while still having some semblance of the plot. It's just dark enough to be interesting, but not so morbid as to go into every gorey detail. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and always love when they include a recipe at the end.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Maude is an outrageous but fun character
3.5 stars In An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good we meet 88-year-old Maud, a Swedish woman with a penchant for murder. Maud gets away with her crimes because her act - creeping along with a walker, speaking in a quavering voice, acting confused, wearing unneeded hearing aids, etc. - fools most people into thinking she's weak and confused. Maud doesn't dupe everybody, however, and her murder of an antiques store owner raises suspicions in the eyes of two police detectives. The second book in the series, 'An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed', picks up where the first book left off. The police detectives keep questioning Maud about the antiques dealer's death, and - to get away from them - Maud books herself a luxury vacation in South Africa. On the way to her destination, Maud recalls some past incidents in her life, and when she arrives in South Africa, Maud racks up some new adventures. All this is told in six interconnecting tales. - An Elderly Lady Begins to Remember Her Past As Maud flies to South Africa, enjoying airplane food and wine along the way, she happily anticipates her tour with a Swedish-speaking guide. The trip's itinerary includes five-star hotels, fine dining, a safari in the Kruger National park, visits to vineyards, a trip to Victoria Falls, a cruise along the Zambesi River, and a final week in Capetown. Mauds's mind is distracted, however, by recollections of the annoying police officers who kept showing up on her doorstep to ask questions about the dead antiques dealer. Maud tried to fall back on her 'confused old lady' defense but sensed the detectives weren't buying it, and she's glad to be out of the cops' reach. - Little Maud Sets a Trap When Maud overhears a fellow passenger mention a boiler room, she's reminded of an incident from her childhood. Two mean brothers in Maud's building were tormenting her troubled sister Charlotte with a live rat. Maud was infuriated and tricked the boys into searching the cellar for a cash-filled envelope her father had dropped. Maud wasn't yet a killer, but the experience wasn't pleasant for the boys. - Lancing a Boil During the war Maud had taken up a post at the local girl's grammar school teaching French, English, and Latin. Maud was a temporary replacement for the permanent teacher Greta Rapp, who was on leave to complete her Ph.D. When Greta returned to the school Maud's hours and pay were cut drastically, and - since Maud liked the job and needed the salary - she decided to do something about it. - “The Truth About Charlotte” Maud's older sister Charlotte, who was mentally challenged, needed constant care for her entire life. A moment's inattention might result in Charlotte wandering off and putting herself in danger. After decades of helping to look after Charlotte - whose one enjoyment in life was playing the piano - Maud felt like she was serving a life sentence in jail. Then Charlotte's death freed Maud from her sisterly responsibilities. - "The Peter Pan Problem" Maud had a seamstress friend called Elsa Petrén, who was devoted to her work and her little boy Johannes. In Maud's eyes, Johannes was a drooling unpleasant child who yelled when he wanted food or attention. Johannes didn't improve with age, and even as an adult, relied on his mother to help support him. When Johannes' gambling lifestyle threatened to deprive Elsa of her home, Maud felt compelled to take steps. - "“An Elderly Lady Takes a Trip to Africa” Maud lands in Africa and joins her tour group, composed of couples and singles from Sweden. We follow Maud as she enjoys her vacation activities, deals with a violent man, and does a good deed. Maud is an outrageous character we wouldn't applaud in real life, but she's fun to read about in a fictional narrative. I look forward to more of her exploits.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Be Glad You Don't Live Next Door to Maud
Well, after reading Helen Tursten’s first book about Maud, how could I not read her second one? Maud isn’t the nicest person, but you come to care about her. She either shocks you or makes you laugh. What a mind this elderly woman has. An enjoyable read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Curmudgeonly vigilantism at its best!
Maud returns in another installment of murderous antics. How I can adore someone so diabolical boggles my mind but her awkward curmudgeonly vigilantism is wonderful in a slightly deranged way. I suppose someone has to put people in their place. I enjoyed the glimpses into her earlier life and her competence in her later years. The ending of this one made me love her more and felt like the final chapter in Maud's quiet but illustrious life. The pacing was similar to the first and once again, the author has made me crave adventure! I received a complimentary copy of this title through NetGalley I'm exchange for my review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun Look into Maud's Past Exploits
Well this was another fun trip with Maud. This time we join her on her trip to Africa with spurts of her reminiscing down murder lane HAHA I enjoyed the glimpses into her past exploits. I also loved the short story format for both this, and the first book. It just worked and flowed really well. Great little Duology and one I'd recommend.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed
My opinion of Maud, an eighty-eight avenging angel in Sweden marvels at Maud's skills. This elderly woman rights the wrongs that plague her female friends. This book by Swedish author Helene Tursten contains six short stories. The first story, "An Elderly Lady Begins to Remember the Past" shows a young Maud fighting for her weak and damaged sister, Charlotte. Many of the stories portray Maud as a God-like figure who takes matters in her own hands. For a short time, the reader feels that Maud is evil, but the last story redeems Maud. The stories are comical, but deadly sobering. Maud appears to be more brilliant than Sherlock Holmes.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Maud is back!
I really enjoyed getting to know Maud, our titular elderly lady, better in this book. We start with Maud preparing for her trip to South Africa over the Christmas holidays, and being pestered by the detectives from that unfortunate incident that happened in the last book. During her travels, her mind brings up memories from her past, and this is where we get to know Maud better - we get insight into her personality seeing bits of her childhood, young adult life, and retirement. Maud's a tough cookie, and I wouldn't want to cross her, but she'd be a great person to have on your side. Her trip to South Africa reunites her with a friend from her last visit, introduces her to some new friends, and has some surprises in store. I want to say more, but I also don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just add that the ending was very Maud and very satisfying. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll enjoy this one as well. If you haven't read the first book, read it first; this doesn't work so well as a stand-alone - the events of the first book are touched upon, but not enough to really get what happened. Both books are fun, quick reads with a very interesting (and a bit murdery) elderly lady protagonist, perfect for an afternoon of tea and a book! #AnElderlyLadyMustNotBeCrossed #NetGalley
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Don't Anger This Old Lady!
I thoroughly enjoyed "An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good", the story of an elderly woman who lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. Underestimate Maude or fall for her "little old lady act" at your own peril if you have crossed her! I found Maude such a compelling character that I was eager to read the followup, "An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed". This book opens with the police re-questioning Maude over a dead body that had been found in her "gentleman's room". Maude is continuing her befuddled act, but the two female detectives are skeptical. Maude decides to escape to her favorite place, Cape Town. On the long airplane ride over, her mind conjures up some of her past adventures, that fill in Maude's younger years. Each story can be read is a stand alone, so this is the perfect book to read if your time or concentration is short. Eventually Maude reaches South Africa and joins her tour group. On one of the expeditions a young girl is raped, and Maude suspects it might be someone on their trip. Meanwhile she goes to visit a friend she made on her last trip to Cape Town five years before and finds her in sad circumstances. At this point we start seeing a new Maude....a Maude that actually cares about others! I enjoyed seeing this new side to her character. If gory murder is not your thing, you might enjoy Maude. Her stories are amusing and the murders are not descriptive. I hope there will be another installment! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Soho Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com