Content:
– An elderly lady has accommodation problems
– An elderly lady on her travels
– An elderly lady seeks peace at Christmas time
– The antique dealer’s death
– An elderly lady is faced with a difficult dilemma

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, but 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 murder in her apartment complex, will Maud be able to avoid suspicion, or will Detective Inspector Irene Huss see through her charade?

Note:This may be a niche target audience, either as a fan of Helen Tursten or dark comedic murderous elderly ladies, but its a niche target audience I’m part of.

Review –Before anyone says anything, I understand that murder is wrong and one shouldn’t find it adorable or cute just because its an elderly lady doing as much, but it WAS adorable and I DID find her actions cute. Ifs fiction and the folk that she was a-murdering basically had to it coming in that cut and dry way that fictional bad guys often do.

– conniving neighbor trying to steal her home
– conniving younger woman trying to pull one over on an old flame
– conniving antiques dealer

Look there’s a lot of conniving people in this world and she just wants to be left alone.

This all being said the fact she’s anywhere from 86-88 in the stories (sometimes a little younger, but never younger then 80) certainly helps to sell her “who me? a feeble old woman who can barely hear or see or think?” act really well.

The stories are short, quickly paced and you can largely skim parts of them because they rehash information from each other in regards to her circumstances. They’re also in the book in a slightly confusing order; the first story takes place after the second story which takes place after the third and the last story takes place somewhat simultaneously with the story before it.

Maud is life goals though – she lives her own way, with no real care about anyone else’s regard or opinions and has settled into a comfortable life that suits her. A little murder here or there and what are they really going to do? Haul an 88 year old lady off to jail on no real evidence beyond the fact she was coincidentally always near the target she had no prior relationship with?

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Published by: Soho Crime
Release: November 6, 2018
Series: vaguely related to the Irene Huss Books
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