Monday, October 4, 2021

Book Review - An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed; Helen Tursten


Soho Press - 10/4/2021

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed, is a deliciously delightful series of connected mysteries featuring Maud, a feisty, cunning, 88 year old (almost 89) retired language teacher.  She is a woman who has a unique way of doing away or at least getting even with those who get in her way and/or irritate her or the people she cares about. When the police question her she has a way of pretending she is a bit senile or has a hearing problem and can't find her hearing aids. Of course this all works to her advantage because, seriously, who would expect an 88 year old woman of murder and mayhem?

This series begins with an overview of the last story from her earlier collection about an antique dealer who meets an unfortunate demise at the hands of Maud when she perceived he was trying to take advantage of her in a deal gone bad.  So it's time to get away from Sweden and take a luxury vacation joining (7) strangers on a safari to South Africa. Don't worry about Maud she's sharp, she's spry and can take care of herself just fine.

In most of these very brief stories Maud recalls an incident from an earlier time in her life and proceeds to tell the reader all about it. For example, there was a time when Maud was a teacher and was then demoted to a sub when another teacher returned from her leave.  Also, when her young developmentally disabled sister was bullied and Maud found a way to get even with the two bullies or, the time she found her neighbor in tears over things the woman's son had done and there is more to delight in as well.

Table of Contents

  1. An Elderly Lady Begins to Remember Her Past
  2. Little Maud Sets a Trap
  3. Lancing a Boil
  4. The Truth About Charlotte
  5. The Peter Pan Problem
  6. An Elderly Lady Takes a Trip to Africa
  7. Cookie Recipes  (probably best not to attempt these)

While I enjoyed the latest adventures with Maud series, I think I liked her first in this series: An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good (2018) just a tad better (review here).  Although this could certainly be enjoyed as a standalone of short crime mysteries, I highly recommend reading and enjoying the books in order - I doubt you will be disappointed, Maud is an unforgettable character. The writing is often witty, the stories work beautifully as the reader is privy to Mauds every depraved and misdirected thought which makes the reading and listening experience quite fun.

This book was expertly translated.  I was lucky enough to have access to both the Highbridge audio (NetGalley), read by Ann Richardson who was excellent as well as the eGalley provided by Soho Press and Edelweiss.

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

36 comments:

  1. I just picked this up from the library today! Looking forward to spending a little more time with Maud.

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  2. OK, that does it. I'm moving "An Elderly Lady Is No Good" directly to the top of my TBR. Maud sounds like a winner.

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  3. I couldn't get interested in the first book, but maybe I should try it on audio, especially if you say it's even better than this one.

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  4. Soulds like a pretty interesting lady!

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  5. Sounds like a great book to pick up for my mom who is always looking for something different!

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    1. I bet she'd get a kick out of these 2 books. Hope you've been well Nise.

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  6. What a great premise to have an unlikely murderer who is feisty and fun to read about!

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  7. I think I really must read this series. That elderly lady sounds exactly like what I want to be when I grow up.

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  8. Oh this sounds fun! Love that bit about the recipes :)

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    1. LOL - yup, that's how she offs one of the victims in one story.

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  9. Sounds like a Delafield story/ies

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    1. I'm not familiar with that name or series so I'll look into it.

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  10. Sounds like audio is the way to go with this one!

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  11. I'm intrigued by this one and the first one. I'll have to try the audio. You've definitely got me curious!

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    1. Katherine, I heard the fist book on audio wasn't pleasing to the ears (which is too bad)but, I know the second on audio was very good.

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  12. Maud sounds like an interesting character. I'll keep in mind to start with the first book first should I've the mood to read this series. Thanks for sharing this with us, Diane!

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  13. I didn't realize there was a book before this collection. It sounds like a fun way to pass the time.

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    1. It was lots of fun, I like books that give you insight into every depraved thought of a sociopath. LOL

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  14. I got the audio of the first book and didn't enjoy the narrator so I put the hardcover on hold at the library. When I'm finished with it I'll listen to this book.

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    1. Vicki, I just checked and the second book has a different narrator who was quite good IMO.

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  15. I’ve never heard of this series but it sure sounds fun!

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    1. Dar, This is a wonderful, fun series of essays. Start with the first book.

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  16. I agree with you in that I did enjoy the first book just a tad more than this one, but I really did like how Maud set up her "Golden Years" here. I'm hoping we hear from her at least one more time.

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    1. Cathy, not sure how old the author really is but, if she is elderly, I hope she writes fast LOL --- oh, i just looked it up she is 67!

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  17. This does sound like a lot of fun! I still have the first book on my radar so hopefully I will read these in order as that makes more sense for this series.

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