
Helene Tursten’s An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good is jam-packed with surprise. The stories are all about Maud, who is sharper than anyone her age. I mean, you hear about sprightly old ladies, and you hear about Maud. She’s calculating and mischievous, and she will stand her ground more than anyone can.
“An Elderly Lady Has Accommodation Problems” holds no punches. In this story, Maud is the longest standing resident of the apartment building in which she lives. Oh, and she lives rent-free. It’s due to some legal settlement that happened way, way, back. Lucky lady. Well, Maud isn’t oblivious to her luck. She’s quite comfortable where she is, thank you very much. So if anyone or anything comes in and complicates her life, she will fix the problem. (I will leave it at that.)
I have zero plans of ever messing with Maud. The collection is short but not at all sweet.