An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

Swedish crime novelist Tursten’s second book featuring 88-year-old Maud takes up right where An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good left off. Maud plays a doddering, senile old lady when it suits her purposes, but she’s actually in perfect health with a sharp and cunning mind—handy for plotting and getting away with murder. After selling family heirlooms to fund her travels, Maud is off on a luxury guided trip of South Africa. The plane ride kindles past memories of problems that she has solved ingeniously but often fatally: mean neighbor boys, her needy sister, a rival teacher, a friend’s gambler son. Arriving in South Africa, Maud offers up wry observations of her fellow travelers and captivating descriptions of her travels. Near the end of the trip, she turns sleuth and stops a rapist. After befriending the girl whom she rescued, Maud finds new life purpose and a way to leave a legacy.