An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good Kindle Edition

Ms. Tursten's novel is a very interesting piece of work. It's not for everyone, but if you've spent a good deal of time around the elderly (or, perhaps, are elderly yourself), you might enjoy it. Tursten is Swedish, and I periodically like to read translated novels because of word usage and language patterns. I see words and sentences in a different way after reading a book like Ms. Tursten's.This actually is a short collection of stories about an older lady named Maud. Maud's issue is that she keeps killing people and getting away with it. The book is short, so a quick, guilty pleasure in the sense of wanting to read more to see how Maud misbehaves the next time.As I said, not for everyone, but refreshing in a macabre sort of way.

If you were a little ol' Swedish lady, living rent free in a sweet apartment in Gothenburg, and with all your marbles at the age of 92, what would drive you to commit a murder? And if one murder, why not, say, four murders? That's the story in Swedish author Helene Tursten's new book of short stories, "An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good". Maud, our murdering heroine dispatches four people, all four of whom really needed dispatching.Tursten's book is a short one, and beautifully translated by Marlaine Delargy. The four short stories equal one book that leaves the reader a bit off-sides as we contemplate our mother, or our grandmother - or hell, even ourselves! - pushing a nasty neighbor down the stairs to her death. As the reader meets Maud and accompanies her on her murder spree, we're rooting for the Gothenburg police to discount old Maud as the doer of the deeds of death. You'll have to read the book to see what happens, but Tursten's book is a delightful, if not a bit disquieting, read.And if you enjoy Tursten's novel, take a look at the books of British//Italian author Tim Parks, including "Painting Death", where the protagonist has married and murdered his way up the social ladder.

Being a gentleman in my early 80s I probably had reasons enough to enjoy the naughty adventures of Maud.I read it in one sitting and enjoyed the easy going but slightly grotesque tales. A fun read.

This book was reviewed (positively) by the Wall Street Journal; so, I bought it on Kindle. I enjoyed every minute spent reading the stories about Maud. If you are looking for something light and entertaining, this is the book for you!

Helen Tursten is widely known for her popular "Irene Huss" book series, which were also successfully adapted for the television (2 seasons starring Angela Kovacs as Irene). "An Elderly Is Up to No Good" is an anthology consisting of five short stories having Maud, the titular elder lady, as the sole protagonist. Maud embarks in a series of adventures where she kills for merely practical reasons, exhibiting behavior that can be described as sociopathic, though the author herself, cleverly, avoids giving definite answers to the questions that her protagonist's insidious and grisly conduct is raising. The stories are all written in a comical, almost ludicrous in its character, prose that makes the book an easy read that the reader can finish in just one sitting. There is also a brief appearance by Irene Huss who is called as a police detective to investigate one of Maud's homicides. If you like dark comedies, you will definitely love this little book and fans of Nordic Noir are bound to give "An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good'' a fair chance and not regret it.

Dear Sweet Maud, who would ever guess that this darling elderly lady is highly territorial? Behind the guise of hearing aids and a walker (props of course!), Maud is busy eliminating noisy neighbors and others -- Oddly no one guesses that where Maud goes, murder follows. Age has its priveledges and Maud certainly takes advantages of them.Such a fun entertaining read about a truly eccentric woman, who won't let anyone push her around....but doesn't have any qualms about pushing others.

The short stories are somewhat amusing but turn out to be formulaic. The elderly lady does not like someone or some aspect of a person's behavior, decides it is intrusive on or affects her life and gets ready to "erase" him or her in various ways. After a while, such behavior gets tiresome. Nothing is gruesome, just tiresome without suspense. Perhaps as a film, these stories would have a greater impact.

I love books about elderly, spunky ladies, but this one----no. It started off with absolute gutter language that was not cute or funny. Sorry, I deleted it right away, not that I have tender ears, but "gutter"--no.

I liked this old lady! Am amusing little tale of her various murders.I’m glad she got away with them.

Boring and repetitive

A lovely easy read.

This was a delightful, cozy crime story. Not a mystery as we knew the perpetrator and the motive for each criminal act. Maud is an elderly, apparently frail 88-year-old Swedish lady. She lives rent free in a large home which belonged to her family and had been divided into apartments. She appears feeble, uses a walker and hearing aids to fool people. Her pastimes are surfing the internet, visiting a luxury spa, extensive travel, and murder. She has no hesitation killing people who annoy her and eludes suspicion due to her advanced age and apparent infirmities. This is a short, relaxing, easy to read and entertaining book. She murders an aspiring artist. The woman envies Maud's much larger apartment which would give her more room for an art studio for her sculptures and other artwork. Maud considers her art obscene and has no intention of giving up her extensive living space. Murder shouldn't be hilarious, but you may find yourself chuckling.Seventy years earlier Maud was jilted and has been following her former fiance's life in newspapers and on the internet. She has learned that the man, now in his early 90's has become engaged to marry a much younger former failed porn star. Maud knew the woman decades earlier when she worked as a school teacher and remembered her as being an unruly student. She still feels protective of her old lover and wants to save him from an unsuitable match. She sets out to murder the woman on a spa visit. Maud is having sleepless nights due to loud arguments and fights from a neighbors' apartment. A drunken lawyer has been beating his wife and Maud wants quiet. She makes plans. She is not above sneakily stabbing a rude teenaged grocery clerk with a large safety pin which gives her much satisfaction. Many years ago Maud felt trapped caring for an infirm older sister We may never know if she fell down stairs or if she was assisted in the tumble. This left Maud free to begin her many pleasurable travels. Pity the poor antique dealer who is discovered by Maud in the act of stealing some of her late father's valuables. This book was a pleasure to read, but I wished it had been much longer. I hope there will be another book featuring Maud and her murderous ways.

I hope this author gives us more stories like this one. Funny and entertaining, I was sorry to finish this book.