On the HahaFiction shelf

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good

by Helene Tursten

Maud is 88 and has a spacious family apartment in Gothenburg all to herself. A clause in an old contract means she pays no rent. When an artist from the building takes an interest in her and her home, Maud has no intention of making room. She has her own ways of dealing with people who won’t leave her alone.

Mystery Dark comedy

From the publisher’s blurb

“This funny, irreverent story collection”

Read the full description at Soho Crime

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What makes it funny?

The artist’s visit ought to be a small social nuisance. Maud takes it as a threat to the arrangement she’s had for decades, and her idea of settling a housing dispute goes well beyond anything the landlord might suggest.

The comedy at work

Tursten lets us see how sharply Maud sizes people up before anyone thinks to take a second look at her. The joke depends on how long Maud can pass for an unthreatening old neighbor, even with a detective asking questions.

Try this if…

If you like crime stories where the person you follow is the one the police ought to watch, Maud gives you several chances to see how that goes. The jokes are about murder and how calmly she can contemplate it.