An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

Eighty-eight-year-old Maud is never looking for trouble, but it always seems to find her. Just when she has settled back into her favorite armchair following the tragic and mysterious death of an antique dealer--in her very own apartment of all places--Gothenburg inspectors Irene Huss and Embla Nystroem return to her doorstep, ruining a perfectly good afternoon. Even as Maud deftly dodges their pesky questions with the skill of an Olympic gymnast a fifth of her age, she wonders if suspicion has fallen on her, little old lady that she is. Eager for a change of scenery and an excuse to skip town, Maud sells off some of her family heirlooms and splurges on a trip to South Africa. In these six interlocking stories, the past and the present collide in Maud's mind as she thinks back to a string of unfortunate incidents--from the terrible neighborhood boys who tormented her sister, to a fellow teacher who jeopardized Maud's position at an all-girls school, to the ne're-do-well son of a friend, and more--all while attempting to move on from the bloody ordeal last spring. But when she lands in Johannesburg, she finds that certain problems seem to be following her. Luckily, Maud is no stranger to taking matters into her own hands. After all, she has so many more trips to take, and she wouldn't want anyone to get in her way . . .