An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

Maud is 88 and lives alone in her apartment in Gothenburg. A dead body was found there not long ago, and the fuss has only just died down when a couple of detectives turn up at her door again.

She answers their questions with surprising agility and wonders whether suspicion has landed on her. Nobody would expect it of a little old lady, which suits her well.

The book is a collection of six interlocking stories. Memories of misfortunes from Maud's past surface in each one, and they point to a pattern she has lived with since girlhood: death has a way of turning up around her.

The present brings its own difficulties. Certain Problems demand quick attention, and Maud is used to dealing with such matters herself, even when that leaves blood on her hands.

A sweet-looking pensioner sits at the centre, far more dangerous than she appears, and the humour runs dark. Cookie recipes are included at the back.