helene tursten an elderly lady is up to no good

“I’ll be there by nine at the latest,” he said immediately, with yet another beaming smile. He lives-lived-in Australia, so none of us were able to get to the funeral.”įrazzén didn’t even think about his response. “A few of us are having a kind of memorial celebration for a friend who died recently. Unfortunately he didn’t have time to pop up to Maud’s apartment at the moment.

Frazzén didn’t even try to hide his interest in seeing the entire collection. Maud explained her father’s predilection for antique silver and said she had decided to sell the lot. “Did you want this appraised, or are you hoping to sell it?” Reluctantly he handed the goblet back to Maud and fired off another blinding smile. royal provenance,” he murmured to himself. He brought it up to his eye and examined the mark on the base of the goblet. He reached into his inside pocket and took out a small case containing an eyeglass. His hand trembled as he took it from her. Frazzén’s expression was skeptical as she produced the little silver goblet, but his eyes widened when he saw the beautifully decorated artifact with its gilded interior. When she eventually managed to get it open, she reached in and brought out a small item wrapped in newspaper. “I believe you’re an expert on precious metals, herr Frazzén,” she began as she fumbled with her purse zipper, which had caught on the fabric. Impractical and too warm in this weather, Maud thought. The antique dealer was kitted out in a dark-blue suit and pink shirt and looked as if he was going straight from work to some kind of dinner dance.

She saw Frazzén emerge through the glass door of his shop, engraved with the words: GOLDMAN’S ANTIQUES, EST. She was wearing white sandals and carrying a pale-beige purse. In her blue summer dress and a thin cotton cardigan, she felt cool. It was like walking into a sauna, but she was used to the heat.

The air was shimmering over the warm tarmac when Maud stepped out of the front door of the apartment block. The street was deserted, and only a few cars were parked in the designated spaces. In the following passage, Maud encounters a cheating antique dealer. In this wicked new collection, 88-year-old Maud is not to be underestimated when it comes to revenge, or even a little murder. The following is an exclusive excerpt from An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good, a new story collection from Swedish crime writer Helene Tursten, translated by Marlaine Delargy.

Helene tursten an elderly lady is up to no good