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Maud is back in this new collection of stories about the elderly lady who gets away with murders (the first being An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good). Here, she is on her way to her dream vacation in South Africa, and as she is traveling, little things make her reflect on some earlier experiences in her life, such as the retribution she carried out as a girl against two boys who bullied her older sister (not including violence or a murder), the recollection of her sister’s accidental death, a murder she pulled off as a young adult so she could keep her full-time employment, and another murder she committed to help a longtime friend.
The longest story by far is of her experiences on the guided tour through several cities (and a safari) in Africa. It’s rather meandering and I kept wondering where it was going, as a killing didn’t happen until nearer the end. It was a delightful armchair travel experience, though, and entertaining to be doing it with Maud as a companion. It was also interesting to see where the author took the plot to tie up Maud’s story.
I didn’t find this book to be as humorous as the first; it was a little sad at times, even, and it revealed more of the difficulties Maud had experienced through her life. This book (at least parts) somehow lacked the lightness on its feet the first collection of stories had, though the last story was a satisfying mixture of aspirational travelogue and poignancy.
I would probably have been just fine sticking with the first book.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 4 uses of strong language, about 6 instances of moderate profanity, 5 uses of mild language, and 2 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Violence includes a few murders, with some mild and moderate details about how they were achieved, the sexual assault and murder of a girl (though it only briefly mentioned rather than being an active part of the story), and the attempted sexual assault of another girl, which is prevented by the perpetrator being killed. There is a reference to bullying.
