Helene Tursten > Quotes

“But she had learned that it was smart not to reveal that all her senses were in full working order; instead, she allowed people to act in accordance with their own preconceptions. This was often a useful source of information, and Maud could form her own opinion of the person and the situation.”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good

“No,” she said again, just because it felt good to say no to this person”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good

“The difference between a wise person and a foolish person is that the wise one does not repeat his mistakes,”
― Helene Tursten, The Golden Calf

“Again the problem of attitudes toward middle-aged, competent women. Why were they so intimidating?”
― Helene Tursten, Detective Inspector Huss

“Women with power and authority tend to intimidate people far more than men with the same qualities, particularly if those women deserve the position they have achieved.”
― Helene Tursten, The Beige Man

“A glass devil is a person in whom evil becomes transparent. People simply don't see it, despite the fact that it's there all the time.”
― Helen Tursten

“Sometimes a person had to do certain things in order to survive the hard life of a single woman with a heavy burden of responsibility to bear.”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

“No,” she said again, just because it felt good to say no to this person.”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good

“It’s easy to criticize the patriarchy and the upper classes when you come from a privileged background and expect to inherit a fortune,”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good

“Maud placed two small cartons of rollmops in the basket of her wheeled walker, followed by a larger pack of herring salad. They were soon joined by a Stilton cheese in a blue porcelain pot, a mature Gorgonzola, a piece of ripe Brie, a packet of salted crackers, an artisan loaf that was still warm, a bunch of grapes, fresh dates, a jar of fig preserves, two bottles of julmust (the traditional Christmas soft drink), a small pack of new potatoes from the Canaries, a few clementines, and a box of After Eight chocolate mints. She was very pleased to find a portion of Jansson's Temptation in the pre-prepared-foods section and quickly added it to her basket.”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good

“door, but never in her wildest dreams had she expected Fru Karlsson to order one of everything they had. At least that’s what she seemed to have done. The cakes and pastries were set out on”
― Helene Tursten, Detective Inspector Huss

“And you police officers! Can’t even tell the difference between girls and boys.”
― Helene Tursten, Detective Inspector Huss

“They decided to invest in the new business of Internet shopping. According to Philip, Internet shopping was the future. In a few years, everyone would be doing their shopping on the Internet,”
― Helene Tursten, The Golden Calf

“Irene couldn’t help stopping to admire its shimmering gold pattern, which depicted a beautiful tree with birds and stylized animals, surrounded by a climbing plant like a grapevine against a dark-blue background. She could feel von Knecht looking at her. “That’s a semi-antique Motashemi-Keshan,” he said knowledgeably. She had a fleeting vision of her latest investment on the rug front, a rusty red rug with small primitive stick figures in the corners. The salesperson at IKEA had assured her that it was a genuine, hand-tied Gabbeh, for the reasonable price of only two thousand kronor. She loved her rug and thought that it lit up the whole living room from its place beneath the coffee table. Suddenly she had the equally fierce and foolish impulse to defend her rug. With more vehemence”
― Helene Tursten, Detective Inspector Huss

“The standards for graduates are getting worse and worse. They’re slackers. They think all they have to do is read a few pages in a textbook to make it! No desire whatsoever to do a little extra,” fumed the professor.”
― Helene Tursten, Detective Inspector Huss

“Murder is murder, and a killer is a killer! Even if he pisses in a gold chamberpot, he’s still a killer.”
― Helene Tursten, Detective Inspector Huss

“Fall. Rain. Wind. Depressing! And it was only going to get worse. Chilly, overcast weather was forecast for the rest of November. Then again, October had been beautiful. The autumn leaves glowing red, yellow, and orange; glorious sunshine; blue skies; and a wonderful crispness in the air. But unfortunately those days were gone. It was the first week in November; dead leaves swirled around in the wind, rain clouds hung low over Gothenburg, and the contours of the city dissolved in the damp mist.”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

“Her eyes were bottomless wells that led to the permafrost of her soul.” She”
― Helene Tursten, The Fire Dance

“No, this had nothing to do with surrogate grannies or sex. So what was going on?”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good

“Maud had automatically reverted to her best defense: the confused old lady.”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

“Freedom, no idle chatter, and no problems. Idle chatter and problems were the worst things she could think of.”
― Helene Tursten, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good