Click on image to buy from Amazon.Com
The seventh entry in McCall Smith’s series featuring moral philosopher Isabel Dalhousie finds the fortysomething Edinburgh resident drawn into an investigation of three candidates vying for the headmaster position at a local boys’ school. It seems that the selection committee has received an anonymous letter alleging that one of the three candidates has engaged in behavior that would cause the school serious embarrassment. But which one? As Isabel makes discreet inquiries about the candidates’ backgrounds, she learns that her much younger lover, Jamie, is anxious to give up his bachelor pad, marry Isabel, and move in with her and their toddler son, Charlie.
But Isabel suspects that Jamie is not telling her everything about his sudden desire to make a mad dash for the altar. For Isabel, no decision is straightforward; there are always complications and nuances that must be given their proper due. With Isabel’s shrewd and frequently funny assessments of people and McCall Smith’s heady quotations from W. H. Auden, among others, the Isabel Dalhousie series continues to instruct and amuse. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: McCall Smith is best known for his No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels, but the Isabel Dalhousie series, showcasing the author’s native Scotland, also has its devotees. –Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist.com
Review
I became a fan of Alexander McCall-Smith with his No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series, and also The Portuguese Irregular Verbs Series. I was not a fan of The 44 Scotland Street Series.
This is my first Isabel Dalhousie book and I like the character very much. Her obsessive introspection is insightful, “‘We don’t always see our own faults with crystal clarity,’ said Isabel. ‘But since you put me on the spot, I suppose I would have to say that I tend to over-complicate matters- it’s my training. And I can be nosy.’”
She is a philosopher and dissects people’s personalities with precision and accuracy in a most delightful way, “Jamie looked at her in astonishment. ‘Isabel! How do you know that? You haven’t got a shred – not a shred- of evidence.’
She just felt it, and told him so. She did not need evidence for hunches- that was what hunches were all about.”
This is very easy going light prose with a bit of mystery thrown in. Isabel is asked to help with the hiring of a new headmaster at a local boys’ school because there is a possible bad apple in the group of three candidates.
The mailman admits to Isabel that every now and then he can’t help it when he delivers a post card but to see a bit of the content. One particular delivery has him wondering if perhaps seriously foul play has occurred. The mention of this to Isabel, piques her interest.
Isabel’s live in boyfriend and father to her child, Charlie, is the former boyfriend of her niece, Cat making for an occasional uncomfortable situation.
But overall, Isabel’s life is a comfortable, happy and for the most part, completely trouble free which is why I think she appeals to so many. It is enjoyable to read a well written book about a normal, happy, carefree life.
It reminds me a bit of the Miss Read series, only better. – Terri J. Rice, Amazon Review
Book review: ‘The Charming Quirks of Others’ by Alexander McCall Smith
The Los Angeles Times Book Review – January 2, 2011 (Excerpt)
When writing or reading mysteries, my touchstone has always been a quote by early 20th century novelist Charles Chesnutt: “The greatest mystery is the human heart.” And while some would argue that there must be a vicious crime (the more heinous the better) to enliven a mystery, Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and other contemporary cozies have proved that crimes need not be punishable by death to provide a satisfying read.
Smith, in particular, pushed the envelope with the Botswana-based novels, which were as remarkable for the great humanity of sleuth Precious Ramotswe and her love for the people and places of southern Africa as they were for the investigations she undertook. A second series featuring Scottish American Isabel Dalhousie has followed a similar path by highlighting the relationships among the fortysomething moral philosopher and her circle in an idyllic Edinburgh that has more in common with Agatha Christie’s St. Mary Mead than the gritty Edinburgh of Ian Rankin’s Detective Inspector John Rebus mysteries. [Read the full article...]
