The Careful Use of Compliments

For philosophically minded Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, getting through life with a clear conscience requires careful thought. And with the arrival of baby Charlie, not to mention a passionate relationship with his father Jamie, fourteen years her junior, Isabel enters deeper and rougher waters. Late motherhood is not the only challenge facing Isabel. Even as she negotiates a truce with her furious niece Cat, and struggles for authority over her son with her formidable housekeeper Grace, Isabel finds herself drawn into the story of a painter's mysterious death off the island of Jura. Perhaps most seriously of all, Isabel's professional existence and that of her beloved Review come under attack from the machiavellian and suspiciously handsome Professor Dove. A master storyteller whether debating ethics in Edinburgh or pursuing lady detectives in Africa, here Alexander McCall Smith is as witty and wise as his irresistibly spirited heroine. The No. 2 Lady Detective ... anyone who loves Precious cannot fail to be charmed MAIL ON SUNDAY Isabel Dalhousie's charm is undeniable THE SUNDAY TIMES McCall Smith has the gift of evoking an entire social atmosphere in very few and simple words SUNDAY TELEGRAPH McCall Smith's greatest gift as a writer - and God knows this is just one of many - is that he can write likeable characters NEW STATESMAN