McCall Smith is a highly entertaining writer ( )

Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, has trouble keeping her nose where it belongs. When she witnesses a young man's tragic death, she becomes convinced that she has a moral responsibility to figure out what went down.

This was a lovely, lovely book. I was pleasantly surprised at how much McCall Smith's style differs between this series and his popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books. Some of the dialogue is similar, and the two series certainly share some preoccupations, (also: sidekicks named Grace), but the whole feel is different. I'd say this book read like a mix of Stuart McClean and Agatha Christie. I enjoyed it very much.

The mystery is decent, but it's not what kept me reading. I got a huge kick out of Isabel and her friends. I wanted to spend more time with them. I loved their philosophical conundrums and their tangled relationships. I was so, so glad to learn that there are actually five more books in the series. I'd thought there were only two or three more. Horray for more of Isabel, Cat, Jaime and Grace!

(On a side note, I was amazed to learn that most people hate Isabel. They figure she's an annoying busybody. Huh. I mean, I guess she is, but she's a rather charming annoying busybody, so far as I'm concerned. I'd love to read an issue of her journal, too).

There was one really weird thing that threw me off, though. Most of the book is from Isabel's third person POV, and she often imagines what those around her are thinking... but every once in a while, McCall Smith shifts to someone else's POV without any sort of discernible break. It took me a while to realize that these were, in fact, multiple POVs and not just Isabel's imaginings.

Overall, though, this was excellent. I most definitely recommend it, and am looking forward to sharing it with both my mother and my grandmother.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

I had a hard time with this book, as it was very stuffy and a bit TOO philosophical for my taste. I found myself skipping whole sections of philosophical fluff. I did not get attached to Isabel and found her character to be a bit boring. ( )

An enjoyable, easy read but oh it made me want to live in Edinburgh so much! ( )

First of a series of books set in Scotland, with a middle aged, independently wealthy and interesting woman philosopher as the lead character. Many echoes of the Scotland Street series – the paintings, the crushed strawberry cords, the coffee shop, the houses, but it is a more coherent novel – benefits from not being written in daily instalments. A good, but not great, read. Read November 2008 ( )