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Library Journal Review
In McCall Smith's (www.mccallsmith.com) seventh Isabel Dalhousie mystery-following The Lost Art of Gratitude (2009), also available from Recorded Books-the Scottish philosophy scholar investigates three candidates for a school administrator's position while continuing her work as a journal editrix, as Charlie the toddler's mom, and as fiancee to younger beau Jaime. McCall Smith does an admirable job of keeping the story lines distinct from one another, merging them when appropriate. A subtle, well-written, and often humorous story that will please fans of both the author and this series. Fans of Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell, and M.C. Beaton, too, may find it worth investigating. British actress/Audie Award-winning series narrator Davina Porter breathes life into Isabel and the various other Scottish characters. ["Pure comfort reading," read the largely positive review of the Pantheon hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 9/10/10.-Ed.]--Nicole A. Cooke, Montclair State Univ. Lib., NJ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly Review
Isabel, moral philosopher and amateur detective, living in McCall Smith's Edenic Edinburgh, has plenty of time between investigations to ponder the pettiness of her neighbors and engage in self-introspection. The case demanding her expertise requires her to probe into the backgrounds of three candidates for a headmaster's job at a local boys' school, instigated by a mysterious anonymous letter. But Isabel's investigations are secondary to her quotidian preoccupations. The series is charmingly narrated by Davina Porter, who has locked in her portrayals of Isabel, Jamie, and their son, Charlie. As usual, Porter settles on just the right tone for every newcomer. She provides McCall Smith fans with another dead-on performance worth lingering over. A Pantheon hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 16). (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
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.--Wilkinson, Joanne Copyright 2010 Booklist
Kirkus Book Review
Edinburgh moral philosopher Isabel Dalhousie's seventh round of adventures among ethical conundrums (The Lost Art of Gratitude, 2009, etc.) marks her finest hour to date.Harold Slade, principal of the Bishop Forbes School, is leaving for a post in Singapore, and the school's board of governors, headed by retired businessman Alex Mackinlay, has prepared a short list of three possible replacements: mountain-climbing enthusiast John Fraser, ambitious math teacher Gordon Leafers and Tom Simpson, who Mackinlay thinks none too bright. It's all business as usual until someone complicates the process by writing an anonymous letter warning that one of the three finalists harbors a secret that would seriously embarrass the school if he were appointed. What to do? Naturally, Mackinlay's wife Jillian takes it upon herself to enlist the help of Isabel, a casual acquaintance she met at a dinner party. It's an inspired choice, because in addition to her gift for moral clarity and fierce integrity, Isabel turns out to have surprisingly intimate connections to two of the candidates. Along the way, she'll have to deal with her fianc Jamie's temptation by dying cellist Prue McKay, her niece Cat's latest problematic boyfriend, her plan to bid on a Raeburn canvas picturing a long-dead relative and, of course, the latest schemes of Professors Robert Lettuce and Christopher Dove, the banes of Isabel's journal, the Review of Applied Ethics. This time, however, the mystery of the anonymous letter remains central until Isabel resolves it in an uncommonly satisfying way.A powerful demonstration of Smith's ability to dramatize the ways everyday situations spawn the ethical dilemmas that keep philosophers in business.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.