Isabel is a philosopher & she has a tendency to over-analyse any situation & reproach herself for any shortcomings in kindness or helpfulness. When she meets a friend, Martha Drummond, she describes her as a heart-sink friend. I think that's the most wonderful description of someone whose appearance has just that effect. Our hearts sink as they're sure to either put us on the spot or put us in the wrong. Martha has this effect on Isabel. No matter what they discuss, Martha manages to either take umbrage or cause offense. This time she wants Isabel to help a friend of hers. Duncan Munrowe is a wealthy man with a considerable estate & a magnificent art collection. One of his most prized paintings by Poussin has been stolen & the thieves have sent a ransom demand to Duncan's insurers. Martha wants Isabel to help Duncan negotiate with the thieves.
Isabel agrees to meet Duncan & ultimately she agrees to accompany Duncan to a meeting with a lawyer representing the thieves & eventually a potentially dangerous meeting with the thieves themselves. She also meets Duncan's two children & discovers that relationships within the family are complicated. The more she discovers about the Munrowes, the more tangled the puzzle of the stolen painting becomes.
Isabel is also dealing with her own family dilemmas. We don't see her spiky niece, Cat, only hear about a particularly nasty bout of gastro that keeps her away from the deli she runs, leading Isabel to offer her help for a few days. Cat's assistant, Eddie, has a new girlfriend & a worrying personal problem that Isabel tries to help him with. Isabel & Jamie are also wondering if Charlie is a mathematical prodigy. Isabel worries about whether they should encourage his genius or just let him be. She has a horror of being a pushy mother & also of ignoring Charlie's potential. When it turns out that Grace, Isabel's housekeeper, has been teaching Charlie maths, Isabel is relieved but then concerned that Grace should interfere in this way. Another moral dilemma that leads to a confrontation with the easily-offended Grace. Isabel does a lot of tiptoeing around people in this book!
I do enjoy this series. I don't think Isabel would be an easy person to live with. Her constant questioning of every action & interaction with her conscience & other people would be very tiring. However, she has the luxury to be able to spend time thinking & questioning her motives & actions. Most people have to get on with life hoping for the best. Isabel is so aware of her blessings that she's sometimes afraid to just enjoy them. I love her civilized life in Edinburgh with visits to Cat's deli, conversations about art & music & her happy contentment with Jamie & Charlie. I enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's Edinburgh novels best & it's always lovely to spend a few hours with Isabel & her moral dilemmas.
I always look forward to these...it's on my library reserve list even though it hasn't come out here yet. (Soon!0 I think we're way behind on Scotland Street, now that I think of it.!
ReplyDeleteI think AMS's Scottish novels are his best & this was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
DeleteI'm about two thirds of the way through this book and loving it so far. Like you I love AMS's Edinburgh novels especially the Elizabeth Dalhousie ones, I love the descriptions of the city, the cafes, the deli, the art galleries and concerts - I right there walking down the streets with her:)
ReplyDeleteYes, it's the Edinburgh setting that makes this series so special, isn't ti? I only spent a day in Edinburgh on my long ago tour of the UK but I loved it.
DeleteI need to get back to this series. I am several books behind now!
ReplyDeleteAMS writes so much, it's easy to fall behind!
DeleteI just found the first book in this series and am really looking forward to digging in! Nice review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Peggy. It's a lovely series with interesting characters & moral dilemmas that only Isabel has the time to work through.
DeleteI didn't even know Alexander McCall Smith had another series. Huh.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to keep up with him, isn't it?
DeleteHe certainly churns them out, his Scotland Street series is my favourite one. I've only read one Dalhousie book - The Right Attitude to Rain. I prefer the Edinburgh books as I live near there and AMS often mentions real people who are known in the area. When he mentions speaking to someone that I've also spoken to it's somehow quite thrilling.
ReplyDeleteHis Corduroy Mansion books are quite good too, although they're set in London.