Alexander McCall Smith

Paul Stewart has returned to Scotland to continue his successful career. His agent and girlfriend, Gloria, has arranged for him to write The Philosophy of Food in Six Easy Chapters, a project he relishes but that will have to be delivered in six months. It is not going well, as Paul finds his domestic circumstances unsuited to concentrated hard work: Gloria has now moved in with him (not specifically invited) and has brought with her two extremely...

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose; it is summer in Scotland Street (as it always is) and for the habituš of Edinburgh's favourite street some extraordinary adventures lie in waiting. For the impossibly vain Bruce Anderson - he of the clove-scented hair gel - it may finally be time to settle down, and surely it can only be a question of picking the lucky winner from the hordes of his admirers. The Duke of Johannesburg is...

When Isabel Dalhousie and her husband Jamie book a table at an expensive Edinburgh restaurant, she finds herself battling with her conscience. Lately, the care of their young sons, Charlie and Magnus, is often undertaken by their housekeeper Grace. Is Isabel deserving of such a luxurious dinner?In the restaurant, Isabel witnesses a row between local businessmen. Compelled to intervene in the aftermath, Isabel's sense of integrity is observed by a...

In the second installment of the best-selling Detective Varg series, Ulf and his team investigate a notorious philanderer - a wolf of a man whose bad reputation may be all bark and no bite. The Department of Sensitive Crimes, renowned for taking on the most obscure and irrelevant cases, is always prepared to dive into an invesƠtigation, no matter how complex. So when the girlfriend of an infamous author who insists her bad-boy beau is being blackmailed...

An irresistible bind-up edition of two infectiously entertaining adventure mysteries, Spaghetti Tangle and Teacher Trouble, from the bestselling author of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith, and with amazing illustrations by Kate Hindley throughout. Spaghetti Tangle John and Nicky would give anything in the world for a bowl of chips or a piece of chocolate cake, but they live with their strange aunty and she won't let...

Detective Ulf Varg from the Department of Sensitive Crimes is often called upon to investigate unusual matters. But rarely is he asked to conduct an inquiry on behalf of his own family. Is such a thing ethical? Adding to Ulf's moral discomfort is the fact that he does not exactly see eye to eye with his younger brother Bjorn - a leading player in one of Sweden's right-wing parties, the Moderate Extremists. Still, family is family, so Ulf finds himself...

Recently distracted by the arrival of her and Jamie?s second son, Magnus, Isabel Dalhousie - philanthropic editor of the Review of Applied Ethics - is anxious. The next issue of the Review is far from ready, her eldest, Charlie, is jealous, and their housekeeper, Grace, has an officious approach to childcare. With some relief, Isabel returns to helping out at her niece Cat?s delicatessen, where surely the most taxing duty is the preparation of sandwiches....

Alexander McCall Smith's hugely popular novels featuring Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of Botswana's only female private detective agency, have become international best sellers. These acclaimed productions, complete with vibrant music, bring the exotic world of the books to life. In these eight episodes, Mma Ramotswe takes on her first case -and a new secretary; tries to solve a bone mystery; tackles a domestic drama and a doctor's erratic behaviour;...