Alexander is delighted to be heading to Hexham as part of their literary festival. He will appear in the Great Hall in the Abbey. Come and discover The Enigma of Garlic – the latest instalment of the much-loved 44 Scotland Street series along with all other new titles and favourite characters. Wise, witty, and full of warmth.

Alexander McCall-Smith’s comic novels have been delighting and amusing readers for over two decades. Whether we are in Botswana with The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and the shrewd yet kindly Mama Ramotswe, or hearing picaresque tales of Bertie, Stuart and the loathsome Irene from 44 Scotland Street – a (real) house in Edinburgh – McCall-Smith’s work wraps around us like a warm and well-loved blanket. Filled with chuckles and the occasional tear, this is literature at its most upliftingly escapist, and in times like these who couldn’t use a touch of that?