Alexander writes four or five new books every year. This page gives you an 'at-a-glance' view of the newest releases.
From one of the world’s favourite authors comes a beautifully atmospheric novel set in the Hebrides and Nepal. The writing is irresistible – tender – as this master storyteller leads us through a literary world where happiness might, possibly, be found where it is least expected.
Mary is a logical soul; a much-loved teacher and crofter whose busy Hebridean life leaves little room for flights of fancy. But when a windfall comes her way, Miss Macdonald decides it’s time to sample some clear mountain air – on the other side of the world.
The Isle of Good Karma is a new novel from a much-loved author in celebration of travel, karma and broadening the mind, all while staying true to your principles.
‘Alexander McCall Smith – Literary legend’ – Big Issue
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Book 27 in the multi-million copy bestselling and perennially adored No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series
“I am a fortunate woman to have such an eventful life,” observes Mma Ramotswe of the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
Perhaps, but there are times when rather too much seems to be happening, and a quieter life might seem rather attractive. This latest despatch from Botswana is certainly full of events, even if it starts with a leisurely trip to buy a pair of shoes as a birthday present for Mr J.L.B. Matekoni. As often happens in Mma Ramotswe’s world, one thing leads to another, and we are soon caught up in an ill-thought-out plan hatched by Charlie, junior mechanic and enthusiastic trainee detective. Charlie has met up with two rising stars of the local musical world – jazz players known to their public as Lion and Leopard. He is keen to plan a big event with them, even though Mma Makutsi sees nothing but disaster ahead. Mma Ramotswe would like to keep an eye on the situation, but she has to go up north, to the wilds of the Okavango Delta, where her friends at an elephant sanctuary are battling with a campaign being waged against them. Mma Ramotswe’s help is needed, and, of course, is given with all the generosity of spirit that illuminates the character of this most beloved of lady detectives.
A happy ending? Of course.
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‘No matter how unhappy the world may be, there is always an oasis of courtesy and peace in that special place in southern Africa’
The rains are coming, but not just yet. When they do, there will be green shoots of growth throughout Botswana. Pumpkins will flourish – particularly those of Mma Potokwani, matron of a children’s home and old friend of Precious Ramotswe. Mma Potokwani and Mma Ramotswe have many other things to talk about, including a new friendship that Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has struck up with Mr Freddie Mohlala, a prominent figure in the motor trade. Freddie Mohlala has invited Mr J.L.B. Matekoni to go fishing with him on the local dam – which is home to some fairly nasty crocodiles. They do not catch anything, but something nearly catches them.
In the meantime, Mma Ramotswe looks into what seems to be a straightforward matter involving a husband who thinks his wife may be having affair. But there is a surprise in store: she, it transpires, suspects that he himself has a lover. This is obviously a case that will require tact – which of course is a quality Mma Ramotswe has in abundance. Along with kindness.
For Botswana is a kind country, and in this latest visit to the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency we are reassured that no matter how unhappy the world may be, there is always an oasis of courtesy and peace in that special place in southern Africa. To which you are now invited.
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Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori Montagna, who is suffering from an acute identity crisis, wants to know more about her own past, and after doing a DNA test, she discovers that she has a relative she didn’t know about. But her newfound family causes a bit of a rift between her and her flatmate, Antonia Collie. Can they work out their differences?
Bertie’s dream of moving to the promised land – the Dear Green Place – comes crashing down as he learns that he is to move to the far northeast – Peterhead, near Aberdeen, leaving poor Ranald Braveheart Macpherson a little heartbroken and lost. Will the boys ever be reunited in the Georgian splendour of New Town Edinburgh?
And for Bruce, it’s a case of history repeating itself. After getting all the attention he craves – landing a starring role in a new television series – the universe has one way of putting him in his place. Even in modern Scotland, lurking Calvinist tendencies might still strike.
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Excerpt
Bertie’s Theory of Ice Cream – the EIGHTEENTH volume of the 44 Scotland Street novels.
“It’s like ice cream, Mr Flynn,” Bertie continued. “When you have ice cream, you need to eat it straight away, otherwise it melts. If there are people who haven’t got any, you should share it, if you can.”
When despair for the world grows, Bertie’s theory of ice cream reminds us that it’s the simple pleasures in life that we should celebrate whenever we can. And everyone’s favourite seven-year-old has a lot to put up with: at home, Irene is planning lessons on Irish Culture for Bertie; at school, he is forced to join Olive and Pansy’s book group, and during a day out with his best friend Ranald Braveheart Macpherson, the boys find themselves unexpectedly invited to a wedding.
Meanwhile, Bruce’s latest property venture goes horribly wrong after trying to move a flat’s front door to give it a more prestigious address. At Nine Mile Burn, Matthew and the triplets try to adopt an unwillingly-vegan dog. And Sister Maria-Fiori dei Fiore Montagna discovers the missing part of the Stone of Scone in Drummond Place Gardens.
Filled with Alexander McCall Smith’s trademark warmth and humour, this latest book in the series is a must-read.
This is the longest running serial novel in the world and runs in The Scotsman newspaper, daily for three months of every year – but you can just as easily jump right in and enjoy any volume. You will laugh from the first page to the last.
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The Private Side of Friendship – an exquisite stand-alone novel of unforgettable friendship, personal growth and societal change.
It is 1984, and the UK is experiencing a moment of great significance: the miners’ strike. In mining communities throughout the country, passions run high as the confrontation between the Government and the miners is notched up. In the affected communities, there is real hardship as the families of striking miners go without. In slow motion, an old way of life is brought to an end.
In Edinburgh, in a large flat overlooking the Meadows parkland, six students are facing the end of an academic year, preparing to go their separate ways in a changing world.
Over three years, they drift apart through the twists and turns of life, before meeting up for a reunion in 1987, for what may well be their last evening together. It becomes clear to all that sometimes you have to let go of the past. You take away its lessons, but you let the rest go.
The Private Side of Friendship is a modern classic – powerful, deeply moving.
‘This is a novel about six students, living in Edinburgh in 1984. Against the backdrop of the Miners’ Strike and its impact on society, we visit the friendships that develop between these young people and consider the delicate line between being a friend and being a lover. Being a flatmate is not always easy, but at times it is deeply satisfying.’
– Alexander McCall Smith
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‘A genial, jolly Edinburgh genius… For my money, the recently knighted Sir Alexander is second only to PG Wodehouse for lightening your mood. If you read him on the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh, I guarantee you’ll feel happier than when you set out’ – THE HERALD
Isabel Dalhousie, Edinburgh philosopher, editor of The Review of Applied Ethics and well-meaning intervener in the affairs of others returns in this, the 15th book in the much-loved series of books which carry her name – The Isabel Dalhousie novels.
The surface of Isabel Dalhousie’s life is usually a tranquil one. From her house in Edinburgh she edits a philosophical journal. In the background is her long-time housekeeper, Grace, her handsome husband, Jamie, and her two small boys, Charlie and Magnus. Outside, under the cover of rhododendron bushes, lives Brother Fox, who, with his dark, vulpine eyes, takes a great interest in what is happening around him. And yet, in the middle of this rather idyllic setting, things are happening. Jamie, a bassoonist, has been invited to play in a prestigious London concert and to make a recording for a prominent classical label. This invitation, though, comes from a scheming woman who finds him particularly charming. Alarm bells ring. And they ring too when a wily philosopher, Christopher Dove, reveals a plot to topple Professor Robert Lettuce, a member of Isabel’s editorial board.
Could Isabel’s life get more complicated? Yes. A woman she knew many years ago at school approaches her with a request for help. She has made an awkward discovery as a result of taking a DNA test. Can Isabel prevent the information obtained from this test from causing real harm to a whole family? If anybody can do that, it is Isabel Dalhousie. And she does it with tact and, most importantly, the grace that we have come to know as her hallmark quality.
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Professor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld is not just any German professor – he is the author of that great work of scholarship, Portuguese Irregular Verbs. His eminence in language studies is widely recognised, even if it is rarely acknowledged by his colleague, Professor Detlev-Amadeus Unterholzer, author of a much less important work on the subjunctive.
Their rivalry bubbles away under the surface, but is apt to come into the open if something unusual disturbs the calm waters of the institute in Regensburg in which they both work. One such event is the arrival from New Orleans of two visiting scholars. These ladies, Professor Pom Pom Boisseau, and her friend, Professor Alice Martinique, are both experts in the Provençal language as well as being keen bikers. When they choose to arrive on large, noisy motorbikes, Unterholzer is shocked, but von Igelfeld is rather taken with Pom Pom. In fact, he is very taken with her, even to the extent of going for a ride with her on her motorbike. Anybody can tell that this infatuation will lead to disappointment, if not worse. But for von Igelfeld, disasters often arrive in twos and threes. The great professor is invited to attend a student occasion in which the old habit of duelling rears its head. He is handed a sword…
Von Igelfeld may suffer humiliation after humiliation, but at the end of it all there is the promise of a visit to Louisiana, a culinary paradise, where important research is being undertaken into communication among oysters…
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A poet’s skill lies in their ability to distil complex themes into a few paragraphs; to pick out the fundamental quality in people that make us unique; they can describe nature in a way that makes us see its majesty. The poet traverses contents and political divides; they help us understand where we have come from which in turn allows us to figure out where we are going. And no one does this better than Alexander McCall Smith. He has brought – through his novels – many wonderful characters to vivid life and entertained readers all over the globe. And in The Kind Company of Others, his third collection of poetry, he guides the reader by the hand and takes them through time and place exploring the majestic themes of nature and the complexities of relationships and what it is that makes us human with his trademark warmth and humour.
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In Looking for you, the newest instalment in The Perfect Passion Company, Katie Donald, with the help of her enigmatic neighbour, William, continues her unwavering endeavour to help lonely hearts find love.
After facilitating a handful of successful romances, Katie Donald is eager to continue helping the lovelorn find connection. Word of her expertise spreads quickly, and more people than ever are flocking to the Perfect Passion Company seeking Katie’s advice. With each client’s distinctive quirks and unique personalities, Katie finds herself seeking new and creative solutions to locate their perfect match.
With the tenderness of which only McCall Smith is capable, The Perfect Passion Company charmingly illuminates the fascinating psychology of matchmaking, the universal search for love and compassion, and the mysterious spark of attraction that can, at times, catch hold of us all.
The first novel in this set is the bestselling, The Perfect Passion Company.
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