Book description
Isabel Dalhousie thinks often of friends, sometimes of lovers, and on
occasion of chocolate. As an Edinburgh philosopher she is certain of
where she stands. She can review a book called In Praise of Sin with
panache and conviction, but real life is... well, perhaps a bit more
challenging - particularly when it comes to her feelings for Jamie, a
younger man who should have married her niece, Cat. Jamie's handsomeness
leaves Isabel feeling distinctly uneasy, and ethically disturbed. 'I am
a philosopher', she thinks, 'but I am also a woman'. And more
disturbance is in store. When Cat takes a break in Italy, Isabel agrees
to run her delicatessen. One of the customers, she discovers, has
recently had a heart transplant and is now being plagued by memories
that cannot be rationally explained and which he feels do not belong to
him. Isabel is intrigued. So intrigued that she finds herself rushing
headlong into a dangerous investigation. But she still has time to think
about the things that possess her - things like love and friendship,
and, of course, temptation. The last of these comes in many forms -
chocolate, for example, or seductive Italians… McCall Smith is a
Emeritus Professor of Medical Law as well as an author who has written
over 50 books on a wide range of subjects: from Forensic Aspects of
Sleep to The Criminal Law of Botswana, The Perfect Hamburger (children's
fiction) to The 2 1/2 Pillars of Wisdom.
