Book description
As a mother, wife, employer and editor of the
Review of Applied Ethics,
Isabel Dalhousie is aware that to be human is to be responsible. So
when a neighbour brings her a new and potentially dangerous puzzle to
solve, once again Isabel feels she has no option but to shoulder the
burden.
A masterpiece painting has been stolen from Duncan Munrowe,
old-fashioned philanthropist, father to two discontented children, and a
very wealthy man. As Isabel enters into negotiations with the shadowy
figures who are in search of a ransom, a case where heroes and villains
should be clearly defined turns murky: the list of those who desire the
painting - or the money - lengthens, and hasty judgement must be avoided
at all cost. Morals, it turns out, are like Scottish clouds: complex,
changeable and tricky to get a firm grip on; they require a sharp
observational eye, a philosophical mindset, and the habit of kindness.
Fortunately for those around her, Isabel Dalhousie is in possession of
all three. Alexander McCall Smith is the author of over eighty books
on a wide array of subjects. For many years he was Professor of Medical
Law at the University of Edinburgh and served on national and
international bioethics bodies. Then in 1999 he achieved global
recognition for his award-winning No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series,
and thereafter devoted his time to the writing of fiction, including the
44 Scotland Street and the von Igelfeld series. His books have been
translated into forty-six languages. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife
Elizabeth, a doctor.
