44 Scotland Street

The bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series brings his
trademark warmth and wisdom to his novel chronicling the lives of the
residents of 44 Scotland Street that's 'as charming as the bohemian street in
which it's set' (Scottish Daily Record)

The story revolves around the comings and goings at No. 44 Scotland Street, a
fictitious building in a real street in Edinburgh. Immediately recognisable
are the Edinburgh chartered surveyor, stalwart of the Conservative
Association, who dreams of membership of Scotland's most exclusive golf club.
We have the pushy Stockbridge mother, and her prodigiously talented five-year-
old son, who is making good progress with the saxophone and with his Italian.
Then there is Domenica Macdonald who is that type of Edinburgh lady who sees
herself as a citizen of a broader intellectual world.

In McCall Smith's hands such characters retain charm and novelty,
simultaneously arousing both mirth and empathy. 44 Scotland Street is vintage
McCall Smith, tackling issues of trust and honesty, snobbery and hypocrisy,
love and loss, but all with great lightness of touch. Clever, elegant and
funny, this is a novel that provides huge entertainment but which is
underpinned by the moral dilemmas of everyday life and the characters'
struggles to resolve them.

Contains an exclusive extract from The Department of Sensitive Crimes, the
first novel in the new Detective Varg series by Alexander McCall Smith