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kim_j_dare 's review for:
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
by Alexander McCall Smith
From December 2005 School Library Journal:
Isabel Dalhousie, the charming and well-intentioned editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, is back in this second installment of McCall Smith’s newest mystery series. Isabel does not actively seek out mysteries, but her inability to ignore those in need has a way of drawing her into peculiar situations. Her latest adventure begins when she meets Ian, a man who has recently had a heart transplant, and has found himself beset by unrecognized memories. He is disturbed by a menacing face which keeps appearing in his memories, and he and Isabel wonder whether there is any credence to the theory of cellular memory, and whether Ian could be recalling the person who was responsible for his donor’s death.
As with his earlier series, McCall Smith draws heavily on the geography he knows best. In much the same way that The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series opens a door to the dusty roads of Botswana, this new series allows readers to experience the long, sunny days of a Scottish summer. The history and charm of Edinburgh are apparent in the detailed descriptions of the cobblestoned streets walked by Isabel as she contemplates philosophical questions and attempts to make sense of Ian’s issues as well as her own sudden romantic interest in a much younger friend and recent fiancé of her niece. The characters and plots are thoughtful and thought-provoking, and will stay with readers well beyond the final page.
Isabel Dalhousie, the charming and well-intentioned editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, is back in this second installment of McCall Smith’s newest mystery series. Isabel does not actively seek out mysteries, but her inability to ignore those in need has a way of drawing her into peculiar situations. Her latest adventure begins when she meets Ian, a man who has recently had a heart transplant, and has found himself beset by unrecognized memories. He is disturbed by a menacing face which keeps appearing in his memories, and he and Isabel wonder whether there is any credence to the theory of cellular memory, and whether Ian could be recalling the person who was responsible for his donor’s death.
As with his earlier series, McCall Smith draws heavily on the geography he knows best. In much the same way that The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series opens a door to the dusty roads of Botswana, this new series allows readers to experience the long, sunny days of a Scottish summer. The history and charm of Edinburgh are apparent in the detailed descriptions of the cobblestoned streets walked by Isabel as she contemplates philosophical questions and attempts to make sense of Ian’s issues as well as her own sudden romantic interest in a much younger friend and recent fiancé of her niece. The characters and plots are thoughtful and thought-provoking, and will stay with readers well beyond the final page.