Abacus A Distant View of Everything Макколл-Смит Александр

Isabel Dalhousie is a new mother and a connoisseur of philosophy; she d rather not be a sleuth. But when a chance conversation at a dinner party draws Isabel into the case of a doctor whose career has been ruined, she cannot ignore what may be a miscarriage of justice. Because for Isabel ethics are not theoretical at all, but an everyday matter of life and death • As she attempts to unravel the truth behind Dr Thompson s disgrace, Isabel s patient intelligence is also required to deal with challenges in her own life. There is her baby son Charlie; Cat s deli to look after, not to mention her vulnerable assistant Eddie; and a mysterious and unlikeable composer who has latched on to Jamie, making Isabel fear for the future of her new family • Isabel treads a difficult path between trust and gullibility, philanthropy and interference, while keeping in her sights the small but certain comforts of family, philosophy and a fine Saturday morning

The charming and entertaining new 44 Scotland Street novel from bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith • Scotland Street witnesses the wedding of the century of Angus Lordie to Domenica Macdonald, but as the newlyweds depart on honeymoon Edinburgh is in disarray. Recovering from the trauma of being best man, Matthew is taken up by a Dane called Bo, while Cyril eludes his dog-sitter and embarks on an odyssey involving fox-holes and the official residence of a cardinal. Narcissist Bruce meets his match in the form of a sinister doppelganger; Bertie, set up by his mother for fresh embarrassment at school, yearns for freedom; and Big Lou goes viral. But the residents of Scotland Street rally, and order - and Cyril - is restored by the combined effects of understanding, kindness, and, most of all, friendship

Spring is coming slowly to Sweden - though not quite as slowly as Detective Ulf Varg's promised promotion at the Department of Sensitive Crimes. For Varg, referred by his psychoanalyst to group therapy at Malmo's Wholeness Centre, life now seems mostly a circle of self-examination, something which may or may not be useful when it comes to the nature of his profession and the particularly sensitive cases that have recently come to light • All in a day's work for Detective Varg, except that one of his new investigations involves fellow detective Anna; it will require every ounce of self-discipline he has in order to remain professional. The other, more curious case is centred around internationally successful novelist Nils Personn-Cederstrom. According to his girlfriend, Cederstrom is being blackmailed - but by whom and for what reason? • Accompanied by his irritating but kindly colleague Blomquist, Varg begins his enquiries and soon the answers fall neatly into place

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency published in 1998, introduced the world to the one and only Precious Ramotswe, the engaging and sassy owner of Botswana's only detective agency • Tears of the Giraffe took us further into this world, and now, continuing the adventures of Mma Ramotswe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, finds her expanding her business to take in the world of car repair and a beauty pageant. Alexander McCall Smith's sense of humour and gentle charm have created a substantial cult following • Morality for Beautiful Girls will win him yet more fans

Если вы еще не познакомились с жителями дома 44 по Скотленд-стрит, то лучшего времени не придумаешь • Новоиспеченным родителям Мэтью и Элспет приходится преодолевать трудности воспитания своих тройняшек Рогнвальда, Тобермори и Фегуса — обычное недосыпание, а еще попытки отличить детей друг от друга. Ангус и Доменика недавно обручились, и теперь им предстоит провести переговоры о сложном слиянии двух своих домов. Доменика также вынуждена иметь дело с возвращением старого увлечения, в то время как Большой Лу начал поиски нового, смело исследуя новый мир онлайн-знакомств. И в семье Берти происходят перемены, поскольку его отец Стюарт начинает противостоять властной матери Айрин. И Берти, который думает, что можно начать все сначала в новой семье, выставляет себя на усыновление на eBay

Неизменно восхитительная, ненасытно любопытная эдинбургский философ и сыщик-любитель возвращается, чтобы взяться за дело, не похожее ни на одно из тех, что у нее были раньше, - на этот раз с паранормальными последствиями - в романе "Привычки счастья", десятой части серии бестселлеров Александра Макколл-Смита • Из маленького городка под Эдинбургом приходит известие о том, что маленький мальчик делится яркими воспоминаниями о прошлой жизни: прекрасное описание острова у берегов Шотландии, который он никак не мог знать, и дома там, где, как он утверждает, провел свою прежнюю жизнь. Когда мать мальчика просит Изабель расследовать его заявления, она чувствует, что должна - конечно! - помочь им узнать правду, и они с мужем Джейми отправляются на остров

It is summer in Edinburgh and Isabel Dalhousie is once again caught between 'gossip' and significant rumour. It is none of her business that Patricia, the mother of her son Charlie's little friend Basil, is estranged from Basil's father, or that the woman has a somewhat brazen attitude to childcare. And yet, it is curious • Isabel, however, has much else on her mind as editor of the 'Review of Applied Ethics'. Along with the work involved for its impending next issue, she really needs to get her house in order and tend to the demands of her niece, Cat. Thankfully, the arrival of Antonia, the exuberant Italian au pair, will take care of urgent chores. And the hiring of Claire, a diligent if unsettlingly beautiful new assistant at the 'Review', surely means that Isabel can breathe, at least a little

For philosophically minded Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, getting through life with a clear conscience requires careful thought. And with the arrival of baby Charlie, not to mention a passionate relationship with his father Jamie, fourteen years her junior, Isabel enters deeper and rougher waters • Late motherhood is not the only challenge facing Isabel. Even as she negotiates a truce with her furious niece Cat, and struggles for authority over her son with her formidable housekeeper Grace, Isabel finds herself drawn into the story of a painter's mysterious death off the island of Jura. Perhaps most seriously of all, Isabel's professional existence and that of her beloved Review come under attack from the machiavellian and suspiciously handsome Professor Dove

To the casual observer, the great enlightened city of Edinburgh, home of no-nonsense philosophers and cream teas, might appear immune to the rollercoaster of strong emotions. But at 44 Scotland Street, as Matthew and Elspeth embark on the risky enterprise of married love, the raffish portrait painter Angus Lordie has a premonition of disaster. And soon enough Irene Pollock is shocked to learn that her small son Bertie harbours a highly unsuitable ambition; the gloriously vain Bruce discovers a wrinkle and confronts rejection; and Angus finds himself facing the grave consequences of unbridled bliss, not to mention a large Glaswegian gangster bearing gifts

Isabel Dalhousie leads an enviable life in Edinburgh, with time for cloud-gazing, civilised conversation and good coffee from Cat's delicatessen. Alongside these pastimes, she must also keep pace with the varied pursuits of her musician husband and their young son Charlie, who is exhibiting the first, rather worrying signs of mathematical genius • But an unexpected appeal for help from a collector who has been the victim of an important art theft threatens to take her far outside of her comfort zone • As an incorrigible rescuer of others, Isabel can hardly refuse to assist in the collector's negotiations with those holding his beloved painting, however shadowy the circumstances may be

As well as its advantages, there are drawbacks to the enlightened village that is twenty-first-century Edinburgh, where every Saturday night ears burn at dinner parties across the city, and anyone requiring the investigative abilities of a philosophical soul knows where to find her • Jillian McKinlay - wife of a trustee of an illustrious school - is the latest petitioner; she asks Isabel to look into a poison-pen letter that makes insinuations about applicants for the position of principal. Isabel's niece Cat has another new boyfriend who seems too good to be true. And when a pretty cellist with a tragic story takes a fancy to her husband-to-be, Isabel finds herself contemplating an act of heroic and alarming self-sacrifice

For seven-year-old Bertie Pollock, life in Edinburgh's most celebrated fictional street has just got immeasurably better. The enforced absence of his endlessly pushy mother Irene - currently consciousness-raising in a Bedouin harem (don't ask) - has manifold and immediate blessings: no psychotherapy, no Italian lessons and no yoga classes. Bliss • For Scotland Street's grown-ups, life throws up some new dilemmas. Matthew makes a discovery that could make him even richer but also leaves him worried. Pat makes one that could make her poorer and her father miserable - unless that uber-narcissist, Bruce, can help her out. And the Duke of Johannesburg, we discover, isn't exactly who he says he is • From what happens behind Edinburgh Airport's luggage carousel to Machiavellian manoeuvrings at the Association of Scottish Nudists, Alexander McCall Smith guides us through the brighter, lighter and frankly unexpected side of Edinburgh life