Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the highly successful No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which has sold over twenty-five million copies. Since then he has devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the 44 Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in the Scotsman, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the Von Igelfeld series and the Corduroy Mansions novels.
Set in present-day London, Smith's charming first in a new series offers a variation on his 44 Scotland Street books, centering on the eccentric occupants of Corduroy Mansions and their offbeat doings. William French, a wine merchant, hopes to force his son, Eddie, who refuses to take his hints about sharing a flat with other 20-somethings, to leave the nest by getting a dog whose presence in their apartment he expects will drive Eddie out. William's neighbors include Dee, who works at a vitamin shop and believes a coworker needs to purge his system of excess sodium, and her roommate, Jenny, who works for an odious MP, Oedipus Snark, who treats Jenny like dirt. Smith paints with broader strokes than in his subtle and often moving No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, and no one character is especially memorable, but the wry humor he elicits from the collisions of lives and their repercussions will bring smiles to the faces of many readers. (July) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
Within one building in London's eclectic Pimlico district, on three separate floors, live the seven tenants of Corduroy Mansions. William and his freeloading adult son Eddie inhabit the top floor. Four young women-Caroline, Jo, Dee, and Jenny-share the middle flat and are as different from one another as could be. And quiet, unobtrusive Basil Wickramsinghe lives alone on the ground floor. As they go about their daily business, friends, family, and coworkers are brought into the mix, and their lives are explored as well. Verdict A bit of soap opera drama, a bit of thoughtful philosophizing, and a little canine comedy all mix into this slowly paced story of a disparate, engaging group of people. A nice choice if you're looking for a smart beach book or a story to ponder on a rainy afternoon, but beware of the possible soporific effect of a few passages. Despite the languid pace, McCall Smith's new series is off to a promising start, and readers will be particularly interested to see what will become of canine resident Freddie de la Haye. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/10.]-Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
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