A Time of Love and Tartan

Alexander McCall Smith, £16.99, Polygon Changes are afoot in Scotland Street, where small things can be of great consequence.

A colossal embarrassment follows Pat Macgregor’s ill-advised coffee with narcissistic ex-boyfriend Bruce.

If Matthew, her boss at the art gallery, hadn’t wandered into his local bookshop and picked up a particular book at a particular time, he would never have knocked over his former English teacher or attracted the attention of the police.

Meanwhile, other characters in the world’s longest-running serial novel are moving onwards and upwards.

Stuart’s application for promotion and his wife Irene’s decision to study for a PhD in Aberdeen mean alterations to life for the residents of fiction’s favourite street. But, as Stuart and Irene’s son, Bertie, and his friends find out, sometimes change can lead to sudden, unexpected happiness too.

Alexander McCall Smith’s witty, wise and sometimes surreal comedy includes bogus headhunters from Papua New Guinea, an exchange visit from Rwandan forest people and the adventures of a class of seven-year-olds with Waiting for Godot.

Perfect for fans of one of the world’s most prolific and most popular authors, and full of love and laughter.

For many years Alexander McCall Smith was a professor of medical law and then, after the publication of his highly successful No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which has sold over 25 million copies, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series translated into over 46 languages.

9/10