Sturgeon helps in hunt for lost book

A widow has appealed on Twitter for help finding a book carrying an inscription from her late husband that accidentally ended up in a charity shop.

Ali Payne’s search to find her treasured copy of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist even received a boost from Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who retweeted the appeal saying “wouldn’t it be wonderful if this special copy of a special book could be tracked down”. Mrs Payne, 39, who lives in Portobello, admitted the appeal was a long shot.