The Right Attitude to Rain (Isabel Dalhousie Series)
Alexander McCall SmithPublished2006
Pages288
Formathardcover
PublisherPantheon
Synopsis
ISABEL DALHOUSIE - Book 3
Nothing captures the charm of Edinburgh like the bestselling Isabel Dalhousie series of novels featuring the insatiably curious philosopher and woman detective. Whether investigating a case or a problem of philosophy, the indefatigable Isabel Dalhousie, one of fiction’s most richly developed amateur detectives, is always ready to pursue the answers to all of life’s questions, large and small.
When Mimi, Isabel’s cousin from Dallas, arrives in Edinburgh with her husband, Joe, several confounding situations unfurl. First, Mimi and Joe introduce Isabel to Tom Bruce–a bigwig back home in Texas. The roving eye of Tom’s young fiancée leads Isabel to believe that money may be at the root of her love for Tom. But what, Isabel wonders, is at the root of Tom’s interest in Isabel herself? Then there are the feelings that Isabel has for Jamie, which are certainly hard to ignore. And she mustn’t forget about her niece, Cat, who’s busy falling for a man whom Isabel suspects of being an incorrigible mama’s boy.
Of course, Jamie counsels Isabel to stay out of it all, but there are irresistible philosophical issues at stake–when to tell the truth and when to keep one’s mouth shut, to be precise–and philosophical issues are meat and drink to Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. In any case, Isabel is certain of the ethical basis for a little sleuthing now and again– especially when the problems involve matters of the heart.
Recommendations
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith
I know you've just finished Isabel, but if you haven't met Precious Ramotswe yet, she's McCall Smith's other great creation—a Botswana-based detective with the same philosophical gentleness and moral clarity as Isabel, but operating in a completely different world. The warmth and humor are remarkably similar, though the setting and cultural context give you something entirely fresh.
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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
Flavia de Luce is Isabel's spiritual cousin—a brilliant, curious young woman in 1950s England who investigates mysteries while grappling with larger questions about truth, loyalty, and how much we can really know about the people around us. Bradley has that same gift for weaving philosophical inquiry into a genuinely engaging mystery, and Flavia's voice has the same intelligent warmth that makes Isabel so compelling.
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The remains of the day de Kazuo Ishiguro
by Gallix/François
This is my slight surprise recommendation, but hear me out: where Isabel constantly examines her own motivations and the gap between what she thinks she should do and what she actually wants, Stevens—Ishiguro's protagonist—is trapped in that gap, unable to examine it at all. It's a quieter, more melancholic take on the same territory of self-deception and moral compromise that fascinates Isabel, and the unreliable narrator technique will make you want to immediately reread it.
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The Cuckoo's Calling (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 1)
by Robert Galbraith
Strike and Robin operate in a grittier London than Isabel's Edinburgh, but they share her refusal to accept easy answers—every case forces them to examine their own assumptions about class, morality, and what people really want from each other. The partnership dynamic has real warmth beneath the procedural tension, and Galbraith builds character complexity the way McCall Smith does, through accumulated small observations rather than grand revelations.
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Wintersmith
by Terry Pratchett
Published in 2002, this Victorian-era mystery has the same pleasure in unreliable narration and moral ambiguity that makes Isabel so engaging—you'll find yourself constantly reassessing what you thought you knew about the characters' motivations. Waters writes with real intelligence about desire, loyalty, and the stories we tell ourselves, and the intricate plotting will appeal to anyone who loves watching a clever mind work through a problem.
View bookAbout Alexander McCall Smith
A
Alexander McCall Smith
Born 1948
Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’, is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. For many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the UK and abroad before turning his hand to writing fiction. He has written and contributed to more than 100 books including specialist academic titles, short story collections, and a number of immensely popular children’s books. His first book, The White Hippo—a children’s book, was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1980. But it wasn’t until the publication of the highly successful The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series that Alexander became a household name. The series has now sold over twenty million copies in the English language alone, and since the books took off, he has devoted his time to writing. His various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in the Scotsman newspaper and now the longest-running serial novel in the world; the Isabel Dalhousie novels, and the von Igelfeld series. He is also the author of the Corduroy Mansions series, which started life as an engaging cross-media serial written for the Telegraph online. In addition to these series, Alexander has written a number of stand-alone novels, including The Forever Girl, Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party, My Italian Bulldozer, The Second Worst Restaurant in France, Chance Developments and Pianos and Flowers. Earlier stand alone books include Trains and Lovers: A Heart’s Journey; La’s Orchestra Saves the World; and Emma—a reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel. He has also authored many non-fiction titles, the latest of which are A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh and What W.H. Auden Can Do For You. Recently Alexander has written a new children’s series—The School Ship Tobermory—and we now have four books in the series. This increases the number of children’s books he has written to more than thirty. Alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds twelve honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America. In 2007 he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country. In 2015 he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017 The National Arts Club of America—Medal of Honor for Achievement in Literature.
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