44 Scotland Street

Starred review from April 25, 2005
Like Smith's bestselling Botswana mysteries, this book—comprising 110 sections, originally serialized in the Scotsman
, that drolly chronicle the lives of residents in an Edinburgh boarding house—is episodic, amusing and peopled with characters both endearing and benignly problematic. Pat, 21, is on her second "gap year" (her first yearlong break from her studies was such a flop she refuses to discuss it), employed at a minor art gallery and newly settled at the eponymous address, where she admires vain flatmate Bruce and befriends neighbor Domenica. A low-level mystery develops about a possibly valuable painting that Pat discovers, proceeds to lose and then finds in the unlikely possession of Ian Rankin, whose bestselling mysteries celebrate the dark side of Edinburgh just as Smith's explore the (mostly) sunny side. The possibility of romance, the ongoing ups and downs of the large, well-drawn cast of characters, the intricate plot and the way Smith nimbly jumps from situation to situation and POV to POV—he was charged, after all, with keeping his newspaper readers both momentarily satisfied and eager for the next installment—works beautifully in book form. No doubt Smith's fans will clamor for more about 44 Scotland Street, and given the author's celebrated productivity, he'll probably give them what they want. Agent, Robin Straus
.

May 1, 2005
Originally serialized in the "Scotsman", this latest novel from Smith ("The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency") revolves around the inhabitants of an Edinburgh apartment house. The newest resident is 20-year-old Pat, who rents a room from the slightly older and irresistibly handsome Bruce. Pat's eccentric neighbors include Dominica, an artsy and wise widow; Bertie, a five-year-old saxophone player; and Bertie's overbearing mother, Irene. In order to make ends meet, Pat takes a job as a receptionist at a nearby art gallery. Her boss is the ineffectual Matthew, whose father owns the gallery. When Pat gets a hunch that one of the gallery's paintings might be valuable, and then the piece of work goes missing, the action takes off. Other storylines include Bruce struggling over an appropriate career path and conflicted Bertie undergoing therapy. The novel is made up of several short chapters that leave the reader wondering what will happen next. This, along with McCall Smith's insightful and comic observations, makes for an amusing and absorbing look at Edinburgh society. Recommended for most popular fiction collections. [See also Smith's "In the Company of Cheerful Ladies", reviewed in Mystery on p. 69. -Ed.] -Karen Core, Kent District Lib., Grand Rapids, MI

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2005
Residents of an Edinburgh apartment building are put merrily under the microscope in this latest offering from Scotsman McCall Smith, author of the best-selling Ladies Detective Agency series. Likable 20-year-old Pat--now on her second "gap" year--rents a room from Bruce, a handsome surveyor who is insufferably self-absorbed. He's hardly boyfriend material, she tells herself, nor is Matthew, the aesthetically impaired owner of the gallery where she's employed. Pat's mundane life becomes infinitely more interesting when she suspects that one of the gallery's paintings may be an undiscovered work of eighteenth-century portraitist Samuel Peploe. Fearful that a customer is also in on the secret, Pat hides the painting in her apartment, where it's put to use by Bruce. The novel, originally serialized in " The Scotsman," has multiple subplots in which the author gently mocks fellow Scots (what is proper kilt protocol--underwear or no?). The building's irrepressible tenants are vintage McCall Smith: gossipy widow Domenica McDonald, who tools around town in a custard-colored Mercedes, and the preposterous Pollock family, whose five-year-old son, Bertie, speaks fluent Italian, plays the saxophone, and reads W. H. Auden for fun. Readers needn't possess plaid clothes or a brogue to savor this wise, witty send-up of Edinburgh rogues.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)