Corduroy Mansions

May 24, 2010
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 26, 2010
McCall Smith's latest is cut from the same cloth as the 44 Scotland Street series and follows the residents of a three-story Pimlico flat. William, a wine merchant, is a London Angus Lordy, both philosophical and innocent in regard to the ways of women. Freddy de la Hay, a "Pimlico Terrier," is a smaller version of Angus's dog, Cyril. As in all McCall Smith's series, most characters are kind, if a bit befuddled by the curves life throws them. The talented Simon Prebble narrates the vignettes with vigorous aplomb. In particular, he captures parliamentary member Oedipus Snark's innate nastiness, William's altruistic temperament, and his friend Marcia's hopeless attachment to him. Though the characters are less well individualized than in previous series, there are still many mirthful moments that will entertain McCall Smith fans. A Pantheon hardcover (Reviews, May 24).

Simon Prebble's pacing and vitality shore up this first entry in a new series. McCall Smith's novel about the residents of a respectable London apartment complex and their extended circles of associates has a few too many beans in the pot. Prebble's expertise with accents helps with the many characters, including the voices of an obnoxious member of Parliament and the coarse son of a wine merchant. The tiresome story of the MP's hapless brother-in-law is redeemed by Prebble's delivery of a funny last-minute drunken scene--but just barely. McCall Smith isn't subtle about his most fanciful creation, an extraordinary dog, who gives Prebble more to work with. But, overall, precious characters and unresolved stories are a lot to overcome. B.V.M. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

November 1, 2010

No. 1 New York Times best-selling author McCall Smith's (www.mccallsmith.com) new series starter resembles "44 Scotland Street" in that it, too, revolves around eccentric characters (including a vegetarian dog!) sharing a block of flats--here, in London's Pimlico district. However, unlike the earlier series, which makes much of its Edinburgh setting, Corduroy Mansions provides so little sense of place that it might as well be set in Cleveland. The story is full of incidental charm and amusing observations about human nature that will delight devoted McCall Smith fans, but the thinness of the plot and excessive number of characters provide for a less-than-ideal audio experience, even with Simon Prebble's excellent narration. Recommended with reservations. ["A nice choice if you're looking for a smart beach book or a story to ponder on a rainy afternoon," read the review of the Pantheon hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 5/14/10.--Ed.]--R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA

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