Alexander McCall Smith

In this profile, the bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series recounts the creation of his popular Botswanan sleuth.
 
In 1998, Mma Precious Ramotswe made her debut in Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. The Plain Dealer hailed the novel as “One of the best, most charming, honest, hilarious and life-affirming books to appear in years.” Decades and many...

It is 1938 and the final days of the British Empire. In a bungalow high up in the green hills above the plains of Ceylon, under a vast blue sky, live the Ferguson family: Bella, a precocious eight-year-old, her father, Henry, owner of a tea plantation, and her mother, Virginia, a woman out of step in her community. The story centers around their home, affectionately called “The Pavilion in the Clouds,” set in the idyllic grounds carved out of...

It is said that a picture may be worth a thousand words but an old photograph can inspire many more. In this beguiling book, Alexander McCall Smith casts his eye over five chanced-upon photographs from the era of black-and-white photography and imagines the stories behind them. Who were those people, what were their stories, why are they smiling, what made them sad? What emerges are surprising and poignant tales of love and friendship in a variety...

The latest installment in the charming and congenial 44 Scotland Street series finds all our favorite residents of Scotland's most celebrated address up to their usual hilarious hijinks.
It's the most anticipated event of the decade—Big Lou and Fat Bob's wedding—and everyone is invited! But the relative peace and tranquillity of 44 Scotland Street is about to be disrupted. Domineering Irene is set to return for a two-month stay,...

"The Department of Sensitive Crimes is downsizing in light of a recent downturn of sensitive crime, and staff members are wondering who among them will be transferred elsewhere. As the bickering between colleagues intensifies, Ulf tries his best to stay above the fray. But when Anna, a longtime friend and coworker, appears to blame him for an old case that went sideways, it seems she may be putting her own job prospects above their friendship. In...

From the beloved author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency comes a fabulous new novel in three parts: The Perfect Passion Company, tales of love and companionship from Scotland’s most low-key dating agency.
As the new manager of The Perfect Passion Company at No. 24 Mouse Lane in New Town, Katie Donald has made it her mission to provide help to the lovelorn citizens of Edinburgh. With the help of her amiable and handsome...