The Careful Use of Compliments

The best-selling author of worldwide phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith also draws tremendous acclaim for his novels featuring plucky philosopher Isabel Dalhousie. In The Careful Use of Compliments, Isabel finds her family growing and her insatiable curiosity leading her down unexpected paths.

Ousted as editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, Isabel thankfully has her newborn son, Charlie, to keep her occupied. What’s more, Charlie’s adoring father, Jamie, has offered the most intriguing proposal of all—marriage. But before she can settle into a quiet, domestic existence, Isabel becomes entangled in an art world mystery. At an auction, two paintings attributed to a deceased artist hit the market at the same time, and both paintings have unusual elements—such as the appearance of a person the painter could only have known after his supposed date of death. Could the works be forgeries? Or for that matter, might the artist still be alive?

New and exciting worlds are opening to Isabel in this sharply written and meticulously constructed gem from one of the world’s most popular novelists.