Friends, Lovers, Chocolate

Isabel Dalhousie, philosopher and amateur detective, is running her niece's Edinburgh delicatessen while Cat attends a wedding in Italy when she meets a man recently given a new heart — and suddenly haunted by memories that cannot possibly be his own. Whether the phenomenon is psychological, physiological, or something stranger appeals equally to Isabel's ethical instincts and her investigative ones. Alexander McCall Smith's second Isabel Dalhousie novel balances philosophical inquiry with warm domestic comedy.

Davina Porter has become the voice of McCall Smith's Edinburgh-based series, her narration capturing the particular cadence of his prose — gentle, observational, and morally attentive without being preachy. Her handling of Isabel's extended ethical meditations gives them the quality of pleasant conversation rather than lecture, and at just over eight hours the production maintains the series' characteristic warmth. Essential listening for fans of McCall Smith's world.