Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (McCall Smith) - Isabel Dalhousie #2

 

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second installment of The Sunday Philosophy Club. Like his other series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, these books seem to be of the “light mystery” variety with intriguing and believable characters. Isabel Dalhousie, the heroine of the series, is a fallible protagonist—a refreshing change from so many heroines. McCall Smith successfully narrates a woman’s perspective by treating it more as a generalized “human” perspective.
While the story follows a mystery surrounding a heart-transplant recipient, it explores more universal themes such as the pursuit of love and the assumptions we make about each other, as well as the bonds of friendship. The book is sweet without being saccharine. A worthy read.


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Suffer Little Children (Tremayne) - Sister Fidelma #3

 Suffer Little Children by Peter Tremayne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One of the earlier books in Tremayne's Sister Fidelma series, Suffer Little Children reflects a certain lack of finesse found in later books. We don't feel emotionally connected to Fidelma and she seems more of an archetype of a fiery red-headed rebel-nun.

Although there is a technical reading order, the books can stand alone. The problem is that every book recaps the same information (for new readers). For this reason, readers of the series may find elements like Fidelma's guilty pining for Eadulf--well, tedious.

The mystery itself, however, is very good. Tremayne throws twists and turns right up to the end. My frustration with this particular book is the dependency on code (Ogham, Irish language), making it impossible for the reader to even try to figure it out. I prefer his later works, like Act of Mercy.

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