William Allan, The Murder of David Rizzio(February 9) This one has the most shamelessly chick-lit title in what is definitely a series for women readers, and there is some very feminine swooning over chocolate and men in it, so it is a bit soap-opera-y. But Friends, Lovers, Chocolate does redeem itself by once again featuring this highly original definition of mystery McCall Smith has played with in the series, and it does so by way of some really interesting questions, namely, can a heart recipient see the donor's murderer (if indeed the donor was murdered) and what is the importance of being able to give thanks for an important gift?
As in The Right Attitude to Rain and The Sunday Philosophy Club, we learn a great deal about the City of Edinburgh (particularly in June) and about 20th-century Scottish artists, and in this one we go into a bit of Scottish history as well. The famous story of Mary Queen of Scots being unable to prevent the death of Rizzio right in front of her eyes is a counterpart both to the fate of the heart donor and to Isabel's indecision about taking on a Latin lover. Quirky.
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