Say what?! Hear words of love for Corduroy Mansions and Alexander McCall Smith.

‘A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring’ – Guardian

‘Alexander McCall Smith created a parallel world in which a cast of mostly likeable, fallible characters tried to do the right thing by their neighbours… a world in which we were invited to take seriously our responsibility to others, then have a giggle at life’s absurdities… the seriousness is always sugar dusted with McCall Smith’s delight in the ridiculous and his perfectly paced humour. While he’s an author who clearly believes most people are decent at heart, he’s not above creating a character so loathsome that we cheer on as the villain’s mother plans an unauthorised biography of him and later, tipsily, fantasises about electrocuting him.’ – Telegraph

‘Imagine a London that you actually wouldn’t mind living in. A city in which you don’t need to join the commuting herds on the Tube, where people still talk to each other, and in non-estuarine whole sentences, too. A place where civilised people drink white tea in organic tea shops, study art, sell wine, browse bookshops and respect each other’s feelings. Alexander McCall Smith has found such a place …Corduroy Mansions in Pimlico is, we are told, a slightly crumpled, friendly, early 20th century Arts and Crafts building, “a building one would like to sit down and have tea with”. … readers of his first (serial novel), 44 Scotland Street won’t be disappointed: its author’s gentle humour and playful teasing out of moral dilemmas great and small are there in abundance in its London cousin too… It is the glue not of plot but of thought, wit and moral sensibility – the whole cast of McCall Smith’s formidably well-stocked mind – that holds these gentle comedies together and makes them so enjoyably inimitable… a great place to visit if you need cheering up.’ – Scotsman

‘Infused with intelligent humour and amiable humanity. McCall Smith knows what his fans love him for and continues to deliver the goods… an effortlessly pleasant read which leaves one with a warm fuzzy feeling that things are – essentially – right with humanity.’ – BookBag

‘The creator of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana and other assorted series about the eccentrics of Scotland has moved his prodigious imaginative processes to London and concocted Corduroy Mansions, a charming if crumbling mansion block full of Mr. McCall’s kind of people. The book is infused with the author’s pawky humor in which he pokes fun without stabbing his characters in the back.’ – Washington Times

‘You cannot beat McCall Smith for subtle musings shot through with insight and wit. His deft characterisation enlivens the inner workings of everyday characters. His work offers a heartening view of a world that often appears heartless.’ – Toby Clements (author of Driving us Insane)

‘McCall Smith has the happy ability to keep you reading even when nothing much is happening and you couldn’t care a hoot what happens next. This is a rare and enviable gift.’ Allan Massie, author