The Novel Habits of Happiness
An Isabel Dalhousie Novel (10)
-
-
4.1 • 7 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
The tenth book in this beloved author's consistently bestselling series featuring his insatiably curious, ever-delightful Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth who now takes on a case like none she's had before: one with paranormal implications.
From a small town outside Edinburgh comes the news that a young boy has been recounting vivid recollections of a past life: a perfect description of an island off the coast of Scotland which he couldn't possibly know, and a house there, where he claims to have spent his former life. When the boy's mother asks Isabel to investigate his claims, she feels she must--of course!--help them learn the truth, and she and Jamie set off for the island. But finding the house the boy described only leads to more complicated questions. And when they learn the tragic story of the family who lived there, Isabel is suddenly faced with a situation of extraordinary delicacy that will require all of her skills both as sleuth and philosopher. (Meantime, back in Edinburgh: Will an elderly lothario take Grace, her stalwart housekeeper, companion and babysitter, away from Isabel? Would Isabel be able to manage without Grace?)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
No writer makes the philosophical life as inviting and cozy as Smith does in his episodic novels featuring Isabel Dalhousie. In her native Edinburgh, Isabel fills many roles: editor of The Review of Applied Ethics, mother of Charlie, partner of Jamie, and solver of mysteries. When people in Isabel's circle have troubles, they come to her ("I am a recipient of unusual confidences," she says to herself). In this 10th installment (after 2012's The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds), six-year-old Harry is "convinced that he's had another life," complete with another family and a house with a red door near a lighthouse. Isabel looks into this odd situation with her usual efficiency, ready intelligence, and highly sympathetic nature. Smith adds a modicum of narrative energy with a subplot about a minor academic feud, but plot isn't the point. The real substance of this charming series lies in Isabel's thoughtful observations and the interactions among a large cast of characters.
