The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith

The Sunday Philosophy Club: An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith (2004), 274 pages

Interesting tidbit: Called the Sunday Philosophy Club series in the UK but the Isabel Dalhousie mystery series in the United States.

(This is my last book to review for 2008, yeah!)

Dalhousie edits a philosophical review. She’s a single, middle-aged woman who starts every morning with coffee and the crossword puzzle. She collects art and goes to lots of musical performances. Definitely character-driven, rather than mystery driven.

I did quite enjoy this book’s many references to art, poetry and philosophy — in this respect, this novel felt like a classic.

In both this book and McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series (I’m two books into that one), the female protagonist is somewhat of an old biddy — except not quite that old yet.

As in Tears of the Giraffe, dialogue is interrupted by multiple paragraphs of internal monologue — to the extent that it seemed more than unlikely. I fear I’m getting tired of these characters (and both series), but I really don’t want to. Perhaps I’ll just have to spread out my forays into this author’s work.