An Edinburgh Evening with Alexander McCall Smith

We are delighted to be joined by the brilliant, and perennially prolific, Alexander McCall Smith to celebrate three new novels: In The Time of Five Pumpkins, Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream, and The Private Side of Friendship.

Alexander is the author of over one hundred books on a wide array of subjects, including the award-winning The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. He is also the author of the Isabel Dalhousie novels and the world's longest-running serial novel, 44 Scotland Street. He was knighted by the King in 2024 for services to literature, academia and charity.

In the Time of Five Pumpkins: Book 26 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

The rains are coming, but not just yet. When they do, there will be green shoots of growth throughout Botswana. Pumpkins will flourish - particularly those of Mma Potokwani, matron of a children's home and old friend of Precious Ramotswe. Mma Potokwani and Mma Ramotswe have many other things to talk about, including a new friendship that Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has struck up with Mr Freddie Mogorosi, a prominent figure in the motor trade. Freddie Mogorosi has invited Mr J.L.B. Matekoni to go fishing with him on the local dam - which is home to some fairly nasty crocodiles. They do not catch anything, but something nearly catches them.

In the meantime, Mma Ramotswe looks into what seems to be a straightforward matter involving a husband who thinks his wife may be having affair. But there is a surprise in store: she, it transpires, suspects that he himself has a lover. This is obviously a case that will require tact - which of course is a quality Mma Ramotswe has in abundance.

In this latest visit to The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, we are reassured that no matter how unhappy the world may be, there is always an oasis of courtesy and peace in that special place in southern Africa.

Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream: A 44 Scotland Street Novel

"It's like ice cream, Mr Flynn," Bertie continued. "When you have ice cream, you need to eat it straight away, otherwise it melts. If there are people who haven't got any, you should share it, if you can."

When despair for the world grows, Bertie's theory of ice cream reminds us that it's the simple pleasures in life that we should hold onto. And everyone's favourite seven-year-old has a lot to put up with: at home, Irene is planning lessons on Irish Culture for Bertie; at school, Bertie is forced to join Olive and Pansy's book group, and during a day out with his best friend Ranald Braveheart Macpherson, the two boys find themselves unexpectedly invited to a wedding.

Meanwhile, Bruce's latest property venture goes horribly wrong after trying to move a flat's front door to give it a more prestigious address. At Nine Mile Burn, Matthew and the triplets try to adopt an unwillingly-vegan dog. And Sister Maria-Fiori dei Fiore Montagna discovers the missing part of the Stone of Scone in Drummond Place Gardens.

The Private Side of Friendship: A Standalone Novel

Six friends. One city. The time of their lives.

It's 1988, and on the verge of a reunion with friends she hasn't seen since graduation, Julie recalls her halcyon student days of 1984 and the strange tumultuous time they lived through.

The friends - each from a very different background - are living in a gorgeous terraced flat in their Edinburgh idyll. As they navigate relationships and the unspoken rules of flat sharing, the troubled world around them seems rather distant. But in a nearby town, the Miners' Strike is bringing about a huge political shift.

Despite their differences, can these six strangers help each other see the world from a different perspective? Is there such a thing as being too close? And what are the limits of love between friends?