{"product_id":"the-department-of-sensitive-crimes","title":"The Department of Sensitive Crimes","description":"Product Description\n\n\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduced us to 'Scandi noir'. Now, welcome to Alexander McCall Smith's world of Scandi blanc . . . \nUlf Varg works in Malmo's Department of Sensitive Crimes. Like all Scandinavian detectives he has his issues. In his case these include his unresolved feelings for his colleague, Anna; his impatience over the seeming incompetence of his irritating colleague Blomquist; and his concerns for the health of his hearing-impaired dog, Marten, the only dog in Sweden (and possibly all Scandinavia) who is able to lip-read (in Swedish). \nAlong with his colleagues, Ulf is called upon to investigate a bizarre attack on a market trader, the disappearance of a handsome man who may or may not exist, and the affairs of a variety of young female students whose relationships with one another leave a great deal to be desired.\nUlf and his team come to realise that the world is a puzzling place, lycanthropy (were-wolfism) exists and fish might have something to teach us. There is so much to learn if you are a Swedish detective, and in the first book in this new quasi-Scandinavian series, Ulf Varg embarks on these lessons with spirit and good humour.\n\n\nReview\n\n\nMcCall Smith's continuing warm-heartedness makes Ulf such unfailingly good company ―\nReader's Digest\n\n\nUnfailingly good company ―\nReaders Digest\n\nWhile the crimes may be inconsequential, the conversations are fascinating . . . McCall's humour is usually described as gentle, but readers familiar with the rhythm of his writing will find plenty here to make them snort ―\nIndependent i\n\nWonderfully soothing and relaxing . . . while McCall Smith's world may be a highly selective reshaping of the real one, he has the creative power to make it seem, in its quiet way, truer than truth . . . it left me with a warm glow that lasted through several news bulletins ―\nTelegraph\n\nHeaven is in the detail with this sort of escapist writing.\nIt's like AA Milne meets Karl Ove Knausgaard. McCall Smith knows how to create a world full of sweet things and emotionally true moments and in this new series of \"Scandi blanc\" delivers exactly what his fans will be hoping for -- Melissa Katsoulis ―\nFinancial Times\n\nWonderfully soothing and relaxing; the books do not make you sit on the edge of your seat but sink deeper into your chair ―\nTelegraph, 'Best thrillers and crime fiction of 2019 so far'\n\nAlexander McCall Smith reached\n dizzying new heights of whimsy with his 'Scandi-blanc' experiment,\nThe Department of Sensitive Crimes  ―\nThe Scotsman (Scottish Books of 2019)\n\nMcCall Smith has\na supreme talent for sketching truly likeable characters who are free to pontificate on all sorts of areas of interest . . . McCall Smith's humour is usually described as gentle, but readers familiar with the rhythm of his writing will find plenty here to make them snort ―\nScotsman\n\n\nBook Description\n\n\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduced us to 'Scandi noir'. Now, welcome to Alexander McCall Smith's world of Scandi blanc . . .\n\n\nFrom the Back Cover\n\n\n'Life is a progression of partings,' said the psychotherapist. 'One by one, people - and things too - are taken from us. We lose them, they die, they are shown by us to be things of transitory association.''I'm sorry,' said Ulf.'So am I,' said Dr Svensson.\n\n\nAbout the Author\n\n\nAlexander McCall Smith is the author of over eighty 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\n novels and the world's longest-running serial novel, 44 Scotland Street. His books have been translated into forty-six languages. Alexander McCall Smith is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh and holds honorary doctorates from thirteen universities.","brand":"Little, Brown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39664963551317,"sku":"9781408711262N","price":11.39,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2481\/5790\/products\/16f4d21f-bb74-412e-a8cf-9d454e319f49.jpg?v=1638977063","url":"https:\/\/smeikalbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-department-of-sensitive-crimes","provider":"smeikalbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}