Isabel Dalhousie Mystery
Edinburgh moral philosopher Isabel Dalhousie is living her life as best she can. She's recently assumed ownership of the obscure journal she's edited for many years, the Review of Applied Ethics. While this seems straightforward she has the dilemma of a former member of the board who submitted a paper for publication.
She is approached by a woman she meets at a dinner to investigate her husband, Marcus Moncrieff a doctor accused of scientific fraud. Did Dr. Moncrieff manipulate the data for a drug developed by the same company that funded his research? But as often is the case it is much more complicated than it first appears. It turns out that Dr. Moncrieff’s nephew, who is also his assistant, might have had good reason to exact revenge on his uncle. (At issue is the inheritance of a large farm on Scotland’s Black Isle.)
Meanwhile, Isabel’s much younger boyfriend, Jamie, continues to dote on Isabel and their infant son, Charlie. (Alas, Jamie’s extraordinary good looks have Isabel forever worrying that he will lose interest in her.) There are other moral dilemmas, too. Isabel suspects that Eddie, the vulnerable young man who works at Isabel’s niece’s deli, lied about the reason he needs to borrow money. And Grace, Isabel’s very assertive housekeeper, has been telling local residents that her adorable Charlie is her own.
Most of the story is Isabel contimplating how to best approach situations she is uncomfortable with. I enjoy her musings but find myself getting a bit tired of her fears about Jamie leaving her. Plus I really cannot stand her niece Cat who thankfully is not around much during this book. It is always like a quick vacation to Edinburgh and this is a much cheaper option.