A light and gentle mystery, engagingly written in an easy and accessible style. Isabel Dalhousie, editor of a philosophical journal, witnesses a young man fall to his death. Haunted by the memory of a young life wasted, she begins to inquire about his life and friends and finds herself drawn into a tangle of insider dealing and sexual entanglement, while her beloved niece becomes engaged to the wrong man and Isabel herself develops inappropriate feelings for the right man!

This is an enjoyable read - I particularly liked the way it evoked Edinburgh New Town: reading the novel was like walking around my memories of this glorious city. But the mystery itself is understated throughout the novel, and I found the interspersement of philosophical jottings pretentious and distracting rather than complementary.

© Jessica Mulley 2006