3-1/2 stars. It had been so long since I read #1 in this series that I had forgotten the characters & it took quite a while to straighten them out. After that the book settled into the usual comfiness. ( )

It started out well, with a quirky cast of characters and funny little observations about people and the world in general. But it never gelled as a story, and many characters ended up feeling like having a houseful of guests who are at first amusing, then tiresome, then annoying, and who won't take the hint to leave. The clumsy attempt to tie together the characters' storylines failed, and half the plot points hinted at in the first half of the book went nowhere, and worst of all, every single female character (5 of them) revolved around their desperate need for men.

In the end, the only character I could even work up an interest in was the dog. ( )

Digital audiobook performed by Simon Prebble
3***

Book Two in the Corduroy Mansions series, starring Pimlico terrier Freddie de la Hay.

I love these ensemble works that Alexander McCall Smith writes, where we get to know the residents of a building or neighborhood over time. In this episode a literary agent is representing a new author – The Abominable Snowman; a pair of new-age operators have decided to set up their center for cosmological studies; and Freddie is recruited by M16 to infiltrate a Russian spy ring.

It's been quite some time since I read the first, so, other than Freddie (and his owner James), I don’t remember if these characters are recurring. Doesn’t make much difference, really. Even this snapshot is enough to endear them to me.

Simon Prebble does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. He has quite a lot of character to deal with, and he is up to the task . ( )

Fairly enjoyable writing, as expected, but I did find the MI6 part of the plot to wear a little thin. ( )

Odd--like a lot of his books--actually downright dark in spots and strange. ( )