The Conditions of Unconditional Love

Isabel Dalhousie, Book 15

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Sally Masterson

Everyone’s favorite moral philosopher and amateur sleuth, Isabel Dalhousie, is back and once again finds herself facing a number of tricky situations and philosophical questions, both public and private.

Isabel’s life has fallen into a comfortable and tidy rhythm. Well, as tidy as things can be with two small boys wreaking havoc around the house. But when her husband, Jamie, invites a woman named Dawn—recently embroiled in a contentious affair with a member of Jamie’s orchestra—to stay with them, things begin to go awry. Strange noises can be heard from the upper floor, even when Dawn is supposedly at work, and the couple wonders whether something more nefarious may be afoot.

If that weren’t enough, Professor Robert Lettuce is staging an academic conference and has asked Isabel to publish the conference papers in a special issue of the Review of Applied Ethics. But something is definitely suspect about the funding, and it will be up to Isabel to sort it out. As the truth comes to light, Isabel must once more rely on her kindness, powers of deduction and philosophical expertise to navigate these sensitive matters.

©2024 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2024 Recorded Books

Monotonous

The writing is fine as usual, but the characters are no longer growing and there are no great challenges. Several words are mispronounced (such as Betty Boop). And the denouement is short and flat.

Awful narrator. Mediocre story

I love this series but this was incredibly disappointing. Definitely not worth the wait. If the next book isn’t better, I think I’m done.

I miss Davina Porter

I miss Davina Porter! She was a brilliant narrator! I miss her so much, especially how she brought Jamie, Isabel, and Grace to life. I loved the unique voices she developed for each character.

New narrator

I am so happy for Davina Porter in her retirement, but it's really difficult to get used to new narrators in the stories she has brought to life. This book by Alexander McCall Smith, The Conditions of Unconditional Love, is true to the rest of the series and very enjoyable, and Sally Masterson is a good narrator. But throughout the entire book she mispronounced the main character's name, and it was really distracting. The character's name is Isobel, and it was pronounced Izable, ironically rhyming with risable, instead of Iz-o-bell. I miss Davina!

Everything you want in a book.

Both story and reader were fabulous. They made me wish to be more erudite . I will continue to read the author’s writing.