ESPRESSO TALES

Alexander McCall Smith's first outing to 44 Scotland Street was originally a serial novel in THE SCOTSMAN. Happily, in ESPRESSO TALES he revisits all the quirky residents of the Edinburgh townhouse. Robert Ian Mackenzie's impeccable take on the characters reveals their trials, tribulations, blind spots, and charms. We catch up with old friends like 6-year-old Bertie, suspended from nursery school for writing graffiti on the bathroom wall--in Italian; with university student Pat, invited to a nudist picnic; and with narcissistic Bruce, dumped twice--by his girlfriend and his boss. McCall Smith's deceptively simple character sketches give Mackenzie plenty to work with, and his spot-on performance brings a decidedly droll tone to the proceedings. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 06/ JAN 07]