THE DOG WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD

With his unerring ability to capture real people (and now dogs), Alexander McCall Smith (44 SCOTLAND STREET) introduces another group of intriguing fictional folk, the disparate residents of Corduroy Mansions, the apartment complex first serialized on Telegraph.co.uk. Through Simon Prebble’s expert narration, listeners encounter an assortment of romantic entanglements, an autobiography from the Yeti, and a villain named Oedipus Snark. However, the focus of this second installment is William French, a failed wine merchant, and his Pimlico terrier, Freddie de la Hay. When Freddie is recruited by MI6 to infiltrate a gang of Russian spies, Prebble underplays McCall Smith’s restrained humor, allowing precise word choice, arcane literary references, and bizarre situations to create their own low-key hilarity. A delightful breath of fresh air. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]