AlexanderMcCallSmith.com

Not far from Isabel Dalhousie’s house sits 44 Scotland Street, a boarding house with a cast of colorful characters. The mysteries in this series sit with the residents themselves, among them Irene and her precocious son Bertie; Domenica, an eccentric widow; and Pat and Bruce, flatmates just getting to know each other. Whatever the question, someone in 44 Scotland Street has the answer, and McCall Smith has five lovely novels to chronicle the process.