Revenge sometimes causes people to act blindly through anger, rather than reason. The characters in this devilishly delightful book are pushed to the point of no return and seek retribution. We meet an author taking part in a game show who will go to great lengths to show off his intelligence, but quickly realises that he can’t - and doesn’t - know everything. Opposing neighbours find out that the best way to deal with a noisy disturbance is not to bury the hatchet. On the island of Mull, it takes an outsider to make the locals realise that they need to take matters into their own hands to maintain the community’s reputation, and in ‘The Principles of Soap’ the value of friendship overcomes adversity and opportunistic nepotism.

In each of these four tales, revenge is a dish best served cold. Tantalising and amusing, these stories show off a darker side, but carry with them the author’s trademark warmth and humour.

‘The stories all have McCall Smith’s characteristic charm, and make for easy and very pleasant reading…as in all McCall Smith’s work, we are reminded that the necessary quality in social life is kindness…’ - Allan Massie, The Scotsman