A Conspiracy of Friends - Alexander McCall Smith

A Conspiracy of Friends is the most recent installment in Alexander McCall Smith's Courduroy Mansions series.  Once again it is told in vignettes that move from character to character.  Freddie de lay Hay, the Pimlico terrier is wonderfully sweet and highly engaging.  The human characters are interesting as well, but this book does not seem to cover as much ground as the others.  I suppose what it lacks in action it makes up for in internal progress.  Barbara Ragg has some revelations about her fiancee Hugh, William has a realization about Marcia, his son Eddie seems however to be treading water.  Caroline, her friend James, Terrence Moongrove and his sister Berneatha, Basil Wickramsinghe, and Oedipus Snark all appear as well.  I enjoyed the novel, and it was a quick read, and I will certainly read the next one, but I will describe this as a quiet novel.  I guess in thinking about it, it is really a book that captures day to day activity which is not terribly exciting in most lives, but these characters do have enough for a charming book.