William French, wine merchant, Master of Wine (failed), somewhere in his early fifties (hardly noticeably, particularly in the right light), loyal subscriber to Rural Living (although he lived quite happily in central London), long time supporter of several good causes (he was a kind man at heart, with a strong sense of fairness) widower, dog-owner, and much else besides; the same William French looked about his flat in Corduroy Mansions, as anybody might survey his or her flat in a moment of self-assessment, of stocktaking.

That’s the first paragraph of The Dog Who Came In From The Cold by Alexander McCall Smith, it’s the second book in his Corduroy Mansions series. I have to say that although it’s not a riveting paragraph it does capture the character perfectly and hints at the humour usually found in McCall Smith’s books.

Going from the title of the book, this one is going to be mainly about the dog, Freddie de la Hay, who is a London version of Percy the dog who inhabits the 44 Scotland Street series. These books couldn’t be called high literature by any measure, but they are comfort reads which is sometimes just what hits the spot.