There are 14 books in the Isabel Dalhousie Series series. The newest book is The Sweet Remnants of Summer which came out in 2022.

1
The Conditions of Unconditional

Book cover of The Conditions of Unconditional

BOOK 15 IN THE MUCH-LOVED ISABEL DALHOUSIE SERIES

'You can't go out of the house without tripping over a philosophical question.' That is a remark made by Isabel Dalhousie to Jamie, the bassoonist who is her handsome younger husband. Isabel's own life, of course, points to the truth of this…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

2
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate

Book cover of Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
Isabel Dalhousie thinks often of friends, sometimes of lovers, and on occasion of chocolate. As an Edinburgh philosopher she is certain of where she stands. She can review a book called In Praise of Sin with panache and conviction, but real life is . . . well, perhaps a bit…

3
The Right Attitude to Rain

Book cover of The Right Attitude to Rain

The key to contentment in the Scottish climate is the right attitude to rain - just as in life the key to happiness lies in making the best of what you have.

Bruised in love by her faithless Irish husband, Isabel Dalhousie is a connoisseur of intimate moral issues: she…

4
The Careful Use of Compliments

Book cover of The Careful Use of Compliments

For philosophically minded Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, getting through life with a clear conscience requires careful thought. And with the arrival of baby Charlie, not to mention a passionate relationship with his father Jamie, fourteen years her junior, Isabel enters deeper and rougher waters.
Late…

5
The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday

Book cover of The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday

Isabel Dalhousie is a new mother and a connoisseur of philosophy; she'd rather not be a sleuth. But when a chance conversation at a dinner party draws her into the case of a doctor whose career has been ruined, she cannot ignore what may be a miscarriage of justice. Because…

6
The Lost Art of Gratitude

Book cover of The Lost Art of Gratitude

Isabel Dalhousie, philosopher and amateur solver of other people's problems, meets an old foe, Minty Auchterlonie, at a birthday party attended by their young children. Ambitious Minty, now the head of a small investment bank, is in trouble with her shareholders. Isabel becomes involved, and is drawn into a murky…

7
The Charming Quirks of Others

Book cover of The Charming Quirks of Others
As well as its advantages, there are drawbacks to the enlightened village that is twenty-first-century Edinburgh, where every Saturday night ears burn at dinner parties across the city, and anyone requiring the investigative abilities of a philosophical soul knows where to find her. Jillian McKinlay -- wife of a trustee…

8
The Forgotten Affairs of Youth

The Forgotten Affairs of Youth
Happy with her husband-to-be and beloved son, Isabel Dalhousie has feelings about parenthood that grow more tender daily. So when Jane, a visiting academic adopted and sent to Australia as a baby, asks for help in tracing her Scottish origins, she cannot refuse. However, habitually upright Isabel finds herself beset…

9
The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds

Book cover of The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds

As a mother, wife, employer and editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, Isabel Dalhousie is aware that to be human is to be responsible. So when a neighbour brings her a new and potentially dangerous puzzle to solve, once again Isabel feels she has no option but to shoulder…

10
The Novel Habits of Happiness

Book cover of The Novel Habits of Happiness
Isabel Dalhousie is one of Edinburgh's most generous (but discreet) philanthropists - but should she be more charitable? She wonders, sometimes, if she is too judgmental about her niece's amorous exploits, too sharp about her housekeeper's spiritual beliefs, too ready to bristle in battle against her enemies. As the editor…

11
A Distant View of Everything

Book cover of A Distant View of Everything

Recently distracted by the arrival of her and Jamie's second son, Magnus, Isabel Dalhousie - philanthropic editor of the Review of Applied Ethics - is anxious. The next issue of the Review is far from ready, her eldest, Charlie, is jealous, and their housekeeper, Grace, has an officious approach to…

12
The Quiet Side of Passion

Book cover of The Quiet Side of Passion

The twelfth instalment in the Isabel Dalhousie series . . .

It is summer in Edinburgh and Isabel Dalhousie is once again caught between 'gossip' and significant rumour. It is none of her business that Patricia, the mother of her son Charlie's little friend Basil, is estranged from Basil's father,…

13
The Geometry of Holding Hands

Book cover of The Geometry of Holding Hands

THE THIRTEENTH INSTALLMENT OF THE MUCH-LOVED ISABEL DALHOUSIE SERIES

When Isabel Dalhousie and her husband Jamie book a table at an expensive Edinburgh restaurant, she finds herself battling with her conscience. Lately, there has been a lull in work for the Review of Applied Ethics, and the care of their…

14
The Sweet Remnants of Summer

Book cover of The Sweet Remnants of Summer

Our favourite moral philosopher is caught up in a delicate dispute between members of a prominent family as her husband, Jamie, is dragged into his own internecine rivalry.

Isabel accepts an invitation to serve on the advisory committee of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, but soon finds herself swept up…