I won The Department of Sensitive Crimes in an IG contest hosted by the publisher. I have a confession - this is my first book by McCall Smith. He’s been on my TBR list for ages - so I was really happy to win!

I suppose this story could be classified as a mystery - a very quirky one. It focuses on a detective named Ulf and his team, although the structure is more like a series of short stories tied together by the people investigating. So it doesn’t have a big sweeping plotline, but I liked it that way - it worked well with the humour.

The humorous aspects mostly came from the rambling, often off-topic conversations between the characters. It actually reminded me a bit of regular, everyday speech and how what we say often isn’t as polished or on topic as what you see in TV, movies or most books. And I’m prone to saying the odd random thing out of the blue, so I could definitely relate!

The Department of Sensitive Crimes is very easy to read and become thoroughly engaged in. I was left wanting to read McCall Smith’s other books now more than ever. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a light-hearted mystery. The book is available now.