The Talented Mr. Varg

Written by Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by David Rintoul

In the second installment of the best-selling Detective Varg series, Ulf and his team investigate a
notorious philanderer—a wolf of a man whose bad reputation may be all bark and no bite.

The Department of Sensitive Crimes, renowned for taking on the most obscure and irrelevant cases, is always
prepared to dive into an investigation, no matter how complex. So when the girlfriend of an infamous author
who insists her bad-boy beau is being blackmailed approaches Ulf Varg, the department’s lead detective, Ulf
is determined to help. It’s rather difficult to determine what skeletons hide in the hard-living lothario’s closet,
though. And while Swedes are notoriously tolerant … well, there are limits. Even for the Swedish.

The case requires Ulf’s total concentration, but he finds himself distracted by his ongoing attraction to his
coworker, Anna, whose own fears about her husband’s fidelity are causing a strain on her marriage. When Ulf is
also tasked with looking into a group of dealers exporting wolves that seem more canis familiaris than canis lupus,
it will require all of his team’s investigative instincts and dogged persistence to put these matters to bed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781980069799

Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the award-winning series The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and he now devotes his time to the writing of fiction, including the 44 Scotland Street and the Isabel Dalhousie series. He is the author of over eighty books on a wide array of subjects, and his work has been translated into forty-six languages. Before becoming a full-time writer he was for many years Professor of Medical Law at Edinburgh.

Reviews for The Talented Mr. Varg

[Nicolle Melanson-Powell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an odd collection of 'crime stories' that has a gentle ironic humour. The character of Ulf Varg is heart warming but understated. The reader, David Rintoul, is excellent. When you want a quiet calm story that will occasionally make you smile, this will be perfect. It is overall, a commentary on life.

[MLJS-piano · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm a new fan of Mr. Varg! I liked this one the best so far. The Reader does an excellent job with the voices and the subtleties of the book.

[mlhershey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not quite as enjoyable as first book in the series

[clara53_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A graceful second installment in the new series about a Swedish detective in the Department of Sensitive Crimes. Detective Ulf Varg is hard not to like: his decency, combined with vulnerability and basic humanity, just wins you over. The very idea of this Department of Sensitive Crimes is food for thought too. With several good plot lines around the main character, it's another winner from A. McCall Smith.