The Man with the Silver Saab

Written by Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by David Rintoul

In the hilarious new novel in the best-selling Detective Varg series, an eminent art historian is framed and the ace investigators of the department of sensitive crimes are on the case.

Detective Ulf Varg is a man of refined tastes and quite familiar with the art scene in Malmö. So when art historian Anders Kindgren visits the Department of Sensitive Crimes to report a series of bizarre acts that have been committed against him, Ulf and his team swing into action. Fish stuffed into the vents of Kindgren’s car and a manipulated footnote in a recent publication would be cause enough for an investigation, but when a painting Kindgren had confidently appraised as genuine is later declared to be a fake, it’s clear that someone is out to tarnish his reputation.

Meanwhile, Ulf is also weathering personal issues, which quickly spiral out of control. When his lip-reading dog, Martin, engages in a contretemps with a squirrel that results in a grievous wound, Ulf must rush Martin to the veterinarian and weigh the merits of cosmetic surgery for animals. And later, when Martin’s blood is found in the back of Ulf’s classic Saab, Ulf finds himself the subject of a departmental investigation.

In the end, Ulf will have to muster all his detective skills and bureaucratic cunning to restore Kindgren’s reputation—as well as his own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705010419

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 Man with the Silver Saab

[Sunny Days · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love the author's wit and wisdom. The ending was a surprise.

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

This is my fave in the series so far. Such dry and human and utterly Nordic humor and pathos! And the reader/narrator meets each turn of phrase and situation with perfect pitch. Highly recommended.

[judiex · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Department of Sensitive Crimes in Malmö, Sweden, handles non-typical cases (robbery, violence, homicide, etc.). In fact, many people insist on calling it Department of Sensational Crimes. One Saturday morning, Detective Uif Var, head of the unit, was out with his deaf dog, Martin, when the dog was attacked by a squirrel who did a lot of damage to Martin’s face. As Uif rushed Martin to the vets, there was a major traffic jam. With the dog bleeding heavily in the back seat, Uif decided to put an emergency light on the top of the car to get to the hospital quickly. Afterwards, he took the car in to be cleaned. The result of that activity was Uif being arrested.Soon afterwards, Uif called upon to investigate a forgery. Varg is very interested in fine art so this case is of particular interest to him. It seems that Anders Kindgren, a famous art historian and appraiser claimed a particular painting was genuine before it was hung in a gallery. Afterwards, it was declared fake. Not only was his reputation at stake, but fish were left in the vents of his car.The plot of THE MAN WITH THE SILVER SAAB is slim Uif and his assistant Blomquist try to figure out both the underlying motive as well as find the perp. However, Uif talks a lot about people, personal relationships, life, love, cucumbers, and shoes throughout the book. One example is how his relationship with his brother is typical of many long-time relationships where life is like a script and we keep repeating the same lines.Tidbits: “Is original sin a sin that nobody’s thought of committing before?”“Falling in love with someone requires preparation.”THE MAN WITH THE SILVER SAAB is easy-going and light offering both humor and introspection.

[clara53_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The appeal of unobtrusive, diligent, fair-minded and vulnerable detective Ulf Varg (the protagonist of the series) grows with every instalment. One can't help but be sympathetic to his sheer humanity. I liked the way he talks himself out of complaining (as he is facing unrequited love): "Don't be self-pitying", he says to himself,  "You can't have everything you want in your life. Everybody had to compromise, everybody had to make do with the hand they've been dealt with. Self-pity was a railing against fate, really, and this was completely pointless, and, for others who witnessed it, merely tedious".  A lesson to all of us... Not without the special brand of McCall Smith's humor, this book is a wonderful read.