Everyone's favorite moral philosopher and amateur sleuth, Isabel Dalhousie, is
back and once again finds herself facing a number of tricky situations and
philosophical questions, both public and private.
Isabel's life has fallen into a comfortable and tidy rhythm. Well, as tidy as things
can be with two small boys wreaking havoc around the house. But when her
husband, Jamie, invites a woman named Dawn—recently embroiled in a
contentious affair with a member of Jamie's orchestra—to stay with them, things
begin to go awry. Strange noises can be heard from the upper floor, even when
Dawn is supposedly at work, and the couple wonders whether something more
nefarious may be afoot.
If that weren't enough, Professor Robert Lettuce is staging an academic
conference and has asked Isabel to publish the conference papers in a special
issue of the Review of Applied Ethics. But something is definitely suspect about
the funding, and it will be up to Isabel to sort it out. As the truth comes to light,
Isabel must once more rely on her kindness, powers of deduction and
philosophical expertise to navigate these sensitive matters.