The Isle of Good Karma

Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world's most prolific and popular authors. His career has been a varied one: for many years he was a professor of medical law and worked in universities in the United Kingdom and abroad. However since the publication of his hugely successful No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which has sold more than 20 million copies, he has devoted his time to writing fiction. He has written more than 100 books to date which have been translated into more than 40 languages and become bestsellers through the world. McCall Smith was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007 and was made a Knight Bachelor in 2024. His multitude of other awards and honours include the 2004 Dagger in the Library Award, the 2004 British Book Award for Author of the Year and the 2022 Saltire Lifetime Achievement Award.

Helen McAlpine is an actor, audiobook narrator, author and adapter from South Lanarkshire. She graduated from Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, in 2001 and has since worked extensively in theatre, television, radio and voiceover. She has voiced dozens of audiobooks, including Eileen Ramsay’s bestselling Flowers of Scotland series, and won the Narrator of the Year award at the 2022 Romantic Novelists’ Association Industry Awards.