REVIEW: The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists

The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists
Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Ok....Alexander McCall Smith is now firmly ensconced as one of my favorite authors. His No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is charming. I'm sorry I didn't start reading it long before now! And the first Detective Varg book, The Department of Sensitive Crimes, is witty and humorous. I jumped at the chance to read this Varg short story as well. It was as perfect a start to my day as my cup of mocha coffee.

Detective Ulf Varg is the senior officer in the Department of Sensitive Crimes. They investigate....well....sensitive crimes. Unusual cases that just don't fit into regular police investigation. The strange. The weird. The seemingly mundane, yet perplexing. Things like a show cat introduced to a ratty ginger tom cat by a nefarious person or persons unknown resulting in a litter of questionable kittens.....a chef who adds high doses of laxatives to the meals of politicians he doesn't like....a traitorous mole in a fringe political party that is sharing party platform and agenda secrets with another equally ridiculous fringe party. Unusual cases....sometimes silly cases....but ones that must be looked into.  There is also lots of lovely side banter between the officers in the department. They talk about the chances of being hit by a meteorite, overfishing of tuna, the beauty of vintage Saab cars, the psychology of depressed dogs, and Bergman films. The end result is a humorous, witty, and entertaining story.

Don't expect the usual investigative suspense novel when it comes to Detective Varg. This series is really literary fiction with a sprinkling of investigation and lots of light-hearted wit. Read this series for the wit and humor....just go with the flow. Varg and his department are a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the ever popular Scandinavian crime novel. I got an even bigger kick out of this story because I'm currently listening to a very serious Harry Hole (Jo Nesbo) audio book and kept thinking about what Harry Hole would think about the Moderate Extremist party and a litter of kittens with questionable genetics. :) I think he would have a very large drink, smoke a couple cigarettes, and just go home to watch television.

Great story! Very enjoyable! I can't wait for the next book in the new Varg series. :)

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this short story from Knopf Doubleday via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**