'Brimming with discreet charm' Mail on Sunday

As the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, Isabel Dalhousie does not allow herself to have enemies - until the arrival of two squabbling academics forces her to question her stance. Elsewhere in Edinburgh, a little boy believes he had a previous life. Called upon to help, Isabel finds herself challenging her own views on reincarnation, the nature of grief and - crucially - the positioning of lighthouses. The only thing she doesn't question is her personal life. Blissfully content with her young son and husband, Isabel embarks upon the next issue of her magazine: the Happiness issue, and discovers that happiness, for most, is not always what it seems . . .