The Isle of Good Karma

by Alexander McCall Smith

It's never too late to make a change.

Single and approaching middle age, Maeve Macdonald feels she has reached a point at which, if she doesn't do something drastic soon, life will have passed her by. And so, after twenty years of teaching, she gives up her career and leaves the only home she's ever known in search of adventure.

As she prepares for this exciting new chapter in her life, travelling through South Asia, she finds that everything is going remarkably well quite possibly things really are changing for the better. Karma, it appears, is on her side.

But not long after arriving in Nepal, her good luck seems to have run out: an injury puts a pause on her plans, and an unexpected fall nearly ends her new-found friendship with a handsome American called Charles.

Will Maeve have to abandon her trip and go back home alone? And will Charles be able to pluck up the courage to tell Maeve how he really feels before they go their separate ways?

265 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2026

About the author

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Reviews

[Anna Haning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gentle love story

Realistic believable and heart warming story sprinkled with just enough magic to give it surprise & twist. You’ll be rooting for the main character all the way.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book.