Alexander McCall Smith takes a break from his popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series for this stirring historical novel. In 1939, Lavender flees London to escape the German bombs and her shattered marriage. Settling in a small town, she pulls together a makeshift orchestra to help cope with the times. "The evocation of war-torn England, with its palpable mood of defiance, determination and survival, is beautifully caught."-Scotsman