Alexander McCall Smith, The Department of Sensitive Crimes

Ulf Varg heads up a crew of quirky detectives in Sweden's Department of Sensitive Crimes. They investigate unusual offenses—those that have odd elements or maybe aren't worth the attention of a more traditional police investigation. Honestly, the office seems overstaffed and underworked, and the cases not really worthy of extraordinary official involvement. But I don't care. It's an excuse to watch McCall Smith bring the formula he's established in his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books to a new set of endearing characters and to a new exotic locale. That's basically what's happening here. Ulf Varg—both of whose names mean "wolf"—is the Precious Ramotswe of Malmö. He's a kind, thoughtful man who observes the foibles of humanity and investigates their indiscretions. I enjoyed the book, and I think fans of McCall Smith's Botswana books will find this series equally comforting.