The Dog Who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith, Chapter 58 to End.

Alexander McCall Smith's online novel The Dog Who Came in from the Cold has come to an end. I shall miss visiting the Telegraph online everyday to find out what's happening at Corduroy Mansions. I think they will probably leave it up for a little while so if you are still cathing up then I am sure there is still time to see the final chapters.
I loved how McCall Smith tied everything up at the end:

• Freddie de la Hay is safe and sound and back home with William.
• Rupert may finally get his hand on Barbara's apartment.
• Barbara is heading off to the Scottish Highlands with the perfect Hugh.
• Caroline seems to have gotten over her disappointment with James by falling into the arms of Anthony.
• Berthea manages to save the day and get Terence out of the clutches of the rather dodgy Roger and Claire.
• Dee and Martin have sold their Sudoku Remedy business for a tidy sum and Dee has already decided to move out of Corduroy Mansions.

There are many questions left unanswered which will hopefully be addressed in a future online installment:

• Will Barbara be happy in her new life with Hugh?
• Will William ever find love?
• What was going on with the yeti, Rupert has decided that he is not real yet Barbara and Erol Greatorex seem convinced.
• Who will take Dee's place when she moves out of Jo and Caroline's apartment?

I am a big fan of Alexander McCall Smith and I love his Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series. This is the first online novel that I have read as unfortunately I missed the first Corduroy Mansions installment. There were times when I read one single chapter a day as intended and times when I caught up with several chapters at once. It's such a fantastic idea to have it onlineand I really enjoyed having the option of listening to Andrew Sachs read the chapters too.
The Dog Who Came in from the Cold is a great mix of the ordinary and extraordinary thrown together. Alexander McCall Smith has chapters dealing with relationships and everyday problems alongside a possible yeti living in London and MI6 borrowing someone's dog in order to entrap some Russian villains.
I shall miss Corduroy Mansions and Freddie de la Hay especially. I do hope that there will be another online novel from Alexander McCall Smith very soon. If you've been reading along too then who was your favourite character and what did you think of the final chapter?

The Dog Who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith, Chapter 41-57

It has all been happening at Corduroy Mansions, the online novel from Alexander McCall Smith over on the Telegraph's website. I have really enjoyed the recent chapters and will try and fill you in on the latest developments:

• Berthea is very worried about her eccentric brother, Terence, who is planning on signing his house over to the rather dodgy Roger and Claire who want to open a Centre for Cosmological Studies.
• Freddie de la Hay (my favourite character) has been left in the care of Tilly Curtain of MI6 and he is very upset and worried about the fact that Williams appears to have abandoned him. He is even more concerned when Tilly hands him over to Mr Podgornin, their Russian suspect.
• When Mr Podgornin's colleagues find Freddie's transmitting collar, we are left wondering what his fate will be as Mr Podgornin says he has lethal plans for him.
  
• Rupert and Gloria have been meddling again and they get caught snooping round Berthea's flat by Errol Greatorex who is staying there whilst helping the yeti to finish his memoirs.
• Gloria wants to know more about Ratty Mason- a school friend of Rupert's who they see at dinner and who Rupert is very reluctant to talk about.
• Meanwhile Barbara is on a little trip with the perfect Hugh to meet his parents Sorley and Stephanie. They seem perfect like their perfect son and perfect home but Barbara is starting to wonder if it is all just a little bit fake?
• Finally Dee receives a letter from Richard Eadston, the venture capitalist, he has agreed to invest for a 25% share of her Sudoku Remedy business. Dee needs some money to set it up so she jumps at her assistant Martin's offer to become a business partner in exchange for his investment of £5,000.

They may be small chapters but a lot is happening at Corduroy Mansions, I have so many questions at the moment:

• Will William manage to save Freddie?
• Will Barbara be able to stop Terence from signing over their childhood home?
• Who is this Ratty Mason figure from Rupert's past?
• Are Hugh and his family as perfect as they seem?
• Is the yeti real or is Errol Greatorex simply mad?

Obviously I am most concerned about the fate of Freddie de la Hay, I hope that William and Tilly are able to save the day.
What do you think so far? Any favourite characters? To read along every day or to find out more about The Dog Who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith then just click here.

The Dog Who Came In From The Cold- Online novel- Chapters 31-40

It's all been happening at Corduroy Mansions, Alexander McCall-Smith's latest online novel with the Telegraph, The Dog Who Came In From The Cold is in its 40th chapter now, that sounds a lot but they're only short so there is still plenty of time to catch up if you've only just found out about it.
It's all very mysterious at the moment, we have Dee meeting with Richard Eadston, the venture capitalist about her herbal Sudoku remedy. She seems to just sail through life, blissfully unaware of what is happening around her or any problems she has caused.
James and Caroline are speaking again after the Dee incident but James confesses that he doesn't really like women... or men. He just wants to be friends! Caroline agrees to this but is she really completely happy to settle for friendship?
Rupert and Gloria see Ratty Mason in a restaurant, he is somebody that Rupert went to school with but very much does not want to talk about out. Gloria's suspicions are raised and she is determined to get some answers in the future. These two are then caught snooping round Barbara's apartment by the Yeti memoir author who is staying there while she is away. He doesn't realise who they are but will Barbara find out? What will her reaction be? Does anyone else think that Rupert might secretly like Barbara or is that just me?
Freddie de la Hay is back but only briefly! William has handed him over to MI6 in the form of Tilly Curtain who is looking after him. Poor Freddie, he thinks that he has been got rid of by William and wonders what on earth he did wrong. It sounds like Freddie's adventure is only just beginning though as Sebastian Duck pops in to fit him with a new aerial collar so that Freddie will be able to go under cover. I do hope that there is more from Freddie de la Hay in the next chapters, he is still my firm favourite!

The Dog who Came in from the Cold- What do you think so far?

Have you been reading along with the Telegraph's online novel The Dog who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall-Smith? I am 31 chapters in and still very much enjoying it, I really look forward to taking 10 minutes out of my day to find out what is happening to the residents of Corduroy Mansions.
The last few chapters have focused on James and Caroline's relationship and we are left wondering if he will leave Caroline for Dee after taking her out for dinner in Caroline's place. I think it should be more a question of whether Caroline should finish with James as he is a little too strange for my liking!
I chapters 29-31 we have followed Barbara as her suspicions and dislike of Rupert have increased. However, she is tyring to put this to the back of her mind as she sets off on a trip to the Scottish highlands with her fiance, Hugh. But is Hugh as perfect as Barbara believes him to be, can you truly trust a man with holey socks and missing shirt buttons? What do you think of Hugh? Do you think Barbara is setting herself up for a fall?
I've really enjoyed all these developments but I have to say that I want more Freddie de la Hay! I want to know about his mission for MI6 and whether William will entrust his loyal companion to the secret service?
If you haven't been reading this then there is still time for you to catch up with the story. You can click the link at the top of this page and it will take you to the Telegraph's site with all the chapters listed. It really is lovely to read everyday or if you want to be lazy then you can listen to the brilliant Andrew Sachs reading the story to you, perfect!