This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith?s widely acclaimed The No. I look forward with great eagerness to the upcoming books featuring the memorable Miss Ramotswe, Tears of the Giraffe and Morality for Beautiful Girls, soon to be available in the U.S. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency well deserves the praise it received from London's Times Literary Supplement. Precious Ramotswe is a remarkable creation, and The No. Smith's gently ironic tone is full of good humor towards his lively, intelligent heroine and towards her fellow Africans, who live their lives with dignity and with cautious acceptance of the confusions to which the world submits them. The solutions she comes up with, whether in the case of the clinic doctor with two quite different personalities (depending on the day of the week), or the man who had joined a Christian sect and seemingly vanished, or the kidnapped boy whose bones may or may not be those in a witch doctor's magic kit, are all sensible, logical, and satisfying. FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. Pointing in the direction of the small building she had purchased to house her new business, it reads "THE NO. Mary Mead, and the sign Precious orders, painted in brilliant colors, is anything but discreet. Once the clients start showing up on her doorstep, Precious enjoys a pleasingly successful series of cases.īut the edge of the Kalahari is not St. If Miss Marple were fat and jolly and lived in Botswana-and decided to go against any conventional notion of what an unmarried woman should do, spending the money she got from selling her late father's cattle to set up a Ladies' Detective Agency-then you have an idea of how Precious sets herself up as her country's first female detective. It's the detective as folk hero, solving crimes through an innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combined with an understanding of human nature, invariably penetrates into the heart of a puzzle. ![]() ![]() Penzler Pick, July 2001: Working in a mystery tradition that will cause genre aficionados to think of such classic sleuths as Melville Davisson Post's Uncle Abner or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee, Alexander McCall Smith creates an African detective, Precious Ramotswe, who's their full-fledged heir. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. But the case that tugs at her heart–and lands her in danger–is that of a missing eleven-year-old boy who may have been snatched by witch doctors. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, now available for the first time in hardcover, tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, Mma Ramotswe is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe-with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi-navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 1įans around the world adore the best-selling No. Anyone who likes mysteries, or anyone who enjoys just plain good writing will fall in love with Mma. I've already read the second installment in this series, Tears of the Giraffe, and there is no doubt in my mind now that these books are destined to become classics. The writing is just so simple and beautiful and I found myself thinking about this book long after I finished it. The mysteries are fun but what makes this book so special is the author's ability to weave together the themes of African tradition, nationhood, pride, simplicity and independence without being the least bit preachy. She does so with integrity, a gentle sense of humor, compassionĪnd just plain common sense. Mma Ramotswe does solve a few cases, a lot of them involving matters of the heart, during the course of the book. 1 Detective Agency.But to pigeonhole this sublime, wonderful book as just a mystery is to unjustly limit its appeal. It's technically classified as a mystery because the heroine, 30ish Precious Ramotswe, operates Botswana's first female-owned detective agency, The Ladies No. ![]() I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book.
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