This latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series…as endearing and delectable as ever!
Precious Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are both back in harness at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, but for once business is a bit slow. At Mma Makutsi’s suggestion, Mma Ramotswe allows herself to be persuaded to take a holiday–her first ever!–even if she finds it a bit odd that Mma Makusti should be so adamant about it. But just as Mma Ramotswe is ready to depart, a new client arrives, a young woman whose father was regarded as a hero in the history of Botswana. Now his reputation is being called into question–was he courageous, as is widely believed, or was he merely a philanderer and opportunist? Though Mma Ramotswe initially wants to cancel her trip, she is cajoled into going by Mma Makutsi’s assurances that she and Charlie have the situation well in hand. However Mma Ramotswe finds that she cannot possibly submit to the luxuries of a carefree holiday without knowing exactly what’s going on at the Agency, so she asks Charlie to be her eyes and ears while she’s away–failing to account for the fact that Charlie is not an altogether reliable emissary, particularly with much of his attention diverted to the challenges of a newly adopted dog. At the close of the investigation, everyone at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency will confront some uncomfortable truths from their own past and learn to treat certain ordinary human failings with a large helping of charity and compassion.
A delight to visit with old friends I’m a longtime fan of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I’d read the first books religiously but have missed the last few in the series. It was a delight to read the 16th book, much like visiting with old friends. Precious Ramotswe continues in the distinctive voice, observant, kind, and practical. When her former secretary and former assistant pushes her to go on vacation while dropping hints about how dedicated co-detectives can prove themselves and be…
The plot is thin but the characters are delightful We are back in sunny Botswana for the 16th instalment in the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. While the initial books in the series were quite plot driven, it has evolved to a series that is much more about the characters with a thin, almost token, plot thrown in for good measure. Like the others, this is a charming book that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy about life, but I have to say that there isn’t a lot to it.
Love, lies & leisure in Botswana Mma Ramotswe takes a holiday in this book, at the urging of her second-in-command Mma Makutsi, who claims she’s perfectly capable of running The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by herself for the duration. But Ma Ramotswe is secretly full of misgivings. After all, Mma Makutsi is a bit power hungry. Is this a takeover move? And the woman can be tactless. Will she end up offending clients?