The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon

The latest novel in Alexander McCall-Smith's "No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series is another fun, entertaining entry in this popular series.  The novels are cozies set in Botswana, and the star of the series is Precious Ramotswe, owner and lead detective at the agency.  In this installment, Mma Makutsi has to be away from the office for a few weeks due to personal reasons, and Mma Ramotswe feels the loss as she tries to solve cases without the helpful advice of her associate detective.  Meanwhile, her husband, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, has his own hands full with his errant mechanic apprentices and his own desires to become a "modern husband" for Mma Ramotswe.  Mma Ramotswe's main cases are trying to find the person making threats against Mma Soletti and her Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon and discovering if the boy set to inherit his Uncle's farm is who he says he is.  One of the best parts of these books is the character development.  The books' characters are charming and the reader truly gets a taste of what it means to live, today, in Botswana.  These books are one of my favorite mystery series, because the country of Botswana figures as prominently as the mysteries explored.  The series needs to be read in order, so start out with the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" if you want to begin the series.  Alexander McCall Smith is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, who was born in Zimbabwe.  He has taught law at the University of Botswana and lives in Scotland.    

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection

WCVPL Online Catalog

I just finished reading the newest installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and it was just as good as the rest of the books in the series!  Alexander McCall Smith's latest, The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection is set in Botswana as is the other books in the series.  The novel showcases the same familiar characters, with the addition of at least one new one!  Besides developments in their personal lives (Mma Makutsi and her new husband Phuti Radiphuti are building their dream house and one of the apprentices at the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors is in trouble with the law), Mma Ramotswe has been having dreams about a tall stanger who waits for her.  To top it off, Mma Potokwane, defender of Botswana's orphans, has been dismissed from her post as matron of the orphan farm!  Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi have their hands full trying to "make everything right" and deal with a surpise visitor to the detective agency!  I enjoy how McCall Smith brings Botswana to life in this series and I feel as if Mma Ramotswe and the rest of the characters are family members to me.  If you enjoy cozy mysteries, learning about Botswana and its people, you will enjoy reading this series.  I suggest you start with the first book, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency,  as the events in the characters lives build on each other in each successive book.   

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

Alexander McCall Smith is one of my favorite cozy authors! His writing is luxurious, and his details about Botswana make the reader feel as if he/she has stepped out of his/her world and into Africa from the moment you open the book. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party is the latest book in McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series centered around Mma Ramotswe, Private Detective and her husband, the mechanic Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. They live on Zebra Drive in Gabarone and they both love Botswana, appreciating the new changes as well as the old traditions. Mma Ramotswe is the owner of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and works alongside her Assistant Detective Mma Makutsi. This book is centered around the planning of Mma Makutsi's upcoming wedding to Phuti Radiphuti, the reappearance of Mma Ramotswe's tiny white van and a mystery involving the murder of several of Rra Moeti's cattle. Mma Ramotswe solves the case in her usual fashion, following the clues as well as her heart and the conclusion is satisfactory for all parties involved. This series of books makes me want to visit Botswana--Alexander McCall Smith is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland and makes several trips to Botswana each year. If you want to delve into this series, you'll have to start at the beginning with the first book in the series, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, because even though the mysteries do not build on each other, the life of each character is developed throughout each book.

Mma Ramostswe Strikes Again!

The newest book in the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series is another charmer! Alexander McCall-Smith's The Double Comfort Safai Club is the latest book in the series and serves its purpose of giving the readers of this much-loved series more information about the main characters as well as solving a few mysteries! These books are cozies, and the setting of Botswana (and its people) is as much a part of these books as are the main characters. I highly suggest that you read these books in order, as McCall-Smith advances the lives of the characters with every installment. In this book, a terrible accident occurs to Mma Makutsi's fiance', Phuti Radiphuti, and Mma Ramotswe must help her Assistant Detective with her personal problems while attending to the agency's cases as well. My favorite part of this book was when Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi went on a safari in the Delta in order to locate one of the guides. The actions of both women were humorous and it was refreshing to see them visit a new place. These books are great if you enjoy light reading about a place, Botswana, that is alive and vibrant and full of interesting characters.

Tea Time in Botswana

I just finished reading the newest installment in the delightful "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series written by Alexander McCall Smith. The book, Tea Time for the Traditionally Built is another charming installation of the series, which stars Mma Ramotswe as the proprietor and head detective of the agency which is located in Gaborone, Botswane. You really do need to read this series from the beginning, as the stories build on each other and you'll seriously miss out on several nuances of Botswane if you skip ahead. The first book in the series is the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which was published in 2003, and there are currently ten books in the series. Like the other nine books, the current book is a cozy that covers the solving of several cases, interspersed with the further development of the characters' lives. You just can't help but fall in love with Mma Ramotswe, her Assistant, Grace Makutsi, and all of the other details of life in Africa! Alexander McCall Smith is a wonderful storyteller and his words envelop you in African culture. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. McCall Smith in person at a book signing at Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS last year and he is as delightful in person as he is in his books. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He currently lives in Scotland, but makes several trips to Botswana every year. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is now a television series produced by HBO and the scenery and casting of the show have made the books come more alive for me. Alexander McCall Smith is also the author of the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series and the 44 Scotland Street series of books.