The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

July 29, 2002
The African-born author of more than 50 books, from children's stories (The Perfect Hamburger) to scholarly works (Forensic Aspects of Sleep), turns his talents to detection in this artful, pleasing novel about Mma (aka Precious) Ramotswe, Botswana's one and only lady private detective. A series of vignettes linked to the establishment and growth of Mma Ramotswe's "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" serve not only to entertain but to explore conditions in Botswana in a way that is both penetrating and light thanks to Smith's deft touch. Mma Ramotswe's cases come slowly and hesitantly at first: women who suspect their husbands are cheating on them; a father worried that his daughter is sneaking off to see a boy; a missing child who may have been killed by witchdoctors to make medicine; a doctor who sometimes seems highly competent and sometimes seems to know almost nothing about medicine. The desultory pace is fine, since she has only a detective manual, the frequently cited example of Agatha Christie and her instincts to guide her. Mma Ramotswe's love of Africa, her wisdom and humor, shine through these pages as she shines her own light on the problems that vex her clients. Images of this large woman driving her tiny white van or sharing a cup of bush tea with a friend or client while working a case linger pleasantly. General audiences will welcome this little gem of a book just as much if not more than mystery readers. (Aug. 27)FYI:Anchor is simultaneously issuing two other titles in this series,
Tears of the Giraffe and
Morality for Beautiful Girls.

November 22, 2021
Early in Smith’s diverting 22nd No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novel (after 2020’s How to Raise an Elephant), Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, owner of Tlokweng Speedy Motors, attends a business seminar at a Gaborone hotel, where he reconnects with entrepreneur T.K. Molefi, a friend he hasn’t seen since their school days. Mr. T.K. Molefi proposes to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni that he invest in a bus company, an idea that doesn’t go over well with Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s wife, Precious Ramotswe, who’s worried such a company would fail. Her husband would require a loan, with the building housing his garage and her detective agency as collateral. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe and her prickly partner, Grace Makutsi, accept a case from Mr. Baboloki Mophephu, who suspects that the nurse to Mr. Mophephu’s elderly, mentally confused father has tricked the father into leaving her his house in his will. Along the way to satisfying solutions to both situations, Mma Ramotswe and her friends converse about such topics as the need to attend to the happiness of both men and women. As ever, Smith’s mix of solving minor crimes and kindhearted philosophical ruminations enchants. Agent: Morgan Fenton, Morgan Fenton Literary.