BOOK: The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

AUTHOR: Alexander McCall Smith

SUMMARY: This is a delightful story of an effervescing detective, Precious Ramotswe. She wants to "help people with problems in their lives". This is the first book in a charming series about Mma. Ramotswe and the people of her beloved Botswana. This is not a typical detective story. The heroine uses alternative methods and a feminine sixth sense to solve cases revolving around domestic problems. She is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man and follow a wayward daughter. Insurance fraud and medical malpractice enter her workload. The case nearest and dearest to here heart is about a missing 11-year-old boy in which witchcraft is suspected. Her solutions are logical, sensible, sensitive and satisfying. These are stories that abound in joy not terror, violence or suspense. After reading this book, many book club members went on to read the whole series.

PLOT: After using the proceeds she inherited from the sale of her father's cattle, Precious Ramotswe rents a building, buys a typewriter, hires a secretary and sets up her detective agency. The brightly colored sign she had painted said it all: "THE NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY. FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND INQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES. UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT." In this book she solves a number of small crimes. It reads more like a set of short stories than a novel. This format makes the book a quick, entertaining read. McCall Smith includes the story of her father's life and a history of Mma Ramotswe's life before the detective agency. The remainder of the book is how Precious meets her client's needs with humor and practicality. You will find yourself laughing at some of her predicaments. Finding a snake in her white van comes to mind. Although claiming to be a modern lady, she does not want Africa to change. " She did not want her people to become like everybody else, soulless, selfish, forgetful of what it means to an African, or, worse still, ashamed of Africa."

ASK YOURSELF: Precious Ramotswe is shown as a feminist folk hero. How does the fact that the author is a man work? Does he capture this woman's character and consciousness?

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