In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 6) - Hardcover

Alexander McCall Smith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375422714 ISBN 13: 9780375422713

Publisher: Pantheon, 2005

Synopsis

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 6

Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the basis of the HBO TV show, and its proprietor Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective.  In this charming series, Mma  Ramotswe navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, and good humor—not to mention help from her loyal assistant, Grace Makutsi, and the occasional cup of tea.

In the newest addition to the universally beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the charming and ever-resourceful Precious Ramotswe finds herself overly beset by problems. She is already busier than usual at the detective agency when added to her concerns are a strange intruder in her house on Zebra Drive and the baffling appearance of a pumpkin. And then there is Mma Makutsi, who decides to treat herself to dance lessons, only to be partnered with a man who seems to have two left feet. Nor are things running quite as smoothly as they usually do at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. Mma Ramotswe’s husband, the estimable Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, is overburdened with work even before one of his apprentices runs off with a wealthy woman. But what finally rattles Mma Ramotswe’s normally unshakable composure is a visitor who forces her to confront a secret from her past. . . .

All this unfolds against the sunlit background of Mma Ramotswe’s beloved homeland, Botswana–a land of empty spaces, echoing skies, and an endless supply of soothing bush tea.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

In the sixth novel of the series that has captivated readers around the world, we return to the warm, echoing skies of Gaborone, Botswana, where life for Precious Ramotswe and her friends has recently become very busy.
Precious Ramotswe, that cheerful Botswanan private investigator of "traditional build," is well-known to millions across the world through the best-selling No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Those who have been following her exploits in five previously published novels will soon be able to savour the next installment, in which, as usual, circumstances are never as straightforward as they seem and events take a more than unexpected turn.
Precious Ramotswe, is now married to Mr J. L. B. Matekoni, of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. The Agency is busy, but Mma Ramotswe cannot ignore the plea which is made to her by a woman who comes to her with a tale of particular misfortune. Unfortunately, her attempts to help are interrupted by a close encounter between her tiny white van and a bicycle, and by a spectacular disagreement between her assistant, Mma Makutsi, and one of the apprentices at the garage. This apprentice has found a fancy girlfriend who drives a large silver Mercedes-Benz. How can he be rescued from his folly? And as for Mma Makutsi, she has found a dancing class, and a man who may not be able to dance very well but who admires her greatly. And all of this happens against a background of quiet sessions of bush tea, and of a land that stretches out forever under mile upon mile of empty sky.
Both entertaining and moving, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies is another masterpiece of comic understatement from Alexander McCall Smith and an affectionate homageto Botswana and its people.

About the Author:

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the huge international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. His other recent books include The Sunday Philosophy Club, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, The Girl Who Married a Lion, and 44 Scotland Street. He was born in Zimbabwe but has spent most of his life in Scotland, where he now lives. He worked for a time as a law professor at the University of Botswana and still returns regularly to that country.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pantheon
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0375422714
• ISBN 13: 9780375422713
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240