The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Alexander McCall Smith

ISBN 10: 140550112X ISBN 13: 9781405501125

Synopsis

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency:
Mma “Precious” Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, making her the only female detective in the country. At first, cases are hard to come by. But eventually, troubled people come to Precious with a variety of concerns. Potentially philandering husbands, seemingly schizophrenic doctors, and a missing boy who may have been killed by witch doctors all compel Precious to roam about in her tiny van, searching for clues.

Tears of the Giraffe:
The clever proprietor of the only detective agency in all of Botswana, Mma Ramotswe is now engaged to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, the kind owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. This new development provokes a hostile reaction from Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s unscrupulous maid, who quickly begins plotting the disintegration of the engagement. Despite all this, duty calls, and Mma Ramotswe is asked to help find an American woman’s son, who has been missing in Africa for ten years.

Morality for Beautiful Girls:
Between intriguing new cases and troubling personal developments, Precious’ hands are full. She personally investigates the claim of an important government worker, who suspects his brother is being poisoned. Meanwhile, assistant detective Mma Makutsi explores the moral fiber of four beauty pageant contestants. On top of all this, Precious’ reliable fiancé finally shows a crack in his armor. Life is more difficult than ever at The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, but it’s nothing a little clear thinking and a few mugs of bush tea can’t handle.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith?s widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to ?help people with problems in their lives.? Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witchdoctors.

The No. 1 Ladies? Detective Agency received two Booker Judges? Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement.

From the Back Cover:

“The Miss Marple of Botswana.” –The New York Times Book Review

“Smart and sassy...Precious’ progress is charted in passages that have the power to amuse or shock or touch the heart, sometimes all at once.” –Los Angeles Times

“The author’s prose has the merits of simplicity, euphony and precision. His descriptions leave one as if standing in the Botswana landscape. This is art that conceals art. I haven’t read anything with such alloyed pleasure for a long time.” –Anthony Daniels, The Sunday Telegraph

About this edition

• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 140550112X
• ISBN 13: 9781405501125
• Binding: Audio CD