The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Book 1 Alexander McCall Smith Anchor Books Fiction, Mystery Themes: Country Tales, Diversity, Girl Power ****
Description
Precious Ramotswe, more often called Mma Ramotswe, is Botswana's first (and possibly only) female private detective. She solves cases big and small,
for her closest friends and her town's most prominent citizens.
Review
In my experience, mysteries (especially modern mysteries) are more about the characters than the actual mystery. Smith evidently agrees with me, as
this book is primarily about getting to know Mma Ramotswe and her clients and friends. There are some mysteries, but the clever heroine solves most of
them in a chapter or two; there is only one that could be considered a "big" puzzle, told without the convoluted twists that some mystery writers feel
obligated to throw in. I found it entertaining and educational, not having read many stories set in Africa.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Book 2 Alexander McCall Smith Anchor Books Fiction, Mystery Themes: Country Tales, Diversity, Girl Power ****
Again, this isn't so much a mystery book as an exploration of modern-day Botswana and the colorful characters of Ramotswe's town. Unlike the first
book, there is one overarching "main" case, the matter of an American boy who vanished into thin air ten years ago, but even that plays like a backdrop
to jealous maids, insecure husbands, and other characters new and old.
