The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is my first Alexander McCall Smith book. In this book, Precious Ramotswe, is Botswana’s first lady detective who is hired to track down missing husbands, catch con men, track delinquent girls, and help solve the mystery of a missing boy. I enjoyed this book. Precious was witty, smart, and a very likable character. I enjoyed the “installments” as she solved each little mystery. This is the first book in the series and I plan on reading the rest of the titles which are (mainly for my benefit): Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, The Kalahari Typing School for Men, The Full Cupboard of Life, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies, Blue Shoes and Happiness, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, and The Miracle at Speedy Motors. Other than that not too much to say. It was a fun read.
Visit Alexander McCall Smith’s website for more about the author and his books.
I love this whole series and eagerly await the next instalment each time!
on February 23rd, 2008 at 2:12 amThis is a great series, I have read books 1-4 and now this has been a good reminder to read the rest of the series - thanks!
on February 23rd, 2008 at 2:57 amI love these books, too. Nothing deeply intellectual about them, but there is plenty of fascinating cultural information to glean, and I love a strong, feisty heroine (especially one who is “traditionally built”)! Great combo of detective story, romance, and adventure. In my opinion, the books get better as they go, so I think you’re really going to enjoy the rest of the series.
on February 23rd, 2008 at 11:30 amMarg - How long will this series be? Is he still going?
Jane & Mindy - I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I breezed through this one in just a day, I hope to read the others soon.
on February 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 pmI came accross the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency by sheer chance in a charity shop & thought it sounded like a lighthearted read and have been hooked since, I passed it onto a friend who also passed onto a friend and now we have read at least 5 of this series and we diligently hunt for more. I also saw the film on tv and can’t wait for the series to start next year. PS. If only we were all referred to as ‘traditionally built’.
on April 10th, 2008 at 12:12 pmDaphne - I have the fourth or fifth book, I need to diligently hunt for the ones in between so I can get going on the rest of the series!
on April 10th, 2008 at 10:15 pmI’ve listened to a few of Smith’s books on CD including this one. I think they’re good books to listen too. The narrator has a perfect accent and they sound great. I personally like the Isabel Dalhousie mysteries better than this series. They start with “The Sunday Philosophy Club”. They’re set in Scotland and for some reason I just love books set in Scotland.
on April 18th, 2008 at 10:37 amOnce again, everyone has read this but me. I actually own it, and it is sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust:(
on April 27th, 2008 at 5:22 am[…] of a rape scene of a young boy and the ethnic tensions that the film highlights. 20. giraffe http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/02/23/the-no-1-ladies-detective-agency-by-alexander-mccall-smith/ This is the first book in the series and I plan on reading the rest of the titles which are (mainly […]
on June 14th, 2008 at 3:26 pm