THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 12
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 this latest installment in the charming, bestselling series, Precious Ramotswe faces two confounding cases: the mysterious fate of some cows, and the ghost-like reappearance of her dear old white van.
As Mma Ramotswe investigates the deaths of cows at a cattle post outside Gaborone, she finds herself also pursuing other mysteries closer to home. One of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s apprentices appears to have gotten a girl pregnant, and has run away to avoid marrying her. Meanwhile, Precious sees her beloved old van—sent to the junkyard long ago—trundling around the city again. Has the van been miraculously revived, or is she hallucinating? Further complicating matters are Violet Sephotho’s newly launched campaign for a seat in Botswana’s parliament, and Grace Makutsi’s growing fears that she’ll never be able to marry her fiancé Phuti Radiphuti if she can’t find the perfect pair of wedding shoes. As ever, Precious will draw on her trademark grace and wisdom as she helps unravel all these tangled threads.
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From the Publisher
“This is Mr. McCall Smith at his benevolent best.”—The Washington Times
“A visit with a cast of characters who seem like old and cherished friends.” —St. Petersburg Times
“Charming and hilarious. . . . McCall Smith’s world is . . . a sweet and timeless bubble with its own morality, language, and customs. Entering it can be a source of great comfort.” —The Seattle Times
“Mma Ramotswe’s fictional adventures and the lives of her fellow characters weave together like the intricate patterns of baskets. . . . Readers will come home from The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party well fed, well danced, and well hoping that Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi will be back.” —Sacramento Book Review
“[McCall Smith] again makes the sublime look easy. . . . [He] has few peers in capturing the quiet moments of people’s lives, and his empathetic lead has one of the biggest hearts in modern literature.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Endearing, amusing . . . sparkles with African sunshine and wit.” —The Dallas Morning News
“Irresistible.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Utterly charming and compulsively readable.” —Newsweek
“The pleasure of these sweet books lies in the clarity and gravity with which the characters reason through everyday dilemmas.” —Entertainment Weekly
“A potent mix of charm and whimsy.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“There is no murder, no international complications, no thrill a minute. Instead, the pace is slow, the geography appreciated in a quiet way, the small details celebrated—that is the pleasure of this series. All we need is a cup of red bush tea to complete the picture.” —San Jose Mercury News
“Satisfying—and surprising. . . . Will please fans and win converts.”—The Free Lance-Star
Whether you think of them as low stress mysteries or African cozies, Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels are irresistible. The twelfth installment of this beloved series breathes with the personalities of its main characters: Precious Ramotswe, Grace Makutsi, Phuti Radiphuti, Violet Sephotho, and all the rest. As always, the network of plots are woven into those personalities and as always, Mma Ramotswe confronts and solves personal problems that would embarrass hard-boiled American detectives, but will only charm any honest reader. Restful, arresting nighttime reading.
Publishers Weekly
It's a busy time for the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency as assistant detective Grace Makutsi is about to get married and must locate a pair of shoes that literally speak to her. Meanwhile, Precious Ramotswe has taken on a troubling case involving the murder of some of Botswana's beloved cattle. Additionally—and even more disturbing—both Precious and Grace have spotted what appears to be the ghost of Ramotswe's old white minivan rumbling about town. And apprentice mechanic Charlie, upon discovering that he's the father of twins, has disappeared. Lisette Lecat, a seasoned narrator of several previous books in McCall Smith's beloved mystery series, turns in another commanding performance. She deftly creates voices for every character—men, women, children, and even talking shoes—that are perfect down to the smallest detail. Lots of fun and totally charming, this winning audio version of McCall Smith's latest installment is not to be missed. A Little, Brown and Company hardcover. (March)
Library Journal
Precious Ramotswe dreams that she is driving her dear, departed white van—and then she learns that the van is out there, just waiting for her to find it. Meanwhile, an apprentice has gotten a girl pregnant, cattle are being poisoned, and Violet Sephotho is running for Parliament. A no-brainer for mystery fans; with a 12-city tour.
Kirkus Reviews
Four last-minute complications for the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to sort out before associate detective Grace Makutsi can tie the knot with furniture salesman Phuti Radiphuti.
Mma Precious Ramotswe's latest client, Botsalo Moeti, made no enemies working for a mining company, and he's hardly had the opportunity to make any as a farmer. So why has someone killed two of his cattle by cutting their Achilles tendons? Although a trip to his farm persuades Mma Ramotswe that he may have more enemies than he realizes, it doesn't tell her which of them is responsible. Meanwhile, as usual, "the lady to help people" (The Double Comfort Safari Club, 2010, etc.) must deal with problems closer to home. Charlie, the eternal apprentice mechanic at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, the establishment owned by Mma Ramotswe's husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, seems so determined to avoid Prudence Ramkhwane after she bears his twins that he runs away when he's taxed with his responsibilities. Violet Sephotho, Mma Makutsi's mantrap nemesis from Botswana Secretarial College, is standing for a parliamentary seat she's obviously unqualified for. And Mma Ramotswe has been sighting her beloved white van, which her husband sold for parts when he finally judged it beyond even his expertise to restore, around Gaborone. If it's true that "there is no heaven for cars," what should she make of these spectral visions?
Nothing very mysterious here, of course, but the solution to the problem of those dead cattle is wonderfully inconclusive, and you'll never get through the wedding with dry eyes.
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