Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 a good present for your mum September 1, 2008
i was stuck for my mums birthday so i got her this she really enjoyed it and would definately reckomend it
yet again truly amazing July 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this recent book. I always love reading about the adventrues of Mme Ramstowe. This particular book was amazing as her well loved husband got involved in an adventure with their adopted daughter, which turned out in the end although it was not what we all expected to happen. Alexander your ability to keep writing quality books on the same theme is truly amazing. I love your books. I am waiting to read the new 44 Scotland addtion and I will write a review on that one to.
Prizes little-noticed June 8, 2008
We're all familiar with the big miracles: the little child as sole survivor of an airplane crash or the earthquake victim pulled alive from rubble a week after the event. Precious Ramotswe, however, is sensitive to the other kind, the little miracles with long-term meaning for family affairs. Founder of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency of Gabarone, Botswana, Precious has been rather miraculous in her own right. She solves others' problems, counsels her colleague, Grace Makutsi. Precious has also has an ongoing miracle with her husband, Mr JLB Matekoni, owner of Speedy Motors on the Tlokweng Road. But all that good fortune, and the notoriety gained thereby, seems to have produced an enemy, who is sending her threatening letters.
McCall Smith's many volumes in this series has allowed him to fill and strengthen his regular characters, while introducing drop-ins who never fail to leave an impact. Charlie, Mr JLB Matekoni's shop apprentice is a fine example. Appearing regularly in a minor role, Charlie seems readily predictable: brash, self-centred and arrogant, he seems destined never to mature. Is he a candidate for things miraculous? McCall Smith's portrayals are the foundations around which these fine stories are constructed. This may well be the peak effort, a finely written and gripping tale of mystery and resolution.
Precious' skills as a detective are on full display here, as is her humanity. She faces a serious challenge from the letters. Tracking down their originator will be a daunting task. Is she up to facing a serious enemy? Woven into this story is a shift in Mr JLB Matekoni's relations with Precious. A sudden act of independence might lead to tragedy for the family and his workshop. Yet, because the act is one of deep humanity, Precious is unable to resist his desire to see if their crippled adopted daughter, Motholeli can be successfully treated. Grace Makutsi becomes caught up in a web of deceit and fabrications. Is the web so tight it may choke her engagement to Phuti Radiphuti, owner of the Double Comfort Furniture Shop?
One thing you may count on with McCall Smith is a reasonably happy ending. At least, there are no serious tragedies to cope with. This one is no different, except in the sense that "miracles" must be openly defined. That is, after all, how real life works. The author brings you to his conclusions with his usual grace and wit. Applying many depths to his stories and their protagonists, a McCall Smith can be taken up again with no regrets. This one is unquestionably one of those. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
 Another delightful read from the number one ladies detective agency May 31, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A typically gentle tale by the author of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency. If you've never read them before I highly recommend starting with the first one. There is little in the way of what fans of crime fiction will think of as 'detecting' here. Instead we slow the pace and become embroiled in the lives of Mma Ramotswe, her assistant Mma Makutsi and a whole host of supporting extras. The story moves on in tiny increments through each volume and if you haven't followed it from the first it can be hard to immerse yourself in what at first seems like such a slow pace.
Once you gear down into the Botswana way of doing things you will find these books charming, entertaining and at times profound.
Mma Ramotswe relies on the detective's bible by Clovis Anderson and copious pots of redbush tea to see her through the ins and outs of the problems people bring her. She becomes entangled with tracing the relatives of an orphan, discovering the author of some poison pen letters and helping Mma Makutsi deal with the trauma of a ruined marital bed. In the meantime, Mr. J.L.B Matekoni thinks he may have found a miracle to help him cure their adopted daughter Motholeli.
A lovely, thoughtful and delightful read.
A cup of tea, a slice of cake, and thou May 13, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
The ninth book in the series brings both woes and wisdom for the ladies of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This time there are only two clients with cases to solve, but the domestic affairs of Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi take centre stage.
Mma Makutsi and her splendidly named fiance Phuti Radiphuti are closer than ever to setting a date for the wedding, but when she picks out a snazzy new bed with red hearts on the headboard, she gets more heartache than she bargained for.
Mma Ramotswe is concerned over the growing outspokenness and self-confidence of Mma Makutsi, who after all, is soon to be married to the owner of a thriving furniture store, but she can't stop to dwell on the situation, because her own husband Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has been talked into spending a fortune on a miracle cure for their daughter.
As far as the cases go, Mma Ramotswe has to find the family of a client who doesn't know her own real name, her birthday, or even if she has any family at all. Mma Makutsi's case is to find out whether a tenant is pulling a fast one on his landlord. At the same time, both ladies are trying to solve the mystery of the menacing letters.
After lots of awkward moments due to wrong conclusions, mistaken beliefs, incorrect information and erroneous assumptions, the ladies realize that the best road to happiness is to be true to yourself, honest to others, and to recognize the everyday miracles that we often take for granted.
For those now starting the series, the titles so far are:
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
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
The Miracle at Speedy Motors
Easy to read, and overflowing with the gracious charm of its traditionally built central character, this series is ideal for people on the go who need a couple of hours to get away from it all. Chatty, relaxing and familiar, make sure you save some time to kick back with a cup of tea and the ladies of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
Amanda Richards
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