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| Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3) | 
 enlarge | Author: Alexander Mccall Smith
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $12.94 (100%)
New (127) Used (344) Collectible (6) from $0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  92 reviews
Sales Rank: 12078
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 227
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 1400031362
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9781400031368
ASIN: 1400031362
Publication Date: November 12, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Ships Next Business Day!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Utterly wonderful, simple cases, appreciatively humourous author April 30, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The British Edition of the third book in the Precious Ramotswe No 1 Ladies Detective series
I absolutely adore this series and I have no idea why I didn't discover them earlier. Alexander McCall Smith has a wonderful appreciation of language, idiosycracies of character and a sympathetic eye for nuance of language and manners which make this book (and this series) one of the best reads I have had. A series which I will continue to read over and over
In this, the third book of the series of Precious Rambotswe and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, she is given some problems which only she can solve. Her fiance Mr J B L Matekoni has lost interest in his business, the Tlekwoni Rd Speedy Motors, and the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency is not doing as well as it might, putting the assistant detective, Mma Makutsi's latest promotion in danger. Mma Makutsi scored 97% in the final exam at the Botswana Secretarial college but does not wish to return to being simply a secretary. There are not enough secretarial jobs around especially for a secretary who is not pretty.
Precious is asked by a Government man to investigate his sister in law who he believes is poisoning his brother. She must also investigate the strange case of the boy who may think he is a lion and is now residing at the Orphan Farm. So Precious sets off for the Government mans farm to investigate (under cover) leaving the No. Ladies detective agency and the Tlekowni Rd Speedy Motors in the capable management of Mma Matuksi. Righly so for after she leaves Mma Matuksi receives a visit from the manager of the the Beauty and Integrity pageant. He wants to make sure the winner of this years contest is worthwhile, and not a bad woman like last years one who was arrested for prostitution and brought the Beauty and Integrity paegeant into disrepect - especially with the sponsors.
Alexander McCall Smith writes of his characters with real affection. Everything is worked out and it is all very small stuff - just as you would expect a detection agency would in a small town. The characters are steeped with the morals and manner (and language) of their place in society - that is of a traditional Botswanan society fighting the onslsught of modern manners.
There are genuinely hilarious moments, but mostly it is the gentle and sweet. I adore these, there are no car chases, or dramatic finales, they are simple tales, told with simple affection.
Utterly wonderful, simple cases, appreciatively humourous author April 30, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I absolutely adore this series and I have no idea why I didn't discover them earlier. Alexander McCall Smith has a wonderful appreciation of language, idiosycracies of character and a sympathetic eye for nuance of language and manners which make this book (and this series) one of the best reads I have had. A series which I will continue to read over and over
In this, the third book of the series of Precious Rambotswe and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, she is given some problems which only she can solve. Her fiance Mr J B L Matekoni has lost interest in his business, the Tlekwoni Rd Speedy Motors, and the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency is not doing as well as it might, putting the assistant detective, Mma Makutsi's latest promotion in danger. Mma Makutsi scored 97% in the final exam at the Botswana Secretarial college but does not wish to return to being simply a secretary. There are not enough secretarial jobs around especially for a secretary who is not pretty.
Precious is asked by a Government man to investigate his sister in law who he believes is poisoning his brother. She must also investigate the strange case of the boy who may think he is a lion and is now residing at the Orphan Farm. So Precious sets off for the Government mans farm to investigate (under cover) leaving the No. Ladies detective agency and the Tlekowni Rd Speedy Motors in the capable management of Mma Matuksi. Righly so for after she leaves Mma Matuksi receives a visit from the manager of the the Beauty and Integrity pageant. He wants to make sure the winner of this years contest is worthwhile, and not a bad woman like last years one who was arrested for prostitution and brought the Beauty and Integrity paegeant into disrepect - especially with the sponsors.
Alexander McCall Smith writes of his characters with real affection. Everything is worked out and it is all very small stuff - just as you would expect a detection agency would in a small town. The characters are steeped with the morals and manner (and language) of their place in society - that is of a traditional Botswanan society fighting the onslsught of modern manners.
There are genuinely hilarious moments, but mostly it is the gentle and sweet. I adore these, there are no car chases, or dramatic finales, they are simple tales, told with simple affection.
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency always fun... April 6, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
All of the books in this series are wonderful. They are light, fun, entertaining and a little intriguing. Morality for Beautiful Girls has a fun little twist with JLB Matekoni. If you are sensitive with the contents of books this does contain some very light (pretty innocent) talk about certain types of girls but would still probably pass at the "G" level.
Start at the beginning of the series and read them all!! I am on my 4th time through...
Mma Makutsi Finds a Moral Girl April 6, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Morality for Beautiful Girls (2002) is the third volume in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, following Tears of the Giraffe. In the previous volume, Precious Ramotswe has united a woman with her grandson. Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni has acquired two foster children, who now live in the house on Zebra Road; the girl, Motholeli, is very interested in automobiles and engines, so Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni believes that he has finally found someone to whom he can pass on his knowledge and passion for cars. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni also has lost his maid, who was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm.
In this novel, Precious Ramotswe plans the merger of the offices and staffs of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage. Mma Makutsi assures her that she can straighten out the garage files. Then Mma Ramotswe discovers that Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni is suffering from depression and unable to concentrate on any of his work. The two apprentices are mostly goofing off and getting very little work done. Precious offers the position of assistant manager of the garage to Mma Makutsi in addition to her other duties. The new assistant manager soon takes charge, motivating the apprentices and satisfying the customers.
Mma Pakotwane asks Precious for some advice concerning a child newly received by the orphanage. The child will not wear clothes and is unable to speak. Moreover, one of the men who found the child in the wild stated that the boy smelled of lions.
Mma Ramotswe reluctantly takes on a big case for a very important Government Man, who believes that his brother is being poisoned by the brother's new wife. Mma goes to live with the family for a while and even gets poisoned along with most of the family.
While Precious is away, Mma Makutsi takes on a case for Mr. Moemedi Pulani concerning the participants in the Miss Beauty and Integrity contest. Mr. Pulani is well known in Botswana for his beauty pageants and contributions to charity. However, two scandals in recent pageants have persuaded him to consider integrity as well as beauty in the contestants. While he has tried to weed out the immoral girls, he is beginning to think that he has not done that good of a job. He asks Mma Makutsi to investigate the five remaining participants and determine which are moral enough to meet his standards. He wants the job done within three days.
Highly recommended for McCall Smith fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of foreign places with interesting people.
-Bill Jordin
 the series ambles along January 31, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
By now you will be familiar with this pleasant series with its gentle approach to the world of crime in Botswana. This third volume continues in that vein and is a nice progression of the ongoing storylines.
However, if I am to be overly critical the cracks are starting to show and the formulaic nature of the plots and narrative style are firmly in place, showing no signs of moving on.
If you like the tone and style then this is no bad thing. I tend to approach these books as light relief between more heavy reads. They really don't stand up too well to critical analysis but they remain good fun.
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