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A "fixer of lives," Mma Ramotswe is a specialist in the ways of men, a rabid hunter of all things fishy and uncertain, and a personal confidant for the people in Gaborone, the largest city in Botswana and site of the only detective agency for ladies in the country.

In his entrancing detective novel, Smith reveals the interesting and unexpected ways that traditional methods of detection must be altered and adapted to fit the singular and distinctive culture that is Africa. To solve the crimes and situations she confronts, Mma Ramotswe must rely heavily on her remarkably keen sense of humanity, intuition, and sharp intellect. In doing so, the reader also learns a good deal about the physical, political, and social landscape of this small African country and the larger continent.
In contrast to the hard-boiled detective of most mysteries who hardly take time for coffee, Mma Ramostwe knows and acknowledges the importance of even the simplest life-sustaining rituals. "She stopped. It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin. That brought you down to earth. That gave you a reason for going on. Pumpkin." (81) Like Mma Ramostwe, the people of Botswana are concerned with the business of life, and in her practical, perceptive way, Mma aids her fellow countrymen and women in this essential pursuit of happiness.

In sharing Mma Ramostwe's stories, Smith delights the reader with a rare glimpse of humanity in all its radiance and unembellished truth.


A Fixer of Lives   March 15, 2002
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Rare among works of detective fiction are stories suffused with joy rather than fear and suspense, but Alexander McCall Smith's _The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency_ celebrates the role of detective rather than elaborating on its dangers. This is not to say that the novel does not deal with serious matters: Precious Ramotswe, the No. 1 Lady Detective of Botswana, faces insurance fraud, medical malpractice, abduction, and even the potential killing of children for magical potions, but she performs her feats of detection primarily out of love for the people of Botswana. She is a "fixer of lives," an exceptional figure in a genre of characters concerned with bringing criminals to justice out of a desire for vengeance. Precious Ramotswe's position as a pioneering female detective contributes to the novel's unique tone. Many of her cases revolve around the domestic - missing husbands, impersonators of family members, lost children - but Precious Ramotswe works within the traditionally female realm to subvert and surpass it. She beats the often pompous and self-satisfied men in the novel at their own game, accomplishing her goals with wit and sensitivity and emerging from early life struggles with good-natured wisdom. This touch of the personal infuses Smith's novel with a uniquely human sympathy, appropriate for the story of Precious Ramotswe's maturation, and for Botswana, historically exempted from the severest political turmoil of its fellow African nations.

Smith's light, spare style adds to the charm of _The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency_; the narration glides from anecdote to anecdote with the grace of beads sliding down a string. If the novel suffers from anything, it would be that the individual detection stories seem too loosely strung together and that the secondary characters sometimes lack development. But Smith is less concerned with the process of uncovering a single mystery than with the growth of the central detective: each story uncovers another of Precious Ramotswe's talents. A novel of hope and healing, _The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency_ reinvents detective fiction for a distinctively African, distinctively female world, weaving a tale of cleverness and warmth as it rejoices in the vibrancy of African life.


Precious Mystery   March 12, 2002
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Alexander McCall Smith deserves praise for not only writing a great mystery, but for writing several.

And I don't just mean multiple books. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a top-notch series of mysteries with clever, sometimes hilarious resolutions. Whether it's read all at once or in pieces, it plays perfectly. Almost every chapter stands on its own as a great mystery with an intriguing set-up and a satisfying wrap-up.

The main character, Precious Ramotswe, runs the titular organization with only the help of a secretary. It's no mean feat for her agency to be number one, since it is the only ladies' detective agency in Africa. Competition is slim but when she opens up shop, she discovers that demand is high. People all over the city are in need of feminine detective work. No one expects a female private investigator, though a little girl who she is trailing for her father spots her while being followed.

Precious is a remarkably appealing character. We are given her background history in rich detail and it explains quite well why she feels and thinks the way she does. She's had it rough and wants nothing more than everyone else to have it much easier. She is trying to change the world for the better. And best of all, she has a tremendous wit. Her methods for solving problems and dealing with difficulties utilize both ingenuity and comical deception. She pretends to be a witness to an accident, a nurse, a seductress, and a policewoman on her separate investigations. She gets to shoot an alligator between the eyes as well as demand a blood transfusion to prove the identity of a parent. Within the context of the story, these unexpected twists are jarring and highly memorable.

The persistence of one of her friends, Mr. Matekoni, to get her to marry him is hilarious and makes for a funny, unexpected ending. It shows her iron will throughout the book and lets the reader into her head about her true feelings and why she feels compelled to lock some of her emotions away. Precious is deeply textured and her actions are never predictable.

One funny, involving mystery after another plus characters with genuine heart make this a real winner. Smith's Agency is number one, all right.


Enchanting   March 8, 2002
 16 out of 17 found this review helpful

The dry, endless land of Botswana is the unlikely backdrop of Alexander McCall Smith's detective novel (the first in a series) and the beloved home of his creative, unorthodox P.I. Precious Ramotswe. The resilient Mma Ramotswe, having survived a brief, abusive marriage, the loss of her child, and the death of her father, sells the cattle she inherits to start the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (wryly noted as the only one of its kind in the country) and proceeds to deftly handle a string of seemingly disparate domestic cases before getting caught up in the sinister circumstances surrounding an abducted boy. Smith crafts more than a detective in the character of Precious, however, as Precious defies cultural expectations by being a one- woman community service, a confidante for those who need somehow to reclaim their own lives. The novel subtly presents a landscape of changing cultural and gender roles as well as the tensions that arise between those citizens who honor the traditional African family bonds and those parasites that would give the old traditions a bad name. But Smith's hand isn't heavy, and his humor is like a warm desert breeze. Finally, his work is a vibrant celebration of Africa and those Africans who strive for a good, peaceful life. The heart of the book is contained in the epigrammatic shape:
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The shape of the continent--Precious--Mother Africa--- a good, fat woman!


great book!!!   March 7, 2002
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Mma Ramotswe, an ordinary citizen with absolutely no proper investigative training, uses her inheritance to set up the first ladies' detective agency. While the idea that a woman could not possibly be a detective arises a number of times, neither the book nor its characters directly question Mma Ramotswe's qualifications as a detective. Although she purchases a detective guide-book, its rules and advice cannot be applied to her cases verbatim. Instead, she relies on her innate skills as an African woman that more easily aid in the unraveling of the community mysteries. Early on, Mma Ramotse points out to an attorney that women are more observant than men. Upon sensing his objections, she readily informs him that he has forgotten to zip his fly. Aside from its humor, the beauty of this book is McCall Smith's ability to blend splendid descriptions of Africa's vast landscape with Mma Ramotswe's personal narrative and to show how that product remains very much alive in her heart and in her behavior. In a culture where female dependence is embedded in history, Mma acts with extraordinary strength and courage. It is her painful experience with her own run-away husband and her unique relationship with her father that shed light on her investigations and ultimately enable her to reconcile the fragments of her own life. In this way, her endeavors give voice to many similar unrecorded stories that have been historically gagged.