Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3) [Paperback]

Alexander McCall Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 2002

In Morality for Beautiful Girls, Precious Ramotswe, founder and owner of the only detective agency for the concerns of both ladies and others, investigates the alleged poisoning of the brother of an important “Government Man,” and the moral character of the four finalists of the Miss Beauty and Integrity Contest, the winner of which will almost certainly be a contestant for the title of Miss Botswana. Yet her business is having money problems, and when other difficulties arise at her fianc?’s Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, she discovers the reliable Mr J.L.B. Matekoni is more complicated then he seems.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Morality for Beautiful Girls, Ramotswe tangles with a feral child, the finalists in a beauty pageant and a suspicious cook.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

“The Miss Marple of Botswana.” –The New York Times Book Review

“I was enchanted by the character of Precious Ramotswe and the sly humor of Alexander McCall Smith’s writing, his deft evocation of a culture.” –Anthony Minghella

“Thoroughly engaging and entertaining.” –Los Angeles Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (November 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400031362
• ISBN-13: 978-1400031368
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alexander McCall Smith was born in what is now Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He is now Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He has written more than fifty books, including a number of specialist titles, but is best known for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which has achieved bestseller status on four continents. In 2004 he was awarded British Book Awards Author of the Year and Booksellers Association Author of the Year. He lives in Scotland, where in his spare time he is a bassoonist in the RTO (Really Terrible Orchestra).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detective Work African style!, August 12, 2002

By 

Fafa Demasio (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Morality For Beautiful Girls (Paperback)

Oh, how I'm enjoying the continuing series in the story of Mma. Ramotswe, owner of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Botswana, Africa! I love this strong African woman who is proud of who and what she is and where she is from and I'm highly entertained by the clients and other characters that she comes across.

"We help people with the problems in their lives. We are not here to solve crimes," Mma. Ramotswe tells one client. Not your average detective, she and her staff of one (Mma. Makutsi, her secretary turned-assistant detective) help people from different backgrounds with varied problems. Mma. Ramotswe even has a personal problem to resolve when her fiancée (Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors) starts acting in a strange manner without warning or reasoning.

I like the way the author brings out the close relationship between Mma. Ramotswe and Mr. Matekoni. The couple chooses to address each other formally but it is done in the context of respect, affection and love. The mannerisms and dialog between the other characters show the reader some of the cultural nuances in that part of the world.

The issue of morality -- how people treat each other, forgiveness, helping others -- comes up as the detectives work. On a job assignment, Mma. Makutsi goes in search of a beautiful girl with morals for a beauty pageant(hence the title). Mma. Ramotswe wrestles with the idea of whether some of her methods of detective work are moral.

Set to a vivid background of the dry but beautiful land of Botswana with its great Braham bulls and colorful people, Alexander McCall Smith describes scenes that remind me of the picturesque movies like OUT OF AFRICA and I DREAMED OF AFRICA.

MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS is another fun book to read.

Fafa Demasio

61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty more than skin deep, August 29, 2003

By 

dikybabe "admeyer" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3) (Paperback)

Mma Makutsi rises to her own in this volume of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective" series books. As Mma Ramtoswe feels the pinch economically and emotionally, what with moneys tight in the agency and the illness of her fiance, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni,she comes to rely on the unexpected talents and strength of her secretary. Mma Makutsi, with her too dark complexion and too big glasses, a less than "beautiful" specimen, shows true beauty in her no nonsense approach to taking on the business managerial load of Tolkweng Road Speedy Motors and its "lazy, girl crazy apprentices", as well as landing a big paying client for the detective agency. Mma Ramotswe doesn't exactly take the back seat, but as she wrestles with the case of depression of her normally steady and reliable Motekoni, she is able to see her secretary's best qualities. In fact, I found the very modern issue of medical depression quite fascinating, along with Mma Ramotswe's recognition of the need to read about it, and get help from the other strong woman in the series, Mma Potokwane, the director of the children's orphanage who relies on Rra Matekoni for help.

This volume of the series was very touching to me, as Precious Ramotswe takes on the case of an obnoxious Governmental Official who wants his own family investigated. Her wisdom in using the cultural courtesies of Botswana to interview the would be "culprits" and find a solution are just good sense. Her strength of character reinforces the issue of morality in the story.

Most amusing of all is the big money customer that Mma Makutsi obtains who requires a quick investigation into the character of four Miss Beauty and Integrity of Botswana candidates, a rush job with an unusual need and surprising resolution.

Best of all, Mma Makutsi shines in her managerial skills with the mechanics and customers of Speedy Motors, more than succeeding in bringing things in line for the ill owner and his intended bride. Her personal joy in receiving the opportunity to succeed in the business world makes her unusal character round out into a fully amusing and "beautiful" woman.

Mr. J. L. B.'s recuperative visit to the orphanage and connection with a wild child there further enrich his gentleman's character.

This is a reassuringly enjoyable read. A comfort and joy for the fans of Alexander McCall Smith's series.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusual location -- delightful characters, September 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Morality For Beautiful Girls (Paperback)

Morality for Beautiful Girls is third in a series about Precious Ramotswe, a lady detective in Botswana, Africa. For this Midwestern reader the landscape, weather, and daily life in Botswana were fascinating and clearly depicted.

This is not your typical mystery--there is no murder to be solved. Ramotswe and her assistant detective cleverly handle a couple of cases for clients, but her personal life is just as interesting: moving the office, caring for two foster children, and handling the auto repair shop belonging to her fiance who has suddenly begun acting strangely. Ramotswe deals with both the problems of her clients and her personal life in a thorough and straight-forward manner.

I had to buy the first two books in the series (The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, and Tears of the Giraffe) from Amazon.UK, so I was very happy to find this third book on Amazon.com.

For something just a little different--highly recommended.