The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Book 1) [Paperback]

Alexander McCall Smith (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 6, 2003

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 1

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. 

This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witchdoctors.

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two Booker Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, July 2001: Working in a mystery tradition that will cause genre aficionados to think of such classic sleuths as Melville Davisson Post's Uncle Abner or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee, Alexander McCall Smith creates an African detective, Precious Ramotswe, who's their full-fledged heir.

It's the detective as folk hero, solving crimes through an innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combined with an understanding of human nature, invariably penetrates into the heart of a puzzle. If Miss Marple were fat and jolly and lived in Botswana--and decided to go against any conventional notion of what an unmarried woman should do, spending the money she got from selling her late father's cattle to set up a Ladies' Detective Agency--then you have an idea of how Precious sets herself up as her country's first female detective. Once the clients start showing up on her doorstep, Precious enjoys a pleasingly successful series of cases.

But the edge of the Kalahari is not St. Mary Mead, and the sign Precious orders, painted in brilliant colors, is anything but discreet. Pointing in the direction of the small building she had purchased to house her new business, it reads "THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY. FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES. UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT."

The solutions she comes up with, whether in the case of the clinic doctor with two quite different personalities (depending on the day of the week), or the man who had joined a Christian sect and seemingly vanished, or the kidnapped boy whose bones may or may not be those in a witch doctor's magic kit, are all sensible, logical, and satisfying. Smith's gently ironic tone is full of good humor towards his lively, intelligent heroine and towards her fellow Africans, who live their lives with dignity and with cautious acceptance of the confusions to which the world submits them. Precious Ramotswe is a remarkable creation, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency well deserves the praise it received from London's Times Literary Supplement. I look forward with great eagerness to the upcoming books featuring the memorable Miss Ramotswe, Tears of the Giraffe and Morality for Beautiful Girls, soon to be available in the U.S. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The African-born author of more than 50 books, from children's stories (The Perfect Hamburger) to scholarly works (Forensic Aspects of Sleep), turns his talents to detection in this artful, pleasing novel about Mma (aka Precious) Ramotswe, Botswana's one and only lady private detective. A series of vignettes linked to the establishment and growth of Mma Ramotswe's "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" serve not only to entertain but to explore conditions in Botswana in a way that is both penetrating and light thanks to Smith's deft touch. Mma Ramotswe's cases come slowly and hesitantly at first: women who suspect their husbands are cheating on them; a father worried that his daughter is sneaking off to see a boy; a missing child who may have been killed by witchdoctors to make medicine; a doctor who sometimes seems highly competent and sometimes seems to know almost nothing about medicine. The desultory pace is fine, since she has only a detective manual, the frequently cited example of Agatha Christie and her instincts to guide her. Mma Ramotswe's love of Africa, her wisdom and humor, shine through these pages as she shines her own light on the problems that vex her clients. Images of this large woman driving her tiny white van or sharing a cup of bush tea with a friend or client while working a case linger pleasantly. General audiences will welcome this little gem of a book just as much if not more than mystery readers.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 235 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (February 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400034779
• ISBN-13: 978-1400034772
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.7 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (574 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

184 of 193 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Marple, move over! March 21, 2003

By JLind555

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Precious Ramotswe is a comfortable size-22 African lady (none of your Euro/American size 6's for her, thank you very much) with a fund of mother-wit and a penchant for minding other people's business. Having survived a disastrous, abusive marriage and the death of her infant son, she turns a small legacy from her late father, whom she adored, into "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency", the only one of its kind in Botswana, or maybe in all of Africa. From shaky beginnings with non-paying clients and chauvinistic male attitudes ("Who ever heard of a woman detective?" demands a border policeman; "Haven't you ever heard of Agatha Christie?" Mma Ramotswe shoots back, not missing a beat), she builds up a small but solid clientele that brings her problems to solve concerning cheating husbands, wayward daughters, malingering employees trying to commit insurance fraud; and a spectacularly sinister case involving a missing eleven year old boy who may or may not have been murdered for witchcraft purposes. Giving Mma Ramotswe quiet but ever-present moral support, while keeping her old car from falling apart, is Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, who loves every inch of Mma Ramotswe's ample frame and is patiently waiting for the brick wall of her resistance to marriage to crumble, so she can make him the happiest man on earth.

Smith has written an enchanting book that is can be described as a cross between an engaging detective story and a love poem to Africa. Mma Ramotswe is as warm and as solid as the red earth of Botswana; she loves every inch of the Africa she knows and identifies with and wouldn't live anywhere else. She embodies the African traits of deep ties to family and community, concern for one's neighbors, and respect for tradition. She commands respect and she gets it. Smith has added a delightful and enduring creation to the pantheon of famous detectives in fiction. Jane Marple, move over. Or rather, make a separate space for Mma Ramotswe. She deserves a pedestal of her own.

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Novel February 17, 2004

By Charlotte Proctor

Format:Paperback

I highly recommend that you read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith. The author was born in Africa, taught law at University of Botswana and is a professor of medical law at Edinburgh University. I feel confident he draws a realistic picture of life in Botswana. It is one of the emerging African nations, a landlocked country about the size of Texas, located just above South Africa. The Kalahari is right next-door.

The author writes about Africa as seen through the loving eyes of Mma Precious Ramotswe, who establishes the first detective agency in Botswana. This is a business she feels will fill a need in the community because people are always wanting to know something.

Mma Ramotswe is proud of her country, proud of the first President of her country even though no one remembers him now. Mma Ramotswe is about 35 years old when we meet her--a very likeable woman in control of her life. She is a fine figure of an African woman, not one of these skinny sticks of girls you see nowadays (in her words).

The clients who come to her agency each have a story of his or her own. They are told in a simple and direct way and are all the more powerful for their simplicity. For instance: an old man shows up claiming to be a woman's long lost Daddy. She would care for him and gladly give him a home, as is her duty-if he really is her Daddy. Mma Ramotswe is hired to find out. You'll have to read the book to find out for yourself!

She had been married when she was young, but the man was gone now, leaving nothing but pain behind. She has no dearth of suitors now, but she is an independent woman with a business, and thinks she does not need a husband.

Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, a good man and owner-operator of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, is one of her many admirers. He wants to marry her. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni says, "Yes, a country needs Government men, it needs doctors and nurses and teachers. But it also needs mechanics for the cars of these important people." He visits the local orphanage to keep its water pump in good working order and tune up or repair its vehicle.

The stories told in this little book are at once shocking and familiar. They are stories of human nature. It is easy to find similarities to her stories in our own lives. These are good people and their stories will draw you right in.

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a fun book to read! April 1, 2002

By Fafa Demasio

Format:Paperback

"No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," introduces the reader to "Precious Ramotswe, citizen of Botswana, daughter of Obed Ramotswe who died because he had been a miner and could no longer breathe." Instead of calling her Precious Ramotswe, everyone commonly addresses the story's heroine as Mma. Ramotswe.

We read about Mma. Ramotswe life growing up and that of her father who worked as a miner and later became a prosperous cattle owner. When her father passes away, being the only child, Mma. Ramostswe becomes the recipient of a sizable amount of money. She decides to use the funds to establish what will become the first detective agency in Botswana (in the southern part of Africa). This decision will make her "the first and only lady private detective in the whole of Botswana..." When others scoff at or try to dissuade her about the idea of female detective, Mma. Ramotswe deftly points to the well-known mystery writer, Agatha Christie who solved many mysteries through popular characters such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple.

This portly, intelligent and amusing woman is an unlikely character, in an unlikely setting - Africa. But why not? There are mysteries to be solved everywhere and by anyone.

Mma. Ramotswe's cases are amusing - they range from imposters, missing husbands, lost children, to stolen property and more. What is interesting is the way the premier lady detective solves her cases and handles herself in particular situations and with others.

Author Alexander Mc Call Smith, who is also a law professor, was born in Zimbabwe (southern part of Africa) and educated in that country as well as in Scotland. He successfully captures the true essence, mannerisms, greetings and culture of Africa and its characters that are proud to come from that continent.

In addition to Botswana and South Africa, other countries such as Ghana, Nigeria (countries in West Africa), Lesotho, Mozambique, and Malawi (countries in the southern part of Africa, not to be confused with South Africa) are mentioned as well. If you are unaware of these countries, it is a nice learning experience.

After reading "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," you'll feel as if you've been to Botswana and solved a few cases, yourself! Read it, you'll enjoy it!

Fafa Demasio