there is of course a whole host of deliciously appealing characters still waiting in the wings. What else does a detective agency really need?'Ī few economically descriptive lines of introduction, and the scene is perfectly set.Īs well as the perpetually endearing, big-hearted, and big-bodied Mma Precious Ramotswe herself. And three mugs - one for herself, one for her secretary, and one for the client. There was a teapot, in which Mma Ramotswe - the only lady private detective in Botswana - brewed redbush tea. These were its assets: a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, and an old typewriter. 'Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of the Kgale Hill. He is married to a doctor and has two daughters. ![]() In March of 2011 he received an award from the President of Botswana for his services through literature to that country.Īlexander McCall Smith lives in Edinburgh. He holds honorary doctorates from nine universities in Europe and North America. ![]() He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2004 and a CBE for service to literature in 2007. Earlier stand alone novels include 'La’s Orchestra Saves the World' and 'Trains and Lovers: A Hearts Journey'.Īlexander is also the author of collections of short stories, academic works, and over thirty books for children. This year there will also be a stunning book on Edinburgh, 'A Work of Beauty: Alexander McCall Smith’s Edinburgh'. 2014 sees publication of three new novels which fall into this area: 'The Forever Girl' 'Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party' and 'Emma' – a reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel. In addition to these series, Alexander writes stand-alone books. This series won two major cross-media awards - Association of Online Publishers Digital Publishing Award 2009 for a Cross Media Project and the New Media Age award. These include the Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in The Scotsman, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the Von Igelfeld series, and the Corduroy Mansions series, novels which started life as a delightful (but challenging to write) cross-media serial, written on the website of the Telegraph Media Group. Then, after the publication of his highly successful 'No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency' series, which has sold over twenty million copies, he devoted his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty-six languages and become bestsellers through the world. His career has been a varied one: for many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the United Kingdom and abroad. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Īlexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s most prolific and most popular authors. General audiences will welcome this little gem of a book just as much if not more than mystery readers. 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. 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. ![]() 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 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. 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. A series of vignettes linked to the establishment and growth of Mma Ramotswe's "No. 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.
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