#Ladies number 1 detective agency series

1 Lady detective herself, the latter of which carries an air of integrity in all of her dealings, even if it’s something as mundane as pouring her clients a cup of red bush tea. McCall creates likeable characters whose heroism resides in their relatability such as Obed, J.L.B. It was this somewhat fable-like tone of the story, told in a mostly expository manner, that at times made it feel a bit mechanical and dull.

Rather it seems virtuous, almost proverbial, as though each case was like a fable that conveyed a moral at the end such as Don’t Cheat, Be Honest. His writing evokes the kind of simplicity that lacks the ornament of verbose narration.

I loved the ease with which he described looking out into the fields of cattle and the Kalahari, effortless and unexacting. McCall Smith has a writing style that is simple and engaging.

#Ladies number 1 detective agency series

The series has been adapted for both radio and television. The series was written by Scottish Author Alexander McCall Smith beginning in 1998 with the latest addition to the series being published recently in 2017. Armed with her faithful assistant and little white van, this unafraid, candidly spoken lady aims to be the best lady detective in the country. Along the way, she is presented with many a mystery that she is determined to solve.

1 Ladies Detective Agency is the first in a series of books, published in 1998 about a young woman Mma Precious Ramotswe* who after the death of her father and abusive marriage, decides to set up shop as Botswana’s one and only lady detective, much to her father’s disapproval. If, like me, your normal crime diet is the bleak, noir end of things, pour yourself a cup of redbush tea and prepare to be seduced by the no-nonsense Mma Ramotswe and her beloved Botswana.The No. These include her capable secretary Mma Makutsi, Happy Bapetsi and her conman father, Mr Paliwar Patel whose feisty teenage daughter is giving him cause for concern, and Precious's loyal friend and hesitant suitor Mr JLB Matekoni. One of McCall's strengths is his ability to provide a convincing supporting cast who complement but do not overshadow Precious. Beneath the understated prose and laconic humour, though, is a dark seam Obed Ramotswe's life in South African gold and diamond mines, Precious's short-lived and abusive marriage, the death of her child, witchcraft and kidnappings. The book is the first in a series, and by necessity dwells on Precious's past life, the death of her beloved father and on the difficult life he had led which allowed him to bequeath his daughter enough money to set up the detective agency. There are no gimmicks, no over-the-top flashiness instead, the reader is seduced by an affectionate portrayal of a culture. This is honest-to-goodness natural storytelling, which should be on the syllabus of any writing course. You can smell and see Botswana in every sentence of his impeccable, measured writing. And before too long she finds herself embroiled in cases ranging from stolen cars and wayward teenagers to impostors and kidnappers. Mma Ramotswe's claim to fame is that she has set up the only detective agency for ladies (sic) in Gaborone, Botswana. Rather, she is a comfortably-sized woman who enjoys a refreshing cup of redbush tea and who solves her cases through good, old-fashioned commonsense. You won't find her hanging around bars or cruising the mean streets. Precious Ramotswe is a private investigator with a difference.