The first book in the multi-million copy bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series
The one where it all begins
Mma Ramotswe is the proud proprietor of the finest ladies’ detective agency in all Botswana (also the only one). She spends her time, with a cup of redbush tea beneath the acacia tree, waiting for clients. When they come along, whether it is to enquire after a missing spouse or check the identity of a long-lost father, it is not The Principles of Private Detection that helps her to solve cases but old-fashioned common sense and a warm-hearted understanding of the fallibility of human nature – especially that of men.
‘Among the greatest comfort-reads of all time’ Sunday Times
‘Jolly and exhilarating’ Sunday Telegraph
‘The Miss Marple of Botswana’ New York Times Book Review
‘A publishing phenomenon’ Guardian
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Reviews
Among the greatest comfort-reads of all time
I haven't read anything with such alloyed pleasure for a long time
Precious Ramotswe is so kind, wise and good, and Alexander McCall Smith such a charming and elegant writer... you could read 300 pages of her simply stirring a pumpkin stew and gazing out benevolently at the sandy road in front of her Botswana porch and feel happy
A small slice of heaven
Hugely enjoyable
A publishing phenomenon
One of the most memorable heroines in any modern fiction
A rare pleasure
The Miss Marple of Botswana
Immersing yourself in Precious Ramotswe's life seems to slow your heart rate while sharpening your senses
A unique setting and range of characters... the vivid descriptions of Botswana means it becomes, in essence, another character... A lovely read with a gentle pace that will transport you to a whole other world
Full of warmth, fun, heat and dust
