Althought I read this novel some years ago I have done this review about the first book of the collection in order to follow a logical order in this work.
The No.1
Ladies’ Detective Agency
Alexander
McCall Smith
Detective
Story
Abacus 2008
(This novel was first published in 1998)
Firstly, the plot describes how Mma Ramostwe (an
African lady) changes her life because of her father’s death; with the money she
earns by selling the cows she inherits. Mma Ramostwe decides to set up a
ladies’ detective agency. The rest of
the story deals with the problems of the people she receives in the agency and
her own life events.
Speaking about the background of the novel, it happens in
Botswana where the author used to live and work. In this book we hear about
common problems in this country, but with a detailed description of the
beautiful countryside and generosity of its people.
In fact, the main themes that appear in this novel are the human nature, the truth and the lies and the sense of community. The last is evidenced in the way that they call each other preceded by brother or sister.
By the way,
one of the extraordinary aspects about this novel is that there is a principal case
that occurs all troughs the novel and it is inserted in other small
investigations, what makes it really entertaining.
In the end,
the way that Mma Ramostwe uses her life experiences to solve her cases makes
her an amazing detective.
