The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Lisette Lecat

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

This remarkably fresh and charming best seller took the world by storm upon its publication. It has since earned two Booker Judges' Special Recommendations and was voted one of the "International Books of the Year and the Millennium" by the Times Literary Supplement.

Mma "Precious" Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, making her the only female detective in the country. At first, cases are hard to come by. But eventually, troubled people come to Precious with a variety of concerns. Potentially philandering husbands, seemingly schizophrenic doctors, and a missing boy who may have been killed by witch doctors all compel Precious to roam about in her tiny van, searching for clues.

Chosen as a Top Ten Mystery by the Organization of Independent Booksellers, U.S.A., The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is that rare novel that imparts a sage wisdom while inspiring hearty laughter and lasting smiles.

Listen to the other titles in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

©1998 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Paperback, 2003
• Edgar Allan Poe Award Winner, Best First Novel by an American Author, 1998

"One of the most entrancing literary treats of many a year...A tapestry of extraordinary nuance and richness." (Wall Street Journal)
"An artful, pleasing novel...General audiences will welcome this little gem of a book just as much if not more than mystery readers." (Publishers Weekly)
"Smart and sassy...Precious' progress is charted in passages that have the power to amuse or shock or touch the heart, sometimes all at once." (Los Angeles Times)

highly recommended

This is a gentle and loving story read by a brilliant narrator. Highly recommended for all ages.

Wonderful story, full of surprises

When I bought this audio book I had never heard of the series so I was delighted to find it was the first of many. After listening to this one I immediately purchased the other books in the series (I think there are 4 or 5). Having listened and not read all of the books in the series, I'm not sure of the spelling of the detective's name, but it sounds like Maura Motswe. Anyway, she is he lady who starts the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Botswana. The reader reads the book in a wonderful lilting voice and immitates the characters in the book very well. The author uses wonderful language to describe Africa and it's easy to imagine being there yourself. I found this entire series very enjoyable, very easy to listen to, and one that I will want to listen to again and again. A fun and uplifting reading experience. My husband really enjoyed the books as well, so this is definitely not a "Ladies' only" recommendation!

Not what I was expecting

I'll say up front that this wasn't a terrible book, but it was certainly a puzzling one. I think it has a certain appeal to it, but I wouldn't consider it to be a "must read". In fact, I think you should probably understand the nature of this book a little better before you buy it, because if you expect it to be something other than what it is you're bound to be disappointed.

One thing this book is most decidedly *not* is a good detective story. Every single case in this book is completely straightforward. There are absolutely no red herrings, surprise twists, clever maneuvers, or brilliant feats of deduction. All that ever happens is that Ramotswe gets a case, she makes some inquiries, figures out the truth, and solves the case.

She's apparently smart and hard working, but a little amateurish - she gets caught twice while she's tailing a suspect, and at one point is even outsmarted by a teenage girl. The last case, the one revolving around the missing boy, was particularly silly since the clue that lead her to the conclusion turned out to have nothing to do with the boy whatsoever.

The story starts out by talking a little bit about Ramotswe and her father and the situation that lead to her opening the detective agency. Then it narrates a certain case that she took up regarding a question of identity. After that, the book takes a puzzling turn and starts narrating the life story of Ramotswe father. Then that leads into the life story of Ramotswe herself. This goes on for quite some time.

This part of the story wasn't completely uninteresting, but it did really throw me for a loop. I wasn't expecting something like that in a book that was supposed to be about a ladies' detective agency.

After this the book settles down to narrate how Ramotswe set up her business, gets her first case, and how she builds her business through time.

In spite of what some other people have said, this book is not character driven. The characters, for the most part, are completely flat and uninteresting. There's a little bit of depth to Ramotswe which comes from some of the things she went through as narrated in her life story, but during the rest of the book she experiences almost no character development. I think there may be some character development at the very end, which I won't reveal except to say that she changes her mind about something. But if felt abrupt, like it just suddenly happened without anything leading into it.

What this book is, is a story about Botswana. Ramotswe is just there to be the eyes through which to observe the story of this land and culture. Her detective agency is the vehicle that moves the story along by allowing her to interact with all different sorts of people who make up Botswana society. It's a story about understanding life in this foreign country through the concerns of the people who visit Ramotswe to ask for her help.

I think there's a ring of authenticity to the account, though I'd have to ask a Botswanan to be certain. The author isn't a native of Botswana, though he did live there for some years. Whether the story would sound authentic to a native's ears I cannot say, but it's certainly an interesting impression of the land and culture from somebody who has actually been there.

If you're expecting a riveting detective novel, an intricate plot, or a cast of memorable characters, you're bound to be disappointed with this book. Don't buy it. But if you want to hear an interesting story about the life and times of the people of Botswana, then I think you'll get a good deal of enjoyment out of this book, and you certainly *should* buy it. It's easy to see that the book has a dedicated following of readers who've enjoyed it tremendously.

Just know what you're getting into, and don't expect more from the book than it offers.

Love It!!!

I couldn't stop listening and then I kept finding myself getting REALLY into it. It's refreshing to have a book like this one and I can't wait to get the others!!!

Delightfully surprised.

I didn't know what to expect from this author. I was just hoping for a story/series that would be something similar to Sherlock, Sookie Stackhouse, or even Stephanie Plum; something that would serve to entertain, cleanse. and distract my mind during my work travels. It was exactly that. What wonderfully original and captivating stories! AMSmith has the ability to bring the reader right into the story, which is an important technique when the reading audience might not be so familiar with the culture of Botswana. He made me feel as if I were newly immersed in Botswana, gently and thoughtfully situated into a comfortable spot for observation, safe from the black Mamba, the equatorial heat, and the rancid drinking water. I didn't want to miss a single word of the story. During the day, I would listen to the audiobook and at bedtime, I watched the HBO TV series of the same name and it rounded out my reading experience in a way that I never dreamed possible. The series has been great for discussion with others who have read these books too. My most memorable quote from the book: " Talking about pumpkins doesn't make them grow." There is something that should be mentioned though. My daughter read the paper version of the stories and found the pronunciation of the African names to be a stumbling block and after reviewing the print copy, I agreed that it would have been the same for me. I whole-heartedly recommend the audiobook version for this series of books.

Gave it a second chance

I had started reading this book some time back and couldn't get into it. I decided to give it another try. I enjoyed it and the reader and am now looking forward to listening more in the series.

Oh, how I hated for this story to end!

I bought this listen based on the reviews, and it didn't disappoint. It was interesting, well-written, and the narration was perfect. This book will have me thinking about it for a long time, and I look forward to listening to others by the same author and narrator. Now "this" is quality at its best!
I discovered that this is the first in this series, and I've used one of my prized credits to get the next listen - yah for me, as there are many in this series.

two thumbs up

Excellent narrator, beautiful story. Very interesting plot that educates one about the area where the story is taking place and has a delightful feminist message

Book review

It was a fun book. I’m hoping to hear more of her books. Lots of laughs.

Lovely, soothing and fun!

Loved everything about this book! Fell in love with our #1 Lady Detective! The narration was wonderful!