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)

Loved this book...

I felt as if I were in Botswana living her life. Main Character is a strong woman living her life in a male dominated society... and making a huge difference. Be careful, leave yourself time, the book is hard to put down.

Wonderful book! Horrible narration...to me

Let me start off by saying that the author ALWAYS has a great story line! Vivid, descriptive and appealing. However, after deciding to listen to the books being read and hearing it being read by Lisette Lecat caused me to understand why I MUST continue to read Mr. McCall’s books. Not a good fit by any stretch of the imagination for me. How she read Mr. McCall’s work was like listening to what caucasians always think anything should sound like to them rather than what it truly is.
Perhaps her voice is the voice the author heard while he was writing as opposed to the robust and delightful sound of a rich black African voice...which all the books are about. It’s like knowing about the African Queen of Egypt Cleopatra but you get Liz Taylor to play her. Unfortunately for me it appears that Lisette Lecat is reading most if not all the books.

Superlative! Tremendously recommended!

I didn’t realize that I had not heard the very first book until I was preparing it for a book club choice, planning on finding a couple of short teasers to entice listeners new to Mma Ramotswe. OH! It was so delicious! Now that I have heard the first, I shall have to get through the rest... in order, of course. At this point, I probably will be hearing some of them like new since I have been enjoying them for these many years.
I am so excited to share these wonderful stories, and to enjoy the certain reactions of the members of this new book club.
To those who prefer to read the copy: the Audible version is much superior, if for no other reason than the lilting accents of the characters. And... some of the pronunciations cannot be transmitted via writing on paper; they must be heard. Lisette Lecat, being South African, does a spot-on job of narration.

Hang in there!

The first couple of hours is mostly taken with building the background of Precious. If you’re listening to this book for a mystery, hang in there. The mystery/detective part is coming and is worth waiting for!

Charming book

This book was a freebie and I thought I would try and see. It was charming and entertaining

Loved it.

Love that this book was simple but entertaining! And the narrators is amazing I hope she does all the books in this series

Wonderful!

This was my introduction to the series that seems to have taken the world by storm. What a lovely Adventure! The book itself is engaging, great characters that seem to come alive and a good storyline that draws you in and makes you care. And the narrator was fantastic! I would listen to her read anytime. I plan to purchase the whole series so that I can continue this journey with these down to earth characters
AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Essence of Africa

Lovely story--excitement, love, human nature. I like problems being solved, and the surprise ending was great!

Liked stories & reader did a great job

Got is book because I liked the series. Boom was great and enjoyed the performance very much. Have already purchased the second book of this series.

The no.1 ladies detective agency

This is one of my favorite series. The story is simple and sweet, the wisdom of the characters is touching and if everyone considered their place on earth and their relation to others with the same thoughtfulness as the people in these stories the world would a better place for all.