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)

excellent narration

I really liked the performance of this book. The book was not at all what I expected it to be. Maybe I would have liked it better knowing the plot was... thin. It was a lot of set-up for the series, I'm sure. But I don't find myself dying to read more.

Excellent narration

What an incredible narrator. She added to the story and was spot on. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'd read it a long time ago and watched the television series. But this was by far my favorite way of hearing this story.

Enjoyable

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this, especially to a woman, because it portrays a resourceful, hard-working and wise woman.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not exactly on the edge of my seat, but intrigued. I liked the way the stories were interwoven.

Which character – as performed by Lisette Lecat – was your favorite?

The main character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It just felt good to get to know a down-to-earth heroine.

love the series

wonderful wisdom, characters, story makes you laugh and cry. Performance by Lisette Lecat is exceptional. love the No 1 ladies detective books. Makes you wish you could shop in for a cup of tea and a chat.

A sweet gentle soul takes on the world

I liked this book because there is no pretense that the protagonist has any special powers or abilities when it comes to solving cases. She is simply a good person who sees a need for detective work and does her best to find things out. The cases run the gamut from the silly to the serious. Ultimately, it is the characters who matter.

My new series obsession!

I watched the series on cable, and wanted to read the books. I'm so glad that I picked this up. I enjoyed it very much, and was able to really follow the character development separate from what was presented on TV.

I'm very squeamish about rape and abuse. I thought the author dealt with both tastefully. I did skip through some of the daddy's story in the mine, because I understood the gist of it. And, before I could skip through some of Precious' bad marriage to a bad man, it was over.

The narrator started out a little hard to listen to at first, but recognizing there are 10+ books, I thought I better pace myself with her! :)

Good read! I'm ready for the next.

A Great, Sweet Book

Less a novel, more a series of vignettes. Nevertheless, well-written. Precious' father's story is heartbreaking. The author has a way of bringing this little corner of Africa to life. The narrator was excellent. I'll definitely try the next book in the series.

Bring on the next book in this series

I enjoyed this book. I liked the main character and want to get the next book to continue her story and see what interesting cases she will solve next. It was an easy listen and perfect for the drive to/from work.

Not what you asked for, but what you needed.

I was unaware of what this book was about. I thought I was getting a cozy mystery of some sort. Let me tell you, it's so much better than that. It's basically a whole season of mysteries and character development in one book. Masterfully crafted with different mysteries intertwined with backgrounds stories of the characters involved. You will be invested. Very entertaining.

Very refreshing!

Going back to the beginning of this series felt so good. I recalled the origins of the characters and felt renewed.