The Miracle at Speedy Motors

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Lisette Lecat

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

In the latest installment of this infinitely enjoyable and best-selling series, Precious Ramotswe is doing what she does best--helping people with their problems and enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

Mma Ramotswe is busy investigating her latest case: a woman who is looking for her family. The problem is, the woman doesn't know her real name of whether any members of her family are now living. Meanwhile, Phuti Radiphuti has bought Mma Makutsi a glorious new bed. Unfortunately, it will inadvertently cause her several sleepless nights. And life is no less complicated at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni--Mma Ramotswe's estimable husband--has fallen under the sway of a doctor who has promised a miracle cure for his daughter's medical condition, which Mma Ramotswe finds hard to believe. But Precious Ramotswe deals with these difficulties with her usual grace and good humor, and in the end discovers that the biggest miracles in life are often the small ones.

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

©2008 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC.

Critic reviews

"Alexander McCall Smith's big-hearted Botswanan stories [allow] his readers to escape into a world of simple, picturesque pleasures and upstanding virtues." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"The best, most charming, honest, hilarious, and life-affirming books to appear in years." ( The Plain Dealer)

Continues to surprise and delight me!

Such wonderful characters! Very uplifting insights, with conflict resolutions so creative it kept me guessing! Loved this one! Even sad issues were so delicately handled I did not walk away heavy hearted.

Miracles....

I have never been to Botswana, but reading a book from this series is like coming home. Listening to this is a delight. I loved the voice inflections, the pauses, the story line. I will enjoy it again and again!!

always love these books

I have read most of the books in this Collection. They're always good clean fun .

Fun series!

I enjoy all of the mysteries, the setting, culture, and entertaining quirks of the main characters.

The Best

I have loved all The no.1 Detective Agency books, but this one is the warmest, wittiest, funniest of them all. It made me smile and put a lump in my throat. I envy anyone who still has this lovely book ahead of them.

I love this book

I could listen to this narrator read names out of the phone book and I think it would be excellent. But luckily, this book was a little more interesting than the phone book. I am so glad there is a new #1 Ladies Dectective Agency book out, I was beginning to have Mma Ramostsway (sp?) withdraw. As always it was a charming and excellent book.

Love the whole series

I have enjoyed this whole series and could listen to them all over again.

As usual, entertaining and spot on narration.

What did you love best about The Miracle at Speedy Motors?

I've read the series through this installment. I will be starting the next tonight. I would like to tell those who are looking for sex, murder and heavy stuff to steal clear. These books are about wonderful people coming to terms with a changing culture. They are gracious, kind and endearing. I fell like I want to know more people like these. There is meaning with every cup of bush tea ( my husband and I now drink bush tea several times a day after discovering the health benefits) but more than that, it makes me long for a different , more polite world. these books have hit me on a very deep emotional level that I find hard to articulate. For some they may mean nothing for others, well you will understand. Give them a try! There are some great life lessons and silliness for a good laugh out loud time.

What did you like best about this story?

The random musings and the outbursts of Grace.

Have you listened to any of Lisette Lecat’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

They are all beautiful.

If you could take any character from The Miracle at Speedy Motors out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Precious, no doubt.

Any additional comments?

I've enjoyed every single moment.

Mr JLB Matekoni is a softie, but don’t tell anyone!

As usual, Precious Ramotswe has her traditionally built self busy going around helping people solve their problems. Mma Makutsi learns about returning unkindness with kindness, and Mr Polopetsi just sort of hangs around. Charley and the other apprentice continue on their everlasting appreciation and promotion of girly relationships. And Mma Potokwame makes a relatively huge mistake- that is a blessing in disguise! Mr J L B Matekoni has hopes for a cure for Motholeli, their foster/adopted daughter, so she will not be wheelchair bound for life, and travels in hope for a favorable resolution.
I have read other reviews saying these books, or perhaps one of them, are boring. Mma Ramotswe is not the tv or movie type of detective; she carries no weapon, faces down no violent offenders, nor narrowly escapes dangerous adversaries. She just tries to make her little country in Africa, her beloved Botswana, a place to be proud of, using modern technology but keeping the old morality and manners.
These stories are boring for danger lovers, but more like real life for many of us. And every book has at least one underlying lesson. Personally, I love every one!
Long ago I had picked up a book, not the first in the series, at the library. After a few pages I looked at the subtitle and saw that there was a series. So, I stopped and went searching for the first one, to do them justice. Having read quite a number of them, later I joined Audible and started listening to the series, picking up on the next story, somewhere in the middle. All of a sudden, I knew what I had to do: I stopped listening right there and went back to the very first book, using Audible. I am now listening in order, from the first one, and have gotten this far. I have found that even though I had read many of them, listening adds so much that I absolutely cannot remember anything about what I read and each is new again. Wonderful!
Please, Mr Smith, never stop this series. It keeps growing, and I am going slowly, to make sure I never run out of tales from the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
And = What is Mr J L B Matekoni’s name... his FIRST three names....?
And = What is the name of the other apprentice, junior to Charley?
And = What is Charley’s last name?
And = What is Mr Polopetsi’s first name?
..... I guess we will all have to turn detective to find out!

These books are a pleasure to have read to me

I love these books because they are written with such a sense of humor. Sometimes I cry too!