The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection

By: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrated by: Lisette Lecat

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series has become a worldwide phenomenon thanks to the appeal of endearing protagonist Precious Ramotswe and the author’s charmingly quirky prose. In this 13th installment, Mma Ramotswe’s attention is focused on a pesky disciplinary problem at her adopted daughter’s school - while Grace Makutsi adjusts to wedded bliss and the famed Clovis Andersen arrives in Botswana looking for more than bush tea.

©2012 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

This series + this narrater = great entertainment

This series is best enjoyed with a really good narrator and Lisette Lecat is that. Her reading brings the characters to life. Since there are many unfamiliar places and names in Botswana hearing them pronounced correctly contributes to the enjoyment of these books. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is not "serious literature" but it is great fun and very entertaining. The characters are engaging and the insight into the day to day lives of "ordinary" people in Botswana is interesting. This book is the latest in the series and does not disappoint. I would recommend starting to listen to the series from the beginning since there are many references to events and people from the earlier books, so knowing some of the background of the characters does add to the enjoyment. It is like visiting old friends from far away.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Another gem

Where does The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Whenever there is a new book in the series from the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency I jump on buying it. This is such a charming series with characters that I have grown to love and almost think of as real. I envision them living their lives in Jabarony in Botswana and each of these books is a snapshot of what they have been doing. I love this series.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters. Hands down. They are real and lovable and fallible and comforting. I like knowing they are there. Nothing really ever happens in these stories, but I still can't put them down. They are a delicious slice of life. I also LOVE the narrator. She is one of the best audible has.

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

Amazing as always. She is wonderful and consistent and I love listening to her melodious voice.

Any additional comments?

I almost shouted for joy when the foreigner walked into Ma. Ramotswy's office. I think I was just as excited as they were to meet him.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable light listen

I always enjoy this series, largely because of Lisette Lecat. She makes me want to talk like a Botswana native! This story didn't seem as well developed as some of the earlier books in the series, but it is still very enjoyable. I particularly enjoy Precious' internal struggles with retaining her moral principles while being sure that the culprit is appropriately punished. The gentle humor and constant reminders of the value in taking the time to slow down and appreciate the world around you is a refreshing change from murder and mayhem.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Has A.M. Smith ever written a bad book?

No. He never has. Precious Ramotse (sp) is just as wonderful as ever and the people are as peculiar and somehow everything all works out in the end. I love the Scottish books and these books. And Lisette Lecat is one of my favorite narrators. She can do any accent in the world. A delight.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

These can never be bad

This one is not quite as good as the others. I love listening to Lisette Lecat. She has a wonderful voice and she is so good at bringing the characters in this series to life.
I think what I missed in this book is the time out then the author tells us about Africa and how beautiful it is. There really wasn't that moment in this book and I missed it.
The story was ok and the characters wonderful and that means alot.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

A Delightful visit with Mma Ramotswe

I am a fan of Alexander McCall Smith and love his meandering philosophizing. Lisette Lecat bring the book to life with her narration of the book. In this story Clovis Anderson comes to town and helps Precious solve her crime. Smith's stories always impart some pearls of wisdom and or ethics in an interesting story. When reading his books I always feel like I have just had afternoon tea with an old friend. For those of you who are fans enjoy the book. This series always makes me want to take a trip to Botswana. I understand this month they are releasing another new book called The Great Cake Mystery. It takes place when Precious is a child. Can not wait for it to come out.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

No. 13 in the No. 1 Ladies Detectives.

In this 13th installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, MMa Ramotswe and MMa Makutsi have lots of problems to solve. One of the apprentices of the car repair takes on extra work from a friend for money, and it turns out he is working on stolen cars. Both he and his friend are arrested, and the apprentice turns out to have a very bad lawyer. MMa Ramotswe must help him find his way out of this problem. Then the matron of the orphanage is dismissed from service because the board of directors wants to build a new kitchen instead of each little house having its own kitchen and housemother, and she opposes this change. Mma Ramotswe investigates to find out what really is going on with the board, (shady business to be sure) and to help the matron get her job back. And Mma Makutsi and her newly wed husband are building a house, but there’s something a little shady about the builder. And finally, Clovis Anderson, whose book on private detection both women have memorized to help them in their investigations, comes to Botswana coincidentally, (that’s a little hard to swallow but for these books I’ll suspend disbelief) and helps them with the investigations already mentioned, and they, and we find out about Clovis Anderson. It’s the warmthand humor in these books that makes them so wonderful. And no one could read them better than Lisette Legat. Her pace may be too slow for some, (it normally would be for me), but the pace fits the books and the slower pace of Botswana. These are books that make you feel good, unusual for mysteries.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Just like pulling on my favorite sweatshirt

I have become a huge fan of this series. My first introduction to the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency was through the audiobook, and I loved the way Lisette Lecat made Botswana real to me. I love the way she pronounces Mma Ramotswe's name (and every other Botswana name, for that matter). I have read some books in the series, but know that I much more enjoy them when listening. There is nothing surprising or monumental in any of the books, and this one is no exception. But the wisdom, grace, and humor I find in the traditional Botswana wisdom woven for me in these stories is the equivalent of putting on my favorite comfortable sweatshirt and curling up in front of the fire with a nice cup of tea. Except I can be drawn into this world while still doing tasks that need doing.

I also found myself brewing a lot more tea while I listened to this book.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

As usual Precious is her funny, curious self.

What made the experience of listening to The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection the most enjoyable?

Precious's way of dealing with situations

What did you like best about this story?

All of it

Which scene was your favorite?

All of them.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection.

Any additional comments?

Great read.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Author gets better with every story.

What did you love best about The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection?

Simple approach to complicated situations. I loved the fact that Precious finally got to meet her longtime mentor. He tried to explain that he was not the expert she had admired for all these years. Precious, in her simple approach to her life in Botswana, maintained her faith in his expertise and enlisted his advise in a case.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection?

When they foiled the plans of wealthy man who conspired to change the whole concept of the Orphan Farm by building a 'communal" Dining room...in doing would have lined his own pockets.

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

Have listened to many--this one was equally well done.

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

My main reaction was pure enjoyment with every chapter.

Any additional comments?

The main reason these books are so enjoyable, in addition to the great story lines, is that they are read with "English" accent. Just reading the words in a "regular' book, you miss all the nuances built into the story line. The pure simplicity of the lifestyle so well depicted by the author, is brought put by the readers talent.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful