In the Company of Cheerful Ladies: A No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel (6)

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 6

Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the basis of the HBO TV show, and its proprietor Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, and good humor—not to mention help from her loyal assistant, Grace Makutsi, and the occasional cup of tea.

Precious is busier than usual at the detective agency when she discovers an intruder in her house on Zebra Drive—and perhaps even more baffling--a pumpkin on her porch. Her associate, Mma Makutsi, also has a full plate. She's taken up dance lessons, only to be partnered with a man with two left feet. And at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr J.L.B. Matekoni is already overburdened with work, one of his apprentices has run off with a wealthy older woman. But what finally rattles Mma Ramotswe’s normally unshakable composure is a visitor who forces her to confront a difficult secret from her past.

Customer Reviews:

"A life without stories would be no life at all."

By Mary Whipple - April 25, 2005

Mma Precious Ramotswe, warm-hearted proprietor of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Gaborone, Botswana, is drinking tea at an outdoor café when she witnesses the theft of a bracelet. In her haste to apprehend the female thief and return the bracelet to the poor vendor, she leaves her table without paying her bill. The waitress hurries after her, accuses her of intentionally neglecting her bill, and then offers to "forget" about it if Mma pays her an extortionate fee.

Distressed by what she sees as the loss of Botswana's traditional values, Mma Ramotswe believes fervently in setting a good example, respecting others and promoting friendships in her own life. Recently married to Mr. J. L. B. Matekone, proprietor of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, Mma Ramotswe runs her detective agency (where she doles out homespun advice and often serves as a "mother confessor"), takes care of two orphaned children, mentors Mma Grace Makutsi, her assistant, and endeavors to get... read more

I think this is the best yet

By C. Catherwood "writer" - April 19, 2005

I think this is the best yet - what a shame American readers have had to wait until April to get this wonderful book. (Why can't US publishers bring it out the same time as those in the UK?)

Mme Ramotswe is married! (Or IS she - you will have to read to the middle of the novel to find out.... ) Not only that but Grace Makutsi finds love as well - and to find out THAT happy ending you really will have to read until the last chapter.

Many yuppies (do we still use that term?) love this book, and those in the series, because not much really happens - and that is the whole point! It is both hilariously funny as always, with very sharp observations of human life, and yet profoundly gentle throughout. Life is SLOW, and for many people in the fast lane, that is perfect reading. (And for people who live in the middle lane like me as well...) You can be wonderfully calm reading this book - the whole series is the perfect antidote to the manic life we live in the West, in... read more