This crime will bring Mma Ramotswe face-to-face with one of Africa’s most frightful traditions–the use of human bones in the making of muti (medicine). The threat of something more violent, more sinister, appears when a young boy goes missing and Mma Ramotswe suspects he has fallen victim to witch doctors. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency lies in just this quality of ordinariness–the problems that ordinary people confront in the course of their everyday lives. Mundane concerns, by the standards of most American mysteries, but much of the charm of The No. Mma Ramotswe’s cases range from exposing a freeloader posing as a father, to discovering whether or not a young Indian girl has a boyfriend, to determining the legitimacy of a worker’s injury claim, to revealing the real reason behind a doctor’s inconsistent performance. There are no bludgeoned millionaires or murdered sexpots in The No. These mysteries aren’t the standard stuff of detective novels. It is my duty to help them to solve the mysteries of their lives. “They are my people, my brothers and sisters. What she also has is a deep love for Africa generally and for Botswana and its people especially. These she has in great supply, along with perseverance, a keen knowledge of the human mind and heart, a steadfast sense of right and wrong, and a personality that inspires trust and loquaciousness in nearly all who meet her. But she does possess the intangible assets of intuition and intelligence. After all, her only assets are a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, an old typewriter, a teapot, and three teacups. Mma Ramotswe herself feels unsure of her success. “Can women be detectives?” asks the bank’s lawyer. When Precious Ramotswe decides to use the money her beloved father left her to open the first ever Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana, everyone is skeptical. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, the acclaimed novel that introduces Precious Ramotswe, one of the most unique and appealing characters in the entire mystery genre. The introduction, discussion questions, suggested reading list, and author biography that follow are designed to enhance your group’s discussion of Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. “The Miss Marple of Botswana.” – The New York Times Book Review
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