The Kalahari Typing School for Men - (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency) by Alexander McCall Smith (Paperback)

About the Book

Botswanian Precious Ramotswe's detective agency and life are disrupted by theopening of a rival agency.

Book Synopsis

Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe--with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi--navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea.

Mma Precious Ramotswe is content. Her business is well established with many satisfied customers, and in her mid-thirties ("the finest age to be") she has a house, two adopted children, a fine fiancé. But, as always, there are troubles. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has not set the date for their marriage. Her able assistant, Mma Makutsi, wants a husband. And worse, a rival detective agency has opened in town--an agency that does not have the gentle approach to business that Mma Ramotswe's does. But, of course, Precious will manage these things, as she always does, with her uncanny insight and her good heart.

Review Quotes

"Spare and neatly crafted, The Kalahari Typing School for Men sparkles with African sunshine and Mma Ramotswe's wit." --The Dallas Morning News

"The Kalahari Typing School for Men [is] simply charming in the extreme. . . . This series' huge appeal lies in its mannerly folk wisdom and wry, gentle humor, full of wit, nuance and caring. It's an oasis in a genre that too often seems a desert of violence and inhumanity." --Chicago Sun-Times

"This loosely woven novel is as beguiling as Alexander McCall Smith's earlier books about the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. His prose is deceptively simple, with a gift for evoking the earth and sky of Africa." --The Seattle Times

"Get your hands on one of the mysteries from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.... Each book is a thinly disguised love letter...to the people and culture of Southern Africa. A great escape." --Elle

About the Author

Alexander McCall Smith is a professor of medical law at Edinburgh University. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He is the author of more than fifty books: novels, stories, children's books, and specialized titles such as Forensic Aspects of Sheep. He lives in Scotland.