Rating: 
Summary: Delightful and Compelling
Review: Fast as you can read them, Smith's books in this series fly by. I love the characters and their peculiarities. I worried at first -- an older, white male writer telling the story of a young, Botswana woman. But I believe in the dignity and beauty of these characters, I love the exploits of the books, and having lived in small communities, the universality of the human story seemed true to me. I was happy to read the Amazon review by a woman who had lived in Botswana and felt the truth in these books as well. As for the claim of being anti-male, these books aren't "anti" anything. There are several wonderful, loving, fine male characters in these books -- as well as several women whom one wouldn't trust. I highly recommend these books.
Rating: 
Summary: A Love of Life
Review: Set in Botswana, the heart of Africa, where culture and lifestyle are concrete values to the natives, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency portrays a melodious, yet suspenseful and engaging, life through the eyes of Precious Ramotswe. Mma Ramotswe was born into a world rich in relationships and pride, with the viscous backdrop of African culture. The story creates a theme of the ironic turns life takes, shown through Mma Ramotswe's wholesome wont to assist people as best she can with the problems they encounter by opening The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The story fleshes out a heartwarming take on life, made all the more so by Ramotswe's persistence towards setting things right, her values, and her all-around embrace of life.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency would be placed under the "slice of life" category; a taste of the situations Mma Ramotswe finds herself in as the only female detective in all of Africa. As the reader becomes more in tune to the accepted ways and ancient traditions of the locals, a theme is perceived of the degradation of women and the alleged superiority of men, and how Ramotswe contradicts the stereotypical housewife image. This is, with out a doubt, a story that shows how women can change the world just as effectively as men can.
Also, Ramotswe's character traits seem to gradually land the reader in her world; little things she does -- like always making bush tea, going shopping at the local market, and her approach to spying on people on the job -- they're minor characteristics, but they are what give the reader a sense of intimacy with her character, as if she's an old friend.
Mma Ramotswe's story deals with the mystery and suspense of her job, which is heavily infused with African culture and the mellow people who live by it. Women's empowerment is reflected, and Ramotswe's personality is so well elaborated upon, the reader almost begins to picture her reaction to certain completely separate events. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency keeps one interested with each diverse case that explores a different dimension of life, and once all of its pages have been turned, the reader is left asking for more.
Rating:
Summary: Light, fun, and touching
Review: Not your average crime stories with a lot of angst, this light, easy to read book is relaxing and just plain fun. There's a very read human element this work, and the characters have great depth without being overblown. Wonderful setting and wonderful people make this a sure bet.Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: A clever portrait of Botswana disguised as a dectective book
Review: Having spent considerable time in Botswana (most of it living with host families), I find this series to be very endearing and an accurate (if slightly sterotypical) potrayal of life in Botswana. I just want to defend it a bit against accusations of "sexism" on the part of the protagionist. You really really have to realize that much of Africa, especially the southern bits, is very "macho" and man-centered and rather misogynistic. The protagionist is not saying bad things about ALL men (especially not American men) but of Batswana men, many of whom really can be "that bad". Sure, it could offend Western sensibilities but you must read in the spirit of cultural relativism and realize that other cultures aren't quite as liberal on the gender-role thing as we are here. Anyway, these books are truely wonderful and capture the spirit and heart of this great country perfectly.
Rating:
Summary: Easy reading. Simple cases.
Review: Precious Ramotswe is a single, forty-something woman in Botswana who opens a detective agency with her inheritance. In the beginning of the book we learn about her father's life as a miner and we are introduced to the country. We also learn about Precious' upbringing, her head for figures and her failed marriage. Precious struggles with establishing a new business, but she gets cases. They are not all the typical detective story mysteries about malicious crimes. Most are more concerned with the human heart and relationships between people. There is a woman whose long lost father finds her, but she suspects that he is not really her father and is taking advantage of her kindness and generosity. There is a woman who is upset that her husband stole a car and she wants the car returned without her husband's knowledge or the involvement of the police. There is a father who believes his daughter has a boyfriend and he wants to know who the boy is. There are a number of other cases and I enjoyed them all. This was very easy-reading and not a complex detective story, but the setting was fun and the reading enjoyable.
Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Demystifying Detection on the Edge of the Kalahari
Review: I can think of no better book for someone to read as their introduction to detective fiction. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency combines heart-warming values, love, a spunky female protagonist, African wildlife and every day problems into a delightful social commentary on the dangers and foibles of vanity and wealth. Along the way, there are little problems to be solved, little in terms of Sherlock Holmes perhaps, but not so little in terms of the lives of the people in Botswana. The structure of the book is a little unusual for detective fiction. The main focus is on the life of Mma Precious Ramotswe, a round women in her late thirties with a failed marriage behind her, who starts a storefront detective agency with the money her father left her when he died. Botswana doesn't have any other private detectives, and women usually have circumscribed roles in the society. But Precious knows that women notice more than men, and should make good detectives. Her father had hoped, instead, that she would buy an existing business. Like most new business people, she worries about going broke. She knows that first impressions count, so she buys and spruces up a building . . . and hires a secretary she cannot afford. In the first month, the secretary's salary comes to more than Precious' income. But as time passes, clients come to Precious with their problems. Many are related to concerns about the fidelity of a husband. Two involve missing persons. Another looks at a teenage rebellion. One seems like a psychiatric problem -- a doctor who alternates between being brilliant and incompetent. These cases become like short stories built inside the novel. Each story has a particularly rich African heritage . . . as does the flashback into her father's life as a miner. Precious is a common sense detective. She doesn't use advanced technology. She hasn't had any formal training. But she's dogged and willing to learn, and has an imaginative way of getting to the truth. By her sex, her locale and her heritage, Precious is an underdog. But she's an underdog who was raised with lots of love, and knows a good person when she sees one. By the African standards of her neighbors, she's relatively well-to-do . . . but life is a struggle because of attitudes towards women. Anyone who feels that women can do anything they set their minds to will be cheering Precious on. While this book may not sound cerebral, several of the mysteries (especially the man who disappeared while going to church, the strange doctor and the missing boy) have very sophisticated plot twists and confrontations with key witnesses that remind me of the best of the Perry Mason mysteries . . . except they are set in Botswana. In the background, there's an emerging love interest between precious and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni (who keeps her van running smoothly and helps in some of the mysteries) that spices up the book. Anyone who reads this book with an open heart and mind will want to continue with the series. As I finished this book, I found myself thinking about what views we all share today in the United States about what people can and cannot do that are false in reality. Every time I see "disabled" athletes performing tasks that I would never dare to do, I realize that our limitations are in our minds. Dare to do what you were born to do! And lead with a loving heart.
Rating:
Summary: A superb, highly enjoyable and delightful book
Review: This is a story of a strong pioneering African woman who becomes a detective. Not unlike method actors Mr. McCall Smith has tried, successfully, to write a book through an African eye. What might be mistaken as simplicity in his writing is, to my opinion, an understanding of how people think and behave, of their priorities and beliefs. Colorful and decent characters, clever cases to be solved by the delightful Mrs. Ramotswe and a bit of romance make this book one of the best I've read this year.
Rating: 
Summary: nothing to it
Review: Very light reading. I did not draw me in. So many better books out there.
Rating: 
Summary: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Review: I just read Alexander McCall Smith's novel and enjoyed it, but think it was best suited for high schoolers. It was rather simplistic, and took many shots at Americans unjustly. While Precious Ramotswe and Mr. Matekoni may be the kindest Africans around, the crimes and behavior displayed by fellow Africans was not unlike those found anywhere else in the world. I liked both of their characters enough to read Tears of the Giraffe, again their kindness comes through. No marriage yet. I think the author plans to string us Americans along to sell books. He shouldn't bite the hands that feed him by slamming us. Even in the second book on at least four or five different occasions he takes shots at us when it isn't justified. I guess I've had it with Mr. Smith. He should show some "kindness" to his audience too.
Rating:
Summary: Simply delightful!
Review: Everyone loves these books, and no one can really narrow down why they are so utterly lovable. It would say it is in part due to the sheer simplicity of the writing, the divine descriptions of nature and the beauty of the image McCall Smith portrays of Botswana. The foriegn-ness of the themes and the exotic-ness of the main story relating to the witch doctor, as well as the colours and life of the covers. Additionally, the lovability of characters, particularly the main character, with her completely un-Western notion of the body beautiful, her enduring sensitivity regarding the death of her baby and her enchanting love of her father. The devotion of her fiance is also gorgeous. Perhaps the appeal of these works is the fact they suggest a fundamental life we essentially aspire for. Simplicity, kindness, nature, beauty. Such a different life than we of the Western world.
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