Rating: 
Summary: Different, gently funny, refreshing
Review: For a book so utterly unassuming and undemanding, this first volume in the adventures of Botswana's only lady detective, Precious Ramotswe, accomplishes an impressive amount. It gives us, first of all, a fictional character who breathes. Mma Ramotswe has none of the infallible intelligence, the glamor or colorful pugnacity of stock detective fiction. She is an ordinary woman nearing middle age - but it would be more accurate to praise her as "perfectly ordinary." Her considerable girth is emblematic of her general solidity: ambling through one small case after another, rarely sure of the next step, succeeding not because of brilliance but by dint of cheerful confidence, good humor and common sense. It gives us, second, a glimpse into the day to day life of a modern African town. It is perhaps a little exotic to us, but it is perfectly natural to Mma Ramotswe, and her familiarity with and affection for the social order, the dry expanses of the Kalahari, the flow of favors expended and called in, lure us into seeing it all simply from her point of view, as just the way things are at home. It kept reminding me, oddly enough, of the small town life in Tom Sawyer. There have been many presentations of Africa as the Dark Continent. Here we have a credible portrait of it as the Sunny Continent, as it can be in those times and polities where history is kind enough to leave it alone for a while. It gives us, third, a break. The language is as simple and direct, though not as self-consciously so, as Hemingway's. Even when witchcraft and child murder darken the storyline, the pace is unhurried, the goodness of a shared cup of tea and a back porch conversation celebrated. The pain of all Africa's history touches our heroine's life, and colors the edges of the story; the vastness of the interior somehow generates and gets reflected in the personal dignity of the townspeople; yet everything takes place on a human scale. It is hard to imagine anyone sitting down with this book and coming away less than disarmed.
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Summary: Just what I was looking for
Review: I was going crazy after finishing the latest of Van Reid's Moosepath League books,wondering how I could wait until the next one is published,and praying there was something else out there that was as fun,funny,and heartwarming,as well written and engaging. Then a friend told me about a recomendation from Amazon and lent me the first of this new mystery series. It is wonderful and just what I needed after my post Moosepath let down. Like the best mysteries, character and place come first,and the suspense comes out of caring about the people in the story. I need to get the second book right away. I'm having a post Ladies' Detective Agency let down!
Rating: 
Summary: Very glad I found this book!
Review: This book is deceptively light and delightful -- a splendid, fun change in a genre which is known -- mostly -- for its noir-appeal. The only thing I can add to the praise for this series is that in my opinion the cover art on the English version is overwhelmingly more attractive and well-suited to the books. Thank goodness few readers are judging this one by its (American) cover!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely charming!
Review: Loved this book! Didn't want it to end. It's a quick read. I was enjoying the book so much that about 1/3 of the way through it I went out and bought the other three in the series. (they all read as independent books, though - you don't need to have read one to read the others). Loaned this to my mom - she was clamoring for the other three books by about halfway through the first one. Big big thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: Glad I found this. . .
Review: This was a delightful, refreshing read. After reading some heavier books, this book was perfect. You can't help but fall for Mma Ramotswe and her antics. The author's descriptions of the African country made me feel the heat and smell the dust. Not every book has to be written for or by a literary genius - this is fun!
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Summary: Even better aloud!
Review: I read this book to my 93 year old father. Pretty soon he was telling me he wasn't quite sleepy and hinting for another chapter. The connection that Mma Ramotswe had with her father while he was alive and even after his death was beautiful and I am sure was even more meaningful to a very old, loving father who may now think that his love will go on after he is gone. I will start the next book on my next visit and he can't wait. Good luck on pronouncing the names!
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Summary: The best surprise I've had in years!
Review: This is the most beautifully written book I have ever read. The language weaves a spell around you and the images described are breathtaking. I have to admit this isn't my usual type of book. The hype got to me so I broke down and got it. Boy, am I glad I did!
It is such a treat to be swept away into a foreign land and given an insight into the culture and daily lives of its people. This is a simply written book but it compliments the land, people, and story so well you don't mind. 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' begins with Precious Ramotswe and a modest moment. It is an afternoon where Mma Ramotswe introduces us to herself and Botswana. She is enjoying her time at her "only female detective agency" in Botswana. The novel travels from the present to the past in such a fluid way; it makes you believe that stories could only be told in this way. Alexander McCall Smith creates a strong female character that is down-to-earth, while being intellectually and morally evolved. Precious carries her client's problems as her own. They instinctively become yours as you feel a part of her life. She shares with us the beauty and tragedy of her beloved Botswana. This country is lucky to have someone who loves it so much. As we are introduced to the people in her life, don't be surprised if you end up feeling sorry of those don't take her advice. Her logic defies comprehension and you find yourself agreeing with it without question. It is a treat to find a character that you wouldn't mind being like. Mma Ramotswe is worthy of imitation. For a story that will tug at your heart and having you cheer Prescious' clever ways, I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful and fresh
Review: This splendid little book tells us how Precious Ramotswe, who has inherited some money from her father, uses it to set up a detective agency, armed with a manuel on how to be a detective and a secretary she does not need but thinks it important to be seen to have. It is quite episodic, midway between a set of short stories - detailing Precious various cases, checking the credentials of a suspect long lost father, investigating a suspect claim for an industrial injury, determining the fate of a missing husband, tailing an overprotective father's teenage daughter, figuring out why a doctor at the local hospital is sometimes so good and sometimes so bad - and a novel, united by the characters of Precious, her relationship with Mr J. L. B. Maketoni (a very close friend but we are never told a what his first name is) and an investigation over a missing boy which runs through most of the book. The book differs from a conventional detective story in many ways. For one thing there is no murder and most of the cases Precious investigates are fairly minor undramatic affairs, only rarely involving any serious crime at all - exactly the sort of cases such a person who most likely spend most of her time on in real life. For another it is set in Botswana, not a country the genre has made much of hitherto. And it is a joy to read, most particularly for the characters of Precious - terrified of snakes, utterly unfazed by lawyers and gangsters - and Mr J. L. B. Maketoni, the bachelor mechanic who is smitten with her. It must be nice for the author that his books come up first under "most popular results [of 32000!] for Smith" but it's a success this book very honourably earns.
Rating: 
Summary: I tried to love it
Review: I give the author points for character development - the heroine is so human with all the good and bad that goes along with that but the plot is painfully slow! Precious is clearly a 3 dimensional character as are the people she meets throughout her journey but I found myself thinking "do something - anything to move this story forward!" In all, the book failed to hold my attention and I found it rather boring.
Rating:
Summary: HURRAH!!!!! This book is back in the top 100 again!
Review: Hurrah! This witty, moving, funny, brilliantly well-written, superbly characterised novel is back in the top 100 again. (It ought to be no.1). The author , who must be one of the nicest people ever to grace a bestseller list, also paints a much more accurate, hopeful picture of Africa than we often see on the news - Botswana is one of the real success stories of post-independence Africa. Read it, buy it for all your friends and then buy a whole load more for Thanksgiving and Christmas presents - and make sure you do it not just for this one but the whole brilliant series as well. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)
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