The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series #1) by Alexander McCall Smith, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® Overview THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 1 Fans around the world adore the best-selling 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. This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witchdoctors. The No.

1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two Booker Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement. Advertising CHAPTER ONE The Daddy Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill. These were its assets: a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, and an old typewriter. Then there was a teapot, in which Mma Ramotswe--the only lady private detective in Botswana--brewed redbush tea. And three mugs--one for herself, one for her secretary, and one for the client. What else does a detective agency really need? Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence, both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance. No inventory would ever include those, of course. But there was also the view, which again could appear on no inventory. How could any such list describe what one saw when one looked out from Mma Ramotswe's door? To the front, an acacia tree, the thorn tree which dots the wide edges of the Kalahari; the great white thorns, a warning; the olive-grey leaves, by contrast, so delicate.

In its branches, in the late afternoon, or in the cool of the early morning, one might see a Go-Away Bird, or hear it, rather. And beyond the acacia, over the dusty road, the roofs of the town under a cover of trees and scrub bush; on the horizon, in a blue shimmer of heat, the hills, like improbable, overgrown termite mounds. Everybody called her Mma Ramotswe, although if people had wanted to be formal, they would have addressed her as Mme Mma Ramotswe. This is the right thing for a person of stature, but which she had never used of herself. So it was always Mma Ramotswe, rather than Precious Ramotswe, a name which very few people employed. She was a good detective, and a good woman. A good woman in a good country, one might say. She loved her country, Botswana, which is a place of peace, and she loved Africa, for all its trials. I am not ashamed to be called an African patriot, said Mma Ramotswe. I love all the people whom God made, but I especially know how to love the people who live in this place.

They are my people, my brothers and sisters. It is my duty to help them to solve the mysteries in their lives. That is what I am called to do. In idle moments, when there were no pressing matters to be dealt with, and when everybody seemed to be sleepy from the heat, she would sit under her acacia tree. It was a dusty place to sit, and the chickens would occasionally come and peck about her feet, but it was a place which seemed to encourage thought. It was here that Mma Ramotswe would contemplate some of the issues which, in everyday life, may so easily be pushed to one side. Everything, thought Mma Ramotswe, has been something before. Here I am, the only lady private detective in the whole of Botswana, sitting in front of my detective agency. But only a few years ago there was no detective agency, and before that, before there were even any buildings here, there were just the acacia trees, and the riverbed in the distance, and the Kalahari over there, so close.

In those days there was no Botswana even, just the Bechuanaland Protectorate, and before that again there was Khama's Country, and lions with the dry wind in their manes. But look at it now: a detective agency, right here in Gaborone, with me, the fat lady detective, sitting outside and thinking these thoughts about how what is one thing today becomes quite another thing tomorrow. Mma Ramotswe set up the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency with the proceeds of the sale of her father's cattle. He had owned a big herd, and had no other children; so every single beast, all one hundred and eighty of them, including the white Brahmin bulls whose grandparents he had bred himself, went to her. The cattle were moved from the cattle post, back to Mochudi where they waited, in the dust, under the eyes of the chattering herd boys, until the livestock agent came. They fetched a good price, as there had been heavy rains that year, and the grass had been lush. Had it been the year before, when most of that southern part of Africa had been wracked by drought, it would have been a different matter.

People had dithered then, wanting to hold on to their cattle, as without your cattle you were naked; others, feeling more desperate, sold, because the rains had failed year after year and they had seen the animals become thinner and thinner. Mma Ramotswe was pleased that her father's illness had prevented his making any decision, as now the price had gone up and those who had held on were well rewarded. "I want you to have your own business," he said to her on his death bed. "You'll get a good price for the cattle now. Sell them and buy a business. A butchery maybe. A bottle store. Whatever you like." She held her father's hand and looked into the eyes of the man she loved beyond all others, her Daddy, her wise Daddy, whose lungs had been filled with dust in those mines and who had scrimped and saved to make life good for her. It was difficult to talk through her tears, but she managed to say: "I'm going to set up a detective agency. Down in Gaborone. It will be the best one in Botswana. The No. 1 Agency." For a moment her father's eyes opened wide and it seemed as if he was struggling to speak.

"But . . . but . . ." But he died before he could say anything more, and Mma Ramotswe fell on his chest and wept for all the dignity, love and suffering that died with him. She had a sign painted in bright colours, which was then set up just off the Lobatse Road, on the edge of town, pointing to the small building she had purchased: the no. 1 ladies' detective agency. for all confidential matters and enquiries. satisfaction guaranteed for all parties. under personal management. There was considerable public interest in the setting up of her agency. There was an interview on Radio Botswana, in which she thought she was rather rudely pressed to reveal her qualifications, and a rather more satisfactory article in The Botswana News, which drew attention to the fact that she was the only lady private detective in the country. This article was cut out, copied, and placed prominently on a small board beside the front door of the agency. After a slow start, she was rather surprised to find that her services were in considerable demand. She was consulted about missing husbands, about the creditworthiness of potential business partners, and about suspected fraud by employees.

In almost every case, she was able to come up with at least some information for the client; when she could not, she waived her fee, which meant that virtually nobody who consulted her was dissatisfied. People in Botswana liked to talk, she discovered, and the mere mention of the fact that she was a private detective would let loose a positive outpouring of information on all sorts of subjects. It flattered people, she concluded, to be approached by a private detective, and this effectively loosened their tongues. This happened with Happy Bapetsi, one of her earlier clients. Poor Happy! To have lost your daddy and then found him, and then lost him again . . . "I used to have a happy life," said Happy Bapetsi. "A very happy life. Then this thing happened, and I can't say that any- more." Mma Ramotswe watched her client as she sipped her bush tea. Everything you wanted to know about a person was written in the face, she believed.

It's not that she believed that the shape of the head was what counted--even if there were many who still clung to that belief; it was more a question of taking care to scrutinise the lines and the general look. And the eyes, of course; they were very important. The eyes allowed you to see right into a person, to penetrate their very essence, and that was why people with something to hide wore sunglasses indoors. They were the ones you had to watch very carefully. Now this Happy Bapetsi was intelligent; that was immediately apparent. She also had few worries--this was shown by the fact that there were no lines on her face, other than smile lines of course. So it was man trouble, thought Mma Ramotswe. Some man has turned up and spoilt everything, destroying her happiness with his bad behaviour. "Let me tell you a little about myself first," said Happy Bapetsi. "I come from Maun, you see, right up on the Okavango. My mother had a small shop and I lived with her in the house at the back. We had lots of chickens and we were very happy.

"My mother told me that my Daddy had left a long time ago, when I was still a little baby. He had gone off to work in Bulawayo and he had never come back. Somebody had written to us--another Motswana living there--to say that he thought that my Daddy was dead, but he wasn't sure. He said that he had gone to see somebody at Mpilo Hospital one day and as he was walking along a corridor he saw them wheeling somebody out on a stretcher and that the dead person on the stretcher looked remarkably like my Daddy. But he couldn't be certain. "So we decided that he was probably dead, but my mother did not mind a great deal because she had never really liked him very much. And of course I couldn't even remember him, so it did not make much difference to me. "I went to school in Maun at a place run by some Catholic missionaries. One of them discovered that I could do arithmetic rather well and he spent a lot of time helping me. He said that he had never met a girl who could count so well. "I suppose it was very odd. I could see a group of figures and I would just remember it.

Then I would find that I had added the figures in my head, even without thinking about it. It just came very easily--I didn't have to work at it at all. "I did very well in my exams and at the end of the day I went off to Gaborone and learned how to be a bookkeeper. Again it was very simple for me; I could look at a whole sheet of figures and understand it immediately. Then, the next day, I could remember every figure exactly and write them all down if I needed to. "I got a job in the bank and I was given promotion after promotion. Now I am the No. 1 subaccountant and I don't think I can go any further because all the men are worried that I'll make them look stupid. But I don't mind. I get very good pay and I can finish all my work by three in the afternoon, sometimes earlier. I go shopping after that. I have a nice house with four rooms and I am very happy. To have all that by the time you are thirty-eight is good enough, I think." Mma Ramotswe smiled. "That is all very interesting. You're right.

You've done well." "I'm very lucky," said Happy Bapetsi. "But then this thing happened. My Daddy arrived at the house." Mma Ramotswe drew in her breath. She had not expected this; she had thought it would be a boyfriend problem. Fathers were a different matter altogether. "He just knocked on the door," said Happy Bapetsi. "It was a Saturday afternoon and I was taking a rest on my bed when I heard his knocking. I got up, went to the door, and there was this man, about sixty or so, standing there with his hat in his hands. He told me that he was my Daddy, and that he had been living in Bulawayo for a long time but was now back in Botswana and had come to see me. "You can understand how shocked I was. I had to sit down, or I think I would have fainted. In the meantime, he spoke. He told me my mother's name, which was correct, and he said that he was sorry that he hadn't been in touch before. Then he asked if he could stay in one of the spare rooms, as he had nowhere else to go. "I said that of course he could.

In a way I was very excited to see my Daddy and I thought that it would be good to be able to make up for all those lost years and to have him staying with me, particularly since my poor mother died. So I made a bed for him in one of the rooms and cooked him a large meal of steak and potatoes, which he ate very quickly. Then he asked for more. "That was about three months ago. Since then, he has been living in that room and I have been doing all the work for him. I make his breakfast, cook him some lunch, which I leave in the kitchen, and then make his supper at night. I buy him one bottle of beer a day and have also bought him some new clothes and a pair of good shoes. All he does is sit in his chair outside the front door and tell me what to do for him next." "Many men are like that," interrupted Mma Ramotswe. Happy Bapetsi nodded. "This one is especially like that. He has not washed a single cooking pot since he arrived and I have been getting very tired running after him. He also spends a lot of my money on vitamin pills and biltong.

"I would not resent this, you know, except for one thing. I do not think that he is my real Daddy. I have no way of proving this, but I think that this man is an impostor and that he heard about our family from my real Daddy before he died and is now just pretending. I think he is a man who has been looking for a retirement home and who is very pleased because he has found a good one." Mma Ramotswe found herself staring in frank wonderment at Happy Bapetsi. There was no doubt but that she was telling the truth; what astonished her was the effrontery, the sheer, naked effrontery of men. How dare this person come and impose on this helpful, happy person! What a piece of chicanery, of fraud! What a piece of outright theft in fact! "Can you help me?" asked Happy Bapetsi. "Can you find out whether this man is really my Daddy? If he is, then I will be a dutiful daughter and put up with him. If he is not, then I should prefer for him to go somewhere else." Mma Ramotswe did not hesitate. "I'll find out," she said.

"It may take me a day or two, but I'll find out!" Of course, it was easier said than done. There were blood tests these days, but she doubted very much whether this person would agree to that. No, she would have to try something more subtle, something that would show beyond any argument whether he was the Daddy or not. She stopped in her line of thought. Yes! There was something biblical about this story. What, she thought, would Solomon have done? No 1 Ladies Detective Agency: Alexander McCall Smith, Alexander McCall Smith: Trade Paperback: 9781400034772: Powell's Books Publisher Comments THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 1 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. This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No.

1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witchdoctors. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two Booker Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement.

Review "One of the best, most charming, honest, hilarious and life-affirming books to appear in years." The Plain Dealer Review "In the course of her work, Mma Ramotswe offers ample evidence of her country's complexities and contradictions....Practical yet softhearted, inventive yet steeped in convention, Mma Ramotswe is an appealing personality..." Alida Becker, The New York Times Book Review Review "The most entertaining read of the year." The Guardian (London) 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 over fifty books on a wide range of subjects, including specialist titles such as Forensic Aspects of Sleep and The Criminal Law of Botswana, children's books such as The Perfect Hamburger, and a collection of stories called Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Reading Group Guide 1. Unlike in most other mysteries, in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Mma Ramotswe solves a number of small crimes, rather than a single major one. How does this affect the narrative pacing of the novel? What other unique features distinguish The No.

1 Ladies Detective Agency from the conventional mystery novel? 2. What makes Precious Ramotswe such a charming protagonist? What kind of woman is she? How is she different from the usual detective? Why does she feel “called” to help her fellow Africans “solve the mysteries of their lives” [p. 4]? 3. What is surprising about the nature of the cases Mma Ramotswe is hired to solve? By what means does Alexander McCall Smith sustain the readers interest, in the absence of the kind of tension, violence, and suspense that drive most mysteries? 4. Mma Ramotswes first client, Happy Bapetsi, is worried that the man who claims to be her father is a fraud taking advantage of her generosity. “All he does,” she says, “is sit in his chair outside the front door and tell me what to do for him next.” To which Mma Ramotswe replies, “Many men are like that” [p. 10]. What is Mma Ramotswes view of men generally? How do men behave in the novel? 5. Why does Mma Ramotswe feel it is so important to include her fathers life story in the novel?

What does Obed Ramotswes life reveal about the history of Africa and of South Africa? What does it reveal about the nature and cost of working in the mines in South Africa? 6. Mma Ramotswe purchases a manual on how to be a detective. It advises one to pay attention to hunches. “Hunches are another form of knowledge” [p. 79]. How does intuition help Mma Ramotswe solve her cases? 7. When Mma Ramotswe decides to start a detective agency, a lawyer tells her “Its easy to lose money in business, especially when you dont know anything about what youre doing. . . . And anyway, can women be detectives?” To which Mma Ramotswe answers, “Women are the ones who know whats going on. They are the ones with eyes. Have you not read Agatha Christie?” [p. 61]. Is she right in suggesting women are more perceptive than men? Where in the novel do we see Mma Ramotswes own extraordinary powers of observation? How does she comically undercut the lawyers arrogance in this scene? 8.

As Mma Ramotswe wonders if Mma Malatsi was somehow involved in her husbands death and whether wanting someone dead made one a murderer in Gods eyes, she thinks to herself: “It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin. That brought you down to earth. That gave you a reason for going on. Pumpkin” [p. 85]. What philosophy of life is Mma Ramotswe articulating here? Why do the ongoing daily events of life give her this sense of peace and stability? 9. Why does Mma Ramotswe marry Note? Why does this act seem so out of character for her? In what ways does her love for an attractive and physically abusive man make her a deeper and more complicated character? How does her marriage to Note change her? 10.

Mma Ramotswe imagines retiring back in Mochudi, buying some land with her cousins, growing melons, and living life in such a way that “every morning she could sit in front of her house and sniff at the wood-smoke and look forward to spending the day talking with her friends. How sorry she felt for white people, who couldnt do any of this, and who were always dashing around and worrying themselves over things that were going to happen anyway. What use was it having all that money if you could never sit still or just watch your cattle eating grass? None, in her view; none at all” [p. 162]. Is Mma Ramotswes critique of white people on the mark or is she stereotyping? What makes her sense of what is important, and what brings happiness, so refreshing? What other differences between black and white cultures does the novel make apparent? 11. Mma Ramotswe does not want Africa to change, to become thoroughly modern: “She did not want her people to become like everybody else, soulless, selfish, forgetful of what it means to be an African, or, worse still, ashamed of Africa” [p. 215].

But what aspects of traditional African culture trouble her? How does she regard the traditional African attitude toward women, marriage, family duty, and witchcraft? Is there a contradiction in her relationship to “old” Africa? 12. How surprising is Mme Ramotswes response to Mr. J.L.B. Matekonis marriage proposal? How appropriate is the ending of the novel? 13. Alexander McCall Smith has both taught and written about criminal law. In what ways does in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency draw upon this knowledge? How are lawyers and the police characterized in the novel? 14. Is in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency a feminist novel? Does the fact that its author is a man complicate such a reading? How well does Alexander McCall Smith represent a womans character and consciousness in Mma Ramotswe? 15. Alexander McCall Smiths Precious Ramotswe books have been praised for their combination of apparent simplicity with a high degree of sophistication. In what ways does in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency have the appeal of simple storytelling? In what ways is it sophisticated? What does it suggest about the larger issues of how to live ones life, how to behave in society, how to be happy?

Author Q&A Q: You have written more than fifty books (from specialist titles such as Forensice Aspects of Sleep to children's books, including The Perfect Hamburger). Was The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency your first attempt at writing a mystery? A: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is my first foray into this territory, although I do not think of it as a mystery. I like to think of it as a novel about a woman who happens to be a private detective. Mind you, I suppose that makes it a mystery...of a sort. Q: Your detective, Precious Ramotswe, is a wonderfully unique character  a Batswana woman of traditional build who decides to become a professional private detective. Is Precious based on someone that you knew when you lived in Botswana or is she a creation of your imagination? A: There is no particular person upon whom Precious Ramotswe is based, but there is an incident. Years ago I was in Botswana, staying with friends in a small town called Mochudi. A woman in the town wished to give my friends a chicken to celebrate Botswana National Day.

I watched as this woman  traditionally built, like Mma Ramotswe  chased the chicken round the yard and eventually caught it. She made a clucking noise as she ran. The chicken looked miserable. She looked very cheerful. At that moment I thought that I might write a book about a cheerful woman of traditional build. Q: Did you know immediately that the story of Mma Ramotswe would be the basis for an entire series of novels? A: No, I did not. What happened is that I became so fond of the character that I could not let her go. To leave her where she was at the end of the first novel would have been rather like getting up and leaving the room in the middle of a conversation  rather rude. Q: It is rare for an author to explore the evolution from amateur sleuth to professional detective, but one of the most appealing aspects of Precious's character is that she doesn't always know what she's doing. In Tears of the Giraffe (the sequel to The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency), she even sends away for an instructional manual, Principles of Private Detection. What interests you about "education of the detective"?

A: Mma Ramotswe sets up her agency without any relevant experience. However, she does have intuition  in abundance  and that is very much more important than anything she could learn from a book. In fact, the passages she cites from The Principles of Private Detection are ultimately not particularly helpful to her, the point being that a person without any training can achieve great things if he or she has natural intelligence and ability. In many African countries, including Botswana, people have great respect for books and for the learning they contain. I would hope to point out that this should not obscure the importance of real, practical wisdom. Q: Although Mma Ramotswe is confronted by greed, lust, dishonesty, and murderous intent, these novels are rather optimistic and often humorous in tone. How do you maintain this rather delicate balance? A: I think that many people living in Africa  in circumstances which are sometimes quite difficult  maintain that balance themselves, and with great dignity. I think that I merely reflect what is there in those fine people. Q: In the Precious Ramotswe novels, Botswana emerges as a vivid character and a wonderful place to live.

What do you hope that American readers will discover about Africa while reading these novels? A: I very much hope that American readers will get a glimpse of the remarkable qualities of Botswana. It is a very special country and I think that it particularly chimes with many of the values which Americans feel very strongly about  respect for the rule of law and for individual freedom. I hope that readers will also see in these portrayals of Botswana some of the great traditional virtues in Africa  in particular, courtesy and a striking natural dignity. Q: How have these books been received in Botswana? What about other parts of Africa? A: I was recently in Botswana and I was delighted to find that people there liked the books. I was worried that they might have reservations about an outsider writing about their society. No. They appear to like the way in which their world is portrayed. I believe that they recognize themselves in them. Q: You were born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and you have also lived in Botswana, the United States, and Edinburgh. In what ways have your international travels informed your writing? A: The fact that I have been all over the world means that I tend to use a variety of locations for my work.

I think it is important for a writer to see other societies and attempt to understand them. Of course, you have to be careful. It is easy to get things wrong. One might put palm trees in the wrong place, for example in New York. Q: Do you see the Precious Ramotswe books within the context of the tradition of the classic African novel of writers like Isak Dinesen and Chinua Achebe? Or do you see them as a revamping of the mystery genre? A: I think that these books might be difficult to put into any particular tradition. They are obviously about Africa, but they are very different from the works you mention. Some people say that they remind them of the novels of that great Indian writer R.K. Narayan, which is very flattering, but I suppose I can see the similarities in the world which his and my books portray. Q: Anthony Minghella, who has directed The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley, recently optioned The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to be a major motion picture. Will you be involved in the production in any way? A: I hope that this goes ahead as planned.

They have shown me a script, which I read with interest. They said that I could come and see the shooting, one of these days. I shall stand well back and I suspect that I shall say nothing. Q: The Precious Ramotswe books have a devoted following. Have you ever had the opportunity to meet with the Mma Ramotswe fan club that is based in New York? What question are you most frequently asked by your fans? A: There seem to be many fans of the books in the U.S.A. I receive wonderfully warm letters from American readers, which I greatly enjoy. As far as New York is concerned, there is a splendid group of readers whom I met when I was last there. They love Mma Ramotswe and she would love them too. They, like many other readers, ask me when Mma Ramotswe and Mr J.L.B. Matekoni will eventually get married. I must think about that. Q: Next spring, Pantheon Books will publish the fourth in the series of the Precious Ramotswe novels. Will there be other books in the series as well? A: I hope so. I am writing the fifth at the moment and I am thinking of the sixth.

Q: In addition to writing novels, you are also a professor of medical law at Edinburgh University, and as if that wasn't enough to keep you busy, you also conduct a symphony. How do you find the time to do it all? A: I struggle to find the time to do things. I have many commitments, but writing these books is such a pleasure for me that I shall always find the time, somehow. I don't conduct a symphony  I play in a distinctly amateur orchestra, of which I am the co-founder. I play the bassoon, but not the entire instrument, as I dislike the very high notes and stop at the high D, which I think is quite high enough. This orchestra is pretty awful, and that is why it bears the name The Really Terrible Orchestra. This brings it a wide and enthusiastic following. Recently we had a request from an American amateur orchestra to use our name. We said of course. So somewhere in the U.S. there is a bad amateur orchestra called The Really Terrible Orchestra. They will go far, perhaps.

4.8 11 The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by by Alexander McCall Smith: Summary and reviews Read Full Excerpt Please be aware that this discussion guide may contain spoilers! 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. "Can women be detectives?" asks the bank's lawyer. Mma Ramotswe herself feels unsure of her success. After all, her only assets are a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, an old typewriter, a teapot, and three teacups. But she does possess the intangible assets of intuition and intelligence. 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. What she also has is a deep love for Africa generally and... Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming Los Angeles Times Smart and sassy...Precious' progress is charted in passages that have the power to amuse or shock or touch the heart, sometimes all at once.

The New York Times Book Review The Miss Marple of Botswana. John Lewell, Femaledetective.com Why is this novel so good?…It is almost impossible to pin down such an inspired invention. Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen Practical, non-judgemental, filled with laughter but determination, Precious never quails....I loved every word. The Wall Street Journal One of the most entrancing literary treats of many a year…. A tapestry of extraordinary nuance and richness. Publisher's Weekly Images of this large woman driving her tiny white van or sharing a cup of bush tea with a friend or client while working a case linger pleasantly. General audiences will welcome this little gem of a book just as much if not more than mystery readers. The Sunday Telegraph - Anthony Daniels The author's prose has the merits of simplicity, euphony and precision. His descriptions leave one as if standing in the Botswana landscape. This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such alloyed pleasure for a long time.

Gerald Kaufman, Chairman of the 1999 BOOKER Prize Jury Indeed, the effort involved would have been justified by just one of them, The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency Amy Tan ...pure joy. It's about the mysteries of human nature. The writing is accessible and the prose is so beautiful; you can read this in one sitting. Reader Reviews Serena Scholl The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency Precious Ramotswe founds The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, the first ever ladies detective agency in Botswana. The cases and lives of Ma Ramotswe and her assistant, Ma Makutsi play out like a sweet song - light and at the same time profound, ... Read More Muff great summer read A friend had recommended this book and others in the series but I just wasn't interested. Some time later, I got the book on CD and loved it! It helped with the pronunciation of the names and I agree that Lisette is a wonderful speaker. I have read ... Read More PhyllisC This entire series is simply fabulous. The emotions displayed on every page are so real, so caring, so down-to-earth, so charming, and make us all wish to slow down and enjoy pumpkin more in our lives.

I must give kudos as well to Lisette Lecat, the ... Read More Jaonie G A most enjoyable read. I loved the simple plot line, the language and word choice, and the values that permeate the text: I can feel Africa on every page, not just read a book set on the continent. I loved being immersed so gracefully in a ... Read More Free books to read and review (US only) Find books by time period, setting & theme Read-alike suggestions by book and author Book club discussions The Story Of How 'The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency' Put Botswana On The Literary Map The Story Of How 'The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency' Put Botswana On The Literary Map Sarah Mitchell Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is a humorous depiction of Botswana’s first female-led detective agency which has become an international success, and brought this southern African country to worldwide attention. Based on a series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith , The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency was a widely followed television series about the first woman to start up a detective agency in Botswana.

The main character Detective Mma Ramotswe, ( Jill Scott ), is joined by her loyal secretary Mma Makutsi, ( Anika Noni Rose ) and other familiar faces in their quest to cut down scandal in the country’s capital Garbone. While oriented around a detective agency, the television program hardly carries the expected attributes of a crime series. The tone throughout is lighthearted, and plots are often as amusing as they are offbeat. Whilst the problems and mysteries that are encountered drive the action, the series remains nonetheless focused firmly upon its charismatic lead character Mma Romotswe, a woman of ‘traditional build’ who approaches her detective work in her own, inimitable style. Another key character in the series is Botswana itself: filmed entirely on location, the series fully benefits from the natural beauty of the surroundings, with its own particular light and palette of vibrant colors. Nonetheless the viewer is not presented with a romanticized, two-dimensional image of the country, and its problems – HIV, crime – are shown as much as its attributes. Courtesy Pantheon Books The pilot episode of the series was screened in 2008, with a six-part series following, that ended in 2009.

Helmed by legendary director Anthony Minghella , the adaptation was initially conceived as a film. However, concerned that it did not adhere to the conventions of the crime genre, he instead proposed its destination as television, and the first part aired as a feature-length episode. No doubt, this decision was a wise move. The strength of McCall’s books lies not in action-packed story, but instead a meandering, gentle plot trajectory. Given the time to develop the various characters and relationships over the course of the series, the audience was provided the chance to be fully immersed in the close-knit community shown on screen, much like the episodic series of novels. In interviews McCall Smith reveals that although Mma Ramotswe was not based on someone he specifically knew while living in Botswana, he did want to write a book about a cheerful woman from a traditional background, after witnessing a similar character try and capture a chicken for his friends – clucking as she ran – on Botswana National Day. Mma Ramotswe is an affectionate and unique character but also, as McCall Smith stated in an interview with HBO , ‘someone who has a sound, intuitive knowledge of what’s what’.

Ramotswe’s quick witted and matter-of-fact approach to solving the mysteries that arise throughout the series and her traditional, positive and honest persona allowed the audience to develop a familiarity with her character, making the popular drama easy and funny as well as culturally revealing. Courtesy Pantheon Books Alexander McCall Smith is a prolific author who has studied and worked in many countries abroad (including Botswana ) and is published in over forty languages around the world. Known for other series such as 44 Scotland Street , The Sunday Philosophy Club and Corduroy Mansions , McCall Smith has sold over twenty million copies of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Botswana is often described as different from other countries in Africa due to its relative prosperity, which came about because of the discovery of diamond deposits shortly after its independence in 1966 but also due to its good governance. When speaking about his time there, McCall Smith talks about the spirituality of Botswana’s landscape in relation to writing the series. He describes it as a great natural theatre of light, filled with wonderfully peaceful expanses of countryside and one can imagine this as an inspiration to the setting of his books.

McCall Smith matches that with the solid down to earth character of Mma Ramotswe, the homespun morals found in her gentle and forgiving approach to the chaos around her and her uniquely grounded nature. By Sarah Mitchell Book Review: Alexander McCall Smith and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series | Booked Solid Book Review: Alexander McCall Smith and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series Posted on November 29, 2014 by victor.kralisz While it’s easy to dismiss series fiction as crass franchising (though many forget that series have been with us for generations) there are many series that run their course quickly and are eminently forgettable. Not so the prodigious work of Alexander McCall Smith , a master of gentle writing and insightful human observation. McCall Smith may be one of the most prolific popular writers working today and his ability to balance several series each year pays tribute to what appears to be a wonderful dedication to finding out and revealing what makes us tick on the bright side. Dismissing his tone and outlook as much too optimistic fails to account for a determined dedication to easing the pain of life and helping us understand human foibles across borders and other barriers.

The one for which he consistently earns praise is the Precious Ramotswe Series , better known as the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Taking that name from the first book of the series (1998) these “mysteries” revolve around the efforts of the first woman detective in Botswana to run an agency in her city, Gabarone. In establishing her business Mma (honorific for women as Ra is for men) Ramotswe gathers other characters into her life and business. Always optimistic and appreciative of her life in her beloved country, Mma has more than common insight into human foibles and is therefore able to tackle her cases not so much from evidence (of which there is some) but from the psychology of the people involved. While crime is sometimes involved (and truancy from the bonds of a relationship more often) there is seldom a true darkness to contend with. In The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (2007) while everyone involved seems to want to have their own case to solve, Mma Ramotswe’s is the most serious and one of her darkest.

A hospital administrator asks Mme to look into the mysterious deaths of three patients who “became late” at 11:00 o’clock in the morning on three separate Fridays in the recent past. There is some serious soul-searching and currents of fear among the staff who come close to seeming guilty. The eventual solution is satisfying and heart-wrenching as well. What pervades these novels is the sense of how good life can be and how silly we really are for complaining about our troubles. Mma’s life has not been easy. She’s be en betrayed by a husband, lost a baby to his cruelty, and gone on to rebuild her life as a single woman entrepreneur who eventually marries the honorable Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. She staunchly believes in the rights of women to be independent and the equal of men, but understands that while she has done much, there is much progress to be made. Much sly humor comes out of her patience and impatience with silly men. Her friendliness and ability to see the best in people gives her a one-up over rivals who may not be honorable at all.

It’s the characters and the curiosity about the cases that bring the reader back again and again to this African city and its very human people. Dip into a few of these books and check out the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency television series to be richly rewarded with a better sense of how funny and flawed we can be. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith | PenguinRandomHouse.com About The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY – Book 1 Fans around the world adore the best-selling 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. This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No.

1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witchdoctors. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two Booker Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement. About The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY – Book 1 Fans around the world adore the best-selling 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.

This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witchdoctors. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two Booker Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement. About The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY – Book 1 Fans around the world adore the best-selling 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. The beloved first novel in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, now available for the first time in hardcover, tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, Mma Ramotswe is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart–and lands her in danger–is that of a missing eleven-year-old boy who may have been snatched by witch doctors. About The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY – Book 1 Fans around the world adore the best-selling 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. This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witchdoctors. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two Booker Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement. From the Trade Paperback edition. Get the news you want from Penguin Random House Praise “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is a literary confection of gossamer deliciousness . . .

There is no end to the pleasure that may be extracted from these books.” –Janet Malcolm, The New York Times Book Review About Alexander McCall Smith ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh… More about Alexander McCall Smith About Alexander McCall Smith ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh… More about Alexander McCall Smith About Alexander McCall Smith ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series.

He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh… More about Alexander McCall Smith About Alexander McCall Smith ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh… More about Alexander McCall Smith Author Q&A Q: You have written more than fifty books (from specialist titles such as FORENSIC ASPECTS OF SLEEP to children’s books, including THE PERFECT HAMBURGER). Was THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY your first attempt at writing a mystery? A: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is my first foray into this territory, although I do not think of it as a mystery. I like to think of it as a novel about a woman who happens to be a private detective. Mind you, I suppose that makes it a mystery … of a sort. Q: Your detective, Precious Ramotswe, is a wonderfully unique character—a Batswana woman of traditional build who decides to become a professional private detective.

Is Precious based on someone that you knew when you lived in Botswana or is she a creation of your imagination? A: There is no particular person upon whom Precious Ramotswe is based, but there is an incident. Years ago I was in Botswana, staying with friends in a small town called Mochudi. A woman in the town wished to give my friends a chicken to celebrate Botswana National Day. I watched as this woman—traditionally built, like Mma Ramotswe—chased the chicken round the yard and eventually caught it. She made a clucking noise as she ran. The chicken looked miserable. She looked very cheerful. At that moment I thought that I might write a book about a cheerful woman of traditional build. Q: Did you know immediately that the story of Mma Ramotswe would be the basis for an entire series of novels? A: No, I did not. What happened is that I became so fond of the character that I could not let her go. To leave her where she was at the end of the first novel would have been rather like getting up and leaving the room in the middle of a conversation—rather rude.

Q: It is rare for an author to explore the evolution from amateur sleuth to professional detective, but one of the most appealing aspects of Precious’s character is that she doesn’t always know what she’s doing. In TEARS OF THE GIRAFFE (the sequel to THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY), she even sends away for an instructional manual, Principles of Private Detection. What interests you about "education of the detective"? A: Mma Ramotswe sets up her agency without any relevant experience. However, she does have intuition—in abundance—and that is very much more important than anything she could learn from a book. In fact, the passages she cites from The Principles of Private Detection are ultimately not particularly helpful to her, the point being that a person without any training can achieve great things if he or she has natural intelligence and ability. In many African countries, including Botswana, people have great respect for books and for the learning they contain. I would hope to point out that this should not obscure the importance of real, practical wisdom. Q: Although Mma Ramotswe is confronted by greed, lust, dishonesty, and murderous intent, these novels are rather optimistic and often humorous in tone.

How do you maintain this rather delicate balance? A: I think that many people living in Africa—in circumstances which are sometimes quite difficult—maintain that balance themselves, and with great dignity. I think that I merely reflect what is there in those fine people. Q: In the Precious Ramotswe novels, Botswana emerges as a vivid character and a wonderful place to live. What do you hope that American readers will discover about Africa while reading these novels? A: I very much hope that American readers will get a glimpse of the remarkable qualities of Botswana. It is a very special country and I think that it particularly chimes with many of the values which Americans feel very strongly about—respect for the rule of law and for individual freedom. I hope that readers will also see in these portrayals of Botswana some of the great traditional virtues in Africa—in particular, courtesy and a striking natural dignity. Q: How have these books been received in Botswana? What about other parts of Africa? A: I was recently in Botswana and I was delighted to find that people there liked the books. I was worried that they might have reservations about an outsider writing about their society. No. They appear to like the way in which their world is portrayed.

I believe that they recognize themselves in them. Q: You were born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and you have also lived in Botswana, the United States, and Edinburgh. In what ways have your international travels informed your writing? A: The fact that I have been all over the world means that I tend to use a variety of locations for my work. I think it is important for a writer to see other societies and attempt to understand them. Of course, you have to be careful. It is easy to get things wrong. One might put palm trees in the wrong place, for example in New York. Q: Do you see the Precious Ramotswe books within the context of the tradition of the classic African novel of writers like Isak Dinesen and Chinua Achebe? Or do you see them as a revamping of the mystery genre? A: I think that these books might be difficult to put into any particular tradition. They are obviously about Africa, but they are very different from the works you mention. Some people say that they remind them of the novels of that great Indian writer R.K. Narayan, which is very flattering, but I suppose I can see the similarities in the world which his and my books portray.

Q: Anthony Minghella, who has directed The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley recently optioned THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY to be a major motion picture. Will you be involved in the production in any way? A: I hope that this goes ahead as planned. They have shown me a script, which I read with interest. They said that I could come and see the shooting, one of these days. I shall stand well back and I suspect that I shall say nothing. Q: The Precious Ramotswe books have a devoted following. Have you ever had the opportunity to meet with the Mma Ramotswe fan club that is based in New York? What question are you most frequently asked by your fans? A: There seem to be many fans of the books in the U.S.A. I receive wonderfully warm letters from American readers, which I greatly enjoy. As far as New York is concerned, there is a splendid group of readers whom I met when I was last there. They love Mma Ramotswe and she would love them too. They, like many other readers, ask me when Mma Ramotswe and Mr J.L.B.

Matekoni will eventually get married. I must think about that. Q: Next spring, Pantheon Books will publish the fourth in the series of the Precious Ramotswe novels. Will there be other books in the series as well? A: I hope so. I am writing the fifth at the moment and I am thinking of the sixth. Q: In addition to writing novels, you are also a professor of medical law at Edinburgh University, and as if that wasn’t enough to keep you busy, you also conduct a symphony. How do you find the time to do it all? A: I struggle to find the time to do things. I have many commitments, but writing these books is such a pleasure for me that I shall always find the time, somehow. I don’t conduct a symphony—I play in a distinctly amateur orchestra, of which I am the co-founder. I play the bassoon, but not the entire instrument, as I dislike the very high notes and stop at the high D, which I think is quite high enough. This orchestra is pretty awful, and that is why it bears the name The Really Terrible Orchestra. This brings it a wide and enthusiastic following.

Recently we had a request from an American amateur orchestra to use our name. We said of course. So somewhere in the U.S. there is a bad amateur orchestra called The Really Terrible Orchestra. They will go far, perhaps. From the Trade Paperback edition. Author Essay What’s What and Who’s Who in THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY Alexander McCall Smith’s Guide to the World of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency First and foremost, Mma Ramotswe: Mma is the term used to address a woman, and may be placed before her name. It is pronounced "ma" (with a long a) Rra is the rough equivalent of "mister". It is pronounced "rar", but with a slight rolling of the second r. Mma Ramotswe is the daughter of the late Obed Ramotswe. African English makes frequent use of the word late in this context. People say: "My father is late" rather than use more brutal expressions. At one point Mma Ramotswe refers to a "late dog" which had been run over by a steamroller. This shows great delicacy. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni always uses his initials.

Why this formality? People in Botswana can be fairly formal with one another. In Mr J.L.B. Matekoni’s case, that is what he has always been called and nobody has ever found out what the initials stand for. The L is, in fact, Livingstone. Sir Seretse Khama is referred to from time to time. Mma Ramotswe is a great admirer of his and feels proud of the first President of Botswana. Sir Seretse was a great man, who set the moral tone of the new republic. Dr Moffat appears from time to time, together with his wife, Fiona. They are real people who currently live in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. Howard Moffat, a doctor, is a direct descendant of Robert Moffat, the Scottish missionary who first rendered the Setswana language in written form. Robert Moffat’s daughter married David Livingstone. Setswana, the language spoken in most of Botswana. Most people speak English too and newspapers, for example, will be in both languages. Bush tea is very important to Mma Ramotswe and her assistant, Mma Makutsi.

It is a reddish tea, caffeine-free, which is also known as rooibos (red bush tea). It is an acquired taste, and may be drunk with honey, in which case it is called honeybush tea. Masarwa. This term is commonly used to refer to the San people (previously called Bushmen) who inhabited the Kalahari and who have gradually moved away from their hunter-gatherer life. The Kalahari is a semi-desert which occupies the central and western parts of Botswana. It supports light vegetation, but very few people. The Orphan Farm exists, though not under that name. The orphans live in small houses presided over by a housemother. There is a matron (called, in the books, Mma Potokwani) and a man who is officially employed as a father figure, surely one of the more unusual job titles. In the past, the matron’s husband occupied that job. The Bishop. Mma Ramotswe admires the Bishop. He is in charge of the Anglican Cathedral, which is directly opposite the Princess Marina Hospital.

The last occupant of this office was the Bishop Walter Makhulu, who has recently handed over to Bishop Theophilus. Mafikeng (formerly Mafeking) lies to the south, outside the borders of Botswana. Mma Ramotswe previously shopped there, but now that Gaborone has better shops she is content to do all her shopping there. Zebra Drive. This is where Mma Ramotswe has her house. There is a Zebra Way in Gaborone. Mma Ramotswe’s house is the last house on the left before the Zebra Way turns the corner. Tlokweng Road, the road on which Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors sits, goes to Tlokweng, some five or six miles outside Gaborone. The Francistown Road goes to Francistown, in the North, and the Lobatse Road goes to Lobatse. To get to Molepolole, one should take the Molepolole Road. The Village is the old part of the Gaborone. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni lives on the edge of the Village, near the old Botswana Defence Force Club. Acacia trees cover the land.

They have light greyish-greenish leaves and harbour birds such as the Go-Away Bird with its famous cry, or doves. Cattle are very important. They are everywhere. A person’s prosperity will usually be measured by the number of cattle he or she has. Product Details Alexander McCall Smith - Interview | BookPage Alexander McCall Smith New series, new setting for the ever-popular Alexander McCall Smith BookPage interview by Trisha Ping Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world's most beloved authors—his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, which inspired an HBO series, have sold more than 20 million copies, and most of his 60-plus novels have become bestsellers. Though they're set in disparate locales, Smith's works are linked by their gentle humor and generous spirit. His latest book, Corduroy Mansions, depends on the chaos that can arise when many people simply go about the job of living their lives in a small pocket within a larger city—London. It was first published as a serial—in print, and via podcast—by the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph newspaper and has just been released in the U.S.

McCall Smith took a moment to speak to BookPage about the appeal of writing series and where he gets his sense of humor. Writing series (at last count you have five on the go now) is your bread and butter. What is the allure to writing continuing series rather than stand-alone fiction? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all of your creations? I love getting back to the same characters. Going back to a series is like meeting an old friend. Sometimes, though, I feel that I have rather many fictional characters milling about me—but I don't lose any sleep over it! In some sense Corduroy Mansions feels very English and almost like a print version of such British staples as the long-running soap Coronation Street. Were you at all influenced by that show (or any other)? I don't think that I have been influenced by any television show. Soap operas, of course, are simply long-running stories—sagas, I suppose. I think that the idea of people leading fairly intimate lives in the middle of a great city is an intriguing one—I often think about that when I am in a large city and see people conducting their lives as if they were in a village—meeting neighbours, taking an interest in local issues and so on.

We create such spaces for ourselves in the middle of these large conurbations. Corduroy Mansions is the first in a new series set in London. How is writing about it different than writing about Edinburgh or Botswana? What made you choose London as the setting for this story? I wrote this for the Daily Telegraph, which has a large circulation in England. I thought that it would be interesting for my English readers to have a story set in London. A lot of the fun of your books is the humor you put into them. Are there other writers whose sense of humor you admire? I very much admire the English humorous writer, E.F. Benson (the Mapp and Lucia novels). Barbara Pym was very funny, in an understated sort of way. David Sedaris is wickedly amusing. Philosophy plays a part in much of your work—there's a great scene in Corduroy Mansions where a character speculates on Freud as applied to the banking crisis. Do you often find yourself applying a philosophical outlook to everyday life? I suppose that I do. Philosophy should be about everyday life as well as about more theoretical issues.

You’ve published serial fiction, short story collections, children’s books and even academic texts on law and ethics. Is there any genre you haven’t tackled yet that you’d love to have a go at? No, I don't think so. Mind you, now that you come to mention it, I suppose that it would be interesting to tackle a stage play. Yes, now let's think . . . Corduroy Mansions was first released as weekly serial online, much as the works of Charles Dickens and other Victorian writers were. What made you decide to write a new series in this way? I have always been aware that Dickens used this method of publishing, but I don't think that is what inspired me. I was more inspired, I suppose, by Armistead Maupin, who revived this form of novel with his Tales of the City. In fact, it was a meeting with Armistead in San Francisco, at a party at Amy Tan's house, that gave me the idea. I am most grateful to him for that inspiration! My first newspaper novel was Scotland Street—now coming up for its sixth year. I started this new series because I enjoyed the form so much.

With the ever-increasing popularity of the internet and ebooks, several notable authors have taken to releasing their books for free online. To some extent Corduroy Mansions is an expansion on this concept. What were your motivations in releasing the book online for free first? It was the newspaper's idea. I was very pleased that we would reach a new audience. I also liked the idea of a daily conversation with my readers. >One of your most popular works is The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. Given that those novels always involve a dash of mystery, they must involve some degree of plotting. Did you find that in writing this way your writing became more flexible and spontaneous? To what extent was plot influenced by reader reactions? Corduory Mansions just evolved as I wrote it. I had no idea of the plot beforehand—other than a general idea of who the characters would be. I responded to readers as I went along. The internet made it possible for this response to be quite quick. When it comes to publication rates, few authors are as prodigious as you! How do you manage to write so unceasingly? Do you ever worry you might one day find your creative well has run dry? I hope it won't!

I very much enjoy what I do, and I suppose that helps.

Question: Which country is the setting for Alexander McCall Smith's series of novels 'The No 1. Ladies' Detective Agency'?
Answer: BOTSWANA