Alexander McCall Smith

Wayward daughters. Missing husbands. Philandering partners. If you've got a problem, and no one else can help you, then pay a visit to Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's only female private detective. Her methods may not be conventional, but she's got warmth, wit and canny intuition on her side. "The Miss Marple of Botswana." -- The New York Times Book Review The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency consists of one woman, the engaging and sassy Precious Ramotswe, who sets up shop in Gaborone, Botswana. A cross between Kinsey Millhone and Miss Marple, this unlikely heroine specialises in missing husbands, wayward daughters, con men and imposters. When she sets out on the trail of a missing child she is tumbled headlong into some strange situations and not a little danger. 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.

"The Miss Marple of Botswana." -- The New York Times Book Review The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency consists of one woman, the engaging and sassy Precious Ramotswe, who sets up shop in Gaborone, Botswana. A cross between Kinsey Millhone and Miss Marple, this unlikely heroine specialises in missing husbands, wayward daughters, con men and imposters. When she sets out on the trail of a missing child she is tumbled headlong into some strange situations and not a little danger. 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.

THE NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY published in 1998, introduced the world to the one and only Precious Ramotswe, the engaging and sassy owner of Botswana's only detective agency. TEARS OF THE GIRAFFE took us further into this world, and now, continuing the adventures of Mma Ramotswe, MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS. In Morality for Beautiful Girls, Precious Ramotswe, founder and owner of the only detective agency for the concerns of both ladies and others, investigates the alleged poisoning of the brother of an important "Government Man," and the moral character of the four finalists of the Miss Beauty and Integrity Contest, the winner of which will almost certainly be a contestant for the title of Miss Botswana. Yet her business is having money problems, and when other difficulties arise at her fiance's Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, she discovers the reliable Mr J. L. B. Matekoni is more complicated then he seems. Alexander McCall Smith's sense of humour and gentle charm have created a substantial cult following. MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS will win him yet more fans. "One of the most entrancing literary treats of many a year.... A tapestry of extraordinary nuance and richness." -- The Wall Street Journal

The story of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency continues as irrepressible sleuth Precious Ramotswe searches for a young man who vanished many years ago on the African plains, while dealing with her engagement to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, sudden and unexpected motherhood, and her recently promoted new assistant. Reprint. 12,500 first printing.

‘That,’ said Mr Borthwick, ‘was the best hamburger I’ve ever tasted!’Joe has just created the yummiest, juciest, most delicious hamburger ever – and his friend Mr Borthwick wants to sell it in his new hamburger shop. But there’s a problem – Joe has completely forgotten the recipe and the shop is opening very soon. A pinch of this, a touch of that and a spoonful of something else…the race is on for Joe to remember!

On asioita, jotka miehet osaavat ja naiset eivät. Tämän joutuvat myöntämään jopa Naisten etsivätoimisto nro 1:n Mma Ramotswe ja hänen väittelynhaluinen apulaisensa Mma Makutsi. Kun Mma Ramotswe saa asiakkaakseen laskussa olevan jalkapallojoukkueen omistajan, hän ei voi kuin harmitella, ettei tiedä mitään jalkapallosta. Ongelmia aiheuttaa myös hehkeä Violet Sephotho, joka iskee kyntensä Mma Makutsin sinisilmäiseen sulhaseen. Yrittäessään luoda ymmärrystä sukupuolten välille ja paljastaa petturin jalkapallojoukkueesta Mma Ramotswe juo teetä vieraissa keittiöissä ja oppii luottamaan pikkupoikien huomiokykyyn. Ja kohtaa sen väistämättömän tosiasian, että kaikki päättyy aikanaan.