Precious and Grace -- Sept 2017

Precious and Grace -- Sept 2017

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Born August 24, 1948, in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe); Avocational Interests: Plays bassoon in the Really Terrible Orchestra. Addresses: Home: Edinburgh, Scotland. E-mail:alexander@alexandermccallsmith.co.uk.

CAREER:

Educator and writer. Instructor at Queen's University Belfast; University of Botswana, law professor and cofounder, beginning 1981; helped create a criminal code for Botswana; Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, Scotland, former professor of medical law, current professor emeritus. Also the former vice chair of the Human Genetics Commission of the United Kingdom, and former chair of the British Medical Journal Ethics Committee.

Commander of the British Empire (CBE), 2007, for services to literature; Digital Publishing Award, Association of Online Publishers, 2009; presidential Order of Merit awarded by President of Botswana, 2010; holds honorary doctorates from twelve universities.

The diverse accomplishments of Alexander McCall Smith include a distinguished career as a legal scholar and more recent fame as a best-selling novelist. A professor of medical law at Edinburgh University, Smith has published many works on medical ethics and criminal law. For example, he has written about the duty to rescue and the impact of medical advances on parental rights. Smith also had numerous books of fiction for young children and short-story collections in print before he published a series of detective stories set in Botswana. The first installment, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency,became a best-selling novel in the United States after it was popularized by word of mouth. Readers and critics have been charmed by the stories, which are more about relationships, customs, and informal justice than sleuthing.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

• 1. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Jan 1998)
• 2. Tears of the giraffe (Jan 2000)
• 3. Morality for beautiful girls (Nov 2002)
• 4. The Kalahari typing school for men (Apr 2003)
• 5. The full cupboard of life (Apr 2004)
• 6. In the company of cheerful ladies (Apr 2005)
• 7. Blue shoes and happiness (Apr 2006)
• 8. The good husband of Zebra Drive (Apr 2007)
• 9. The miracle at Speedy Motors (Apr 2008)
• 10. Tea time for the traditionally built (Apr 2009)
• 11. The Double Comfort Safari Club (Apr 2010)
• 12. The Saturday big tent wedding party (Mar 2011)
• 13. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (Apr 2012)
• 14. The minor adjustment beauty salon (Nov 2013)
• 15. The Handsome man's de luxe cafe (Oct 2014)
• 16. The woman who walked in sunshine (Oct 2015)
• 17. Precious and Grace (Oct 2016)
• Mma Makutsi, who has recently been promoted to co-director, has been encouraging Mma Ramotswe to update to more modern office practices. An unusual case, however, will require both of them to turn their attention firmly to the past. A young Canadian woman who spent her early childhood in Botswana requests the agency’s help in recalling her life there.
• 18. The House of Unexpected Sisters (Nov 2017)

Read-alikes for No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Boldly going where no woman has gone before, Precious Ramotswe is the very first female private detective in all of Botswana. Tactful, effective, and insightful detecting comes naturally to this very independent woman in this highly entertaining humorous cozy mystery series.

1. Jane Marple murder mysteries by Agatha Christie  Reason: These cozy mystery series feature women detectives in small towns who solve crimes and unexplained occurrences by using female intuition and general knowledge about their towns. Though set in extremely different locales, both series have a strong sense of place. -- Rebecca Simon  
   
2. Rabbi David Small mysteries by Harry  Kemelman Reason: Human psychology and ethical questions predominate over actual crimes and detection in these cozy mystery series. Though the settings in Botswana and the U.S. are different, both feature sleuths who are outsiders in their communities as well as thoughtfully observant. -- Katherine Johnson

3. Jimm Juree mysteries by Colin Cotterill Reason: Like the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries, the Jimm Juree series sets solid mysteries in a setting unfamiliar to most Western readers (Southern Thailand), and spices its female protagonist's adventures with humor and fascinating characters. -- Shauna Griffin

4. Gregor Demarkian mysteries by Jane Haddam Reason: These cozy mysteries emphasize character development over action or violence. Taking place in wildly disparate locations -- the Demarkian mysteries in Philadelphia, the Detective Agency novels in Botswana -- both share a gentle, engaging style and many intriguing puzzles. -- Mike Nilsson

5. Vish Puri mysteries by Tarquin Hall  Reason: With likable, intelligent, and slightly eccentric lead characters, these wryly humorous mysteries offer glimpses into everyday life in exotic locales -- Botswana in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels, and the Punjab region of India in the Vish Puri mysteries. -- Shauna Griffin  
   
6. Grantchester mysteries by James Runcie Reason: In these mystery series, the detective characters approach sleuthing through earnest conversations with people involved in the mystery and with their friends and family. The settings are vastly different, though: Grantchester Mysteries in England, and No. 1 Ladies' in Botswana. -- Katherine Johnson

    7. Detective Kubu mysteries by Michael Stanley Reason: Both set in  Botswana, these richly characterized mysteries offer a strong sense of place, though the Detective Kubu series is darker and grittier while the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels are upbeat and gentle. -- Shauna Griffin

Other series by Alexander McCall Smith: Isabel Dalhousie Mysteries; 44 Scotland Street; Portuguese Irregular Verbs; Corduroy Mansions; and various children’s series.