Rating: 
Summary: When women make untrue statements
Review: Mr. Matekoni once had a snake killing dog. Now he has the promise of Mma Ramotswe to marry him. He deems himself fortunate. Men are like cattle. If they are well looked after they become fatter. Mma Ramotswe has a problem with the services of her fiance's maid and she makes an enemy, alas. It is decided that the couple will move to the house on Zebra Drive. A tenant for Mr. Matekoni's house is to be be found. Mma Ramotswe knows one has to be careful not to alarm men about diamond rings. After the diamond ring is purchased she starts to cry because her first husband did not buy anything for her. The secretary of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency understands confidentiality. A Mrs. Curtin arrives to try to find out what happened to her son ten years ago. Mma Ramotswe knows that the search for Mrs. Curtin's son is to be a stale enquiry. It may be unrewarding for all concerned. A woman in the village where the detective investigates the disappearance believes that the boy was sucked up by a whirl wind. Things are changing in Botswana and now there are orphanages. Mr. Matekoni visits one run by a friend of his mother. He works on engines there for no pay. The matron at the orphanage suggests that Mr. Matekoni consider adoption. He wonders if he has the energy to embark upon such a venture. He acquires two children, a brother and a sister, to present to Mma Ramotswe. Mr. Matekoni realizes that he has done something momentous by bringing the children to his house. He indicates to his maid that they will be remaining for a long time. Mr. Matekoni and the children go to town in an old truck. He wants to buy them some clothes. While in town they encounter Mma Ramotswe. Mma Ramotswe travels to the site of the former collective enterprise. The scheme had not worked out. One cannot grow vegetables on the Kalahari. The Americans have sent rockets to outer space but they still do not understand other people. The boy died but is somehow present Mma Ramotswe intuits. A new client arrives. He distrusts his wife. One must have a working supposition to prove or disprove. It is the suggestion of Mma Ramotswe that her newly appointed asistant detective, promoted from the secretarial position, talk to the maids. It is discovered that there is another man in the picture who is, in fact, the father of the client's son. The plot twists and turns, becoming more interesting on each page. If anything, this is even better than the first book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: even better than the first one
Review: This book is a continuation of the first book, THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY, and is even better. It would be best to read the first if you can, but this is good on its own. Precious Ramotswe is the no. 1 lady detective, and she is a detective in Botswana, Africa. Along with her mysterious cases, we get to learn about the culture in Botswana and we are entertained by the budding romance between Precious and the man she is engaged to. An entirely delightful book. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Tears of the Giraffe - ANOTHER MUST READ!
Review: Alexander McCall Smith has written over 50 books, from specialized works as The Criminal Law of Botswana, Forensic
Aspects of Sleep to Children's books. He currently is a Professor of Medical Law at Edinburgh University. Tears of the Giraffe takes us further into the life of the interesting and confident Precious Ramotswe, the owner and detective of Botswana's only Ladies' detective agency. Among her cases in Tears of The Giraffe are wandering wives, the devious and dangerous maid of Mma Ramotswe's fiance and a challenge to resolve a mother's pain for her missing son, who is long lost on the African plains. Mma Ramotswe's own impending marriage to the best mechanic and gentleman, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, the promotion of her secretary to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective and new additions to the Matekoni family, all come together again to produce the second humorous and charmingly entertaining of tales in Smith's series.
A enchanting view of life as it is in today's Africa. This mystery is enhanced by the belief and charm of the lifestyle of the
characters and the plot. A totally fun read for the many fans who wish to escape to a simpler lifestyle, whether you've traveled to Africa or not! I thoroughly enjoyed this book for it's unique and likable characters and exotic setting. The uniqueness of the mysteries
reflect a simpler lifestyle than many of us live and especially expect in a "mystery". TOTAL ENJOYMENT!
John Row
Rating:
Summary: A Fun, Fabulous Book!
Review: Last week I finished reading the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and just last night I finished reading the next one, Tears of the Giraffe.
I am so tickled to have discovered another author whose work I just love. My entire family is now reading these books by Alexander McCall Smith and everyone is loving them.
It isn't often you come on a book quite so fun, so interesting, so well constructed, or one that really moves you. These books are doing it to me, in spades. Tears of the Giraffe follows the lady detective, Precious, and it expands, introducing more characters, all ones that feel real, ones that are easy to care about. These books take place in Africa, in Botswana, a place that this author is putting on the map. I write too...and I am always looking for authors who can write books that are fun to read, books where I have to keep turning pages, but especially books with characters that I give a damn about. Tears of the Giraffe has it all but I would recommend that you start with the first one, No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and take it from there. Best bunch of new novels for the Summer of 2003!
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Summary: I love this series!
Review: Precious Ramotswe is quickly becoming one of my favorite fictional characters. For the uninitiated, Mma Ramotswe is the first female private detective in Botswana. But, to say she's only a private detective is like saying that Father Tim (from the At Home in Mitford series) is just a village preacher. I don't mind that most of the mysteries Mma Ramotswe solves are pretty transparent and not very dangerous. What I love about these stories is the way the author weaves a spell about simple people, living gracious lives, while being kind (for the most part) to one another. At the end of a Mma Ramotswe book, I'm left with a feeling of peace. This is sweet, gentle fiction...set in Africa, but it's universally appealing. I wonder who's going to star in the movie? Whoopi Goldberg comes to mind...or Alfrie Woodard....or Angela Bassett...strong, independent women all....like Precious Ramotswe herself. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Fast Good Read
Review: Wonderfully entertaining, this series has me definitely hooked. I have all but one. Keep them coming Alex!
Rating:
Summary: The further adventures of Mma Ramotswe.
Review: In Alexander McCall Smith's "Tears of the Giraffe," Precious Ramotswe has firmly established herself as a detective in Botswana. Although she is not wealthy, she lives comfortably and she derives enormous satisfaction from her work. To add to her happiness, she has accepted the marriage proposal of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. In this installment of McCall's popular series, Mma Ramotswe investigates the disappearance of a young American man ten years earlier and she looks into the activities of an unfaithful wife. Both cases are complex and, unlike most detectives, Mma Ramotswe gets personally involved in her client's lives. She even embroiders the truth to protect the innocent. This is a huge step for Mma Ramotswe, since she values the truth above all else. However, she decides to take on the role of a compassionate social worker in addition to her detective duties. "Tears of the Giraffe" retains the charm and colorful ambiance of the first installment in this captivating series and I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Phonyness just below the shallow surface
Review: My comments apply to all three of the authors books. You get no feeling of Botswana at all. People go to lunch at the Presidents Hotel, teenagers have "attitude", homes have all the usual middle class western acouterments like tubs, sweaters of real wool are appreicated over "polyester". These are all concerns and needs of a middle class English citizen where the author hails from and not that of a middle class Botswana citizen. This is not the Botswana I am seeing in the news nor does it feel real. Ok the book is fun to read to but by the second one you will be annoyed at its lack of authenticity and forced and phony simplicity.
Rating:
Summary: These books are great.
Review: I spent a couple of weeks in Botswana at the game parks. I was always impressed by how nice the Botswanans were. Have traveled a lot and there is professional courtesy and there are genuinely nice people. All the ones I met were really sweethearted, kind people. Was very happy that these books reflected that culture. And a pretty decent detective story too.
Rating:
Summary: Africa's Number One Sleuth
Review: Mma Ramotswe is back in great form in this excellent sequel to "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency". The demand for her services are growing. This time around, she's trying to locate a young American man missing in Botswana for ten years, nobody knows if he's still alive; dealing with the expansion of her household by the acquistion of two foster children her fiance, Mr. JLB Matekoni, was tripped into taking before he knew which end was up; investigating the evil machinations of Mr. JLB's housekeeper, and giving her secretary, Mma Makutsi, a well-deserved promotion to assistant detective. As in the first book, Mma Ramotswe shares star billing with Africa itself, and in her we see the values that mean so much in this vibrant, diverse continent: the attachment to the land, the all-important love of family and neighborhood, the ethic of sharing one's good fortune with those less fortunate, and the homespun common-sense that motivates her daily activities. She's not so much about solving crimes as she is about maintaining the harmony of an orderly existence. For this reason, I don't consider this book or its predecessor as "crime novels". Alexander McCall Smith isn't a crime writer; he's much more interested in Mma Ramotswe as a personality, and once again he's given us a quintessentially African protagonist in a quintessentially African book.
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