FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
In this installment in the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency saga, ?traditionally built? Botswana detective Precious Ramotswe must deal with some weighty issues -- namely her own; but first she and her assistant detective, Grace Makutsi, must handle a series of exceedingly delicate personal and professional dilemmas.

The appearance of a giant cobra underneath Makutsi's desk is just a portent of things to come for the women at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. A cook hires the agency to unravel a blackmailing scheme involving her dishonest boss; a nurse suspects an unethical doctor of falsifying diagnoses; and Ramotswe investigates a nearby village possibly under the influence of witchcraft. The most frustrating problems, however, are personal in nature: Makutsi's fianc? gets cold feet when he suspects his future wife of being a feminist, and Ramotswe struggles with being a ?fuller-figured? woman. But Ramotswe's unconventional philosophy for coming up with solutions to life's complicated problems pays off when she and her fashionable, shoe-loving assistant take time out to reflect -- and go shopping.

McCall Smith's relaxed, almost meditative narrative is not only filled with profound insights into the human condition but also with intensely vivid descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of the southern African landscape ("the smell of maize cobs roasting on the open fire, of beef sizzling in its fat, of large chunks of pumpkin boiling in the pot?). Breathtakingly described and addictively readable, this volume of McCall Smith's series is as appealing as its lovable main character. In a word: Precious. Paul Goat Allen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this seventh installment in the internationally bestselling, universally beloved series, there is considerable excitement at the shared premises of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors.

A cobra has been found in Precious Ramotswe's office. Then a nurse from a local medical clinic reveals to Mma Ramotswe that faulty blood-pressure readings are being recorded there. And it looks as though Aunty Emang, the advice columnist in the local newspaper, may not be what she seems.

It all means a lot of work for Mma Ramotswe and her inestimable assistant, Grace Makutsi, and they are, of course, up to the challenge. But there's trouble brewing in Mma Makutsi's own life. Her greedy uncles are demanding an extra-large bride price from her well-to-do fiancé, a man of substance, Phuti Radiphuti, and though money may buy her that fashionably narrow (and uncomfortable) pair of blue shoes, it won't buy her the happiness that Mma Ramotswe promises her she'll find in simpler things - in contentment with the world and enough tea to smooth over the occasional bumps in the road.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Fans of Botswana's No. 1 lady detectives Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi (In the Company of Cheerful Ladies) will be pleased to learn that the seventh novel in this series is just as entertaining as the previous six. Smith relates the ladies' latest adventures with his usual warmth, affection, and gentle humor. The ladies' problems this time range from the dramatic (a cobra in the office) to the romantic (a misunderstanding between Mma Makutsi and her fiance). The author digresses frequently on the charms of Botswana, as much a character as Mma Ramotswe herself. "If only more people knew, thought Mma Ramotswe. If only more people knew that there was more to Africa than all the problems they saw. They could love us too, as we love them." Highly recommended for all public libraries.-Leslie Patterson, Blanding P.L., Rehoboth, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews