This is the twenty third in the simple but charming No. 1 Ladies Detective series. All the familiar characters are here. Instead of being hired by a client to investigate a case, Mma Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi set out to solve two problems close to home. Grace’s old friend’s son is sabotaging her relationship with a good man. Grace’s husband is worried about losing his furniture business because there is a new player in town undercutting his prices. Mma Ramotswe discusses this with her husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, during the special half-hour when the sun is setting and the spouses are relaxing on their verandah.

We can have a cup of tea together, my sister [...] My sister: it was a statement of solidarity: a proclaimed, public statement, intended for the ears of others, but a private pledge of support and understanding." This is a different kind of cozy mystery where there isn’t necessarily a dead body, but there is plenty of detecting. I recommend it to all cozy mystery lovers looking for a book with great characters, an entertaining mystery, and an underlying sense of kindness. A mild and gentle new installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith will find the leisurely reading they've come to expect, where most of the story takes place in thoughts, between moments of conversation. There's a charming kind of wit peeping through in various scenes and a general sense that almost everyone means well. Comfort reading, really. The two ladies put their heads together and come up with clever and successful solutions to both issues. All the familiar characters are here lending audience and support to the good hearted ladies. And, yes, the talking shoes do make a cameo appearance! Alexander McCall Smith has managed once again to write another wonderful tale where our leading lady, Precious, encourages us to slow down and express gratitude. To many it might seem simplistic, yet truly speaking, it is the superb craftsmanship of Alexander that provides devoted readers with a gentle reminder to be more open minded and extend warmth to those around us.The RRP is the suggested or Recommended Retail Price of a product, set by the publisher or manufacturer.

These scenarios make up the 'detective' parts of the book. The remainder of the novel is mostly about Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi going about their business; Mma Ramotswe's inner musings; and the characters drinking tea and having rambling conversations. The end of this book was especially satisfying to me, maybe because I have been a teacher for over forty years. I won’t spoil it for you, but it is nice to read about, even in fiction, someone getting recognized for their day-to-day quiet service.Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi eat a pie. Mma Potokwane sits in a chair. Charlie goes to the dentist. Mr Tutume shouts at a surly teenager. and a firm called Twenty-First Century Chairs is selling new-age, adjustable seats at reduced prices. Unfortunately, Phuti can't compete. EXCERPT: Mma Ramotswe sighed. There was so much wrong with the world. There were so many cases of people behaving badly in one way or another, of people doing things that they should not do, and the more we scrutinised what was going on around us, the more we discovered of just this sort of thing. Under every stone, she sometimes thought, there is bound to be a scorpion. I feel like I just was in Botswana visiting with my friend, Mma Ramose and all her family and friends. What a pleasant trip it was. Alexander McCall Smith tells such warm delightful tales and each story has a moral point. I can’t wait for the next issue to come out.

In a world where there aren’t always answers and at a time when we are all looking for answers, this is a fabulous read. I know any book in this series will end well and that Precious and Grace will solve the cases. For a few hours, all is right with the world and my worries are set aside. We could all do with a little Botswana wisdom in our life.The narration is relaxed and takes time to gather momentum. Even then, it is languid and lingers here and there before coming to the main point. The writing has a semi-stream-of-consciousness style (an incident happens/ new info is revealed, and one of the leading ladies thinks about something relevant from the past). Once I got used to this, I could sync my reading style with the narration.