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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9781400075720
ISBN number: 1400075726
Label: Anchor
Manufacturer: Anchor
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 240
Printing Date: March 11, 2008
Publishing house: Anchor
Release Date: March 11, 2008
Sale Popularity Level: 2396
Studio: Anchor
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In the eighth installment of Alexander McCall Smith's endlessly enjoyable, bestselling series, the judicious Precious Ramotswe comes to discover what is true, stable, and genuine in an ever-shifting world.
There is rarely a dull moment in the life of Precious Ramotswe, and on Zebra Drive and Tlokweng Road many changes are afoot. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni wants be put in charge of a case involving an errant husband, and Mma Makutsi is considering leaving the agency, taking her near perfect score on the Botswana Secretarial College typing exam with her. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe has been asked to investigate a series of unexpected deaths at the hospital in Mochudi. Along the way, she encounters other tricky mysteries, and once again displays her undying love for Botswana, a country of which she is justly proud.
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Rated by buyers 
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I loved the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series when it very first appeared, but like so many things in life, as I read further entries in the series, they grew progressively less enchanting. Perfectly fun and readable, but somewhat familiar and no longer greatly anticipated, until I stopped after the fifth. Needing something fairly simple for short a car ride, I picked up the audio version of this eighth in the series, and revisited the familiar characters and their beloved Botswana.
This installment features three separate cases for the detective agency, all of which underscore the book's (and series') main theme: personal relationships. Mma. Ramotswe is asked by a distant relative to investigate the mysterious deaths of three patients at the hospital he works at. Mma. Makutsi is assigned a case in which the owner of a printing company suspects one of their employees of theft. Finally, Rra.Matekoni even gets in the act, and takes up a case which involves tailing a suspected wayward husband.
However, these cases act more as subplots than anything else, as the real focus is on the family of main characters. There's Mma. Makutsi's impending marriage and financial security, which leads her to question the need for her job. There's Rra. Matekoni's insecurity about his marriage to Mma. Ramotswe. There's even apprentice Charley, seeking to leave the garage to embark on grand schemes of his own. Smith seems a lot more interested in how close friends and family relate to each other and allow for periods of growth and change, as well as the benefits and pitfalls of trusting one another. It's a little striking then, that Mma. Ramotswe's children barely show up at all.
Nonetheless, the personal interactions are well-drawn and handled with Smith's usual gentle touch, and fans of the series will be pleased by them. However, the "crime" sections are rather forgettable. The hospital case is based on a famous disproven urban legend from South Africa, and thus rather predictable. The theft case is completely underwhelming and barely resolved. And the adultery case is marred by Rra. Matakoni's abandoning his methodical nature, which makes the whole enterprise somewhat silly. On the whole, the book feels somewhat flat and tired, and I'm reminded why I stopped reading the series.
Rated by buyers 
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The very first word that springs to mind when describing AM Smith's books is "gentle" and this is especially so with the Mma Ramotswe works. I enjoyed this the way I have enjoyed the others in the series. (I like the Dalhousie works too but had to give up on Portuguese Irregular Verbs)
My only concern was that the degree of coincidence between the plot thread involving deaths at the Mochudi hospital and an episode of "A Touch of Frost" that aired in 2001. Unless, of course, this is a common plot like philandering husbands and pilfering workers.
Rated by buyers 
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I like a book that I can read in two or three nights, one that has good clean writing. This is my fifth book in the series, another feel good, amusing story. Pretty soon I will have a shelf full of his works. Next.....
Rated by buyers -
Another A.M.Smith's upbeat and sensible effort. Leaves one in a positive frame of mind. Another in the matchless No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.
Rated by buyers -
Amazon had my books delivered to me in perfect condition in a few short days, as always. The book series, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith, and by the way, his LAST name is McCall Smith, are delightful, filled with humor,good nature, and kindness.
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