Status
Available
Genres
Description
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies�?? Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana�??s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe�??with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi�??navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, good humor, and the occasional cup of tea. 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… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lman
I am an unabashed fan of Alexander McCall Smith’s works, and The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, the eighth instalment in The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, only further strengthens that opinion. Without fanfare and despite a rather long interval between books, from the very first page I became
The season is slowly changing from winter in Botswana, and so it seems is the status quo around Mma Ramotse. With the larger issues in life now comfortably established, the inhabitants of Zebra Drive are routinely cosy, until one morning “suppositions are so rudely shattered before eight o’clock” and it becomes “a day for discovering things about the world which are quite different from what you thought they were!” Thus we are introduced to the premise for this book and the merriment begins.
Mr J. L. B. Matekoni decides to try his hand at a little detective work; Mma Makutsi is feeling so unsettled, despite her engagement to Phuti Radiphuti, she is considering a change to her employment; and Charlie, the apprentice, wants to start his own business! It is, indeed, as if the stars are out of alignment and are having a dire influence on Botswana, and in particular over Tlokweng Road; all this as the agency investigates three suspicious deaths at a hospital, thefts from a printing works, and Mma Ramotse catches up with old friends, while surveying the world at large in her usual but inimitable fashion.
The appeal of these books is directly related to the characters – Alexander McCall Smith, I think, genuinely loves his creations, and the land in which he places them – and it is easily apparent that he speaks from personal knowledge and experience. Subtle lessons in life are artfully advanced through the musings and thought processes he links so aptly to these personas; and hence provides a depth of feeling that is unreservedly satisfying to me, at a spiritual level. These people are earthy, engaging, earnest, honest, often idiosyncratic – but with an innate humanity that charms and inspires. And produce many laugh-out-loud moments, even as you know their world will realign favourably!
These books are not a fast-paced crime thriller; in fact, any sleuthing in these books is used to emphasise the author’s philosophy and sociological mind set – resulting in a well-written, ingenious take on life.
These books simply make me smile.
Show More
totally immersed again in the world of Precious Ramotse, and utterly enchanted.The season is slowly changing from winter in Botswana, and so it seems is the status quo around Mma Ramotse. With the larger issues in life now comfortably established, the inhabitants of Zebra Drive are routinely cosy, until one morning “suppositions are so rudely shattered before eight o’clock” and it becomes “a day for discovering things about the world which are quite different from what you thought they were!” Thus we are introduced to the premise for this book and the merriment begins.
Mr J. L. B. Matekoni decides to try his hand at a little detective work; Mma Makutsi is feeling so unsettled, despite her engagement to Phuti Radiphuti, she is considering a change to her employment; and Charlie, the apprentice, wants to start his own business! It is, indeed, as if the stars are out of alignment and are having a dire influence on Botswana, and in particular over Tlokweng Road; all this as the agency investigates three suspicious deaths at a hospital, thefts from a printing works, and Mma Ramotse catches up with old friends, while surveying the world at large in her usual but inimitable fashion.
The appeal of these books is directly related to the characters – Alexander McCall Smith, I think, genuinely loves his creations, and the land in which he places them – and it is easily apparent that he speaks from personal knowledge and experience. Subtle lessons in life are artfully advanced through the musings and thought processes he links so aptly to these personas; and hence provides a depth of feeling that is unreservedly satisfying to me, at a spiritual level. These people are earthy, engaging, earnest, honest, often idiosyncratic – but with an innate humanity that charms and inspires. And produce many laugh-out-loud moments, even as you know their world will realign favourably!
These books are not a fast-paced crime thriller; in fact, any sleuthing in these books is used to emphasise the author’s philosophy and sociological mind set – resulting in a well-written, ingenious take on life.
These books simply make me smile.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
This eighth book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series reminds me of the saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Several of our companions from the series seem to be thinking just that. Garage proprietor Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and secretary/assistant detective Mma
I think it would be difficult to really appreciate this book without a familiarity with the characters that can come only from reading other books in the series. I recommend starting at the beginning of the series and reading the books in order.
Show More
Makutsi each get to try their hand at investigating their own case. Garage apprentice Charlie gets a taste of running his own business. Each one learns something about contentment in the process.I think it would be difficult to really appreciate this book without a familiarity with the characters that can come only from reading other books in the series. I recommend starting at the beginning of the series and reading the books in order.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
Book number eight in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. This time, various people contemplate changes in their careers, and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni gets to investigate a case of his own.
Once again, the mysteries investigated by the detective agency aren't remotely the point of the story,
Once again, the mysteries investigated by the detective agency aren't remotely the point of the story,
Show More
although their endings do lead to some nice emotional moments (one amusing, one poignant, and one sweet). Instead, as always, it's really all about the characters and the setting, with some gentle musings about life and relationships in modern Botswana and some equally gentle humor. And, as always, I find myself surprised by the fact that, book after book, this never starts to feel tedious and over-familiar, but continues to be pleasant and charming and to leave me feeling warm and fuzzy at the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member tronella
As lovely as usual. This is the first of the series that I've read since watching the tv adaptation of the first book, so it was nice to see the reference to Happy and her daddy.
I love Mr J L B Matekoni! He's so sweet.
I love Mr J L B Matekoni! He's so sweet.
LibraryThing member normaleistiko
Botswana setting. Different view of Africa...ordinary people view..than daily news. Insight into civilized behavior and kindnesses of ordinary people. Expression of "late" when someone has died. Friendships deeply and simply expressed.
LibraryThing member smik
#8 in the No. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY series. After I read the previous title, XXXX, in this series, I thought perhaps it was coming to an end; that McCall Smith had no more to tell, could do no more with the material. How wrong I was! With THE GOOD HUSBAND OF ZEBRA DRIVE the series swings upward
Show More
to another peak. Maters come to a point between that traditionally built lady Precious Ramotswe and her secretary Mma Makutsi when the latter takes the afternoon off to do some shopping when she is supposed to be minding the office. Mma Makutsi decides to resign and to look for a new job. Meanwhile, when Mma Makutsi was absent, Precious Ramotswe’s husband, Mr. J L. B. Matekoni interviewed a client, and he tells his wife he would like to follow that case through, carrying out the investigation himself. A cousin working in the administration of the public hospital in Mochudi comes to see Precious Ramotswe about some unexplained deaths at the hospital, so once again the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency has its hands full. There is something about reading these stories that is rather like meeting up with old friends. But don’t underestimate McCall Smith as a writer. The characters are gently but so graphically drawn, with touches of humour, and situations you can imagine witnessing. And McCall Smith makes use of an urban legend that I’m sure you’ll recognise. There’s no sex, no violence, rarely any blood and gore in these novels. And yet there is murder, mystery and crime, just enough to challenge the reader’s little grey cells. Show Less
LibraryThing member seoulful
Another well-written book by the author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series. Alexander McCall Smith follows his tried and true style of several mysteries being unraveled in tandem. We continue to understand the minds of the characters through their inner musings presented with a gracious
Show More
humor by the author. A unique and pleasant look into the culture and people of Botswana. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmbohn
I always love a visit to Botswana and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This book in the series sees things in a bit of an uproar. Mma Makutsi is feeling a bit restricted in the agency, now that she is planning her marriage. Charlie the apprentice mechanic wants to go into business for himself.
These books are not so much mysteries as they are fiction with a slight mysterious bent. But I enjoy reading them. The descriptions of the people and the land just pull me into another world.
Show More
And even Mr. JLB Matekoni is ready to try is hand at detective work.These books are not so much mysteries as they are fiction with a slight mysterious bent. But I enjoy reading them. The descriptions of the people and the land just pull me into another world.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ethelmertz
I love these books! I always feel better after reading one.
LibraryThing member Doondeck
The story continues. Life lessons for all and Precious is a great teacher
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Continuing introspection on Botswanan life from Mma Ramotswe and co. Featuring all the usual cast and the barely mentioing the children. A series of deaths is troubling the administrator of the local hospital, someone is stealing from the printworks, and a wife is yet again suspecting her husband
I didn't enjoy this as much as some of the others, somehow the charm was lacking. There were too many instances of awkward personal encounters, annoying enough in the occasional real life occurance, I've little wish to spend most of a book reading about them. However once again the redeeming factor is Mma Ramotswe's social commentry as she thinks about what it takes to live in the world.
Show More
of philandering, meanwhile Charlie the oldest apprentice is once again dreaming about making his fortune and his own way in the world.I didn't enjoy this as much as some of the others, somehow the charm was lacking. There were too many instances of awkward personal encounters, annoying enough in the occasional real life occurance, I've little wish to spend most of a book reading about them. However once again the redeeming factor is Mma Ramotswe's social commentry as she thinks about what it takes to live in the world.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lizhawk
In this book, everyone seems dissatisfied: Mma Makutsi feels unappreciated & decides to quit, Charlie quits to start his own taxi business, J.L.B. Matekoni decides he wants to branch out & help with detective. work. While this all gets sorted out, three mysteries are solved: a philandering husband,
Show More
unexplained hospital deaths and a thieving employee. Show Less
LibraryThing member dwate
This is the eighth in the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and McCall Smith hasn’t lost his touch. The doings of Mma Ramotswe, her husband J. L. B. Matekoni and her assistant Mma Makutsi are as intriguing as ever, and the background of a simple life in Botswana is once again beautifully
Show More
portrayed. This time, besides the investigations of mysterious deaths in a hospital, pilfering in a printing house, and a husband accused of unfaithfulness, Mma Matekoni resigns, J. L. B. Matekoni dabbles in investigation, and Charlie, the apprentice, decides to start a taxi service. Mma Ramotswe handles these various challenges to their comfortable life style with her usual wisdom. McCall Smith’s handling of his characters’ conversations and inner thoughts is a delight, as are his skilful revelations of the flaws and shortcomings of his various characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member tmannix
As usual, it's not the mysteries that count in this series, it's the wonderfully drawn people. The humor is gentle, the pace of life is appealing, the stories are amusing. So, yes, maybe the whole thing is getting a little tired but dang, I still love reading these books.
LibraryThing member riverwillow
Mma Ramotswe's inherently gentle wisdom and understanding of the world and the people around her makes for an interesting and wonderful read.
LibraryThing member MrsLee
I read this in a matter of hours and had a wonderful visit with The #1 Ladies Detective Agency. This seemed to be a book wherein everyone questioned their place in the world. Several characters tried new things, discovering that after all, they enjoyed the old way best. I liked this playing with
Show More
the roles. Mma is a lesson in patience for us all. Show Less
LibraryThing member whimsicalkitten
In the 8th book in this wonderful series, McCall Smith continues to explore the familiar themes of Botswana culture and tradition, and the difficulty of remaining true to these things in the face of change - both good and bad. In this book, he adds the themes of enduring friendship; spousal
Show More
loyalty; appreciation for the good things that we have while not abandoning our dreams. Show Less
LibraryThing member isabelx
It was the same with his trousers. Mma Ramotswe kept a general watch on the generously cut khaki trousers that her husband wore underneath his work overalls, and eventually, when the trouser legs became scuffed at the bottom, she would discreetly remove them from the washing machine after a final
As Mma Makutsi sets a date for her wedding, Mma Ramotswe starts to worry that her assistant may decide to give up work once she is married, and Mr J.L.B. Maketoni persuades his wife to let him investigate the case of an unfaithful husband.
When I read the previous book I was getting rather bored of this series, so I left a gap of a few months before reading this one. I feel entirely differently about this one, so perhaps the charming television series which is currently being shown on Sunday nights has reawakened my liking for the books.
Show More
wash and pass them on to the woman at the Anglican Cathedral who would find a good home for them. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni often did not notice that he was putting on a new pair of trousers, particularly if Mma Ramotswe distracted him with some item of news or gossip while he was in the process of getting dressed. This was necessary, she felt, as he had always been unwilling to get rid of his old clothes, to which, like many men, he became excessively attached. If men were left to their own devices, Mma Ramotswe believed, they would go about in rags.As Mma Makutsi sets a date for her wedding, Mma Ramotswe starts to worry that her assistant may decide to give up work once she is married, and Mr J.L.B. Maketoni persuades his wife to let him investigate the case of an unfaithful husband.
When I read the previous book I was getting rather bored of this series, so I left a gap of a few months before reading this one. I feel entirely differently about this one, so perhaps the charming television series which is currently being shown on Sunday nights has reawakened my liking for the books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member AuthorMarion
In this installment of the #1 Ladies Detective Series, we find Mma Ramotswe finding challenges in the most unexpected places: the resignation of Mma Makutsi, holder of the 97 percent degree from Botswana Secretarial College; the desire of husband Mr. J L B Matekoni to take on an investigative case
Throughout the book we find ourselves drawn in to the slower pace of the Botswana life, where people stop to watch the birds in the trees and contemplate life. A perfect respite from our own fast-paced world. But the faster pace of life outside Botswana seems to be making inroads in this book. The types of cases being investigated have begun to change, causing Mma Ramotswe to look to her compatriots for their input and finding that if one but takes the time to sit back, think things through, and open their eyes to the things around them answers to life's questions can be found.
Easy to read, this work packs a lot of information and entertainment in its short span of 210 pages. But really, how long does a work need to be if the message can be delivered succinctly?
Once again, McCall Smith has given me a good solid read and I look forward to the next chapter in this series
Show More
in the belief that life as a detective is more exciting than his work as a mechanic; the case of the late patients of a local hospital overseen by her cousin. Throughout the book we find ourselves drawn in to the slower pace of the Botswana life, where people stop to watch the birds in the trees and contemplate life. A perfect respite from our own fast-paced world. But the faster pace of life outside Botswana seems to be making inroads in this book. The types of cases being investigated have begun to change, causing Mma Ramotswe to look to her compatriots for their input and finding that if one but takes the time to sit back, think things through, and open their eyes to the things around them answers to life's questions can be found.
Easy to read, this work packs a lot of information and entertainment in its short span of 210 pages. But really, how long does a work need to be if the message can be delivered succinctly?
Once again, McCall Smith has given me a good solid read and I look forward to the next chapter in this series
Show Less
LibraryThing member tundra
I love this series. It gets better and better with each book.
LibraryThing member seasidereader
McCall Smith always seems to have the right phrases for each situation.
LibraryThing member Figgles
Things are shaken up on Zebra Drive - do Mr J. L. B. Maketoni, Mma Makutsi and apprentice Charlie really want changes of career - what will be the implications for Mma Ramotswe's No. 1 Ladies Detective agency and Mr J. L. B. Maketoni's Speedy Motors! More of the same low key charm from Alexander
Show More
McCall Smith. Inspector Frost fans will recognise one of the plot lines ... Show Less
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
I’ve been reading this series since the beginning and enjoy them, although I feel the series has been straying further and further from the mystery aspect and more toward philosophizing and looking at the personal lives of the characters. This is fine, especially when the characters are as
Show More
delightful as the ones that populate the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, although I do miss the more fleshed-out mysteries. In this volume, a lot of potential changes arise as Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni seeks to get into detective work so that he will seem more interesting to Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi contemplates leaving work altogether now that she is engaged to a wealthy man, and Charlie wants to leave his mechanics apprenticeship for a shiny, new venture. Show Less
LibraryThing member lamour
This is my third No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency title. While I was very pleased with the 1st volume in the series, the second one I read which was number 7 in the series, I had found less than satisfying. However, in this the 8th in the series, Alexander Smith has won me back.
Mma Ramorswe is asked
When the cases investigated by the other people in Mma Ramorswe life are solved, Smith returns us to the hospital case and the simple solution she comes to. It turns out that the cleaning lady was pulling the electrical cord of the ventilator out of the wall for the few minutes it took to wax the floor, the few minutes that meant death for three patients.
Mma Ramorswe is asked
Show More
by a hospital administrator to investigate why three people all died at the same time on the same day of the week in the same bed. While we are introduced to this mystery, it disappears into the background as we become involved in her assistant`s issues of satisfaction with her role at the Agency her husband`s desire to do some investigating on his own.When the cases investigated by the other people in Mma Ramorswe life are solved, Smith returns us to the hospital case and the simple solution she comes to. It turns out that the cleaning lady was pulling the electrical cord of the ventilator out of the wall for the few minutes it took to wax the floor, the few minutes that meant death for three patients.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jo-jo
This was another heart-warming installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series delivered by Alexander McCall Smith. As all of our favorite characters are settling into their lives with the changes that have taken place in the previous books, many seem to feeling a bit of stagnation from the
The mysteries within these series are usually so minimal, but they really help us to get to know the characters in a personal way. How they go about solving these capers is really a glimpse into each one's personal being. Mma Ramotswe is one who just sits back and pays attention while events unfold without making judgements beforehand. While Mma Makutsi is very judgemental up front and really hasn't figured out how to work with her instincts yet.
The characters are restless in this novel as J.L.B. decides that he has more to offer to the business than being a mechanic and should have a shot at the detective work as well. Mma Makutsi believes there is much more out in the world to offer her since she did score 97 percent at the secretarial college. Even one of the apprentices is longing for more out of life and decides to take a chance in the business world.
I've been reading this series with my book club and we've enjoyed every one so far. These are usually very simple stories with strong moral messages laced within the pages and I do not hesitate to recommend this series to other book clubs. With themes of pride, obligations, Africa, and just a bit of mystery you may enjoy this book also.
Show More
daily tasks that are becoming monotonous.The mysteries within these series are usually so minimal, but they really help us to get to know the characters in a personal way. How they go about solving these capers is really a glimpse into each one's personal being. Mma Ramotswe is one who just sits back and pays attention while events unfold without making judgements beforehand. While Mma Makutsi is very judgemental up front and really hasn't figured out how to work with her instincts yet.
The characters are restless in this novel as J.L.B. decides that he has more to offer to the business than being a mechanic and should have a shot at the detective work as well. Mma Makutsi believes there is much more out in the world to offer her since she did score 97 percent at the secretarial college. Even one of the apprentices is longing for more out of life and decides to take a chance in the business world.
I've been reading this series with my book club and we've enjoyed every one so far. These are usually very simple stories with strong moral messages laced within the pages and I do not hesitate to recommend this series to other book clubs. With themes of pride, obligations, Africa, and just a bit of mystery you may enjoy this book also.
Show Less