Some of the character’s actions do not make sense from an emotional sta ndpoint, and some of her backstory feels problematic when thrust upon her by a white male author. However, she was written by an old white man. She is smart, funny, caring, and a strong independent female role model. In plenty of detective stories, especially ones that lead to a series, the protagonist is the most important part. Less strong is the believability of the lead. However, the man did assist in the interpretation of Botswana’s legal code, and, at least to an American audience uneducated on Botswana, the story and setting are realistic. Whether he ever should have lived in this culture is up for debate, and the fact that Mma Romatswe and McCall Smith are from very different backgrounds leads to the possibility of his misunderstanding of certain cultural facets. The use of the African setting by a colonizer has been considered cultural appropriation, but McCall Smith is from Africa, and has spent years in Botswana. The various locales of the story may seem exotic to American audiences, but McCall Smith describes them wonderfully and with a sense of familiarity, from jazz bars to the houses of the uber-rich, and plenty of places in-between. The author, who, according to his own profile blurb, was “…born in what is now Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana,” knows the setting. Almost all acts of violence are left undescribed. Like many detectives, she doles out the punishments she feels are fit. Mma Romatswe is a talented observer and believes in human decency. Though it might fit into the mystery tradition of the “cozy” (exotic locale, personal motives, gentlewoman detective), it barely fits into mystery fiction as a whole, because the focus is not on a mystery: in fact, the mystery doesn’t really matter except to add to the characterization of Mma Romatswe. This is a lovely, well-written, and beautifully imagined book, but it is not that. Folks looking for a compelling mystery full of twists are being set up for disappointment. This book is not about the mysteries it is about the woman and her society. The mysteries are fine short stories, but they only work because of the woman solving them. Without her, there would be no reason to read this book. This is important, because though the titular agency drives the plots, the story is about Mma Romatswe. This also leads to some of the non-recurring side characters reading as weakly drawn, but Mma Romatswe grows and reveals her background while solving the smaller and more fun cases. Because they don’t, they’re allowed to be treated both as fun excursions and meaningful character moments. As in almost any detective story, some of these do become central to the end plot. Most chapters are their own short stories: some give background on Mma Romatswe, some give detailed looks at her first few cases. The oddly structured novel (which is written in the third person except for a chapter narrated by the protagonist’s father) follows the early days of the titular agency and the delightful owner, Mma Precious Romatswe. The structure of the novel is unique in that it encourages single chapter reading. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” Alexander McCall Smith has found a worthy protagonist with a story to tell. It is the first in a series and was adapted into a show on HBO. The novel focuses on a woman, Mma Precious Romatswe, who opens her own detective agency in Botswana. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” was published in the US in 2002.
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