The Full Cupboard of Life

Starred review from March 29, 2004
Precious Ramotswe is on the case again in this delightful fifth installment in the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, this time assisting the self-made founder of a chain of hairdressing salons who wants to unearth the real intentions of her four suitors, each possibly more interested in her money than her heart. As fans know, though, sleuthing takes second place to folksy storytelling in McCall Smith's wry novels. This time around, Mma Ramotswe is distracted by her long-prolonged engagement to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, Gaborone's best mechanic; it seems she will never be married, despite her fiancé's honorable intentions. He installs an extra large seatbelt in her car to keep her safe (she is quite comfortable with her "traditional build," despite the new, slender fashion of modern woman), but an altercation with another mechanic and the prospect of a charity parachute jump keep his mind off matrimony. A drive for decency motivates Mma Ramotswe and her friends—among them Mma Potokwani, the imperious matron of the local orphan farm, and Mma Makutsi, assistant at the Ladies' Detective Agency and founder of the Kalahari Typing School for Men—and Smith's talent is in portraying this moral code in a manner that is always engaging. As readers will appreciate, Mma Ramotswe solves her cases—more questions of character, really, than of criminal behavior—in good time. Traditionally built ladies living in the African heat don't tend to hurry, and, at the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, there's always time for another cup of tea. Agent, Robin Straus
. (Apr. 20)

Forecast:
Fans will love the surprise in store for Precious Ramotswe at the end of the novel, and should bump this on bestseller lists.

December 1, 2003
In the fifth outing for the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, agency proprietress Precious Ramotswe is anticipating marriage, but a certain Madame Potokami is putting demands on the groom-to-be. With a 150,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2004
Adult/High School -In this fifth installment about the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Mma Ramotswe and her assistant, Mma Makutsi, tackle the case of a wealthy woman who wants to know which of her suitors is only after her money. On a personal note, Mma Ramotswe worries over when her fianc will set a date for their marriage, and more urgently, who will replace him in performing the parachute jump, a charity event to raise money for the Orphan Farm. The charm of this series set in Botswana is its wealth of very real characters. By Western standards they may be economically poor, but in terms of pride, love, and happiness, they are rich indeed. Readers will be seduced by the beauty of the land and intrigued by local customs. They will learn about drought and irrigation, about growing pumpkins, braiding hair, and dealing with poisonous snakes. The cases Mma Ramotswe handles are more about solving problems than crimes. Her behavior is governed by good manners, politeness, and honesty, and her favorite tool in the art of detecting is tea, preferably Bush Tea. The book has lots of humor, and optimism softens the tough realities of life. It also has a delightful surprise ending.-Sheila Janega, Fairfax County Public Library, Great Falls, VA

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2004
The runaway success of Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, set in Botswana and starring the irrepressible Mma Precious Ramotswe, has been fueled by significant crossover interest among those who usually don't read crime fiction. That's hardly surprising since Mma Ramotswe's investigations expose the mysteries of the human heart far more than they do the wrongdoing of criminals. In this latest installment, for example, Mma Ramotswe is hired to determine the suitability of four suitors interested in marrying the wealthy Mma Holonga. Meanwhile, our heroine broods about whether her own long-term engagement to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni is likely to result in marriage anytime soon. Fortunately, the meandering plot allows plenty of room for appearances by recurring supporting characters, including Mma Makutsi, secretary and assistant detective, and Mma Slyvia Potokwani, operator of the local "orphan farm" and all-round busybody. The tremendous appeal of this delightful series comes from the unique manner in which Smith mixes the charm of both traditional and contemporary village cozies (from Miss Marple to the Maggody novels) with a comical Runyonesque formality of language and a grasp of human relations that is very like Jane Austen (Mma Ramotswe, in fact, has a lot of Emma in her). You can bet that one day soon this series will turn up on public television.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)