review soon

Oh what bliss to slip into another excellent volume of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. The story, as always, is gentle and Mma Precious Ramotswe's everyday observations and wisdom are both simple and profound. I finished the book feeling satisfied and refreshed.

I love these books! Every time I start one I feel like I am going to visit friends in a wonderful faraway place ❤️

These cozy mysteries are always a comfort to read and in re‑reading them in print after listening to the audiobooks a number of years back, I’m starting to see the reasons why. For example, this one has an entire chapter devoted to the tea regime at the agency. What could be more comforting than that?

After reading some "serious" stuff, it's always a relief and a joy to pick up the next (for me) Alexander McCall Smith and just ENJOY reading again. How does he do it? How does he keep it up? This one (NOT his latest - I had missed it) is better than some others. The story is complex (3 investigations going on at once) and the beloved characters do some "unusual" things - particularly Mma Makutsi and Charlie. The simple and beautiful writing could be maudlin, but then he puts in a quick and sharp turn. It almost makes me want to go see Botswana.

Another satisfying episode in the No. 1 Ladies series. Light, entertaining read. Characters continue to develop, perhaps with surprising results, but perhaps not.
The investigations are not complex - tho I feel some key points are overlooked. But all is resolved neatly and peace settles over Botswana once again.

In this 8th book in the 'No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series, the firm has three cases to solve. The book can be read as a standalone but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

*****



The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Gabarone, Botswana - owned by Mma Precious Ramotswe, shares premises with Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors - owned by her husband Mr. JLB Matekoni.



Thus Mr. Matekoni is on hand when the detective agency is unmanned and a client walks in. The client, Mma Faith Botumile, says her husband is being unfaithful and she wants to know who the other woman is.

Mr. Matekoni reports the matter to his wife, and wanting to expand his horizons, asks if he can do the investigation. Mma Ramotswe agrees and Mr. Matekoni proceeds to surveil Rra Botumile.



Things don't go quite as planned, however, and the new 'detective' makes some unexpected discoveries.

Meanwhile Mma Ramotswe is dealing with a much more serious matter. Her distant cousin Tati Monyena, a hospital administrator, asks her to investigate the deaths of three patients. Mr. Monyena explains that, on three consecutive Fridays, a patient in the end bed of the ward died at eleven o'clock in the morning.



Foul play can't be ruled out, and Mma Ramotswe proceeds to visit the hospital, interview the personnel, and so on. In the end, Mma Ramotswe's keen observations help her discover the truth.

The third case is handled by Mma Grace Makutsi, Mma Ramotswe's secretary/assistant detective. The client is a small woman called Teenie Magama, who owns a printing business.



Teenie reports that, although she treats her employees well, one of them is stealing supplies - paper, ink, and the like. Mma Makutsi goes undercover as a customer to look into the matter.



As always in this series, personal relationships are as important as the mysteries....and changes appear to be on the horizon.

Mma Makutsi, who was poor all her life, is now engaged to successful businessman Phuti Rhadiphuti. This means Mma Makutsi no longer needs to work, and after a small altercation with her boss, she thinks about quitting. Mma Makutsi's talking shoes weigh in here, and they always give wise advice.



Things are happening at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors as well. Twenty-year-old Charlie, Mr. JLB Matekoni's less than stellar apprentice, decides to leave and start a taxi business. Charlie purchases an old Mercedes Benz from his boss, with an agreement to pay it off over time. Charlie gets his business off the ground but his skirt-chasing habits soon cause big trouble.



Popular recurring characters also make an appearance, including Mr. Polopetsi, a part time detective who helps Mma Ramotswe with the hospital case; Mma Potokwane - the orphan farm director, who makes excellent fruit cake; Motholeli and Puso - Mma Ramotswe's foster children; and Violet Sephoto - Mma Makutsi's glamorous nemesis from secretarial school.

Throughout the book Mma Ramotswe demonstrates her usual empathy for all people, including wrongdoers. The world would probably be a better place if everyone had Mma Ramotswe's wise compassion.

I enjoyed the story, but it lacks the humor usually present in these books. Still, this is a good cozy mystery, recommended to fans of the series.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

2021: Cases involving adultery, theft, & deaths make for some puzzling work for the agency. In addition, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni learns some things about detecting, Charlie learns some things about running a business, & Mma Makutsi learns some things about herself. Another wonderful outing in Gabarone, Botswana.

2010: Quote from book: "So the small things came into their own: small acts of helping others, if one could; small ways of making one's own life better: acts of love, acts of tea, acts of laughter. Clever people might laugh at such simplicity, but, she asked herself, what was their own solution?"
I really like these books and their sweet honesty and engaging characters.

Audible version: This one is my favorite one in the series so far. I listen to these at night because I can't sleep and they're just so comforting - like good bedtime stories for adults. This one had so much going on with Mma Makutisi quitting, Charlie leaving to start his own business, and JLB Matekoni wanting to get more involved in the detective agency... I loved every minute of this one :-) As usual, Lisette Lecat is perfect.

Dr. Cronje, who's half Xhosa and half Afrikaner, consults Smith's sleuth, the gentle and insightful Precious Ramotswe, because patients at his hospital who have occupied a particular bed have been dying mysteriously at the same time of day.

Also, this time around, Mma Ramotswe's devoted husband (and first-class mechanic) J. L. B. Matekoni also tries his hand at the detective business, catering to a rude client who suspects her husband of infidelity. The case prompts Mr. Matekoni to wonder whether he's exciting enough for his cherished wife.

Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe's recently engaged assistant, Grace Makutsi, threatens to break their longstanding association. Mma Ramotswe must adjust their relationship in order to retain Mma Makutsi's services. Her professional priorities seem to shift after her engagement to a wealthy man. Talk about suddenly feeling high and mighty! I must say that one of the reasons I hated this entry into the series is because I can no longer stand Mma Makutsi.

Sure, you love the characters, but the tales are simply not up to his previous installments, not nearly as layered or workmanlike. Sadly I need to say that this book and the previous one are starting to feel a bit thin. It's as if he has sucked almost all the juice out of the orange, or like a piece of chewing gum that has been chewed so long it has lost its flavor. It just did not seem as interesting or as gripping as the first books.


Book Details:

Title The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #8)
Author Alexander McCall Smith
Reviewed By Purplycookie

While THE GOOD HUSBAND OF ZEBRA DRIVE is, on the surface, a typically satisfying addition to the long-running series of Botswana-set books by Alexander McCall Smith, there's something about it that isn't quite right.

Superficially, the story is as good as ever; Smith carries out his usual attention to detail and weaves separate sub-plots together in an engaging and pacy read. The characters are drawn from real life, the human interaction and conversations are witty and engaging, and the mysteries are suitably mysterious.

But somehow this isn't as good as previous instalments, and the contrast may be greater because the previous entry, BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS, was one of my all-time favourites. But while that story was fairly idyllic, THE GOOD HUSBAND OF ZEBRA DRIVE tells a darker story. The characters seem more unhappy, the world more harshly realistic, and the novel as a whole just isn't as much fun.

I also get the impression that this book was written at speed to a deadline, because a lot of the plotting is overly predictable. At least one sub-plot (Mr J. L. B. Matekoni's detection) hinges on a twist so obvious as to be overstated, while another (the hospital case) is openly copied from a famous news story of a few years ago. While I've enjoyed all the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books thus far, and while this one was mildly entertaining, this is the first time I've felt that the stories might be running out of steam. We'll see how the next book goes...

Sometimes life is too busy to be enjoyed fully. Mma Ramotswe's husband wants to be put in charge of a case because he interviewed the woman while his wife was out. He felt competant to investigate a case involving an errant husband. Mma Makutsi contemplates leaving the agency is pursuit of a higher position and taking her 97% with her. Mma Ramotswe investigates three suspicious deaths at a hospital in Mochudi.