Alexander McCall Smith

Inauthentic voices

To call Alexander McCall Smith prolific is an understatement. The first No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel was published in 1998, and in the last 23 years, there have been 23 novels in the series. There have also been 15...

Quiet delight

Since I have devotedly followed the entire No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series and mildly enjoyed a handful of other McCall Smith novels too, I was delighted to find he has placed this new one in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon),...

The Gentle Gaborone Gumshoe

The (first) No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is probably one of the most charming detective novels ever. Set in Botswana, it featured Precious Ramotswe, 34 years old, with a small inheritance and no detective experience, but plenty of common sense....