This first novel in Alexander McCall Smiths widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to "help people with problems in their lives." Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs...

In the newest addition to the universally beloved No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, the charming and ever-resourceful Precious Ramotswe finds herself overly beset by problems. She is already busier than usual at the detective agency when added to her concerns are a strange intruder in her house on Zebra Drive and the baffling appearance of a pumpkin. And then there is Mma Makutsi, who decides to treat herself to dance lessons, only to be partnered...

Precious Ramotswe uses her formidable detection talents to track down her tiny white van--sold by her estimable husband Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and stolen from its new owner--while simultaneously helping to explain the dreadful losing streak of a local football team and smoothing out a snag in Mma Makutsi's engagement to Mr Phuti Radiphut.

In this latest installment in Alexander McCall Smith's cherished No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, two confounding cases compete for Mma Ramotswe's attention—and she may need to call in back up.
Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are enjoying a nice meal out at a periperi restaurant when an American woman named Julia approaches seeking Mma Ramotswe's help. Julia's beloved late grandfather was Botswanan, and he instilled in her an...