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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
First published in Edinburgh in 1998, this is the opening novel of Alexander McCall Smith's Botswana series. Precious Ramotswe spends the inheritance from her cattle-breeding father on opening the country's first women-run private detective agency, in Gaborone. Her cases are small and human: a vanished husband, a con man, a daughter who has drifted away, and a missing boy whose story turns frightening. The book relies on patience, intuition and an understanding of people, and it paints a warm, morally attentive picture of Botswana. It is a gentle entry among detective books and a frequent pick for book club books. It also began a long-running series.