The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by R. A. McCall Smith (2005, Hardcover)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is the first of a series of books about Precious Ramotswe, a woman of Botswana who finds herself single and the inheritor of her beloved father's estate and in need of a new career.

After careful thought, she decides to open the very first detective agency in Botswana that is owned and run by a lady. Why? Because everyone knows that ladies know things. Mma Ramotswe sets up a small office, hires a secretary and begins putting her listening and reasoning skills to work. Sure enough, clients find her, and the agency quickly grows busier and busier.

Mma Ramotswe uses her excellent good sense and her knowledge of human nature to solve mysteries in the lives of her customers: A straying husband, a missing child, a mysterious doctor whose skills fluctuate wildly from day to day from capable to completely inept. Meanwhile, she introduces us to her friends, who quickly become ours as well: Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, a very fine mechanic who can almost hear automobiles speak to him, and Mma Makutsi, the secretary for the agency and a woman whose high marks in secretarial school are a huge source of pride to her.

Through it all, Mma Ramotswe's love for her beautiful country, her hard-working, honorable father who had taught her to live an honest, respectable life, and her own experiences as a young single woman and then an abandoned wife give her insight on the mysteries people face daily.

Alexander McCall Smith is a Scotsman who lived for many years in Africa, has written an extensive list of legal texts, and has now successfully turned his hand to fiction writing. His main characters are frequently strong, interesting, formidable females. His novels are addictive and leave one anxiously awaiting the next release in the series. If you enjoy detective stories, stories based on cultures other than your own, or just quality fiction with strong characters and values, then I recommend The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Thankfully there are already 7 books in this series, so once you are hooked, you can keep reading for awhile.