The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series

Author	Alexander McCall Smith
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Crime fiction
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback) eBook

This article discusses the series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith, which began with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Seventeen novels have been published in the series from 1998 to 2016. The last title, Precious and Grace is aimed at young adults.

Mma Ramotswe is the main character in a series including 17 novels from 1998 to 2016. The readership was at first small, then gained abruptly in popularity in the US and in England, beyond the author's home in Scotland. The country of Botswana is in a sense a character as well, as it is a crucial aspect of how the stories flow. Mma Ramotswe starts up her detective agency when she is 34 years old, using the inheritance from her father to move to the capital city Gaborone to buy a house for herself and find an office for her new business. She feels a detective needs to know about people more than anything, to solve problems for them.

Mma Precious Ramotswe is a Motswana woman who is the stories' protagonist and main detective. Mma is a Setswana term of respect for a woman; the equivalent term for a man is Rra.

The episodic novels are as much about the adventures and foibles of different characters as they are about solving mysteries. Each book in the series follows on from the previous book. They have been adapted for radio and television.

Characters in the series

Main

• Mma Precious Ramotswe, the first female private investigator in Botswana. 'Traditionally built' heroine and protagonist of the series.
• Mma Grace Makutsi, the agency's only employee, first as secretary, then as assistant detective, and then associate detective .
• Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, mechanic and proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, Mma Ramotswe's suitor and eventual husband. He is always referred to in these novels by this very formal title.

Secondary

• Obed Ramotswe, father of Precious, known to her as the Daddy. He worked in the mines in his younger days, then came home to raise his daughter and continue enlarging his herd of cattle. He was known for his keen eye for the best cattle, and bred some of his own.
• Charlie, the older of the two apprentices in Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's garage. He is later cut from his apprenticeship and joined the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency as a J.r. Assistant Detective.
• Fanwell, the younger apprentice, always referred to as such in the earlier novels. His name is not mentioned until Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. He lives in a small house with his grandmother and his several younger brothers and sisters. Although he is slightly more serious than his older friend, Charlie, he still frequently discusses girls with Charlie. He eventually becomes a mechanic in "The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection".
• Mr. Polopetsi, an assistant to Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. He is introduced in In The Company of Cheerful Ladies. He later became an assistant Chemistry teacher at a local secondary school, but still works at the agency part time.
• Phuti Radiphuti, Grace Makutsi's fiancé, introduced in In The Company of Cheerful Ladies. In The Double Comfort Safari Club, he has an accident in which he loses his foot, which causes Mma Makutsi to worry about their relationship. They are finally married in The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party.
• Violet Sephotho, Mma Makutsi's rival from the Botswana Secretarial College, introduced in In the Company of Cheerful Ladies. She returns in most books subsequent to her introduction with new schemes to ruin Mma Makutsi's life with Rra Phuti Radiphuti. In The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party, she is discussed as running for a parliament in an upcoming by-election but makes no direct appearance. In The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon she is named as the owner of the dress shop Botswana Elegance, but again makes no direct appearance.
• Dr Moffat, A real person, Howard Moffat, a direct descendant of Robert Moffat, the Scottish missionary whose daughter Mary married David Livingstone. He and his wife are good friends of Mma Ramotswe
• Mma Potokwane, matron of the 'Orphan Farm', always ready to offer wisdom, bush tea and cake to Mma Ramotswe. Mma Potokwane is somewhat pushy, especially to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, but always in a good cause.
• Rra Obed Ramotswe, the late father of Precious Ramotswe. Although he does not appear in the book, Mma Ramotswe often invokes his memory when contemplating a case or life in general.
• Note Mokoti, Mma Precious Ramotswe's former husband and father of her deceased child. Note treated Mma Ramotswe poorly and Precious says that marrying him was a mistake.
• Mma Ramotswe and Mr J.L.B. Matekoni's two adopted children, Motholeli and Puso.
• Clovis Andersen, an American, author of the self-published The Principles of Private Detection and idol of both Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi. He arrives for a visit in The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection and his presence helps to solve a very personal case.
• Itumelang Clovis Radiphuti infant son of Mma Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti, born three weeks premature in The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon.

Settings

• Gaborone
• Mochudi
• Molepolole
• Francistown

Themes and topics of the stories

• Women in traditional vs. nontraditional occupations, and feminism
• Rural way of life in southern Africa, including muti, vs urbanity and modernity
• Social relations in traditional African society
• Christianity and traditional belief systems in contemporary Africa
• AIDS and AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa
• Clinical depression
• Emotional intelligence, moral philosophy and virtue ethics
• Craftsmanship and mechanics

Issues addressed in the cases

• Domestic violence
• Forgiveness and restitution
• Marital infidelity

Series Order

1. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998)
2. Tears of the Giraffe (2000)
3. Morality for Beautiful Girls (2001)
4. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (2002)
5. The Full Cupboard of Life (2004)
6. In The Company of Cheerful Ladies (2004 – also known as The Night-Time Dancer)
7. Blue Shoes and Happiness (2006)
8. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (2007)
9. The Miracle at Speedy Motors (2008)
10. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009)
11. The Double Comfort Safari Club (2010)
12. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (2011)
13. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (2012)
14. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (2013)
15. The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe (2014)
16. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine (2015)
17. Precious and Grace (2016)

Adaptations

Television

The BBC and American television network HBO filmed a series based on the books that stars Jill Scott as Mma Ramotswe and was shot on location in Botswana.^[1] The 109-minute pilot was written by Richard Curtis and Anthony Minghella, who also directed.^[1] The six 60-minute episodes were written and directed by others, as Mr Minghella died before the series was filmed.^[2][3]

Radio

McCall Smith himself dramatised the series for BBC Radio 4. Thirty-one episodes have been broadcast, the first on 10 September 2004, and the most recent on 5 August 2016. The episodes encompass the first to the sixteenth books. They star Claire Benedict as Mma Ramotswe (except the 2010 episodes, when she was played by Janice Acquah).^[4]

Episodes:

1. The Daddy – 10 September 2004^[5]
2. The Bone – 17 September 2004^[6]
3. The Maid – 24 September 2004^[7]
4. Tears of the Giraffe – 1 October 2004^[8]
5. The Chief Justice of Beauty – 30 August 2005^[9]
6. The Confession – 6 September 2005^[10]
7. The Kalahari Typing School for Men – 13 September 2005^[11]
8. The Admirer – 20 September 2005^[12]
9. How to Handle Men through the Application of Psychology – 18 January 2007^[13]
10. House of Hope – 25 January 2007^[14]
11. The Return of Note – 1 February 2007^[15]
12. The Ceremony – 8 February 2007^[16]
13. There Is No Such Thing as Free Food – 1 January 2008^[17]
14. The Best Profession for a Blackmailer – 2 January 2008^[18]
15. A Very Rude Woman – 3 January 2008^[19]
16. Talking Shoes – 4 January 2008^[20]
17. The Miracle at Speedy Motors – 25 December 2008^[21]
18. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built – 25 December 2009^[22]
19. The Seller of Beds – 25 December 2009^[23]
20. An Exceptionally Wicked Lady – 2 December 2010^[24]
21. Canoeing for Ladies – 3 December 2010^[25]
22. A Late Van Just Glimpsed – 3 November 2011^[26]
23. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding – 4 November 2011^[27]
24. A Man from a Far Place – 20 March 2013^[28]
25. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection – 21 March 2013^[29]
26. The Modern Husband Course – 5 February 2014^[30]
27. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon – 6 February 2014^[31]
28. The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe – 12 March 2015^[32]
29. The Dish of Yesterday – 13 March 2015^[33]
30. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine: Part 1 – 4 August 2016
31. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine: Part 2 – 5 August 2016

Related book

A cookbook associated with the novels was published in 2009; Mma Ramotswe's Cookbook by Stuart Brown, with a foreword by Alexander McCall Smith.^{[34] [35]}

References

1. Bellafante, Ginia (March 26, 2009). "Unusual Sleuth, Unusual Setting". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
2. People & Places (2008). "Speaking of HBO". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
3. Oglethorpe, Tim (12 March 2009). "Move over Miss Marple... Jill Scott is back as Mma Ramotswe in new series of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency". Daily Mail. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
4. Radio dramatisation at RadioListings.co.uk
5. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Daddy
6. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Bone
7. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Maid
8. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Tears of the Giraffe
9. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Chief Justice of Beauty
10. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Confession
11. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Kalahari Typing School for Men
12. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Admirer
13. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: How to Handle Men through the Application of Psychology
14. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: House of Hope
15. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Return of Note
16. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Ceremony
17. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: There Is No Such Thing as Free Food
18. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Best Profession for a Blackmailer
19. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: A Very Rude Woman
20. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Talking Shoes
21. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Miracle at Speedy Motors
22. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
23. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Seller of Beds
24. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: An Exceptionally Wicked Lady
25. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Canoeing for Ladies
26. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: A Late Van Just Glimpsed
27. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Saturday Big Tent Wedding
28. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: A Man from a Far Place
29. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection
30. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Modern Husband Course
31. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon
32. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe
33. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Dish of Yesterday
34. Mma Ramotswe's Cookbook
35. Velká Británie - The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: Alexander McCall Smith a jeho První dámská detektivní kancelář (Eva Sercombe)

External links

• Alexander McCall Smith's official website
• Web site for the series
• BBC Official Press Release
• The Guardian's humorous "digested" version of Blue Shoes and Happiness (February 28, 2006)
• Interview in The Times with Alexander McCall Smith (February 28, 2006)
• Internet Movie Database article on the television series