The Joy and Light Bus Company (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Book 22)

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I wish to express my sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada. I was delighted to receive this ARC in return for an honest review. It is astounding that this is the 22nd book in the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and they always remain fresh and enjoyable and provide food for thought. As the story unfolds we also hear from Mma Makutski's 'talking shoes' which are always good for a laugh. In Smith’s meandering 13th 44 Scotland Street novel (after 2017’s A Time of Love and Tartan), the latest personal developments among the residents of the Edinburgh street will strike many as Continue reading » The rub is that Mr. Matekoni has to borrow thousands of dollars for the start-up enterprise, and plans to use his business - Tloweng Road Speedy Motors - as collateral. Mma Ramotswe, who fears the bus company will fail, is VERY troubled by the plan and hopes to nip it in the bud. The fact that I find myself feeling concerned about the marriages of two women that are fictional, fictional, fictional says a great deal about Smith’s capacity to develop characters with depth and breadth.

Smith’s disappointing sequel to 2019’s The Department of Sensitive Crimes has its memorable and moving moments, but not enough of them. Det. Ulf Varg and the other members of Sweden’s Continue reading » Even as she puzzles over mysteries on the domestic front, Mma Ramotswe’s professional duties must take precedence. When a concerned son learns that his aging father’s nurse now stands to inherit the family home, he begins to doubt her intentions and takes his case to Botswana’s premier detective agency. Fortunately, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are committed agents of justice and agree to investigate. As always, the setting of this latest in the #1 Ladies Detective series in Botswana is an escape for all non-Botswana readers. Seldom has an author made a foreign country and its people sound so attractive. AMS, may God continue to bless your mind, your pen, your typewriter, laptop, tablet and any other devices you use to concoct these tales. The whole world loves you, and your wonderful stories. Wise people had been replaced in the public estimation by that curious category of people—celebrities—who were, for the most part, shallow people not known for their wisdom. Where were the Nelson Mandelas of this world of celebrity?”In spite of her limited stature, Mma Pula-Pula had about her a strong confident air of authority. But it was not authority of the sort that one would encounter in a school principal or a magistrate or somebody of that sort: this was the authority of the bully.” McCall Smith is a master …. There’s beauty and revelation of one kind or another woven expertly into every line.” — The Christian Science Monitor We shall change all that...because it is possible to change the world, if one is determined enough, and if one sees with sufficient clarity just what has to be changed. Smith’s winning 20th No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novel (after 2018’s The Colors of All the Cattle) opens at a wedding, where Mma Ramotse, “doyenne of private investigators in Botswana Continue reading »

This is the latest in the No. 1 Ladies Detective series, and I loved it, as I love all of these books. They call it a mystery series, but no one gets killed. Mma Ramotswe, the main character, investigates people’s problems and attempts to make things better. She changes her small piece of the world for the better, in each volume.

This book focuses on the mechanic, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. He is a good man, a kind man, a dependable man. He takes a literal approach to much of life. When at a business seminar, hearing about "networking" (<- about which he is clueless) he is worried that there may not be time to eat lunch. How long does it take to network?

My great thanks go to Edelweiss and Penguin Random House for the review copy. This charming tale will be for sale November 16, 2021.She had that greatest of all things, wisdom, and that was a very important thing to possess in a world that seemed to be losing the respect it had always had for wise people. Wise people had been replaced in the public estimation by that curious category of people—celebrities—who were, for the most part, shallow people not known for their wisdom. Where were the Nelson Mandelas of this world of celebrity? Where were the Gandhis”