Another in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series featuring the endearing Precious Ramotswe. While I love this series and love getting to know Botswana through Mma Ramotswe, I have to leave plenty of time between books or I begin to feel the same as when I eat too much chocolate.

I listened to the audio version with an outstanding reading by Lisette Lecat. ( )

This installment of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency features two mysteries. The official one is that Mma Ramotswe is hired by the owner of the local football club to figure out who in the organization has betrayed him and caused the team to lose more matches. The unofficial one is where Mma Makutsi, assistant detective, tries to figure out how her nemesis, Violet Sephotho, sales associate, is able to sell so many beds. The latter may not seem like a challenging mystery, but it's hard for Mma Makutsi to think straight when the store is owned by her fiance and she's sure Violet is making a play for him. All in all, it's not great literature, but it is an enjoyable read.
--J. ( )

I absolutely love this series! Even though it falls into the crime/mystery category you couldn't get much further from that than this series.
This time Mma Ramotswe's tiny white van is in dire straights. But she's too afraid to tell Mr JLB Matekoni because he'll say it's cactus & tow it. She & Mma Makutsi are are also learning about football as their most recent client, Mr Molofololo insists there is a traitor in their midst as his football team keeps on losing their matches & it doesn't look like that's going to change. And to top it all off, Violet Sephotho is back & has set her sights on Mma Makutsi's fiancee, Phuti Radaphuti....
This is the series I turn to when I need a break or I've been having a rough time. I love the simple, charming language that is so lyrical as well. I also love the subtle humour & wisdom in these stories. If you haven't heard of this series yet, what the heck have you been doing?!?!

Perhaps it's late-winter talking but I'm having a hard time critiquing this series. It's good. A wonderful opportunity for a cup of tea (several, really) with Mma Ramotswe. And what more could I ask for? ( )

I was unfamiliar with the Ladies Detective Agency series when I picked up the "Teatime for the Traditonally Built" audiobook at a library sale. The detective story is told as a veritable afterthought as our attention is drawn to Mma Makutsi’s issues with her beloved van and Mma Ramotswe’s concerns about her fiancé. The discourse about what men and women considered to be important and in what each sex was competent – soccer and cars for men, tea and shoes for women – also enhanced the drama between characters.
I’m not sure how accurately Alexander McCall Smith depicts Botswanan culture and the concerns of Botswanan women, but it seemed to be written lovingly and with some insider views.
( )