The first book in the bestselling and beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series

The one where it all begins

Mma Ramotswe is the proud proprieter of the finest ladies' detective agency in all Botswana (also the only one). She spends her time, with a cup of redbush tea beneath the acacia tree, waiting for clients. When they come along, whether it is to enquire after a missing spouse or check the identity of a long-lost father, it is not The Principles of Private Detection that helps her to solve cases but old-fashioned common sense and a warm-hearted understanding of the fallibility of human nature -especially that of men.

'Jolly and exhilarating' Sunday Telegraph
'Delightful' Sunday Times

Discover the world of Alexander McCall Smith and his other books at alexandermccallsmith.co.uk

[Facebook logo]

The first book in the multi-million copy bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series

The one where it all begins

Mma Ramotswe is the proud proprietor of the finest ladies' detective agency in all Botswana (also the only one). She spends her time, with a cup of redbush tea beneath the acacia tree, waiting for clients. When they come along, whether it is to enquire after a missing spouse or check the identity of a long-lost father, it is not The Principles of Private Detection that helps her to solve cases but old-fashioned common sense and a warm-hearted understanding of the fallibility of human nature - especially that of men.

'Among the greatest comfort-reads of all time' Sunday Times

'Jolly and exhilarating' Sunday Telegraph

'The Miss Marple of Botswana' New York Times Book Review

'A publishing phenomenon' Guardian