The lady detectives win another round

kw: book reviews, fiction, mysteries, african setting

In a little house in Botswana live Precious Ramotswe, her husband Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, and two foster children. For much of our time with Mma Ramotswe, we observe her in her little office, the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, with her associate Grace Makutsi. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith, is the 11^th in his "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series, one of four series in which he has published 24 novels.

This warm-hearted mystery centers on a winning football (i.e. soccer to Americans) team that has suddenly begun to lose consistently. The new owner, Rra Molofololo, has commissioned the Ladies to find a traiter who may be throwing the matches. Along the way, however, there are a few more mysteries to solve and life issues to unravel. Mma Makutsi's fiancé, Phuti Radiphuti, is being lured by a rival of hers, and another woman with a similar name has multiple husbands, and they are likely to meet one another soon.

The narrative and dialog have a special flavor that is unique to the series, with its roots in the author's years teaching in Botswana. Africans have their own ways of thinking, which are reflected in the way they speak, whether English or their own tongue. The occasional use of Setswana expressions and dialog hint that the characters speak English rather more than we might expect.

At the end of the book, not every problem could be solved, but the important ones are either satisfactorily concluded or at least more manageable. That is the way life often works out, isn't it? Key insights come from two of the children with which Mma Ramotswe converses, and the proverb "From the mouth of babes…" is invoked, though one clue turns out to be a red herring. Note: you can pre-solve the football mystery if you consider carefully, what is the most-used body part of a football player?