BOOK GROUPIE: Let Alexander McCall Smith introduce you to Precious

Some books are like a jolt of espresso; they get heart rates up and pages flying. These books certainly have their appeal, as evidenced by the great success of their authors. I’m thinking of thriller champions like Harlan Coben, David Baldacci and Michael Connelly.

While these espresso-style works have their place, there are other kinds of books that are appealing in a hot cup of tea kind of way. More soothing than sensational, this second category allows readers to delve into setting and character.

“The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series falls into the “cup of tea” group of books. Written by Alexander McCall Smith, a former instructor of law at the University of Botswana, the series is set in the bustling city of Gaborone. 
It’s obvious from reading the books that Smith has resided in the area. He is a master of time and place. Read a few chapters, and you’ll start watching for snakes in trees and imagining you have sand in your shoes.

Read a few more chapters, and you’ll discover Smith is a master of characterization as well. His main character, Precious Ramotswe, is someone readers would ask to dinner, or at least to tea — red bush tea is Precious’ favorite. 

The series begins with “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.” Readers of the book follow Precious as she sets up shop as Botswana’s first female detective. Precious uses a combination of folklore, common sense and her trusty copy of “The Principles of Private Detection,” to solve local mysteries.

An entertaining cast of characters keeps the series fresh through 10 novels. The latest in the series, “Tea Time for the Traditionally Built,” has Precious searching for a traitor on a professional soccer team. Simultaneously, Precious helps her high-strung assistant, Grace Makutsi, fight off a woman who’s after Grace’s fiancé. Precious and Grace also assist a woman choosing between two men. All the while, Precious is contemplating a future without her little white van. Precious has driven so many miles in the thing, the seat is formed to her traditionally built shape.

I’m not the only one who recognizes the charm of “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.” The good folks at HBO have developed it as a series. The second season is running now, and the first season is available on DVD. I’m becoming a big fan of the television series. Like the books, they’re just my cup of tea.
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CONTACT THE WRITER: Anita Miller welcomes your book suggestions. Read her blog at bookgroupie.freedomblogging.com
 or e-mail anita.l.miller@worldnet.att.net.