Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

Precious Ramotswe, the sole female detective in Botswana, listened carefully as the American woman in her office talked about her son, who went missing 10-years ago while living in a cooperative in the southern African country. "What could she do for this woman?" thought Precious. "Could she find anything out if the Botswana Police and the American Embassy had tried and failed?"

With this question the reader is introduced to the main storyline of Tears of the Giraffe, the second installment in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Beautifully written, with fluid pace, and filled with heartwarming, lovable characters, this novel is a wonderful read.  Like the opening book in the series, this sequel crafts a positive and thoughtful landscape, while tacking a series of complex issues.

The book opens with Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, the kind mechanic and owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, who is awestruck that Precious has agreed to marry him. As the happy couple begin to plan their future life together, Precious meets Mrs. Andrea Curtin, who tells her the story of Michael, her son who went missing many years ago while living in Botswana. After agreeing to accept on the case, Precious begins a search that will eventually take her to Zimbabwe. Along the way, she becomes (to her surprise) a step-mother to two children, promotes her earnest secretary Mma Makutsi to assistant detective, and has to ponder a series of moral questions while dealing with a case of a cheating wife, whose adultery is linked to the fortunes of her young son.

This book is a true page-turner that is both smart and life-affirming. I highly recommend it, but only after you have read the first novel in this series, which is also excellent.

4 1/2 of out 5 stars