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PRECIOUS AND GRACE
by Alexander McCall Smith
Knopf Canada, October 2016
240 pages
$29.95 CAD
ISBN: 0345811917


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Botswana's sole Ladies' Detective Agency consists mainly of two women: Mma Ramotswe, founder and owner, and Mma Makutsi, her secretary, assistant, co-director or whatever title she currently decides to use. Precious and Grace. Together they constitute the backbone of the series. Precious is logical, calm, tactful and wise, the result of a solid upbringing with a father she still adulates and the tragedies that pepper one's life. Grace, trailing a difficult background of poverty, is more sanguine and proud. She has worked hard to get to her station in life and remains ambitious and often stubborn and curt in her dealings with others. Their differences mesh well in solving the problems brought to them by various clients and friends.

This time they have to deal with a Canadian woman who was born and lived in Botswana before her family returned home. The have only a dated photo to work with in finding Rosie, the woman's ex-nanny, and the place where she lived. Will it be enough to find them? Should they find them? Those are questions that need to be addressed. Parallel to this case, Mma Ramotswe discovers that Rra Polopetsi, a friend and part-time assistant, has fallen prey to a pyramidal scheme that has taken a criminal direction which could land the mild-mannered man in jail.

Partly through conventional sleuthing but mainly in conversations that lead to musings on people, an evolving society, and reflections on the situation, Mma Ramotswe will not only discover what is truly going on but find solutions that are humane and respectful of those involved.

In these times of turmoil and violence, McCall Smith's Botswana constitutes a welcome refuge from the darker side of humanity. His views may have a Pollyanna feel to them but they rest on positive qualities: respect for the Earth and its denizens, tolerance, kindness, acceptance of change while retaining older basic values, and good old common sense. The series is not for everyone, especially those who crave the darker side of life. You won't find murder or torture or twisted souls, just ordinary folks with ordinary traits and ordinary and universal problems. Because as much as you never forget where you are, the reader can always identify with the characters and their actions. One thing you can be sure of: if you open this book, you will take a relaxing trip to a beautiful country on a fascinating continent.

§ Nicole Leclerc is a native Montrealer, avid reader, long time reviewer and moderator of the 4MA online discussion group.

Reviewed by Nicole Leclerc, December 2016

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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