2004-09-20 · in Books, Precious Ramotswe · 162 words

We are a dry country, she had once said while Mma Makutsi was trying to wash her hair in the running water.

Yes, said Mma Makutsi, from under the stream of deliciously cool water. That is why we have taps.

Another instalment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. As you could reasonably expect, it's much the same as the previous books. I was a bit bemused by the behaviour of the apprentices — they were showing signs of becoming somewhat more interesting characters when we last saw them, and if anything they're even more caricaturish now — and, while the character development is interesting, I'd really like to see more detective work, like in the original book, but there's not really too much to complain about here. Nothing groundbreaking, but a reasonably amusing read.

I'm informed that the new BBC dramatisation of this series is well worth listening to, if only because you'll then know how to pronounce all the names.