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Book Review By David Gordon
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

In this sixth book in the story of the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency, detective Precious Ramotswe must use all her detecting skills to solve personal problems.

The centeral problem is the return to Gabarone, Botswana of Mma. (African equivalent of Ms.) Ramotswe's husband, Note Mokoti. Mma. Ramotswe is happily married to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni Botswana's most skilled auto mechanic, but she has neglected to get a divorce from Note. He is using this fact to blackmail her. Lesser, but still vexing, problems include a mysterious intruder in her home, a pumpkin left on her porch with no explanation, an accident in which she damages a poor man's bicycle, the sudden resignation of Mr. Matekoni's senior apprentice and the theft of her beloved tiny white van. She must also explain to her husband why she impulsively hired the victim of the bicycle accident, an ex-convict with no mechanical skills, to replace his apprentice.

Meanwhile, Mma. Ramotswe's assistant, Grace Makutsi, is taking dancing lessons, and has been paired with a man with two left feet and a bad stutter. With her boss preoccupied with personal problems, Mma. Makutsi must deal with the agency's major paying case - the hunt for a Zambian embezzler believed to be in Botswana.

While the protagonist of this series is a private detective, the personal relationships and the setting - Botswana - are important elements.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book? - upbeat
Time/era of story - 2000+ (Present Day)
Life of a profession:
Ethnic/Regional/Religion
Story of
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story Yes
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 ()
Africa Yes
Kind of Africa: - Black Africa
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Writing Style
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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