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.
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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.
The review of this Book prepared by David Gordon
