Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) - , reviewed on 3/12/2016 + 569 more book reviews

Alexander McCall Smith has developed a nice little storytelling pattern to his "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series. The first book in the series told a series of short stories which laid the groundwork for the lead character Precious Ramotswe and her business, as well as introducing some potential supporting characters. Later books continued the concept of the connected short stories, but, in following the example of Aaron Spelling's television series "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island", began to intertwine the stories rather than simply telling them sequentially.

The 16th book in this series, "The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine", continues this tradition. Mma Ramotswe's friends, co-workers, and family have decided that the woman needs a break, and convinces her to take a holiday. However, a private detective's version of "holiday" is not quite what one might expect otherwise, this might turn into a dull book. She has encounters with a young boy with a budding career in the protection racket, a late politician who may not have been as wholesome as the Botswana population believed him to be, a new secretarial college with a name bordering on what in the US might be called "trademark infringement" - and trying not to let everyone know that she's as busy on her days off as she is in a typical day of work!

As mentioned, this is a well established series. The author does take pity on any new readers and provide at least a cursory introduction to the characters, so that neophytes aren't totally confused by their actions and backgrounds avoiding a situation that is common with other long-running series in virtually any medium and format. However, it's safe to say that readers who have enjoyed earlier books in this series will find this book to their liking as well; those who were not impressed by the author's storytelling in those books will not find this one any different and should simply not waste their time on it.

(For the record, this reviewer is mixed I seem to read one every 18 months or so. I do not find that I absolutely love the series so much that I want to jump into another one right away; as such, I am falling behind since the author's rate of publishing is faster than mine of reading. On the other hand, I cannot abandon the series. After being away for a time, I begin to wonder what is going on with the coziest mystery characters of southern Africa, and grab another book in the series.)

RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

DISCLOSURE: I was awarded a copy of this book in a random draw. A polite request for an honest review was made, but no guarantees of tone, content, or schedule were requested nor given.

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