To the land of long lost friends / Alexander McCall Smith.

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  • Additional Information
    • Publication Information:
      First United States Edition
    • Abstract:
      Summary: "In the latest book in the widely beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Precious Ramotswe takes on a case for a childhood acquaintance but her inquiries will require an even more delicate touch than usual. Mma Ramotswe reconnects with an old friend who has been having problems with her daughter. Though Precious feels compelled to lend a hand, she discovers that getting involved in family affairs is always a delicate proposion. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni finds himself embroiled in familial drama as well, when one of his clients asks for help evicting an unwanted houseguest who turns out to be the man's own brother. Elsewhere, Charlie and Fanwell are also involved in tricky matters of the heart, as Queenie-Queenie, Charlie's girlfriend, seems to have transferred her affections to Fanwell. It's up to Mma Makutsi to set things right, but she may be be too distracted by her nemesis Violet Sephotho, who has somehow been appointed to the board of a charity. What is Violet up to now? As all of these mysteries are unraveled, Mma Ramotswe and the entire No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency will be reminded of the value of tried-and-true wisdom--never judge a book by its cover"-- Provided by publisher.
    • Notes:
      "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (20)"--Title page.
      "Originally published in hardcover in Great Britain by Little, Brown, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, a Hachette U.K. company, London , in 2019"--Title page verso.
    • ISBN:
      9781524747824
      1524747823
    • Accession Number:
      2019023510
    • Accession Number:
      on1104856573
      1104856573
    • Accession Number:
      fay.670862

Reviews

Booklist Reviews 2019 October #2

*Starred Review* Clever deceptions form the backdrop of this twentieth novel in the massively popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Readers return to Botswana, where the wise Precious Ramotswe solves the sticky situations people bring to her in the building that is part office, part car-repair garage. Precious also contends with the comically passive-aggressive help of her overly proud sidekick assistant, Grace Makutsi, and the almost completely useless help of part-time detective and all-round goof-off, Charlie. It starts with a wedding, where Grace reconnects with an old friend who has a problem: her once-close daughter, who works in the Botswana Diamond Sorting facility [Facility?], now refuses to have anything to do with her. As Precious and her team try to speak with the daughter, their suspicions grow that some of the diamonds may be making their way out of the sorting office. The most intriguing subplot belongs to Charlie, who wants to marry a wealthy young woman but can't afford the bridal price of cattle, until her brother invites him into a sketchy moneymaking scheme. The plots develop slowly, with most of the novel given over to long conversations and various characters' musings; these frequent detours may annoy new readers but will thoroughly delight longtime fans of the series. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

LJ Reviews 2019 May

Mma Ramotswe tries to help an old friend with a difficult daughter, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni tries to assist a client who wants to throw his own no-good brother out of the house, and Charlie's girlfriend, Queenie-Queenie, seems to be falling for Fanwell.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal.

PW Reviews 2019 August #4

Smith's winning 20th No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novel (after 2018's The Colors of All the Cattle) opens at a wedding, where Mma Ramotse, "doyenne of private investigators in Botswana (not that there were any others apart from her assistant, Grace Makutsi)," thinks she sees a ghost. The ghost is in fact an old friend, Calviniah Ramoroka, whose death was falsely reported in a newspaper years before. Mma Ramotse and Calviniah later meet for lunch, and Calviniah confides that her daughter, Nametso, who works as a diamond sorter in Gaborone, has suddenly started ignoring her. When Mma Ramotse investigates, she discovers that Nametso is driving an expensive car, which provides a key clue to explaining the young woman's behavior. Meanwhile, agency assistant Charlie receives a surprising proposal from his girlfriend, Queenie-Queenie , and Grace, with Charlie's help, looks into the case of an errant husband, which is more complicated than it appears. As usual, the warm, humorous interactions among the characters count more than the detecting. Smith's humanity shines throughout. Agent: Robin Straus, Robin Straus Agency. (Oct.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.