In Alexander McCall Smith’s “From a Far and Lovely Country,” Mma Precious Ramotswe is chagrined that her husband, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, has forgotten her birthday. However, she is a forgiving person who, even on this special occasion, goes to work at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Later, she pays a visit to her old friend, Mma Siliva Potokwame.

Precious Ramotswe, her good-hearted but strong-willed colleague, Mma Grace Makutsi, Mma Potokwame, and Charlie (a mechanic who works for Mr. Matekoni) have mysteries to solve. Charles gets a chance to go undercover when he investigates a disreputable club whose owner preys on single women looking for eligible bachelors. In addition, Precious agrees to help an American look for relatives of an individual whom her late grandmother cared for very much.

What keeps loyal fans of this long-running series returning for more are McCall Smith's simple yet lyrical prose; gentle humor; and wise observations about love, family, friendship, and kindness. Although the plot is insubstantial, spending time with the characters we know so well is like having a bowl of hot and delicious chicken soup. Both warm our insides and make us feel that the world may not be such a bad place after all. ( )

In Alexander McCall Smith’s “From a Far and Lovely Country,” Mma Precious Ramotswe is chagrined that her husband, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, has forgotten her birthday. However, she is a forgiving person who, even on this special occasion, goes to work at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Later, she pays a visit to her old friend, Mma Siliva Potokwame.

Precious Ramotswe, her good-hearted but strong-willed colleague, Mma Grace Makutsi, Mma Potokwame, and Charlie (a mechanic who works for Mr. Matekoni) have mysteries to solve. Charles gets a chance to go undercover when he investigates a disreputable club whose owner preys on single women looking for eligible bachelors. In addition, Precious agrees to help an American look for relatives of an individual whom her late grandmother cared for very much.

What keeps loyal fans of this long-running series returning for more are McCall Smith's simple yet lyrical prose; gentle humor; and wise observations about love, family, friendship, and kindness. Although the plot is insubstantial, spending time with the characters we know so well is like having a bowl of hot and delicious chicken soup. Both warm our insides and make us feel that the world may not be such a bad place after all. ( )

This is book 24 in the series so obviously I enjoy them. These books on audio are the audio version of comfort food for me. The characters feel like old friends and the stories continue to be enjoyable listening. This is very much due to the excellent narration by Lisette Lecat. She also feels like an old friend at this point because she's told me so many stories over the years.

These are light and charming. There is often not a lot that happens but the observations and conversations among the cast are just a nice way to spend time.

The mysteries are always fairly light and often the minor parts of the books because so much ot the ongoing story in the series is the lives of the cast of characters.

Go with the audio editions (except for the one they stupidly had narrated by someone other than Lisette Lecat - read that one in print) and pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy the stories. ( )

It was nice to see another of this series on the new book shelves in the library. It's always a treat to see what Mma Ramotswe and her husband, friends, and colleagues are doing. In this case she puts Charlie on a case with almost dire consequences, and has an American lady looking for any relative she can find. There is more, but you'll have to read it to find out. ( )

This is the most recently published book in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. It contains the same familiar endearing characters, a couple of cases that need to be solved, wisdom and compassion, caring and humor all set in Gaborone, Botswana. You can read this as a stand-alone, but you’ll enjoy it more if you’ve read at least the first few books which define the characters’ relationships and personalities.

The qualities that make this series stand out from other mysteries is the calm, relaxed pace of the story; the style of speech which is almost poetic in its rhythm; and the thoughtfulness of Mma Ramotswe, the wise and loveable No. 1 lady detective.

It's a charming, feel-good, relaxing novel that’s the perfect break from a tense thriller, stressful family drama, tell-all memoir, or your own life situation. ( )