The Handsome Man’s Deluxe Caf

Precious Ramotswe solves a number of problems in this book. It all starts one fine morning when Precious tells Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni “I have a feeling. It’s difficult to say why, but I am sure that this will not be a quiet day.” Indeed, it is not going to be uneventful. First, the two partners in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi, are asked to find out who a certain Indian woman really is, Mrs she is simply called, she just walked up the driveway to the clients’ house, made herself at home, became familiar with the owners, they do not want to throw her out. Mma Makutsi is insisting on doing her share of interviewing and investigating and it takes all of Mma Ramotswe’s skill to steer the investigation in the right direction. “”But don’t you think you only take fluff off the shoulders of somebody you have known for some time?” Mma Ramotswe asked and Mma Makutsi simply replied “No,…I don’t think that, Mma” Then there is the new business venture Mma Makutsi is undertaking – a restaurant, high-end with gourmet cuisine prepared by an accomplished chef and served by trained waiters – Phuti does, of course provide the necessary funds for the required building renovation and equipment, although his suggestions and questions about the staff are being ignored. Then, there is the case of the garage helper/mechanic let go by Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. Precious takes him on, of course, to train as a detective and send him on an assignment. In the end she makes visits, eats generous slices of fruitcake, drinks tea and solves all problems with a minimal amount of exertion, but plenty of insight into the human mind – be it in Botswana or elsewhere. I love the series, although this book was a little too packed with problems.

Just plodding along is how I vied the mood of the book.

After 15 books I’m growing tired of the characters.

Neither Grace, Precious, or JLB have advanced from the experiences of living. The conversations are just as exhausting as ever. The dialogue is awful. No great thinking going on here. The bickering with clients, the put downs between staff….none of it is good business (not even for a 97%) practices.

When characters start to disappoint it is time to move on. Often we just stay with series, because they are just series and we feel we are abandoning the author and the characters if we move on.

I think in this instance McCall Smith has abandoned his readers. We learn nothing new about Botswana (he rehashes the same stuff), we get no sense of time (do they have cellphones yet? how old is Precious’ car) we are just stuck.

They aren’t idiots. Yet, in the Handsome Man’s Deluxe Cafe Grace never even checks a reference on anyone, she like most restaurantuers, have no idea what opening a restaurant will be like. She’s not even accustomed to fine dining, or dining out period. What a joke. Surely, they would have the sense to do some research! What about permits? She deserved to fail.

How did Precious solve the latest amnesia case? Darned if we know. There were no clues to help even an armchair amature detective. Charlie couldn’t figure it out, and neither could the readers. Were we surprised? I can only speak for myself. I was disappointed.

How the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency remains in business is beyond this former reader. Maybe the books should focus more on Mma Potokwane since she seems to solve all the problems and have all the answers, and all it takes is fruitcake.

In short…I’m done. Gone girl.

I have read the whole series of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, this is the 15th book in the series. Wonderful bedtime reading, the chapters are just the right length, the content is absorbing and soothing, not deep or challenging. I declare I have learned, by osmosis, how to better deal with people from reading this series. Without doing any kind of lecturing, the reader gets a good story with familiar characters, a bit of history and political science about a country named Botswana that I had not known a single thing about before reading these books, and absorbs some really positive attitudes and people skills. Love this series. Have not yet finished this title, one of the ladies in the detective agency has the idea of opening a caf on the side. We shall see how that goes.

4 stars for a pleasant cozy mystery, set in Botswana, Africa. This is number 15 in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.. It can be read as a standalone, but there are references to previous incidents.
This book is full of gentle wisdom in dealing with problems presented to Charlie, apprentice mechanic, Precious Ramotswe, owner of the Agency and her asstistant, Grace Makutsi.
All of these characters have become like old friends, over the past 13 years when I started reading this series.
One quote by Precious: “There was also enough light, Mma Ramotswe reflected, to see that the world was not always a place of pain and loss, but a place where our simple human affairs–those made that for all their pettiness still sometimes confounded us –were not insoluble, were not without the possibility of resolution.”

Business is not actually booming for the detective agency or for the garage business and Mr J L B Maketoni can no longer afford to pay both his staff and Charlie has to go. Precious has taken on a case that she is really not at all sure about and her assistant – now partner – Grace Makutsi has decided to open a caf.

Will things improve for all the businesses concerned and can Precious solve the case of the woman who apparently has lost her memory without getting into trouble with the immigration authorities. There are plenty of life lessons to be learned in this thoughtful but amusing episode in the life of the number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

I do like this series which are really modern morality tales. Yes the writing is simple and straightforward but how to get on with the other people in your life is the same however sophisticated and grown up you think you are.

I didn’t think this latest story was quite as good as previous ones but then sometimes they improve on second reading. I always find them amusing with plenty of food for thought and insight into human behaviour and motivation, If you want something gentle in the mystery line then you could do worse than read this. While it helps to understand the series characters if you’ve read previous books in the series they don’t have to be read in order and can be read as standalone novels.

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