Abacus, 2013, 235 p.

As I was not particularly taken with my previous experience of McCall Smith (in his book 44 Scotland Street) I would not have read this had it not been on the list of 100 best Scottish Books. This is a better book overall than 44 Scotland Street, but still no more than light entertainment.

Using her father’s legacy Precious Ramotswe sets up Botswana’s first detective agency to be run by ladies and sets out to solve the cases brought to her. Most of these are simple enough and resolved remarkably quickly, usually by Precious confronting the malefactor and inducing a confession. In one, the solution to the mystery is obvious as soon as it is outlined by the client and Precious’s investigations merely confirm it.

Only the awareness of the practice of witchcraft and a glancing encounter with a crime boss who is entangled with politics (both of which milieux McCall Smith’s treatment steers Precious well clear of) hint at anything dark in Botswanan society. The tone is resolutely light touch.

This type of book is undoubtedly popular. But one of Scotland’s best 100? Come on!

Pedant’s corner:- “seems to have stuck in people’s mind” (minds,) “two hundred rands” (isn’t the plural of rand, rand?) “the Natal” (does that province have an article before its name? Isn’t it just Natal?)