The House of Unexpected Sisters

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #18

by Alexander McCall Smith

The House of Unexpected Sisters (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency)

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Africa, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Botswana, Adult Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2017

About the author

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book in this series from Alexander McCall Smith and a few more pleasurable hours spent with Mma Ramotswe and associates.

All the usual characters are there, debating life and its particulars in their own inimitable way. There are the scenes of the Botswanan countryside we have come to expect and Precious is still driving her little white van and drinking Rooibos tea. It is a land where change happens slowly and things passing are always regarded with regret. I love it!

The title however indicates that something unexpected is going to happen and it does. Mma Ramotswe goes through a period of real upheaval and a threat to something she has always believed in. This is a more emotional book than usual although everything is sorted by the last page, of course.

Long may the author keep writing these books. I will miss them when they stop.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this 18th book in the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, Mma Ramotswe has numerous problems to solve. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

*****



As the story opens, Mma Ramotswe - owner of the 'No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency' in Botswana - takes a case at the behest of Mr. Polopetsi - a part-time chemistry teacher who helps out at the agency from time to time.

Mr. Polopetsi's acquaintance, Charity Mompoloki, lost her job as a furniture saleswoman at 'The Office Place' for being rude to a customer. Charity needs the job to support her children, and Mr. Polopetsi would like to see her reinstated.



Charity claims she wasn't rude, and suspicions arise that Charity's boss, Mr. Gopolong, had an ulterior motive for dismissing her. The suggestion is made that Mr. Gopolong, a married man, wanted to give the job to his girlfriend.



After speaking to Charity's mother, Mma Ramotswe concludes that Charity might actually have snapped at the customer. However, Mma Makutsi (who's gradually promoted herself from the agency's secretary to its co-director) insists that Charity is innocent.



Mma Makuski isn't inclined to be objective because Charity attended the Botswana Secretarial College, from which Mma Makutsi graduated with the unrivaled score of 97 percent.

To avoid conflict, Mma Ramotswe assigns Charity's case to Mma Makutsi, who promptly anoints herself 'Principal Investigating Officer.' (She's a hoot!) Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe makes a stealthy parallel investigation of her own.

During Mma Ramotswe's inquiries she accidently learns of the existence of a woman called Mingie Ramotswe, a nurse who turns out to be a relative. Though Mma Ramotswe is thrilled to meet Mingie, it's not an entirely happy discovery.



To add to Mma Ramotswe's concerns, she learns that Note Makoti - her abusive ex-husband - is back in town AND that someone is scheming to bankrupt the 'Double Comfort Furniture Store' - which is owned by Mma Makutsi's husband, Phuti Radiphuti.

With all this on her mind, it's no wonder Mma Ramotswe feels the need to visit her friend Mma Potokwane - for advice, tea, and large slices of fruitcake.



Various recurring characters make an appearance, including: Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni (Mma Ramotswe's husband) - a master mechanic who treats cars like they have souls; Charlie - the barely competent apprentice mechanic who has an eye for the ladies; Violet Sephotho - a sexy troublemaker; and Mma Ramotswe's little white van - which she loves with all her heart (LOL).

As usual, the characters drink a lot of tea, drive around, and engage in conversations about diverse topics - like the appropriate colors for men's clothes and whether employees are loyal to their bosses. This gives Mma Makutski the opportunity to voice her strong (and sometimes odd) opinions.....and to argue with Charlie.



Mma Ramotswe often has to divert the chitchat, to deflect disagreements. These conversations are meant to be humorous, but I didn't find them funny. Moreover, Mma Makutski's shoes (which are usually very talkative) didn't speak to her even once!

The detective work in this series always takes a back seat to Mma Ramotswe's gentle musings, the ambiance of Botswana, and the everyday lives of the characters.



In this book, though, there's almost NO detection at all. Though Mma Ramotswe sows some seeds, all the issues seem to magically resolve themselves - either by chance or by the actions of outside characters. This feels like cheating.....and is unrealistic. In real life, troubles don't just evaporate.

For me, this book isn't amongst the best in the series, but I enjoyed visiting with the engaging characters, who seem like old friends by now. I'd recommend the novel to fans of the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.'

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Lois R. Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear HBO:
You had a really good thing going when you turned the first book of the Ladies #1 Detective Agency into a one-season series. Why in heaven's name did you stop? Surely not for lack of material, because the books just keep coming. Not, either, for the lack of appeal of Precious Ramatswe and her cast of characters, all of whom are quirky and engaging and bring with them the intriguing life of Botswana. Please, please sign Jill Scott back on and continue the series through all the books to this, the latest,

Case in point: Mma Ramatswe and Mma Mikutsi are again deep in their detective work trying to find out why the employee of an office furniture store was fired for rudeness. There is disagreement whether the employee was actually rude to a customer or not. Her friends say it would be out of character. Her mother indicates she isn't so sure. Then, Mma Mikutsi's arch nemesis, Violet Sephotho, shows up and it would seem that she is behind the firing.

However, there is a more intriguing plot as Precious Ramatswe discovers that she may, in fact, have a sister that she did not know about. The sister's existence casts a cloud over Mma Ramatswe's unflagging love for her late father when it appears that he may have had an extramarital affair that produced this sister. The family "reunion" makes us hope that this lesbian sister (Precious is completely accepting of her new sister's partner and pronounces her as another sister) will resurface in future books.

There is just something so winning about this series that relies very little on violence or sexual situations to solve its wonderful, human stories. The character development and personality quirks of the various characters are sufficient to keep the series fresh, interesting, and endlessly endearing.

There is never a thing to say at the end of one of these series' books except more, please, more.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious is back along with her cast of supporting characters and I realized just how much I had missed her. This is one of my top 5 series and nothing is better than curling up with these lovely people and getting reacquainted.

It's amazing that after all the books in this series and writing two other excellent series, how current and fresh Smith keeps this story. It touches on a lot of old plot lines and although you absolutely do not have to read the earlier books as it works as a stand alone, it is especially satisfying for long term readers. I really liked how a troubling relationship from Precious's past is resolved. I also loved that parents still have the power to surprise their children. I won't say more as to not spoil it for you.

Not that anything can really spoil it for you because it's not really the story but the warmth of the characters that is the star attraction. These are people you actually like. I would love to sip a cup of red bush tea and chat with the ladies. I might even a slice of fruit cake, far from my favorite dessert.

On a personal note, I just love reading about characters you like and can root for. Lately I have been reading a lot of books with unlikable people. These are people you wouldn't spend 10 minutes with and really don't care what happens to them. I don't know why this trend is happening but I find it so refreshing to be with people you like. It has taken me quite some time to read this slim book but I realized that I was savoring it and didn't want it to end. Sigh.

Also, I ordered this book and it was brand new. I spend a lot of time reviewing books so I have advanced reader paperback copies and Kindle choices to read. I am grateful for these but there is nothing like holding a real book with crisp pages that no one else has touched but you. It's such a physical thrill. It is so inviting and it made me fall in love with reading all over again.

I loved this book.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of The Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency. Each year I eagerly await the arrival of the next book in the series. I must say this book is far more complex or complicated than the prior episodes. Reading the book is like taking a trip to Botswana. AMS provides a look at the culture as well as beautiful descriptions of the land. I can see the sun rise over the acacia trees and hear the bells on the cattle heading out to pasture for the day.

Smith has a gentle and easy to read writing style. I enjoy the delicate humor and Mma Ramotswe’s philosophizing over bush tea. Reading the book is like a visit with old friends. When I finished the book, I am left feeling pleasantly happy and pondering Mma Ramotswe’s moral question.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is nine hours twenty-nine minutes. Lisette Lecat does an excellent job narrating the book. Lecat was born in South Africa and does the accent, pronunciation and rhythm of Botswana perfectly. Lecat is an actress and voice-over actor. She does voice roles and audiobook narration in three languages.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This gentle little mystery series is always great to pick up when I don't want to tax my brain or emotions. Like sitting under an Acacia tree, discussing things with good friends, drinking a cup of Red Bush tea. There were a couple of surprising revelations in this one.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Fourth read*

I loved this once again, and will continue to love this series, hopefully for years to come. God bless you, AMS! Your books are the cure for what ails us. ♥

*Third Read*

This series is the ultimate comfort read for me, and since I'm an audiobook listener as well, it's an even better listen.

Something quite unexpected happens to the main character in this book, and I'm curious to see where this storyline goes. Looking forward to reading the latest volume in the series (for the first time!) next month!


*Second Read*

I've now read the entire series twice, and considering everything, it's quite likely I'll read them all a third time in the not-too-distant future.

Reasons to read this series:

1. They will make you laugh and smile.
2. The characters are unforgettable, multi-dimensional people, who grow and change, and whom you'll enjoy getting to know.
3. If you enjoy audiobooks, or even if you don't, you will when you try Lisette Lecat's narration of these books. She performs every single book and she is phenomenal. I listen to lots of audiobooks. She is one of the very best.
4. You can depend on these books to leave things in an upbeat place. This is the sunny side of life. Many bad things happen, don't get me wrong. It's not sickeningly sweet at all. But the overall feeling is always a good one in these books.
5. I believe this is the 18th volume. This is a very long series and a new one comes out at the end of each year. So this series will keep you busy for awhile.
6. If you are a sensitive soul, who appreciates nature, and can see the extraordinary or whimsical in the everyday, you will appreciate this series.
7. You'll learn about the culture and environment of Botswana, a place where civility (more often than not) reigns. The author grew up there and his love for the country comes through clearly. He understands the place well and you will love it as he does.
8. For me, the main reason I keep coming back to this series is the characters, so I'm mentioning it twice. And they don't stay static. A lot happens in their lives, and it's such a joy to spend time with them.

One note: If you've read the first book in the series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and didn't love it, it's an anomaly in that it's more like a book of interconnected short stories than a true novel, as the rest of the series is. Tears of the Giraffe, the second book, is one of my favorites, and if you enjoy that one, you'll love the rest of the series. It gets better as it goes!



*First Read*

The latest in my favorite series by Alexander McCall Smith. He keeps it fresh by adding new characters and situations, while retaining the essential decency, humor, and universality that makes this series such a winner.

Lisette Lecat once again knocked the audio version out of the park.

If you need a lift, a laugh, want to remember the decency of humankind (esp. in this current climate), or want to spend some time with some great, quirky and lovable characters, pick up any book in this series. I recommend you read them in order and note that the first one is probably the weakest. Mainly because it reads more like a series of vignettes than one novel.

Thank you, AMS, for keeping this series just as wonderful 18 installments in as it was at the beginning. <3

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mma Ramotswe finds herself with a trifecta of personal issues making her life almost too complicated to even think about the cases at hand. Is it time for her to get a "normal" job? An old newspaper article reveals the existence of a Ramotswe who Precious has never met. Unraveling the mystery may cause a personal crisis. Grace and Charlie team up with Mr. Polopetzi to help a woman fired under unfair circumstances. There will be visits to the Orphan Farm for advice and fruitcake with "the little white van" logging many miles in this installment. Finally, you can be sure that Violet Sipotho will pop up like a bad penny. Tune into this 18th episode to see how the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency weathers the storm.

[L.A. Starks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, and this is the newest. The endings are humane, universal, and not always obvious. We would all like to know a person (or perhaps do) like Mma Ramotswe.

However.

This book has many pages of description, repetition and interior thoughts, so the pace drags in places.

Still, Smith does a good job of setting up the problems and creating suspense about their resolutions.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the good news. The House of Unexpected Sisters, the 18th book in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, most of the old favorites reappear: Charlie the slipshod apprentice; Grace Makutsi, now the self-styled Principal Investigating Officer — whatever that means; the sensitive Mr. Polopetsi, high-school chemistry teacher and volunteer at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency; kind and loyal husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni; Silvia Potokwani, the redoubtable matron of the orphan farm; and, of course, Precious Ramtoswe herself. Even the wicked Violet Sepotho turns up — cooking up mischief, as always. Being reunited with the gang is always a pleasure.

Unfortunately, readers will find the mystery portion of the book pretty thin gruel. Precious and Grace look into the dismissal of Charity Mompoloki from an office-furniture company, while Precious is disturbed by a newspaper clipping of a Mingie Ramotswe. Hadn't she known all the Ramotswes? Who is this Mingie Ramotswe in Lobatse, Botswana, 70 miles south of the capital Gabarone, where Precious lives? Readers will see the resolutions to both mysteries coming early on, but, for me, a die-hard fan, any visit with Precious Ramotswe is still worthwhile

[Gearóid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just such nice stories to read.
Always enjoy this entire series.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“That fear was something that was always with you in the bush, and it was only the foolhardy who would ignore it. There were things that it was perfectly right to be scared of – because they were, in themselves, frightening things. Some of them you could see, others were not so visible; some you could hear; others you sensed in some other, indefinable way.”

The House of Unexpected Sisters is the eighteenth full-length novel in the popular No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith. A possible case of unfair dismissal at an office furniture store is the main case under investigation in this instalment. It seems the Agency will be doing this pro bono, and when Mma Makutsi takes the lead, she bestows a new title upon herself: Principal Investigating Officer.

Wary of Grace’s somewhat bombastic approach, Mma Ramotswe decides to run a parallel investigation, during which she accidentally learns of a hitherto unknown Ramotswe and wonders if she is related. When the case information is reviewed, it turns out that different versions of events have been related to different investigators.

Mr Polopetsi has also garnered some disturbing facts he must selectively reveal. He and Mma Makutsi are shocked to observe a certain woman during their covert surveillance: could the terrible Violet Sepotho really have a hand in all this? And then Mma Potokwani adds to her worries when she reveals that Note Mokoti, Mma Ramotswe’s physically abusive ex-husband is back in Gabarone.

As always, McCall Smith gives his characters sage words and perceptive observations. On silent men “Yes, all women know those men. The men who think women will think ‘Here is a man who is thinking deep, strong thoughts’, but in fact, Mma, those men are not really thinking about anything at all.” The Agency’s work is succinctly described thus: “Small facts, big facts; looking here, looking there; listening to what the wind is saying.”

And Mr J.L.B. Matekoni’s feelings of inadequacy are perfectly described: “She had said that her heart was broken and he felt powerless to do anything about it. It seemed to him that she did not want to admit him into her sorrow, and he, being a mere mechanic, did not have the words to ask her to let him in on it. That was the problem, he felt: when words were handed out to the various callings by which people lived, all the words were taken by politicians and lawyers and the clever accountants, and not many left for people like him – the mechanics and the farmers.”

As he explores topics as varied as people we put on pedestals and the importance of matrons, not to mention the relationship of blood group to personality, McCall Smith once again gives the reader a novel that has humour and wisdom and heartfelt emotion. Delightfully entertaining.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and look forward to it all year. In this book Mr. Polopetsi comes to the ladies of the No. 1 detective agency with the case of a woman who may have been wrongfully terminated. This case may unknowingly have far reaching consequences for Mma Makutsi and her husband's furniture business. There is also the mystery of a woman who shares the unusual surname of Ramotswe with Precious and who even looks like her. Is she a long lost relation? In between solving these mysteries there will be rides in the tiny white fan, visits to the orphan farm and Mma Potokwani, fruit cake will be eaten, and liberal amounts of bush tea will be enjoyed. Villians Violet Sephotho and Note Mokoti even make a cameo.

Reading these books are like a comforting visit with old friends. I never fail to take away some important life lesson. In this book I liked " Families come in different ways, she thought: sometimes they are given to you, but sometimes you find them yourself, unexpectedly, as you go through life."This book is about family, the ones you are born with and those you choose to put in your life.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

#18 and this series isn't even close to getting stale. Each book is just as great and each time I finish a new one I think this is the best one yet! I loved this book so much because certain things come out, new characters are introduced but still the same type of gentle mysteries. I hope this series goes on for many more books!

[Sara Halvorsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm starting to lose interest in these books as the author rambles too long about things I don't find interesting. I enjoy the stories within, but they are just too wordy. I skipped 5 pages at times to get back on track with the story. Not sure I will read any more.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started a little slow, and I began to think that maybe it wouldn't measure up to the earlier books in the series. It is the 18th book, after all. But I needn't have worried. Precious has still got it, in full measure.

As usual, the mystery that has to be solved is not some great crime, and the solution involves an understanding of human nature and not really the investigation of clues. And I really mourned with Precious when she believed for a time that her beloved daddy, Obed, wasn't the man she thought she knew.

If I had a complaint about this book, it's the same as the last one, that Violet Sephotho as the ubiquitous villain is starting wear a little thin.

[Nancie Lafferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many unexpected twists and turns in this iteration, where we learn much more about Precious’ past and other relationships. Very good listen.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!

Read & reviewed for The Bookbag: http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/i...

Dear Mma Ramotswe is back, for the eighteenth (!) book in the series, and what a beautiful book it is. I ran through the whole tumult of emotions whilst reading this story, with all the usual moments of humour, annoying (and yet endearing) idiosyncrasies of character, low level mystery solving and endless cups of redbush tea. There is a case for the agency with a lady who has been wrongfully fired from her job. There's the worrying, background presence of Mma Makutsi's nemesis, Violet Sepotho, who must surely have been involved in this poor lady's job woes. And there is the difficult discovery of an unknown family member for Mma Ramotswe, and an unwelcome return from another.

This book was exactly what I needed in my life at that precise moment in time. Having had a difficult time with a sick child it was, for me, pure and perfect escapism. I met with a friend one day, when I was about halfway through, who also loves these books and I said to her 'well I just got to a bit where Mma Ramotswe thinks that she will go and pay a visit to Mma Potokwani, and I thought to myself how nice, they're going to have some cake! Hearing myself say it, I knew it sounded a little bit ridiculous! To be happy that a character in a book was going to visit her friend and have some tea and cake! As a reader, though, I just felt the most enormous sense of pleasure, and of a rightness with the world, at the thought of these two old friends having a good chat, knowing that Mma Potokwani would have the right words to share with Mma Ramotswe, and understanding the great joy there is in sharing such a close friendship. Maybe that is the secret to these stories, that they wind their way into our hearts so much, these imaginary people who seem so very real, that we share their mundane moments of pleasure with great happiness, and equally we worry when they have worries of their own.

The mystery within the story was interesting and well done, and I confess that I wasn't sure of what was going on, so it actually felt like a real mystery! I loved that Mma Makutsi was declaring herself to be the 'Principal Investigating Officer', which made me laugh. Her ever-increasing ambition to make herself important is delightful to read. I also enjoy her interactions with Mr JLB Maketoni's apprentice, Charlie. They rub each other up the wrong way so delightfully. I do wonder, a little, how on earth the agency can manage to survive with seemingly so little work, but then I just tell myself that they must also be doing lots more rather mundane detective work outside of the stories, and that settles that! The best part of the story for me was Mma Ramotswe's storyline about the discovery of her unknown sister. I found it very emotional, each step she takes as she uncovers the truth, to the point that I did cry at the end of the book (happy tears!) I found the unfolding of events surprising, and Mma Ramotswe is so beloved to me that I felt every moment of her emotions with her.

I love these books for the deep and abiding kindness that they demonstrate each episode, for the comfort and reassurance in seeing that people are fallible, with all their character quirks and life mistakes, and yet second chances are possible, and forgiveness is possible. These stories seem to flow so easily from Alexander McCall Smith, and yet they are very tightly, very cleverly created. There is no excess in this book, as each moment and each conversation continues another strand of the plot or adds yet another layer to these characters I know and love so well. It amazes me how he writes these characters so consistently each time, and with such warmth. Thank goodness he doesn't appear to be tiring of writing about these characters, and so fans can continue to get their fix of Botswana life. I know I always rave about these books, but this one really was one of my favourite ones. I felt safe, and happy, deep down inside after finishing, and that's a precious gift to bestow on a reader with your story. I can't wait for the next one...

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 18th book in this delightful series, and have enjoyed them all. A quick, soothing read to relax with, preferably with a nice cup of tea. The books are full of humor and wisdom with lots of Mma Precious Ramotswe’s kindness and gentle philosophy shining through. Her conversations with colleagues often makes me smile. Although she runs the No.1 Ladies Detective agency, be prepared for a lack of violence and mayhem. Instead she investigates and solves solves clients’ personal problems, very few would be considered actual criminal offenses.
The abrasive Grace Makutsi is back. She started out working as Mma Ramotswe’s secretary, but has since promoted herself to associate detective. Now she has bestowed upon herself an even more impressive title, Principal Investigating Officer.
Grace is investigating the case of a sales lady who claims to be unjustly fired , accused of being rude to an important customer. She and Charlie, a very unsuccessful apprentice in the auto shop owned by Precious’s husband, along with shy part time chemistry teacher, Polopetsi try to discover the truth behind her dismissal. Violet, Grace’s nemesis from secretarial school also plays a part.
Precious Ramotswe decides to let these three associates play a dominant role in investigating whether the lady was unjustly fired, while she quietly conducts interviews and works at solving the mystery. She becomes preoccupied by the discovery of a newspaper picture of some nurses, one who shares her last name. She is heartbroken to think her beloved father may have had an affair while married to her late mother.
After some missteps along the way, everything comes to a happy conclusion. For anyone who enjoys a cosy mystery, these witty books are the coziest of all.

[MJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where I've always enjoyed sitting down to one of the books in this series, I struggled to get through this one. I find the series is getting stale now (kind of like the Stephanie Plum books).

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Agency is called to investigate the mysterious firing of a model employee at a thriving local business. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi's ex husband is back in town, and a mysterious lady with her last name is in the background.

Pretty decent, You can see why the series has lasted so long.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

For sheer charm, it's hard to beat Alexander McCall Smith's delightful series of novels about the #1 Ladies Detective Agency in Gaborone, Botswana. (If you know where Botswana is, much less anything else about it, go to the head of the class.) The 18th entry in this ongoing series is a case in point. In The House of Unexpected Sisters, McCall Smith outdoes himself. The novel is a gem.

The House of Unexpected Sisters features the whole cast of characters that fans of the series have grown to love: the surpassingly wise Mma Precious Ramotswe, founder of the agency; her annoying assistant, Mma Grace Makutsi; her dutiful husband, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, owner of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors repair shop; the mousy Mr. Polopetsi; and the randy apprentice mechanic, Charlie. In the 18th novel in a series, a reader might expect these characters to come across as stale, trapped in stereotypes. But that's not the case at all. Every one of them will surprise.

The #1 Ladies Detective Agency books are nominally detective novels. But only nominally. The cases Mma Ramotswe and her colleagues take on are rarely crimes in a traditional sense. Here, for example, is how Mma Ramotswe views the successful resolution of a case she has investigated: "that all those concerned had been persuaded to see reason. that, she felt, was the key to the solution of any problem: you did not look for a winner who would take everything; you found a way of allowing people to save face; you found a way of healing rather than imposing."

In The House of Unexpected Sisters, the ladies investigate the allegedly unfair firing of a saleswoman at an office furniture warehouse. This case proves to be far more complicated than any reader might reasonably expect. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe is forced to grapple with the sudden, unexpected appearance of a woman who shares her surname and may be a sister she never knew she had.

The dialogue, especially that involving Mma Makutsi, is frequently priceless. Here she is discussing short skirts with Mma Ramotswe: "Men know that women have legs—that is one of the things that they learn at an early age. So why do you have to show them that you have legs when they are already well aware of that?"

McCall Smith's series is a paean to Botswana, where he lived for at least a decade while teaching at the University of Botswana law school. Here is Mma Ramotswe musing about death: "the thought was always present that although we might be going, the things and places we loved would still be there. So it must be a consolation to know that there would still be Botswana; that there would still be a sun that would rise over the acacia trees like a great red ball and would set over the Kalahari in a sweep of copper and gold; that there would still be the smell of wood fires in the evening and the sound of the cattle making their slow way home, their gentle bells marking their return to the safety of their enclosure. All these things must make leaving this world less painful."

McCall Smith discusses his writing career in a fascinating interview with the The National, published in the United Arab Emirates. The author claims he writes 1,000 words an hour in a "dissociated state" and rarely, if ever, has to edit his work. The proof that he truly does write so fast lies in his staggering productivity. The 18 novels of the Ladies Detective Agency series join several dozen more works of fiction for adults, an almost equally large number of books for young adults, and a slew of academic texts in medicine and the law. McCall Smith is a world-renowned expert on medical law and bioethics.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pantheon Books kindly sent me an advance copy of this book for reviewing purposes!


The House Of Unexpected Sisters is a worthy addition to the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. It has two central plotlines: one professional and one personal, both handled at the gentle, steady pace that characterizes this series. Frequent divagations take you inside the minds of the characters, and while these do tend to slow down the action, they are often amusing or relatable. It's a technique that renders especially the main characters quite vivid.


While I found myself wishing early on that the books wouldn't keep using the same villain, I was pleased that the solution did slightly subvert my expectations. 


This book really shines in the developments in Precious's personal life. Things she has always been sure of suddenly seem to falter, and the narrative is honest and compassionate in showing her struggle.


I recommend this book to fans of Alexander McCall Smith's work but also to anyone looking for an easy and soothing read. This is a cozier-than-cozy mystery, in that there are no murders or violence, not even off-page. The investigations boil down to human nature. Even when that gets a bit complex, at the end of the day things are still incredibly positive in Mma Ramotswe's world. It's a nice place to be.

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I love all these books. They are all so comforting, beautifully written and just nice stories. Naturally, I like some better than others. The one where Clovis Anderson visited Mma Ramotswe was one of my favorites. And so is this one. It has so many wonderful little stories in it. And the issues about her father are absolutely so touching--could not have come at a better time in my life for me to read. And yes, I did get teary at the end. Thank you Alexander McCall Smith!

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, this is no. 18 in this series! Eighteen! And not a genuine dud among them. Do you know how hard that is? Over 18 books, Mr McCall Smith has maintained the charm to keep me and many others loyally returning, year after year. Not only that, but this one is one of the best yet. I've often promoted the theory that AMS has a little game with himself to see if every time he writes a book, he can incorporate less of a plot than in the previous one. But not this time! This time there's a real, satisfying and not 100% predictable plot, and even (I hope you're sitting down) a real sub-plot.

But let's be honest, what keeps me and so many others returning to the series is the whimsical charm of AMS's eternally sunny Botswana, where the pace of life is slower, where you welcome a stranger on your doorstep without question, where a cup of tea will solve almost any problem. Every time I read one of his books I find myself quietly resolving to be kinder and more patient. It's not just the characters that remind me that, but the meandering way he tells a story in his own time.

How can you read something like this and not feel refreshed: "A good stew smelled like...well, a good stew; it would remind you of that time when the sun has just sunk over the Kalahari, when the cattle have been brought back into their kraal against a background of gentle lowing, when the moon is floating up in the sky over Botswana and the children are sitting about the fire, waiting for their dinner. It smelled like that. It smelled like the world when, early in the morning. you make your way through the bush and the birds were just beginning to greet the world and the delicate leaves of the acacia trees were opening to the warmth of the gold with which the world was painted. It smelled like that and all you had to do was to train yourself to know when something was just right."

[Rina · Rating 5 out of 5]

NYTimes Book Review: "In anxious times we turn to comfort foods. But what about comfort books?" Is that a perfect summation of this series or what? Anyone who has read my reviews will know that's how I feel about Precious Ramotswe and her crew, be it family, friends or co-workers. She finds her red bush tea a calming influence, I find her the same.

[Elite Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some unexpected news for Mma Precious Ramotswe

Mr Polopetsi, who sometimes works part-time for the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency when not teaching chemistry at the Gaborone Secondary School, asks Mma Ramotswe if she would be prepared to help Charity Mompoloki, the sister of the games teacher at the school. She was fired from her job at The Office Place, supposedly for being rude to one of the clients, but he’s sure that there is more to the story and that this poor widow has been wrongfully fired. He wants to help her get her job back mainly because she seems far too interested in taking over his job as the chemistry teacher.

While Mma Grace Makutsi, who is now calling herself Principal Investigating Officer, Mr Polpetsi and Charlie (who is still trying to qualify as a mechanic) go off to investigate why Charity was fired, Mma Ramotswe decides to visit Charity’s mother, Mme Lentswe, who lives in Mochudi, where she herself grew up. It’s while visiting her that Precious finds out something that will have a life-changing effect on her.

There is something so magical about this series. It never ceases to amaze me how this, the eighteenth book in the series still has such a calming effect on my love of Africa and especially Botswana. I get transported into the world where people treat each other with the respect that they are due. Where possibly the greatest evil is thanks to the conniving and dangerous misinformation spread by the nemesis of Mma Makutsi. Where there’s always time to have another cup of tea with Mma Ramotswe’s best friend, the indomitable Mma Potokwani, who runs the orphanage and there is always time to admire the beauty of the dry land, a place where drought is more common than green pastures. A place where wealth is measured by a number of cattle one owns.

Alexander McCall Smith always manages to produce some unexpected stress in either a case the two ladies are trying to solve or in their personal lives and it’s this that makes us loyal followers and ensures that we get our “yearly fix” the minute the latest book is published.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Cath Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read several of these having discovered and loved the very first book of the series.
They are always good stand alone books.
Normally nothing much happens in these books, but wow there were 3 huge storylines as well as the case to be investigated.
I laughed out loud and loved the wonderful phrases like "as thin as a goat" or "men must not be confused ".

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a long time since reading #17 in the series, it was great to get back to McCall Smith novel. It was a wonderful, relaxing read. This is my favourite series for a truly cozy mystery; no murder, just everyday little mysteries, with an eclectic mix of quirky characters and an unusual but entertaining style of conversation.

[Rebecca Serrato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all his books!