Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #3)

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Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #3)

by Alexander McCall Smith (Goodreads Author)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 19,879 ratings · 946 reviews

In Morality for Beautiful Girls, Precious Ramotswe, founder and owner of the only detective agency for the concerns of both ladies and others, investigates the alleged poisoning of the brother of an important "Government Man," and the moral character of the four finalists of the Miss Beauty and Integrity Contest, the winner of which will almost certainly be a contestant fo...more

Paperback, 227 pages

Published November 12th 2002 by Anchor (first published 2001)

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Jun 17, 2009 Anne Hawn Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, cozy-mystery, mystery, philosophical, foreign-country, comfort-read

Reading these books is more like visiting with friends. If you are looking for action and plot, this will not really appeal to you, especially if you have read some of the others. These books are more of a slice of life.

This was one of my favorites because of the depression that overcomes Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni. It comes over him so gradually and the people who love him are so concerned for him. I could almost feel myself becoming concerned for him also. Since I suffer from depression from time t...more

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Dec 09, 2008 Graham rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, mystery, africa

I can’t get enough of these Precious Ramotswe stories. This is the third in a series that shows no signs of flagging as yet, and indeed which seems richer, deeper and more spellbinding each novel you read.

MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLS follows the same template as before, although the detective cases here seem even more of an excuse to have Smith reflecting on aspects of life applicable to both Botswana and the world in general.

Here, we take a look at dysfunctional families, depression and female...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Call it a “gentle read” or a “cozy mystery,” Morality for Beautiful Girls is a charming and easy read. Morality was written by Alexander McCall Smith, himself a fascinating character as a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer with a Ph.D. in law and a plethora of books, fiction and non, under his belt. It is the third in his series entitled The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, which feature the plucky Precious Ramotswe, her heart of gold, and the community mysteries in her beloved contemporary Botswana....more Call it a “gentle read” or a “cozy mystery,” Morality for Beautiful Girls is a charming and easy read. Morality was written by Alexander McCall Smith, himself a fascinating character as a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer with a Ph.D. in law and a plethora of books, fiction and non, under his belt. It is the third in his series entitled The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, which feature the plucky Precious Ramotswe, her heart of gold, and the community mysteries in her beloved contemporary Botswana.

Morality is partly mystery-solving of course, but mostly conversations among neighbors; between colleagues; and about that which makes Botswana run. As in the previous Ladies Detective Agency novels, Ramotswe is faced with one challenge after another, from assisting a Government Man who suspects his brother has been poisoned; to tending to her ailing fiancé; to training her protégé detective/manager. But we as readers never feel too worried; never fret the tasks may be too great for the Agency. Rather we move at the pace of Africa; sharing bush tea with neighbors along the road to solving mysteries.

If you’re familiar with Smith’s other cozy reads, this fits the same mold: slowly paced plot; quirky characters who frequently banter in jest; some contemplations on life’s meaning; and a domesticated, rural setting. Morality is endearing and simple. But, as the book progressed, I grew to appreciate the ever-present themes of feminism and women’s rights. Smart, hard-working, independent women are praised throughout; and in a place traditionally run by dominant males (marriage “gave men most of the rights and left women with the duties” pg. 140), Smith’s empowered female leads were a treat to observe.

Ramotswe’s Agency seeks to “help people in need to resolve the unresolved questions in their lives” (59), through patient observation and very little drama. If such an approach sounds suitable to you, this hopeful, peaceful book may be a good addition to your nightstand.
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Apr 09, 2009 Writerlibrarian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read2007, mystery

Third novel in his Lady Detective agency. It's a lovely book, old fashioned in its slow pace, very low key plot.It's a slice of life from a world that moves at a different pace from ours. In this we meet our detective Mma Ramotswe again facing the daily chores of a business woman (her business is not making enough money to cover Mma Makutsi's raised in status and pay), an engaged to be married woman (her fiancé Mr. Matekoni is acting strangely). Mma Makutsi takes on her first case and the appren...more

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Apr 14, 2009 Eliece rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'd add a half to that star if I could, but couldn't quite go to three. I really liked the first two in this series, but I guess this is why I stay away from series books as a general rule. They seem to lose appeal for me as they go along. I hate the summarizing from past books to catch you up. The characters in this are still endearing and I love the setting and the 'love of country' theme going on. I like the small moral lessons the books aim to teach and the simple writing style. This one had...more

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Apr 26, 2009 PurplyCookie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-fiction, book-series, detective-fiction, cozy-mystery

Mma Makutsi rises to her own in this volume "Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 3)". As Mma Ramtoswe feels the pinch economically and emotionally, what with money being tight in the agency and the illness of her fiance, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, she comes to rely on the unexpected talents and strength of her secretary. Mma Makutsi, with her too dark complexion and too big glasses, a less than beautiful facial features, shows true beauty in her no-nonsense approach to...more

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Jan 27, 2009 Endah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Buat kamu yang baru akan pertama kali membaca serial ini–ya, ini sebuah serial terdiri dari beberapa judul, jadi sebaiknya dibaca secara urut dari buku pertamanya : Kantor Detektif Perempuan No. 1–aku ingatkan untuk bersiap diri mendapati kisah detektif yang berbeda. Kau tidak bisa berharap akan menemukan sosok perempuan super yang akan berkelahi melawan penjahat atau karakter wanita setua Miss Marple yang memecahkan misteri sembari merajut.

Mma Ramostwe bukan tipe perempuan seperti itu. Ia seora...more Buat kamu yang baru akan pertama kali membaca serial ini–ya, ini sebuah serial terdiri dari beberapa judul, jadi sebaiknya dibaca secara urut dari buku pertamanya : Kantor Detektif Perempuan No. 1–aku ingatkan untuk bersiap diri mendapati kisah detektif yang berbeda. Kau tidak bisa berharap akan menemukan sosok perempuan super yang akan berkelahi melawan penjahat atau karakter wanita setua Miss Marple yang memecahkan misteri sembari merajut.

Mma Ramostwe bukan tipe perempuan seperti itu. Ia seorang perempuan Afrika bertubuh tinggi besar (untuk tidak menyebutnya gemuk). Di negerinya, Botswana, wanita cantik adalah wanita bertubuh besar. Perempuan-perempuan kurus dengan dada dan bokong rata seperti para peragawati, di sana tidak dianggap seksi. Maka, Mma Ramotswe sangat bangga dan bahagia dengan ukuran tubuhnya tersebut.

Kau juga lebih baik membuang jauh-jauh harapan tentang sebuah kisah detektif yang njelimet dan penuh ketegangan seumpama Da Vinci Code, karena kau tidak akan menemukannya di buku ini. Seperti sudah kukatakan tadi, ini cerita detektif yang berbeda.

Apalagi pada buku ketiga ini, dua kasus yang ditangani Mma Ramotswe benar-benar sederhana dan biasa-biasa saja : seorang pejabat pemerintah yang mencurigai iparnya telah meracuni adik lelaki si pejabat serta mencari tahu moralitas gadis-gadis para peserta kontes kecantikan. Kasus yang sangat sepele, bukan, meskipun untuk yang pertama agak sedikit menjanjikan sebuah kisah misteri pembunuhan.

Tetapi, jangan cepat-cepat mengurungkan niat kamu untuk membaca buku ini, karena jika kamu seorang yang senang membaca kisah-kisah yang memuat hubungan antarmanusia di sebuah negeri beserta kebiasaan masyarakat dan budayanya, kamu akan menyukai cerita di buku ini.

Ada pun untuk kamu yang sudah akrab dengan Mma Ramotswe yang keren itu tapi belum membaca bagian ketiganya, aku beri tahu, di sini ia memindahkan kantornya ke bengkel Tuan JLB Matekoni, tunangannya itu yang agaknya sedang menderita depresi oleh rasa bersalah yang tidak bisa ia ceritakan kepada siapa pun. Tingkahnya menjadi aneh. Ia mogok kerja dan menelantarkan bengkelnya, ditinggalkan begitu saja bersama kedua orang pekerja magang di sana. Kedua pemuda dengan kelakuan sedikit tengil yang perlu ditertibkan.

Maka, Mma Ramotswe, seperti biasanya segera bertindak cepat membereskan semua masalah. Ia menugaskan Mma Makutsi, sekretarisnya yang lulusan Akademi Sekretaris itu, sebagai manajer pelaksana di bengkel dan menangani semua urusan pelanggan termasuk juga pembinaan kedua montir tersebut. Sementara itu, ia berniat untuk membawa tunangannya ke dokter. Setelahnya baru melakukan penyelidikan kasus si Pejabat Pemerintah.

Karakter sentral yang menjadi nyawa buku ini memang Mma Ramotswe. Namun, kali ini ia mesti berbagi porsi cukup besar dengan Mma Makutsi yang ternyata diam-diam menyimpan bakat sebagai detektif. Selama majikannya pergi menyelidiki kasus peracunan itu, ia dengan berani memutuskan menerima order lain: menyelidiki 4 orang gadis finalis kontes kecantikan. Dia harus mencari data dan informasi sebanyak-banyaknya ihwal keempat kontestan tersebut. Hasilnya kelak akan dipakai oleh panitia penyelenggara kontes sebagai bahan pertimbangan memilih juaranya.

Dibanding dua buku sebelumnya, buku ketiga ini kurang memuaskan, terutama karena kasusnya tidak menarik dengan penyelesaian yang tidak istimewa. Nyaris tak ada unsur kejutannya. Yang sedikit agak menghibur adalah kemunculan sisi lain Mma Makutsi sebagai manajer bengkel dan asisten penyelidik. Dengan gayanya yang berusaha tampak elegan, ia membuktikan bahwa perempuan tidak harus menjadi cantik dulu untuk meraih keberhasilan. Kecerdasan otak dan kebaikan hati jauh lebih penting dari sekadar memiliki wajah rupawan dan tubuh seksi menawan. Kurasa ia sedang menyindir masyarakat modern yang memuja kecantikan.

Apa boleh buat, memang demikianlah yang ingin disampaikan McCall Smith melalui kedua tokoh perempuannya ini. Kecantikan fisik (perempuan) bukanlah segalanya. Tetapi Mr. Smith, benarkah begitu?***

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Oct 25, 2008 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Book Three. As you can see, I love these books! Here are some nuggets:

"Most morality, thought Mma Ramotswe, was about doing the right thing because it had been identified as such by a long process of acceptance and observance. You simply could not create your own morality because your experience would never be enough to do so. What gives you the right to say that you know better than your ancestors? Morality is for everybody, and this means that the views of more than one person are needed to cr...more Book Three. As you can see, I love these books! Here are some nuggets:

"Most morality, thought Mma Ramotswe, was about doing the right thing because it had been identified as such by a long process of acceptance and observance. You simply could not create your own morality because your experience would never be enough to do so. What gives you the right to say that you know better than your ancestors? Morality is for everybody, and this means that the views of more than one person are needed to create it. That was what made the modern morality, with its emphasis on individuals and the working out of an individual position, so weak. If you gave people the chance to work out their morality, then they would work out the version which was easiest for them and which allowed them to do what suited them for as much of the time as possible. That, in Mma Ramotswe's view, was simple selfishness, whatever grand name one gave to it." pg 77-78

"Mma Ramotswe liked to help everybody, no matter what their station was in life. She had often been out of pocket on a case, simply because she could not refuse to help a person in need. This is what I am called to do, she said to herself. I must help whomsoever asked for my help. That is my duty: to help other people with the problems in their lives. Not that you could do everything. Africa was full of people in need of help and there had to be a limit. You simply could not help everybody; buy you could at least help those who came into your life. That principle allowed you to deal with the suffering you saw. That was your suffering. Other people would have to deal with the suffering that they, in their turn, came across." pg 116

"She had a taste for sugar, however, and this meant that a doughnut or a cake might follow the sandwich. She was a traditionally built lady, after all, and she did not have to worry about dress size, unlike those poor, neurotic people who were always looking in mirrors and thinking that they were too big. What was too big, anyway? Who was to tell another person what size they should be? It was a form of dictatorship, by the thin, and she was not having any of it. If these thin people became any more insistent, then the more generously sized people would just have to sit on them. Yes, that would teach them! Ha!" pg 214-215(less)

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Aug 11, 2010 Uci rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ada apa antara McCall Smith dengan wanita cantik? Kok sepertinya dia anti sekali dengan wanita-wanita cantik. Buku bagus ini agak 'ternoda' dengan kritiknya yang terus-menerus terhadap wanita cantik yang dianggapnya (sebagian besar) tidak berotak, tidak berkarakter, tidak mau bekerja keras, dan tidak punya integritas.

Meskipun demikian, saya tetap menikmati buku ketiga dari seri Kantor Detektif Wanita No. 1 ini. Saya tetap suka penggambaran indah Smith tentang Afrika yang cantik dan arif. Afrika...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Kent rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had a sense of whiplash when I finished this book because, to my way of thinking, it ended so abruptly, with several story lines dangling. Then I remembered that this was a series of books, and a sense of calm came over me. I love this series and its' main character, Precious Ramotswe, and her charming, moral, common-sense approach to life and the people she comes in contact with. On to book 4......

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Mar 31, 2009 Vanessa rated it 4 of 5 stars

What is not to like about Mma Ramotswe? She is able to see things for what they are. I enjoy these books. I especially enjoy that each book ties up all loose ends in a nice little bow for you by the end.

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May 22, 2013 Jennifer Aitkens rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

My partner, Bruce, picked a handful of books from my stash destined for the bookstore in Parry Sound, and my neighbour, Megan, helped me whittle the stack down to two books, including this one, which she highly recommended.

If you've read any of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, you'll know the backstory. In this one, McCall Smith uses Mma Ramotswe's adventures to explore the boundaries of morality, integrity, personal power, political power, and the human condition.

One of the most memo...more

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May 17, 2013 Gale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

EXPANDING BUSINESS AND PERSONAL GROWTH IN BOTSWANA

This third book in the delightful series by Alexander McCall Smith continues the mysterious and personal adventures of Mma Ramotswe--intelligent founder of the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency. Set in emerging Botswana this book presents the brilliant protagonist still engaged to the kind mechanic, Mr. Maketoni, as she embarks on new professional challenges. Since her modest business faces a deficit cash flow, she enlists the aid of two lackadaisic...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Mitch rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the 3rd book of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, "Morality for Beautiful Girls" by Alexander McCall Smith hold up with the first 2 entries. Yes, of the 3 I have read, this one is the weakest, but rating it 4 stars proves that although not as entertaining as the first 2, it still was a great book.

The following may or may not contain spoilers.

Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's only lady detective is back and find her most bizarre case yet. A government man's brother is supposedly being p...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Miss Leacock rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because I really enjoyed Smith's Sunday Philosophy Club series. Needless to say, this book was not disappointing.

I liked a lot of things about this book. First of all, I loved the cover, as it represents the book's setting, which is another thing I loved. I don't think I've ever read a book set in contemporary Africa, and I enjoyed the descriptions of Botswana and its people (did Smith ever live in Botswana?). I, of course, liked the main character -- she's strong and independen...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Jaclyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

With each book in the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, I get more and more charmed and more and more excited to read the next one. I liked The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, really enjoyed Tears of the Giraffe and liked this one even more than the second. This might have something to do with the fact that the main characters have all been introduced and developed over the course of the previous two books, so the author doesn't have to spend much time introducing people or settings. He i...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

You would think that three books into a series that has the same set-up and style, the same basic plotlines with different details – you’d get bored of reading an author’s works. However, McCall Smith is one of the lucky few that can manage to keep your attention throughout each selection in his series and make it enjoyable, to boot. This series is a lovely, simple series – focusing on one major mystery per book with several other small conundrums strewn throughout the story.

Unfortunately, Mr. J...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Eva Nickelson rated it 2 of 5 stars

The third installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a continuation of the downhill progression from the first one. Smith has introduced too many characters to keep the plot line simple and focus on the atmosphere and environment. Mma Ramotswe needs a list to keep track of everything that is going on, and I felt like I needed one too. Mr JKL Matacomie has depression (which was handled poorly), a little boy is found in the wild, her adopted children are settling in, her assistant is bei...more

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Sep 22, 2010 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am not an authority on detective stories. I've read a little Sherlock Holmes, but I've only seen Agatha Christie through the eyes of the BBC. But when I pick up books from this series and always see the New York Times Book Review quote on the front, "The Miss Marple of Botswana," I start to think that Mma Ramotswe belongs in the discussion – not because she fits the mold, but because she seems to offer a different perspective within the genre.

In a sense, I think these are classic detective sto...more I am not an authority on detective stories. I've read a little Sherlock Holmes, but I've only seen Agatha Christie through the eyes of the BBC. But when I pick up books from this series and always see the New York Times Book Review quote on the front, "The Miss Marple of Botswana," I start to think that Mma Ramotswe belongs in the discussion – not because she fits the mold, but because she seems to offer a different perspective within the genre.

In a sense, I think these are classic detective stories. Precious Ramotswe runs an agency, and she generally solves everything that comes her way. And like most classic detectives, she is somewhat no-nonsense. Mma Ramotswe's favorite reference on private detection says, "There is very little drama in our calling; rather a process of patient observation, deduction, and analysis."

But these stories are not so mystery-driven. They are more character-driven. We don't get the classic Poirot confined-space interrogations, clues, and revelations. There aren't the great twists and turns of plot. And Mma Ramotswe doesn't seem to solve any puzzles using extraordinary skills of observation or show of brilliance. What she does instead is embody a reasoned approach to solving cases, and embody a traditional African morality. Character is not a red herring in these stories. Character is the driving force and generally determines guilt. A typical insight of Mma Ramotswe is to say, "There was the old Botswana morality, which was simply right. If a person stuck to this, then he would be doing the right thing and need not worry about it. ... Most morality was about doing the right thing because it had been identified as such by a long process of acceptance and observance."

I think this is something that makes these stories particularly compelling. She's the anti-Holmes in that she is fallible and ordinary. But she is also thoughtful, reasonable, and unabashedly traditional. (In fact, she is "traditionally built.") And her intuition is generally right, leading her to ask the right questions of the right people.(less)

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Oct 21, 2009 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the third installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Mma Ramotswe faces new challenges that give this book a slightly different twist. In this story the focus seems to be more on the ever changing quality of Precious Ramotswe's life and the people in it rather than the cases that come into the agency. I missed Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni and his quiet gentleness in this book, as he was indisposed throughout most of the story with a mysterious illness. Mma Makutsi and her new job as the manager...more

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Oct 02, 2009 Diane rated it 2 of 5 stars

I've been reading the books in this series backwards, not on purpose, but because I first was introduced to The No. 1 Ladies Detectives when I found one of the later books at a local bookstore. Maybe the fact that I know the future of these characters affects my attitude toward the earlier books, but I found this book, the third in the series, to be weak in a variety of ways. The plot is jerrymandered together, with several disparate elements brought into play. Part of the reason for this is tha...more

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Apr 08, 2010 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-swap

really like this series, but im starting to have some.. issues. first off- i want to say that i really like his descriptions of africa and the people of botswana. i havent read anything on the country, so i like the insight it gives.

my issues:
the book is titled morality for beautiful girls and the description on the back cover is about a case involving beauty contest contestants. unfortunately, that case doesnt come up until page 154! that's kind of annoying.

i think that some parts are getting...more

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Jun 02, 2009 Yuki rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: mystery-or-crime, cozy-mystery, book-to-screen

Although a "detective" series, I am drawn to these books for the keen observations of landscape, history, characters, and the human heart. As Precious Ramotse and increasingly her secretary and assistant Mma Makutsi go about investigating and resolving cases in a resourceful and satisfying way, I love that I can see the red dust of Botswana, feel the thirst of the land and the shade of the acacia trees, and smell the change in atmosphere when the rain comes..

"One day people would no longer do t...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Connie N. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: africa, detective, feel-good

Another charming story in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series based in Botswana Africa. This book focuses more on Mma. Ramotswe and Mma. Makutsi as they take over the reigns at the garage when Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni deals with his depression. Both are determined ladies who work hard and try to be good people. I love being able to share their thoughts about Africa, about life, and about the people they meet in the course of their days. There is a good feeling about these books, of pride and re...more

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May 19, 2013 aPriL MEOWS often with scratching rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, cozy

Another delightful and sweet read from Alexander McCall Smith. I cannot remember enjoying a cozy series so much in my reading life.

Precious Ramotswe, owner and lead detective of The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, is a winsome person of substantial authority, and someone to trust with your domestic problems. Her rates are reasonable and her life expertise is extraordinary. Botswana, Africa, is lucky to have her. Unfortunately, her business is small as of yet, and money difficulties has force...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Harini Padmanabhan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Book 3 of the No.1 Ladies detective agency. Though it does loop back to the previous books, it is not necessary to have read the same. In this book, Precious's fiance is depressed with life and she does not know how to care for him. The way depression is described as a disease and her love and concern is touching, but that's about it and the author does not revisit it in too much detail.

The extremely efficient assistant detective takes up running the fiance's business and i had to admire the way...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Sebastian rated it 2 of 5 stars

"I thought it was ridiculous"

After the first two outstanding books in this series, to say this third one disappointed me would be an understatement. Most of the aspects that were charming from previous installments are missing or barely present here. For example, Rra. Matekoni is suffering from depression and as a result his participation in the story is minimal, not to mention the ridiculous way in which this situation is handled in the story. The two kids that were staying with Mma. Ramotswe w...more

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Nov 30, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: popular-fiction

A sparkling gem of a book, McCall Smith has in 'Morality for Beautiful Girls' possibly the finest of a fine series of novels. Although written in a light, even naif fashion this conceals (as always in this wonderful series) a deep sense of right and wrong, and doesn't shy away from dealing with important themes like depression (McCall Smith gives a very knowing account of this condition), potentially poisoned family relationships, the universal double standards accorded to the behaviour of men a...more A sparkling gem of a book, McCall Smith has in 'Morality for Beautiful Girls' possibly the finest of a fine series of novels. Although written in a light, even naif fashion this conceals (as always in this wonderful series) a deep sense of right and wrong, and doesn't shy away from dealing with important themes like depression (McCall Smith gives a very knowing account of this condition), potentially poisoned family relationships, the universal double standards accorded to the behaviour of men and women.

The characters are marvellously brought to life, and one feels genuine interest and concern in their journey from the beginning to the end of the book. The leisurely, comfortable, and very smart Mma Ramotswe and the business-like, systematic, and clever Mma Matsuki are tiptop foils for each other. The ladies bring together the old, traditional virtues and strengths of the African continent - the respect for elders and their wisdom, the love of family and friends, the unrushed approach to life in a country where temperatures in the day can be unbearable - and the efficient, organised ideals of a modern country. They have a relaxed, but not always problem free, association with each other - sometimes Mma Ramotswe has to remind her assistant that the feelings of people have to be accounted for; and Mma Matsuki has to nudge her employer towards the logical questions to answer.

The ladies of the detective agency are the strongly held centre around which the action of the novel take place, but McCall Smith has a talent, which all first rate writers must have, of drawing a character with a few strokes and allowing their interactions with others to describe who, and why, they are. Mr J. L. B. Matekoni is honourable and largely respected. Mma Ramotswe's husband to be, he is easily imagined and placed in his garage, his orbit around Mma Ramotswe is the second key relationship of the novels; while the two apprentice mechanics of his garage, disrespectful of him, sit around discussing girls rather than working on cars under Mr J. L. B. Matekoni's tutelage. quickly respond to Mma Matsuki's brisk, efficient and no-nonsense acting manager while the garage owner is indisposed.

'The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency' is one of the most enjoyable series of novels written in the English language, 'Morality for Beautiful Girls' is a sparkling addition. 5/5 Mr McCall Smith, you have another literary first place in this first class book.(less)

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Sep 28, 2011 Natasha Halid rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries

"It is so hot these days..but I have a powerful fan in my office. If I turn it on to its highest setting, it can blow people out of the room. It is a very useful weapon."

Now, how could you not love a book with such funny lines? The antics of Mma Ramotswe and her friends are always highly amusing to me. Unfortunately, this time her fiance; Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni is suffering from depression. It's up to Mma Ramotswe to set him right again while the garage business is left to her able assistant Mma Ma...more

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May 01, 2013 Mike Cook rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-fiction

After finishing my second outing with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, I've become an unabashed fan of Precious Ramotswe and the people of Botswana as portrayed by Alexander McCall Smith. Mma Ramotswe's wisdom, consideration of others, and reverence for "the old way" make her a truly compelling character. I love the way the different characters in the story refer to Botswana as "the land" or "our country" with such pride and love, as if talking about their mothers; despite its harsh landscape...more

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About Alexander McCall Smith

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...more

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Books by Alexander McCall Smith

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1)

Tears of the Giraffe (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #2)

The Kalahari Typing School for Men (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #4)

The Full Cupboard of Life (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #5)

Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #7)

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“It is sometimes easier to be happy if you don't know everything.” — 362 people liked it

“She had a taste for sugar, however, and this meant that a doughnut or a cake might follow the sandwich. She was a traditionally built lady, after all, and she did not have to worry about dress size, unlike those poor, neurotic people who were always looking in mirrors and thinking that they were too big. What was too big, anyway? Who was to tell another person what size they should be? It was a form of dictatorship, by the thin, and she was not having any of it. If these thin people became any more insistent, then the more generously sized people would just have to sit on them. Yes, that would teach them! Hah!” — 42 people liked it

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title link	preview: Morality for Beautiful Girls
avg rating	preview: Morality for Beautiful Girls Goodreads rating: 3.93 (19879 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7035.Morality_for_Beautiful_Girls?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347523580l/7035.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7035.Morality_for_Beautiful_Girls?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith[/url]

Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #3)

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