In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

From Goodreads: Precious is busier than usual at the detective agency when she discovers an intruder in her house on Zebra Drive—and perhaps even more baffling--a pumpkin on her porch. Her associate, Mma Makutsi, also has a full plate. She's taken up dance lessons, only to be partnered with a man with two left feet. And at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr J.L.B. Matekoni is already overburdened with work, one of his apprentices has run off with a wealthy older woman. But what finally rattles Mma Ramotswe’s normally unshakable composure is a visitor who forces her to confront a difficult secret from her past.

I liked this one better than the last one I read, not exactly sure why. Perhaps, the return of Precious's ex-husband - an actual element of danger to her beautiful life - gave it more of a sense of urgency than the last one. I also liked the newest character introduced to the shop and agency. My favorite line is when they describe heavier women as women of "traditional build" - such a kind description, I am semi-traditional!

I feel inspired to tackle the rest of the series so I am signing on to the "Finishing the Series" challenge hosted by Yvonne at Socrates Book Reviews on a dedicated blog, sign up here. I'll sign up at Level 2 reading the rest of the Ladies Detective Agency series and also the rest of the Wimpy Kid series.


I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!