Mem. Ed. $14.99
Pub. Ed. $24.95
You pay $0.20
IN BOTSWANA, home to the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency for the problems of ladies, and others, it is customary—one might say very customary—to enquire of the people whom you meet whether they have slept well. The answer to that question is almost inevitably that they have indeed slept well, even if they have not, and have spent the night tossing and turning as a result of the nocturnal barking of dogs, the activity of mosquitoes or the prickings of a bad conscience. Of course, mosquitoes may be defeated by nets or sprays, just as dogs may be roundly scolded; a bad conscience, though, is not so easily stifled. If somebody were to invent a spray capable of dealing with an uncomfortable conscience, that person would undoubtedly do rather well—but perhaps might not sleep as soundly as before, were he to reflect on the consequences of his invention. Bad consciences, it would appear, are there for a purpose: to make us feel regret over our failings. Should they be silenced, then our entirely human weaknesses, our manifold omissions, would become all the greater—and that, as Mma Ramotswe would certainly say, is not a good thing.
Mma Ramotswe was fortunate in having an untroubled con- science, and therefore generally enjoyed undisturbed sleep. It was her habit to take to her bed after a final cup of red bush tea at around ten o’clock at night. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, her husband and by common consent the finest mechanic in all Botswana, would often retire before her, particularly if he had had a tiring day at work. Mechanics in general sleep well, as do many others whose day is taken up with physically demanding labour. So by the time that Mma Ramotswe went to bed, he might already be lost to this world, his breathing deep and regular, his eyes firmly closed to the bedside light that he would leave for his wife to extinguish.
She would not take long to go to sleep, drifting off to thoughts of what had happened that day; to images of herself drinking tea in the office or driving her van on an errand; to the picture of Mma Makutsi sitting upright at her desk, her large glasses catching the light as she held forth on some issue or other. Or to some memory of a long time ago, of her father walking down a dusty road, holding her hand and explaining to her about the ways of cattle—a subject that he knew so well. When a wise man dies, there is so much history that is lost: that is what they said, and Mma Ramotswe knew it to be true. Her own father, the late Obed Ramotswe, had taken so much with him, but had also left much behind, so many memories and sayings and observations, that she, his daughter, could now call up and cherish as she waited for the soft arms of sleep to embrace her.
THE LIMPOPO ACADEMY OF PRIVATE DETECTION by Alexander McCall Smith.
Copyright © 2012 by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by arrangement with Pantheon Books, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
Precious Ramotswe has always relied on the advice of the classic book on her trade—The Principles of Private Detection—to guide her on her many investigations. But what happens when she meets its eminent author? That’s what she’s about to find out, because Mr. Clovis Andersen is in Botswana…and on his way to the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency!
But that’s not the only thing on Precious’ plate in The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection, the latest installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved series. With her assistant, Grace Makutsi, having trouble adjusting to wedded bliss, and problems brewing in her adopted daughter’s school, Precious has her hands full, and will find even her formidable talents tested like never before!
Hardcover : 272 pages
Publisher: Pantheon Books Inc./Random House ( April 03, 2012 )
Item #: 13-556595
ISBN: 9780307378408
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 0.61inches
Product Weight: 11.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

I love reading this series! I wish they would film more of these books. They make wonderful viewing as well as reading.
Reviewer: Kay K
Again Mr.Smith has done a great job of entertaining us. All the nuances of the lives of the lives of the characcters make the story believable.While the intricacies of sone "mystry" books are absent what is here is well done.
Highly recmmended.
Reviewer: Robert G
The card security code is an added safeguard for your credit/debit card purchases. Depending on the type of card you use, it is either a three- or four-digit number printed on the back or front of your credit/debit card, separate from your credit/debit card number. To make shopping at The Mystery Guild® Book Club even more secure, we require that you enter this number each time you make a credit/debit card purchase. Please note that your security code will not be stored with us even if you have saved your credit/debit card information.