Paperback 256 pages (June 5, 2003)
Publisher: Abacus
ISBN: 034911675X

Fantastic Book Showing a LOT About Botswanan Society

Rated FIVE Stars *****

If you have any interest in Southern Africa, African societies, or just plain enjoy a good novel, then you will enjoy this book.

I'm an American woman who has spent 12 years living in Africa, and traveled to almost every part of the African continent. When I bought this book, somehow, from the name, I was expecting it to be about some Chinese people living in London! Nevertheless, it was a delightful surprise when I found it was about a lady detective in Botswana.

I found it interesting that the author is a Professor of Medical law, living in Scotland, but having been born and raised in Zimbabwe. He has published many varied books on many subjects. I think these are his 'fun' books! I also think that part of the reason he has written these books is to show non-Africans what traditional African society is like, especially how it is managing to move into the modern age. By setting it in Botswana, he neatly sidesteps many of the problems found in other parts of Africa, and is able to concentrate both on his story, and on showing us how traditional Africans THINK and act. I found this especially interesting, having lived in several African cultures, myself.

I also find the series very uplifting and rewarding to read, in addition to being a good story. I think some of the critical reviews, on various sites, are from people who have never lived or traveled in Africa, and they just don't realize how true-to-life are so many of the episodes. I do not find these books at ALL condescending toward blacks. On the contrary, they are a celebration of the traditional GOOD values found in black African culture (a nice change from what we usually see in the news).

There were several things I especially enjoyed about this book. I don't particularly enjoy first-person, male-oriented police detective novels. This is about a woman detective, who had no more qualifications than you or I, but who just hung out a sign, and used her common sense. She ordered a text book from London, from which she learned some investigative procedures. She's very clever. The book is not written as a first person, blow-by-blow account. On the contrary, it is written in third person, and is more about her LIFE, going through her becoming a detective, the cases she meets along the way (which we watch her solve), and what we learn about the society as we go along. I would highly recommend this book to anyone planning to travel to any southern African country. It is a light, humorous book, from which you can learn a lot while enjoying a great story. I found it difficult to put down.

I have now read the entire series, and it is so good, that I recommend readers purchase the entire set at once.

Reviewed by

Mary Mimouna

Marrakesh, Morocco

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