We now return to Botswana, "the fortunate country." At least
according to Mma Ramotswe, founder and chief detective of the No 1.
Ladies' Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswe lives in Gabarone, the only
city in this country the size of Texas, where the hustle and bustle
for a foreigner seems like a race between two snails. But for
someone like the traditionally sized Mma, it is still too frantic,
causing her to long for weekend visits to her village home. For all
Batswana, Mma believes, "those quiet days in the village would
prove to be the best time for them."

So we know that, although many hours may pass, not a great deal
will occur. We will relax and drink bush tea and think carefully
about things, knowing that the facts of the case will present
themselves with clarity after a suitable wait.

Mma Ramotswe is feeling that it may be time for her fiancé,
Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, to make good on his promise to marry her.
Money is no object. The good Mma has cattle left to her by her
father. But Mr. Matekoni, proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy
Motors, is caught up in events in his own life, such as being asked
to do a sponsored parachute jump by the very convincing Mma
Potokwani, matron of the orphan farm. His intentions are good, but
he is a little unclear when it comes to the details of the actual
wedding and the setting of a date.

Since time passes very, very slowly in Botswana, each of the
delightful books in this series by Alexander McCall Smith, who grew
up in the region, gives a gracefully unfolding panorama of small,
seemingly insignificant happenings in the lives of its central
characters. In so doing he illustrates what Mma Ramotswe would
teach if she were a teacher and not the proprietress of a
successful sleuthing service. If you slow down and look at each
thing lovingly and carefully, you will find the answers you
seek.

In this case, the highly respected Mma has been asked to examine
the motives of the four suitors of another dynamic woman, Mma
Holonga, owner of a chain of hair braiding emporia. Mma Holonga,
being successful, is also wealthy, and fears her suitors may be
interested only in her money. So she has consulted with Mma
Ramotswe, who promises to investigate each man with care and try to
determine who is most sincere in his interest. "Men are always
looking at women and judging them," Mma Ramotswe declares with
delight, "Now we have the chance to do some judging back."

In the end, Mma Ramotswe's labors on behalf of Mma Holonga will
backfire, in a curious and fitting way, so that she will be bemused
but not befuddled. And Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni will find himself moved
towards that inevitable moment of tying the knot with Mma Ramotswe,
not against his will but in spite of his tardiness in dealing with
details. And this will also be all right because "there is no other
lady I would ever wish to marry."

In the midst of all this high intrigue and unbridled romance, Mma
Ramotswe's secretary finds a new home and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's
apprentice comes into his own. And the choir sings Nkosi Sikeleli
Afrika, "the sweet voices of the children rising through the
branches of the tree above them, and filling the still, clear air
with sound."