Customer Reviews
A cup of tea, a slice of cake, and thou - By: Amanda Richards, 13 May 2008 
The ninth book in the series brings both woes & wisdom for the ladies of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This time there are only two clients with cases to solve, but the domestic affairs of Mma Ramotswe & Mma Makutsi take centre stage.
Mma Makutsi & her splendidly named fiancé Phuti Radiphuti are closer than ever to setting a date for the wedding, but when she picks out a snazzy new bed with red hearts on the headboard, she gets more heartache than she bargained for.
Mma Ramotswe is concerned over the growing outspokenness & self-confidence of Mma Makutsi, who after alll, is soon to be married to the owner of a thriving furniture store, but she can't stop to dwell on the situation, because her own husband Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has been talked into spending a fortune on a miracle cure for their daughter.
As far as the cases go, Mma Ramotswe has to find the family of a client who doesn't know her own real name, her birthday, or even if she has any family at alll. Mma Makutsi's case is to find out whether a tenant is pulling a fast one on his landlord. At the same time, both ladies are trying to solve the mystery of the menacing letters.
After lots of awkward moments due to wrong conclusions, mistaken beliefs, incorrect information & erroneous assumptions, the ladies realize that the best road to happiness is to be true to yourself, honest to others, & to recognize the everyday miracles that we often take for granted.
For those now starting the series, the titles so far are:
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Tears of the Giraffe
Morality for Beautiful Girls
The Kalahari Typing School for Men
The Full Cupboard of Life
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
Blue Shoes & Happiness
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
The Miracle at Speedy Motors
Easy to read, & overflowing with the gracious charm of its traditionallly built central character, this series is ideal for people on the go who need a couple of hours to get away from it alll. Chatty, relaxing & familiar, make sure you save some time to kick back with a cup of tea & the ladies of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
Amanda Richards
Definition of a Miracle - By: Marion Marchetto, 11 May 2008 
The latest installlment in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series brings us back together with the unforgettable characters of Precious Ramotswe (owner of said detective agency), her capable assistant Mma Makutsi, her calm & understated husband Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, & of course those irrepressible garage apprentices.
Most everyone tends to think of a miracle as something grand & extraordinary. The people who work at or near Speedy Motors are surely due for something grand to happen in their lives & we are not disappointed.
The first miracle we encounter is the start of the rainy season bringing with it a downpour of biblical proportions. Within a day the parched & thirsty countryside is turned from brown to a lush green & gives the promise that the crops will produce abundantly.
Mma Makutsi & her fiance find a wonderful piece of furniture in their newly bought marriage bed which becomes destroyed when Mma Makutsi has the deliverymen leave it outside her home because it won't fit through her doors. Of course it was the life-giving rain that destroyed the beautiful red brocade heart-shaped headboard. How will she ever tell her fiance what she has done?
Mma Ramotswe has undertaken to find the family of a woman who became orphaned while trying to ascertain the author or nasty letters that arrive at the agency. Could it be that Precious Ramotswe has somehow offended a former client & how can she make things right? This situation is resolved by Charlie the garage apprentice who spots the culprit & a chaplinesque chase through the grocery store ensues.
Thanks to the rain, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni has been summoned to help start the car of a doctor who believes that there is hope for the wheelchair-bound adopted daughter of the garage owner. Mr. Matekoni finds himself applying for a mortgage on the garage to take the child to Johannesburg & to a clinic there where it is hoped they can help her walk again. Indeed, I found myself hoping wholeheartedly that this would be the miracle promised by the title.Alas, Mr. Matekoni & his daughter return home with her still bound to her wheelchair.
Mma Makutsi learns that her fiance is a forgiving man when she tells him of the destroyed bed. And Mma Ramotswe's client, who at first learns that she has a brother, is quite happy with the turn of events at learning that our intrepid lady detective was the recipient of incorrect information.
It seems that along with everyone in Gaborone, & especiallly at Speedy Motors, we are reminded to look for the miracles in our everyday lives: seeing the sun upon awakening, hearing the calll of a bird in the tree, having a roof over our heads & someone with which to share a cup of bush tea.
I highly recommend alll of the books in this series & look forward to the next one.
Gentle and Evocative - By: Wendy Jones, 05 May 2008 I have loved reading every one of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books, including this latest offering. I sometimes find myself wondering how Alexander McCalll Smith keeps up such a high standard book after book, but yet again he has delivered a masterpiece. The gentle philosphising of Mma Ramotswe is evocative of a way of life we would alll like to have. The mysteries that she solves in some ways take a back seat to the life stories of the characters, but this does not in any way detract from the enjoyment. Precious & Mma Makutse continue to work well together despite their obvious differences & the exchanges between them are an entertainment in themselves. Despite this the agncy manages to always get their man, or woman, with not a hint of violence to be found. I have to admit I am on tenterhooks waiting for the marraige of mma Makutse I am so caught up in the lives of the characters. I would heartily recommend this book for alll Alexander McCalll Smith fans. However, if you have not read any others start with the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency.
Heart-Warming Vignettes About Caring for One Another - By: Donald Mitchell, 02 May 2008 My favorite books in this series are filled with authentic stories of Africa & her people. As the series has developed, it's often reading more like people anywhere rather than Africans.
The Miracle at Speedy Motors examines the themes of marital love, parental responsibility, honesty, jealousy, commitment, bonding, handling mistakes, & friendship. In keeping with the detective focus of the series, there are cases to be solved. A woman wants to find an unidentified person. Mma Ramotswe & Mma Makutsi receive threatening letters. A landlord wants to get rid of a tenant.
The focus of the book, however, is on the relationships among the continuing characters, especiallly Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni & Mma Ramotswe, Mr. Phuti Radiphuti & Mma Makutsi, Mma Ramotswe & Mr. Polopetsi, & Mma Makutsi & Charlie in the garage. You also get to read more about Mma Potokwane & Motholeli than in most of the other books.
What made the book special to me were the heart-felt commitments that some of the characters made towards doing the right thing, no matter what. Alexander McCalll Smith loves people & when he expresses that love through his characters it feels great just to be alive.
I found Mma Makutsi more annoying than usual in this book, & not nearly as funny in her foolish scenes. Otherwise, I would have graded the book at five stars. I hope that the next book will focus more on Precious & her family.
Not the best female detectives I have read - By: Ms. Ruth Walsh, 26 Mar 2008 
This is ok & not much more than that reallly. If you like female characters in crime read Soft Target by Conrad Jones. The women in that will keep you turning the pages until the end. A real rollercoaster novel.
