How to Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith

 (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #21)

256 pages

"Precious Ramotswe loves her dependable old van. Yes, sometimes it takes a bit longer to get going now, and it has developed some quirks over the years, but it has always gotten the job done. This time, though, the world--and Charlie--may be asking too much of it, for when he borrows the beloved vehicle he returns it damaged. And, to make matters worse, the interior seems to have acquired an earthy smell that even Precious can't identify.

"But the olfactory issue is not the only mystery that needs solving. Mma Ramotswe is confronted by a distant relative, Blessing, who asks for help with an ailing cousin. The help requested is of a distinctly pecuniary nature, which makes both Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and Mma Makutsi suspicious. And there is no peace at home, either, as the new neighbors are airing their marital grievances rather loudly. Still, Mma Ramotswe is confident that there are solutions to all of these difficulties, there to be discovered as long as she is led by kindness, grace, and logic, and can rely on the counsel of her friends and loved ones."  --from the publisher

Loved, loved, loved it! I was able to read most of it in one sitting, and it was like a mini-vacation. With so much grief and disappointment in 2020, and especially over the holidays, it was like a breath of fresh air. I give it five out of five stars. 

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel by Alexander McCall Smith --- 257 pages

The thirteenth volume and a great addition to the popular cozy mystery series. Mma Ramotswe, proprietor of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, has had a recurring dream of a tall stranger waiting for her under an acacia tree. Her assistant Mma Maskutsi and her new husband Phuti Radiphuti are having problems with the builder they hired to build their dream house. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, the husband of Mma Ramotswe (and the best mechanic in Botswana), is trying to help his recently qualified mechanic, Fanwell, defend himself against a charge of theft, but the lawyer he hired for Fanwell proves to be so incompetent he is more hindrance than help to his client. And Mma Ramotswe's redoubtable friend, Mma Potokwane, has been fired from her job as the matron in charge of the orphan farm for resisting changes proposed by a new member of the governing board.

Then a tall stranger from America appears at the door of the detective agency. He is none other than Mr. Clovis Andersen, author of The Principles of Private Detection, the definitive book that has guided Mma Ramotswe in her work from the beginning, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are both convinced that the great detective is the one person who can help them in their hour of need. Clovis Andersen however, seems oddly reticent to help --- at first.

This series combines subtle humor, deft characterization, a firm moral compass, and a wonderful sense of place, simultaneously changeless and changing.