I just had a carefree, easy, and clean read this weekend when I read ‘The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon’ by Alexander McCall Smith.
I don’t know if you are familiar with any of Alexander McCall Smith’s other work but his writing is light and funny. This is a continuation of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. This is not a series that would require you to start at book one and read through the series, it gives you enough information on the characters that you can easily start with any book in the series.
The setting is in Botswanna, a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. Mma Ramotswe, who considers herself a traditionally built woman, a plus size to us) is the owner of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and it has just been disclosed that her assistant, Grace Makutsi, is pregnant and due to deliver her baby soon.
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency shares its location with Mma Ramotsewe’s husband’s business Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, who has two mechanics, one of which is always getting in trouble with the ladies and always rubs Grace Makutsi the wrong way.
I love the way the author writes with several things happening at once and the way he makes his character ramble in thought as we would do ourselves in our daily routines.
The lady detectives are asked to look into two cases, one involves The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon and the smear campaign someone is waging against it and the other is to see if a boy who claims to be an uncle’s rightful heir is in fact telling the truth.
The ladies go about discovering the truth in both cases, amusingly so and I really enjoy how the author wraps up the book with everything being settled by the end of the book. It is just such an easy and delightful read that you go away wanting to read more from Alexander McCall Smith.
Sheree Combs is a member of the Fleetwood Library Book Club. The club reads different books monthly.