The Kalahari Typing School for Men – Alexander McCall Smith

My first experience of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series was when picked up a copy of Tears of the Giraffe from a pile of books that my mother in law had passed to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have been looking out for others in the series as I went round local charity shops. I then struck it lucky a few weeks ago when I managed to pick up three more from the series in a charity shop in Harpenden.

I've just finished reading The Kalahari Typing School for Men which was chronologically the first of the three that I bought (number 4 in the series overall). It was like returning to an old set of friends with the main characters of Mma Ramotswe, Mr J. L. B. Matekoni and Mma Makutsi all being full of warmth and instantly bringing the story alive.

In this book The No. 1 Ladies detective Agency is facing competition from the new Satisfaction Guarantees Detective Agency, who are marketing themselves as "Ex-CID. Ex-New York. Ex-cellent." the fact that this new Agency is run by a man certainly doesn't help matters.

Mma Makutsi is also looking to change a few things in her life – the lack of money and lack of a man. On new venture helps her to solve both of these problems: The Kalahari Typing School for Men.

I completely loved reading this book, more so than Tears of the Giraffe, possibly because I was now used to the staccato style of writing that Alexander McCall Smith uses. It's a shame that I'm not able to read all the books in the series in the correct order, but I'm looking forward to picking up the next from my shelf and again being absorbed in Botswana life.