No woman no cry

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency had long been on my list of books to read. For starters, I like mysteries with female heroines. Plucky female heroines are always a plus. This book definitely had both! I liked the Mma Ramotswe as a character, and I appreciated how the book gave her a great background to round out her personality and struggles.

The book touched lightly on several serious issues - domestic violence, women's economic independence, cheating spouses, witchcraft, child kidnappings, national pride, AIDS, and business corruption.  It was more a series of very short stories, though, with one bigger mystery wrapped around them. The resolutions to each small story weren't very satisfying - they seemed closer to folk tales about the underdog outwitting the enemy rather than the detective solving a mystery.

I liked it well enough, but didn't love it enough to keep reading the series. Maybe if the TV show crosses my path, I'll get into it!