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The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection
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A pleasure to listen to
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Classic No.1 Ladies Detective Agency
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Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are called to a safari lodge in Botswana's Okavango Delta to carry out a delicate mission on behalf of a former guest. The Okavango makes Precious appreciate once again the beauty of her homeland: it is a paradise of teeming wildlife, majestic grasslands and sparkling water.
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Great book
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The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café
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Even the arrival of her baby can't hold Mma Makutsi back from success in the workplace, and so no sooner than she becomes a full partner in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - in spite of Mma Ramotswe's belated claims that she is only 'an assistant full partner' - she also launches a new enterprise of her own: the Handsome Man's De Luxe Café. Grace Makutsi is a lady with a business plan, but who could predict temperamental chefs, drunken waiters, and more?
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Why a change in pronunciation of Phuti's name?
- By Jenny J on 30-01-16
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Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
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It is a troublesome fact on which even Mma Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi agree: there are things that men know and ladies do not, and vice versa. It is unfortunate, for example, when Mma Ramotswe's newest client is the owner of the ailing Kalahari Swoopers, that one thing lady detectives know little about is football.
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excellent
- By DT teacher on 27-10-18
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Precious and Grace
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The delightful 17th installment of the ever-popular, perennially best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. For years Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi - codirectors of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - have been helping people with the problems in their lives, but their partnership is tested by a curious case: a client who wants to rediscover the life she lost when she left Botswana 30 years ago.
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Another delightful trip to Botswana
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The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon
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As Botswana awaits the familiar blessing of the rains and their eternal cycle, upheaval is taking place at the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Not only is Mr J. L. B. Matekoni attempting to reform himself into a modern husband but, following her marriage to Phuti Radiphuti, Mma Makutsi has joyful news.With the arrival of an heir to the Double Comfort furniture empire and Mma Makutsi busy with motherhood, cobras and a senior aunt, Mma Ramotswe must grapple alone with tea-making, detective work and a new uncertainty.
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A pleasure to listen to
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The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
As the countdown to Mma Makutsi’s wedding begins, all is not as it should be at the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. While investigating unpleasant occurrences on a southern cattle-post, Mma Ramotswe, always on the side of the weak against the strong, has reason to reflect on Rule No.3 of The Principles of Private Detection: never lie to the client. Apprentice mechanic Charlie seems to be avoiding certain important responsibilities.
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Classic No.1 Ladies Detective Agency
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The Double Comfort Safari Club
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Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are called to a safari lodge in Botswana's Okavango Delta to carry out a delicate mission on behalf of a former guest. The Okavango makes Precious appreciate once again the beauty of her homeland: it is a paradise of teeming wildlife, majestic grasslands and sparkling water.
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Great book
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The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café
- No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 15
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Even the arrival of her baby can't hold Mma Makutsi back from success in the workplace, and so no sooner than she becomes a full partner in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - in spite of Mma Ramotswe's belated claims that she is only 'an assistant full partner' - she also launches a new enterprise of her own: the Handsome Man's De Luxe Café. Grace Makutsi is a lady with a business plan, but who could predict temperamental chefs, drunken waiters, and more?
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Why a change in pronunciation of Phuti's name?
- By Jenny J on 30-01-16
-
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is a troublesome fact on which even Mma Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi agree: there are things that men know and ladies do not, and vice versa. It is unfortunate, for example, when Mma Ramotswe's newest client is the owner of the ailing Kalahari Swoopers, that one thing lady detectives know little about is football.
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excellent
- By DT teacher on 27-10-18
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Precious and Grace
- No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 17
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The delightful 17th installment of the ever-popular, perennially best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. For years Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi - codirectors of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - have been helping people with the problems in their lives, but their partnership is tested by a curious case: a client who wants to rediscover the life she lost when she left Botswana 30 years ago.
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Another delightful trip to Botswana
- By Amazon Customer on 07-05-17
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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
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- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
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Wayward daughters. Missing husbands. Philandering partners. Curious con men. If you've got a problem, and no one else can help you, then pay a visit to Mma Ramotswe, Botswana's only female private detective. Her methods may not be conventional, and her manner not exactly Miss Marple's, but she's got warmth, wit, and canny intuition on her side - not to mention Mr J.L.B. Maketoni, the charming proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors.
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Feelgood story
- By Claudia on 07-04-13
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The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 16
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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The latest instalment of the beloved and best-selling series - as endearing and delectable as ever! Business is slow at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, so at Mma Makutsi’s suggestion, Mma Ramotswe is persuaded to take her first-ever holiday. But just as she’s about to depart, a new client arrives: a young woman whose father was considered a hero in Botswana but whose reputation is now being called into question.
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Always a pleasure
- By Janice on 15-07-16
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The House of Unexpected Sisters
- No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 18
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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The latest instalment of the irresistibly charming, perennially best-selling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Precious Ramotswe has always idolised her father, the late Obed Ramotswe. She feels that she knows all about his life - but does she? Sometimes our parents surprise us, and we discover that things were not quite what we thought them to be.
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Fantastic story, fantastic narration, mic issues.
- By David J James on 27-03-18
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The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 8
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Precious Ramotswe, the ample and good-natured owner of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, is experiencing staffing difficulties. Her relationship with her assistant, Mma Makutsi, is strained. But the work of the agency must continue. Mr J. L .B. Matekoni becomes involved in the agency's work when he investigates an errant husband. But can a man investigate such matters as competently as one of the ladies?
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i was transported to Botswana
- By Dina on 14-05-17
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The Colours of all the Cattle
- No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 19
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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When Mma Potokwane suggests to Mma Ramotswe that she run for a seat on the City Council, Mma Ramotswe is at first unsure. But when she learns about the proposed construction of the flashy Big Fun Hotel next to a graveyard, she allows herself to be persuaded. Her opponent is none other than Violet Sephotho, who is in the pocket of the hotel developers.
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Another delightfully gentle read
- By Smallbo on 17-10-18
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Blue Shoes and Happiness
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Abridged
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Precious Ramotswe, traditionally-built proprietor of Botswana's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, contemplates the two sorts of problems that we all face in life: the major ones (such as drought), about which very little can be done, and the other sort which people make for themselves through human weakness and an inability to resist temptation. Like the inability to resist cake, for instance.
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Happiness
- By Nom de Plume on 21-01-19
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In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Abridged
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Precious Ramotswe, that cheerful Botswanan private investigator of 'traditional build', is now married to Mr J.L.B. Matekoni of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. The Agency is busy, but Mma Ramotswe cannot ignore the plea made by a woman who comes to her with a tale of particular misfortune. Unfortunately, her attempts to help are interrupted by a close encounter between her tiny white van and a bicycle.
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Pleasantly Surprised by Version but very Enjoyable
- By Kindle Customer on 05-06-15
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The Full Cupboard of Life
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 5
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Hilary Neville
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Mma Ramotswe is still engaged to Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni and wonders when a day for the wedding will be named. But she is anxious to avoid putting too much pressure on her fiancé, for indeed he has other things on his mind - notably a frightening request from the pushy matron of the Orphan Farm. Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters to address. She has been approached by a wealthy lady and asked to check up on several suitors. Are these men just interested in her money?
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Enjoy the sunshine!
- By Alathia on 19-03-16
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The Kalahari Typing School for Men
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
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Cephas Buthelezi certainly talks the talk, Precious discovers, but would he have the wherewithal to deal with her current case, a man who has been attacked by ostrich rustlers and is eager to reassess his life? Meanwhile, there are difficulties at the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where one of the apprentices has discovered the Lord; problems at home with the mysterious death of a hoopoe; and romantic complications when Mma Makutsi sets up a typing school for men.
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Fantastic!
- By Mrs Alison Anne Watt on 08-04-17
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Morality for Beautiful Girls
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Abridged
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In this third audiobook for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the irrepressible Mma Ramotswe faces supreme problems at home and at work. The detective agency is dealing with some of its most puzzling cases: the government official whose sister-in-law is trying to poison his brother; the beauty pageant whose contestants aren't as good as their looks; and the strange young boy, found naked and wild, smelling of a lion.
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Gentle and easy going
- By Julia Brown on 28-12-12
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To the Land of Long Lost Friends
- No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 20
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In the latest book in the widely beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Precious Ramotswe takes on a case for a childhood acquaintance, but her inquiries will require an even more delicate touch than usual. Mma Ramotswe reconnects with an old friend who has been having problems with her daughter. Though Precious feels compelled to lend a hand, she discovers that getting involved in family affairs is always a delicate proposition.
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Wrong information in Audible description of plot
- By Kathy on 02-12-19
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Tears of the Giraffe
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
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Following on from the brilliant The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Tears of the Giraffe charts the further adventures of Mma Ramotswe, Botswana's only female private detective. It's going to take all her intuition and eminent sensibility for Mma Ramotswe to crack her hardest case yet: the decade-old disappearance of an American on the edge of the Kalahari.
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Great African story
- By Lareine on 09-10-15
Summary
Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi have always relied on the advice of the classic guide to their trade, The Principles of Private Detection. But who is the eminent author, Mr Clovis Andersen, and what if he was to come to Botswana? That seems a very unlikely possibility, and yet… When Mr Andersen visits Botswana on holiday, he is delighted and intrigued to stumble across a roadside sign that reveals the existence of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Professional courtesy suggests that he call and announce himself. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti are embarking on married life and building a new house - a tricky business under any circumstances but especially hazardous when the name of the contractor is the Joy and Light Building Company.
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ms. C. T. Bell
- Belfast
- 01-12-13
Another delightful instalment
I always enjoy the adventures of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency - it's a shame that Audible do not have unabridged versions of all the novels. Adjoa Andoh does a superb job - I can't imagine the characters having any other voice but hers - not only the older female characters but the young men who have a way of jive talking that always makes me smile. The story this time was slightly ludicrous - it feels like there is a struggle for new ideas - but there is further development of the regular characters which is enjoyable and faithful to the characters have progressed so far.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Judith
- 11-11-13
Another delightful story
This book is another in the First Ladies detective Agency series and does not disappoint. It was an excellent choice as the narration is excellent and only adds to the pleasure of reading the story. If you have jot read any of this series, do! If you have already read other books this one is a good choce too.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Dina
- 11-06-17
i love all of his books
transported to Africa once again. Thank you and thanks to the brilliant narrator Adjoa Andoh
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- MaryDoll
- Belfast
- 23-12-12
warm and smiley
Just kick back, relax and follow these characters in their naive, innocent but altogether enjoyable escapades. Coming across as polite and kind people you surely ask how could these decent folk survive in the real world never mind running businesses such as Speedy Motors and Limpopo Private Detective Agency not to mention The Right Way Up Building Merchants. The kind of light listen perfect for a Sunday afternoon, as I said....just get yourself comfortable
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Dora
- Italy
- 31-03-12
Excellent!
This is the latest of his audio books I have listened to and I managed to finish it in 1 day.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Jane
- 25-06-16
Lovely book
I always enjoy reading the number 1 ladies detective agency books. If you like the others you will like this. A wonderful view into a world of kindness, where what's right always prevails.
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- Susan
- 30-10-12
I have been lost in Botswana fo rthe past few week
If you could sum up The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection in three words, what would they be?
Enthralling
Captivating
Humorous
What other book might you compare The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection to and why?
The other books in this series. Over the years I have developed a picture in my mind of the characters and setting of this expanding story. I have talked with people who have lived in Botswana and tell me that the story is very true of its people and places.
What does Adjoa Andoh bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She brings the sound and sense of what I imagine this part of Botswana to be like. Her reading makes me feel the dust and smell the rain of Africa, even though I have never been there.
Who was the most memorable character of The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection and why?
Mama Makutsi drives me nuts but she always makes me smile (even if she may not mean to). An honorary mention must be given to her shoes as well.
Any additional comments?
A must for the discerning listener.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Jane
- 23-04-13
A beautiful series
Oh where is the 6 star option when you need it!
Because I certainly need for any of the Number One Lady's Detective Agency series -- and this, the thirteenth, is no exception.
This book is beautiful. Reading it is to be engaged in a flow of generous humanity -- people with love in their hearts, gracious routines mapping their day and gratitude for what is wonderful in people and the environment. These are people with idiosyncrasies which amuse or irritate, and past lives which offer explanation and depth to their present, and whose personalities are revealed by dealing with day to day challenges.
But these people are not naive. They are fully aware of the physical dangers of the world, and the usually greater dangers of the mean-spirited -- if not down right evil -- humans. The lady detectives address these dangers with a delicious mixture of compassion, shrewd identification of what is right and wrong, of course, a cup of bush tea.
And always in the background McCall Smith evokes an Africa that is both gloriously vibrant and much troubled, and within it, the stable country of Botswana.
All this is superbly reflected in the narration by Adjoa Andoh who richly captures the music of McCall's language and characters.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Pam
- 19-11-12
Loved it
McCall Smith and Ma Ramotswe are as entertaining as ever. Listened to it in one sitting as I did other non taxing tasks.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Mackenzie
- 04-02-13
Wonderful stories
I have listened to all of this series with joy. Part of the magic is that this Scottish academic's writing and Andoh's narration make the series sound utterly realistically Namibian.
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- Maggi
- 30-08-12
Love this series!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Just a really nice feelgood story
What about Adjoa Andoh’s performance did you like?
Brings out the cast well and consistently
Any additional comments?
The best narrator for this series.
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- Julie
- 24-04-12
Pure Escapism
Sliding into a new Mme Ramotswe novel is pure bliss. Good will triumph, evil will not even be too evil. Get in touch with your inner nice person and enjoy this series.
In this installment, Clovis Anderson appears in person, with the quiet application of common sense to assist the detectives of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency Botswana right wrongs and foil injustice.
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- R. Davies
- 07-06-13
disappointed with it
Would you try another book from Alexander McCall Smith and/or Adjoa Andoh?
We have enjoyed the series up to this book. It was a struggle to finish it. We would consider another book in the series if it came available. If it works out the same as this book, we may give the series away.
What could Alexander McCall Smith have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
faster moving with less boring detail
What does Adjoa Andoh bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She does very well with what she is given to read.
Did The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection inspire you to do anything?
no
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- David
- 11-06-12
Limp
McCall Smith has clearly run out of ideas. I was a great fan of Mma Ramatoswe and her doings, even if those doings were done relatively slowly. In this book, however, after 3 hours, the earlier books appear turbo-charged. Absolutely nothing happens. We are reminded about the various marriages of the detectives, Mma Makutsi's talking shoes, her husband's disability, the cows of Mma Ramotswe's father, but there is nothing at all that makes you want to keep listening. It's as if McCall Smith's publisher demanded one last book and he wrote it in his sleep rather than at his normal time of 5 in the morning. Really extremely disappointing.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful