Ticket 2 Ride

Book number 26 in the dictionary No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book series, In the Time of Five Pumpkins (2025, Pantheon), is also Alexander McCall Smith’s latest novel.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is a beloved series of books, and this book is a continuation of the adventures of Mma Precious Ramotswe and Mma Grace Makutsi who run the agency, and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, who is Mma Ramotswe’s husband and owner of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors which shares a building with the detective agency.

This book finds Precious and Grace being hired, by a man they do not like, to find out if his wife is having an affair. They set about to follow the wife and seem satisfied with what is observed of her behavior, then discover that the wife saw them and tails them back to the agency. It seems that the wife fears that it is her husband who is actually cheating and she hires the agency to find out. That’s certainly an unexpected twist.

McCall usually includes a “B” story in his books, and that story is about Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and his sudden friendship with the owner of a large transportation company. Grace and assistant Charlie are alerted to the possibility of Mr. J.L.B. Matekon being in serious danger, especially in light of a fishing mishap that almost provided lunch for an alert crocodile.

McCall Smith is a skilled storyteller, and his many, many books underscore that point. The frustrating structure of his books are such that you might be 70-80 pages in before you can grab ahold of the main story. In this book, he spends a great deal of time building up to the story, so don’t expect to be absorbed in an exciting tale in the first could have chapters. Patience pays off. Actually, the characters in this series are interesting and quirky, and life in Botswana is pleasant.

If I rated this book on a 1 to 5 scale, based on how it ranks in the series, my rating would be 3. Better than some, but a little disappointing. I found McCall Smith spending too much time laying out the series and characters, for those just joining the series. That, and his habit of a slow-build of story, tests your engagement with this book. If you are a fan, stay with it.