The Cleverness of Ladies
Contents (12)
Alexander McCall Smith is the author of over eighty books on a wide range of subjects. For many years he was Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh and worked with national and international organisations concerned with medical ethics. Then in 1999 he achieved world-wide recognition for his award-winning series of novels, The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Since then, he has devoted his time to the writing of fiction, including the 44 Scotland Street and Corduroy Mansions series. His books have been translated into forty-six languages. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, Elizabeth, a doctor.
Also by Alexander McCall Smith
The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series
The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Tears of the Giraffe
Morality for Beautiful Girls
The Kalahari Typing School for Men
The Full Cupboard of Life
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
Blue Shoes and Happiness
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
The Miracle at Speedy Motors
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
The Double Comfort Safari Club
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection
The Sunday Philosophy Club Series
The Sunday Philosophy Club
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
The Right Attitude to Rain
The Careful Use of Compliments
The Comfort of Saturdays
The Lost Art of Gratitude
The Charming Quirks of Others
The Forgotten Affairs of Youth
The 44 Scotland Street Series
44 Scotland Street
Espresso Tales
Love Over Scotland
The World According to Bertie
The Unbearable Lightness of Scones
The Importance of Being Seven
The Corduroy Mansions Series
Corduroy Mansions
The Dog Who Came in from the Cold
The von Igelfeld Entertainments
The 2½ Pillars of Wisdom
Unusual Uses for Olive Oil
La’s Orchestra Saves the World
COPYRIGHT
Published by Hachette Digital
ISBN: 9780748132621
All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 Alexander McCall Smith
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
Hachette Digital
Little, Brown Book Group
100 Victoria Embankment
London, EC4Y 0DY
www.hachette.co.uk
Contents
About the Author
Also by Alexander McCall Smith
Copyright
The Cleverness of Ladies
A High Wind in Nevis
Fabrizia
Namaqualand Daisies
Music Helps
Quick Reads
Advertisment
Appendix
Other Resources
The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
The Cleverness of Ladies
1
It was a slack time at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, the only detective agency in Botswana. It would be wrong to say that nothing was going on – Mma Ramotswe, who had founded the agency to deal with the problems of ladies (and others), knew that something was always happening. People were always getting themselves into unfortunate scrapes; they had always done this, and human nature showed no sign of changing. No, the reason why things were quiet was that nobody was bringing anything to the attention of the small detective agency at the back of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors.