The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

For my mother-in-law’s birthday, we gave her the five most recent books of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith, including The Good Husband of Zebra Drive. She called the other night to thank us, saying how much she likes the books “because nothing really bad ever happens.”

She’s right. That the crimes and mysteries solved by the “traditionally built” Mma Precious Ramotswe are relatively mild does not mean the stories are dull. We’re called to visit the hearts and circumstances of people in these stories. Forgiveness and reconciliation are dispensed instead of punishment. Characters treat each other with gentle consideration — a polite formality, even — that is comforting. And then there is Botswana itself. The rich descriptions of this country and Mma Ramotswe’s deep love for the land and its people make me want to go there, find her, and settle down with a cup of bush tea.