NO. 1 LADIES DETECTVE AGENCY (Alexander McCall Smith)

I may be one of the very few people in the English-speaking world who has never read this book, but it was well worth the wait!  Precious Ramotswe, a woman of "traditional" build, uses her inheritance from her late father to buy a home and to fund her own business, the only detective agency in Botswana run by a woman.  Precious employs unusual but very successful methods to solve local crimes.  To confirm a wife's suspicion that her husband is a philanderer, Precious successfully sets herself up as his next romantic target.  She stakes out river at midnight to discover what became of a missing husband and then confronts a major crime boss to find a missing boy.  She is intuitive, tender-hearted, and has detection skills worthy of Sherlock Holmes.  McCall Smith peppers his novel with Botswanian customs and attitudes, all of which add to its charm.  I don't know why I waited so long, but I'm happy that there are 12 more books in this series to look forward to!