The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith

The latest cases of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency are more personal and dire than usual. Fanwell, one of J.L.B. Matekoni's apprentices, finds himself involved in an old friend's shady dealings and Mma Potokwane's job as the head of the orphan farm is in jeopardy because of Rra Ditso's place on the farm's board. However, all is not lost because Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi have the help of none other than Clovis Andersen, author of The Principles of Private Detection, the book that the agency has relied on to help them with their toughest cases. Mr Andersen is in Botswana on vacation and the help he provides is invaluable. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi and her husband, Phuti, are settling into married life and are building a luxurious new home, despite the worry that their builder might not be on the up-and-up. As usual, it is the setting and catching-up with the personal lives of the characters that are the strengths of the series rather than the mystery.