• Author: Alexander McCall Smith
• Series: No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency #2
• No. of pages: 217
• Dates read: 08.02.20 – 15.02.20
• Star rating: 3

Plot: Tears of the Giraffe takes us further into the life of the engaging and sassy Precious Ramotswe, the owner and detective of Botswana’s only Ladies’ detective agency. Among her cases are wayward wives, unscrupulous maids and a challenge to resolve a mother’s pain for her son, who is long lost on the African plains. Mma Ramotswe’s own impending marriage to that most gentlemanly of men, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, the promotion of her secretary to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective and new additions to the Matekoni family, all brew up the most humorous and charmingly entertaining of tales.

I loved the multiple stories that weaved its way through the narrative. I always find that this keeps be fully engaged with a story as there are multiple points of interest that makes me want to keep reading.

Mma Ramotswe was as per usual an amazing woman. She shows how strong and intelligent she is in this story. I also find that we see her kindness fully show through in this story, the way she treats people is very admirable. Even when they do something behind her back.

I really enjoyed exploring her and Mr J.L.B Matekoni’s relationship. I was apprehensive after the first book but this book did a great job of securing the relationship in my mind.

Some good points of discussion were raised in this book. Colourism, women working in engineering and disability but to be honest these were just raised and never went further than a brief couple of mentions here or there, so while it was good to see it, I would have preferred if it went into more depth. It was very much surface level/the bare minimum.

Another gripe of mine was that Mma Ramotswe didn’t do much detective work. All the answers sort of just fell into her lap it she spoke to the right person who was a major gossip. Due to this lack of investigating I found it boring at times trying to solve the mystery, because there was no actual thinking things through just let me walk into this room and see instantly what I need.

This book was definitely not as good as the first one. I hope we get some more detective work in the next book!

My next review is for an ARC. I read the first book in the series September of last year and I really enjoyed it. Next week I am reviewing, Murder at Enderley Hall by Helena Dixon!