Date Published: 22nd November 2023

Dear Readers,

 

A book with the title From a Far and Lovely Country could come from a number of countries fitting that description, but this one happens to come from Botswana. And in my mind, that is exactly what Botswana is – a land that may be far from many of those who read about it, but that is, for all that, as lovely a country as one can imagine.

 

As with every book in this series, I have had a great deal of enjoyment in writing a further instalment in the life of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi are there once more, sitting in that tiny office of theirs, waiting for somebody to invite them to deal with some difficulty in their life. And, sure enough, that call comes – this time to investigate a shady night club rejoicing under the name of the Cool Singles Evening Club. This is a club that encourages women to come and meet single men in congenial surroundings – except for one thing: the men who go to it are very rarely as single as they claim to be.

 

I sometimes begin these novels without a fixed idea of where they will end up. This happened in this case: the plot developed without much help from me. And that, perhaps, should not surprise us: Mma Ramotswe is the guiding spirit in these books. My role is to act as her chronicler. That is what I have done here, and I hope I have done it in a way that you, the friends of Mma Ramotswe, will find acceptable. Please join her for a cup of redbush tea, a general catch-up on news, and some rather intriguing events.

 

All best wishes,

Alexander McCall Smith