Watching the series before reading any of the books helped me to pronounce the African names and gave me a good feel for the setting in Botswana. These books are delightful and Alexander McCall Smith throws in with the mystery a good splattering of moral issues. Precious Ramotswe (played by Jill Scott in the HBO series) describes herself as a woman of traditional build. Along with her secretary, who was proud to reach a score of 97 at the secretarial college, Mma Ramotswe solves local mysteries and still has time for her romance with the mechanic and garage owner, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni.
And if you want more time with the people of Botswana, take the African No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Tour where you can sip red bush tea and pass by Mma Ramotswe's house on Zebra drive.
