The Great Hippopotamus Hotel, by Alexander McCall Smith

Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi of Botswana’s No 1 Ladies Detective Agency are investigating the undermining of a once-popular hotel. It seems that an old enemy may be behind the troubles, but - as the great detective educator Clovis Anderson says – one should never declare victory prematurely. The thin plot is a vehicle for a series of homilies and a celebration of the land and people of Botswana. Values of kindness, respect and honesty underpin these tales set in a country where the modern world is making a late intrusion on traditions. But they are getting to be repetitive and bear a faint ring of an old man’s railing against the modern world.