Morality For Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

 

Mme Precious Ramotswe has her hands full at her detective agency.  A government official is sure that his brother is being poisoned, probably by his wife.  Another client wants the agency to determine which of the finalists in a beauty pageant is morally worthy of the title.  A young boy, four or five, at the adoption agency which Mme Ramotswe helps as she can, has been recently brought in.  He doesn't talk, smells of lion and is aggressive.  Worse of all, Mme Ramotswe's fiancé, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, has fallen into a depression.

But Mme Ramotswe forges ahead.  She goes to stay at the country home of the government official for several days to determine if a poisoner is still at work.  She leaves her assistant to handle both the detective agency and Mr. Matekoni's garage and work on whichever cases she can.  Matekoni she takes and leaves at the adoption agency where he can rest and where the lady in charge can talk him into going to a doctor.  By the end of the book, all is solved and resolved.

This is the third book in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.  Mme Ramotswe is optimistic and hard-working, sure that she can solve most mysteries with some hard work and the insights she has gained throughout her life.  Her surrounding cast has grown during the series but all are interesting characters who play parts in solving the mysteries.  This book is recommended for mystery and multicultural readers.