The Colours Of All The Cattle (The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency) by Alexander McCall Smith

Hardback:  If you punish somebody harshly, then you are simply inflicting more pain on the world.  You are also punishing not only that person, but his family and the people who love him.  You are punishing yourself, really, because we are all brothers and sisters in this world, whether we know it or not;  we are all citizens of the same village. - Mma Ramotswe

The Colours of All The Cattle (2018) is the new Botswana book from bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith and Mma Ramotswe's nineteenth and latest gloriously delightful adventure, where she finds herself running for office - much to her dismay.

When Mma Potokwane suggests to Mma Ramotswe that she run for a seat on the Gaborone City Council, Mma Ramotswe is at first reluctant.  But when she learns that developers plan to build the flashy Big Fun Hotel next to a graveyard, she allows herself to be persuaded.  Her opponent is none other than Mma Makutsi’s old nemesis, Violet Sephotho, who is in the pocket of the hotel developers. Although Violet is intent on using every trick in the book to secure her election, Mma Ramotswe refuses to guarantee anything beyond what she can deliver; hence her slogan: “I can’t promise anything but I shall do my best.”

Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe has acquired a new client:  one of her late father’s old friends, who was the victim of a hit-and-run accident.  Charlie volunteers to be the lead investigator in the case to prove he’s ready to be more than an apprentice, as well as to impress a new girlfriend.

With Charlie’s inquiries landing him in hot water and Election Day fast approaching, Mma Ramotswe will have to call upon her good humour and gen­erosity of spirit to help the community navigate these thorny issues, and to prove that honesty and compassion will always carry the day.

About the author:  Alexander McCall Smith is the author of over eighty books on a wide array of subjects, including the award-winning The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.  He is also the author of the Isabel Dalhousie novels and the world's longest-running serial novel, 44 Scotland Street. His books have been translated into forty-six languages.  Alexander McCall Smith is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh and holds honorary doctorates from thirteen universities.

Rating:  5/5