Review: A Song of Comfortable Chairs

Title: A Song of Comfortable Chairs

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency #23

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: 30th August 2022 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 256 pages

Genre: contemporary fiction, Africa, mystery

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

In this latest installment in the beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Grace Makutsi encounters a pair of quandaries that will require all of her and Mma Ramotswe’s cleverness and generosity to resolve

Grace Makutsi’s husband, Phuti, is in a bind. An international firm is attempting to undercut his prices in the office furniture market. Phuti has always been concerned with quality and comfort, but this new firm seems interested only in profits. To make matters worse, they have a slick new advertising campaign that seems hard to beat. Nonetheless with Mma Ramotswe’s help, Phtui comes up with a campaign that may just do the trick.

Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi is approached by an old friend who has a troubled son. Grace and Phuti agree to lend a hand, but the boy proves difficult to reach, and the situation is more than they can handle on their own. It will require not only all of their patience and dedication, but also the help of Mma Ramotswe and the formidable Mma Potokwani in order to help the child.

Faced with more than her fair share of domestic problems, Mma Makutsi deals with it all with her usual grace. That, along with the kindness, generosity, and good sense that the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is known for, assure us that in the end, all these matters will be set right.

My Thoughts

‘… to calm Mma Makutsi down with a few reassuring words and a cup of tea. Tea had remarkable calming properties when administered mid-crisis, and that, perhaps, was what was needed now.’

I cannot tell you the complete and utter joy I get in opening up a fresh new tale from the ‘No.1 Ladies Detective Agency’ series.  It is hard to believe this is the 23rd installment! Yes! You read correctly, twenty three .... and still going strong. Precious Ramotswe and her life in Botswana is a place I am always eager to curl up on the couch for. It is a pleasure to step out of the rat race and spend some time with old friends, intriguing mysteries and a journey to a satisfying conclusion. 

‘It was important, she felt, to keep your working life separate from your home life; she knew far too many people who allowed the cares of the job to intrude upon their home life, and these were the people who tended to become depressed or suffer from something that she had recently read about in a magazine - something referred to as burn-out.’

Followers of this series are in it for the long haul as it’s like catching up with old friends. More often than not, it’s not the gentle story/investigation unfurling that draws you in, but rather the keen observations that make you smile, the pearls of wisdom that cause you to pause and ponder. 

‘Most people longed for the day when they might tune into a news broadcast and hear the announcer say, 'I'm sorry, everybody, but nothing has happened. There is no news today none at all.' That day had never come to pass, as far as she knew, but you could still hope. That was what you could always do - no matter how bad things seemed to be - you could hope.’

Alexander McCall Smith has managed once again to write another wonderful tale where our leading lady, Precious, encourages us to slow down and express gratitude. To many it might seem simplistic, yet truly speaking, it is the superb craftsmanship of Alexander that provides devoted readers with a gentle reminder to be more open minded and extend warmth to those around us.

‘That was the problem, she reflected; that was the source of so much unhappiness - there were people who made it their business to stop other people from being themselves; who tried to make people be something they did not want to be. That led to swathes of unhappiness as wide as the Kalahari itself.’

Exuding gentleness and a philosophy many of us could learn from, Precious Ramotswe and friends remind us of the more important things in life. A Song of Comfortable Chairs is just that: time out in a comfy chair where the rhythms of Africa sweep over you. We could all do with a little more Botswana wisdom in our lives. I can’t wait for the next instalment - these books being an absolute treasure that I shall continue to read as long as Alexander writes them (please … keep writing them!)

‘The real art in going through life with dignity and with a modicum of happiness was to accept what you were, and, at the same time, to accept others and to love them all equally. That was hard, and for some people it was impossible, but you had to try.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Last Survivor

Title: Last Survivor

Author: Tony Park

Publisher: 30th June 2020 by Pan Macmillan Australia

Pages: 416 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: fiction, mystery, thriller, Southern Africa

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Greed.

Joanne Flack is on the run - suspected of stealing a rare African plant thought to be extinct and worth millions of dollars.

Danger.

Sonja Kurtz is hired by the CIA to hunt down Joanne and find the link between the missing plant and a terrorist group hiding out in South Africa.

Treachery.

Joanne is a member of the Pretoria Cycad and Firearms Appreciation Society who take it upon themselves to track down the plant ... and the traitor in their midst who is willing to kill for it.

My Thoughts

‘South Africa also has the highest proportion of critically endangered cycads in the world. These plants are in far more trouble than rhinos, though they don’t get nearly as much attention.’

I always highly anticipate a new release from Tony as reading one of his books guarantees you will be taken on an amazing ride. Definite page turners set against an inspiring African backdrop, it provides sensational escapism which is something we all crave currently. Tony uses his tried and true formula for his novels - a fast moving thriller with deadly outcomes in exotic, yet often, dangerous African locations. This can be read as a standalone, however a couple of characters reappear from roles in previous books. 

On this occasion 'Last Survivor' revolves around a stolen cycad (had to look that one up - a rare species of an ancient plant) with the only female species in the world, worth million of dollars, stolen. Thus ensues a fast paced drama across the Southern African continent with a short spell in London. Throw in some jihadi terrorists, a Saudi prince, a mercenary and some retired fighters (The Pretoria Cycad and Firearms Appreciation Society) and you have all the necessary components for an exciting action story.

These are fast paced reads - lots of action, leading to the ultimate major showdown between goodies and baddies, with a little sexual tension thrown in, making these not only readable, but very engaging. However, don't cast this aside thinking it is lacking in substance. Tony’s novels always contain noteworthy commentary on a range of topics, on this occasion, terrorism, corruption and preservation to name a few. 

‘You had a couple of farmers who had lost everything they had ever worked for and owned and they made a few bucks selling some plants that they’d grown themselves. What’s the harm in that, even if they bent the rules? Their government was busy stealing from its own people.’

I really enjoy Tony’s books as once having lived in Africa, I love to lose myself in its pages for a brief respite to the wonders that can be found there. Yes, he will take you on a  thrilling journey, however, at its heart it is clearly apparent the great love and appreciation Tony holds for this special place on our planet and I will always sign up for that.

‘And yet, she told herself as she watched the elephant move down to the river, there was this. No crooked politician or gang of criminals could rob her or anyone else of the simple joy of seeing a sight as grand as this.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Cry of the Firebird

Title: Cry of the Firebird

Author: T.M. Clark

Publisher: 18th November  2019 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 352 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: fiction, mystery, Africa

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

In the badlands of Africa, a resourceful doctor fights to save her patients' lives. Australian thriller writer T.M. Clark returns with a vivid, action-packed adventure in the tradition of Wilbur Smith.

South African-born Doctor Lily Winters, a consultant with the World Health Organization, has been in the thick of some of the worst humanitarian disasters across the globe. But when she's posted back to South Africa following the suspicious death of an ex-colleague, she faces the biggest medical mystery she's ever seen.

The resettled Platfontein San People population is exhibiting a higher than average HIV epidemic, and their people are dying. The cases Lily takes over are baffling and despite her best efforts the medicine doesn't seem to be helping.

To save this unique community, Lily and a policeman from the Kalahari, Piet Kleinman, join forces to trace the origins of the epidemic and uncover the truth. Their search drags them into the dangerous world of a corrupt industry driven by profit while the authorities meant to protect their community turn a blind eye. In a race against time Lily and Piet will put not only their careers but their lives on the line...

My Thoughts

‘Many people in South Africa have witnessed too much extreme violence, and the stress of living here, it takes its toll, no matter how beautiful the country is.’

I am a big fan of T.M. Clark and once again Tina delivers with another awesome tale set in the heart of Africa. I have enjoyed each one of her books where she chooses a different aspect and produces not only a riveting tale but also shines the spotlight on a contemporary issue. Whilst sure to include the stunning landscape and unique cultures, Tina is a master at subtly drawing attention to some of the more darker and sinister sides to this great continent. 

Cry of the Firebird tackles the controversy surrounding corruption in the pharmaceutical business and also the police force of post apartheid South Africa. Tina has certainly done her research here in terms of settings and culture but also right down to the array of issues presented. These range from poverty and crime, to medical research and HIV. She even touches on the debilitating Alzheimer’s and the medicinal use of cannabis. I am not usually a fan of so many highly rated issues being  incorporated into the one story, however, Tina does it all and really well. 

‘If they had spent time educating everyone, there might have been a marked difference. Hindsight is a wonderful gift created to haunt us, isn’t it?’

Having livid in Namibia for a time, I particularly appreciated the plight of the San and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Kalahari policeman, Piet Kleinman and the trips out to the clinics. Cry of the Firebird is a rich and multi layered tale that is not only filled with action and adventure but also provides real depth into sensitive issues. Readers will appreciate Tina’s ‘Fact v Fiction’ addition at the conclusion of the tale. 

‘We did not care about what country passports we carried back then, we could always walk through the bush. This is how it has always been done. Out there in the Kalahari, where our ancestors came from, all the San tribes once knew each other. In essence, we are all one people. Even with all the different languages, inside our hearts we are the same. Now governments have put up big fences and country borders, and we are told we as a people are not allowed in the Kalahari anymore.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: To the Land of Long Lost Friends

Title: To the Land of Long Lost Friends

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: 10th September 2019 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 227 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary fiction, Africa, mystery

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

Mr J. L. B. Matekoni usually steers clear of Mma Ramotswe's cases, but on this occasion he is approached by a client of the garage who tells a tale of woe. This man has entrusted his brother to oversee the building of a house, yet the project is complete and now the brother won't leave. How is he to get him to move on? Surprisingly, Mr Polopetsi comes to the rescue. Elsewhere, a woman with a troublesome daughter comes to see Mma Ramotswe, and Mma Ramotswe finds herself trying to reconcile the two. Finally, Charlie is still enamoured of Queenie-Queenie. She, however, has developed a fancy for Fanwell. With the threat of an awkward love triangle looming, Mma Makutsi gets involved and so do her shoes . . .

My Thoughts

"Mma Ramotswe sighed. You had to sigh sometimes, because life was so complicated or impenetrable; or because people behaved in a messy way; or because there was simply no ready solution to a human mix-up ... you should not expect a resolution of everything because some details in any picture were simply not there, and never would be?" 

I cannot tell you the complete and utter joy I get in opening up a fresh new tale from the ‘No.1 Ladies Detective Agency’. It is hard to believe this is the 20th instalment! Yes! You read correctly, twenty .... and still going strong. Precious Ramotswe and her life in Botswana is a place I long to retreat to after a long, hard day. 

Followers of this series are in it for the long haul as it’s like catching up with old friends. More often than not, it’s not the slow, gentle story/investigation that unfurls that draws you in, but rather the tidbits that make you smile, or pearls of wisdom that cause you to pause and consider. These are tales that make you feel. 

Alexander McCall Smith has managed once again to write another wonderful tale where our leading lady, Precious, encourages us to slow down, ponder and express gratitude. To many it might at times appear trite, but such is the superb craftsmanship of Alexander that it provides us with a gentle reminder to be more open minded and extend warmth to those around us. 

"She rose from her desk. She had already had a cup of tea at home, before she left for the office, but that was no reason not to have one now. A cup of tea usually restored perspective on things,and that was what she needed now, rather than to sit and think about the ways in which the modern world was ordered. And she was right: a steaming cup of redbush tea was sufficient to banish thoughts of change and decay and to restore the spirits. This was going to be a good day - she was determined to make that so -  and she was going to work steadily and efficiently through the list of tasks she had written out for herself."

Thanks goes to Hachette Australia for a copy to read and review. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Nature of the Lion

Title: Nature of the Lion

Author: T. M. Clark

Publisher: 16th November 2018 by Harlequin Australia, HQ

Pages: 352 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: action, Africa

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

An all-new vivid, action-packed adventure across the African landscape in the tradition of Tony Park and Wilbur Smith, from Australian thriller writer, T.M. Clark. Hiding from the law, they never expected to be caught in the crosshairs of a hunter...

After relocating to South Africa on the heels of scandal five years ago, Chloe and her invalid father, Mike, once wealthy Zimbabwean landowners, now have little. Away at university, Chloe has had to rely on her father's best friend Enoch and his son Xo to watch over Mike.

When a violent confrontation puts Chloe in danger, Enoch steps in to help - with inadvertent fatal results. With increasing pressure from a right-wing group on the police to charge Enoch, this mismatched family have no choice but to flee back to Zimbabwe.

But crossing the border will be dangerous and near impossible with their route taking them amid warring dissident armies and landmines, and their every footstep is stalked by a shadowy ring of hunters - whose trophies are taken from more than animals...

Only with help from Nick, formerly a soldier under Mike's command, now a professional game ranger, will the fugitives have a chance of making it home. But Nick has long struggled to come to terms with his fellow soldiers' choices before their unit was abandoned. Will his past demons put them all at risk?

My Thoughts

‘That is the fire of the Caçador Escuro, the Dark Hunter. We avoid such fires when we see them.’ Julio shook his head and made a cross on his chest as if to ward off evil. Enoch frowned. ‘Why?’ ‘These men are evil. They hunt people.’

‘Nature of the Lion’ is another compelling read from Zimbabwean born T.M. Clark. As I wrote about her previous book, ‘Child of Africa’ (HERE), I love reading about this compelling continent where I once lived. Clark brings to life the modern day hurdles that many there  face and you will find yourself fully engaged throughout this riveting story.

Yet again Clark provides us with another gripping and action packed thriller that not only transports you to the heart of Africa but presents  a side of life that not many are witness to - everything from illegal hunting to racism and corruption. So much beauty to be found in the wilds of Africa, yet it goes hand in hand with  so much horror - it’s a tale of conflict for all the wrong reasons. Clark is so understanding of this imbalance and presents the compelling contradictions to perfection.

Containing a little of everything, the tension will build and the drama continue to unfold right up until the very end. The violence will confront you, the rugged beauty impress you. Clark again provides a  ‘Fact vs Fiction’ at the end that proves most helpful in sorting through the details - real and fictionalised - from the book.

I highly recommend ‘Nature of the Lion’  with Clark becoming a firm favourite for her compelling writing in providing real and gripping dramas that will see you fully engaged throughout the novel. The characters are honest, the story they have to tell, whilst sad and frightening at times, proves very, very enthralling.

‘They do not think like you and me. They see the colour of skin as a measure of character and a means to judge who a person is.”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: An Empty Coast

Title: An Empty Coast

Author: Tony Park

Publisher: 1 November 2015 by Pan Macmillan Australia

Pages: 480 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: fiction, mystery, thriller, Africa

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis 

Sonja Kurtz - former soldier, supposedly retired mercenary - is in Vietnam carrying out a personal revenge mission when her daughter sends a call for help.
Emma is on a dig at the edge of Namibia's Etosha National Park studying archaeology and she's discovered a body that dates back to the country's liberation war of the 1980s.
The remains, identified as Hudson Brand, are a key piece of a puzzle that will reveal the location of a modern-day buried treasure. A find people will kill for.
Sonja returns to the country of her birth to find Emma, but she's missing.
Former CIA agent Hudson Brand is very much alive and is also drawn back to Namibia to finally solve a decades-old mystery whose clues are entombed in an empty corner of the desert.

My Thoughts

Tony Park's novels are always page turners, set against an inspiring African backdrop. This one is no different. He uses his tried and true formula found in his novels - a fast moving thriller with deadly outcomes in exotic, yet often, dangerous African locations. This can be read as a standalone, however a couple of characters reappear after roles in previous books. 

'An Empty Coast' is set in Namibia and focusses on poaching and illegal international trade in rhino horn. I have read previous Park novels, but was particularly drawn to this one as I have lived in Namibia. So many memories came flooding back. He resounding details the beautiful, yet stark, landscapes of Etosha and Skeleton Coast National Parks. There is always an interesting plot, but I have to admit to being drawn to the lovingly described scenery and wildlife. 

"Etosha was starkly beautiful....a complete contrast to the lush bush and web of waterways that made up the Okavango".

These are fast paced reads - lots of action, leading to the ultimate major showdown between goodies and baddies, with a little sexual tension thrown in, making these not only readable, but engaging. Don't cast this aside as lacking substance. Tony Park novels contain much noteworthy commentary on a range of topics: the Asian/Russian involvement in illegal smuggling; Namibian history, the war of independence involving Namibia, Angola and South Africa; and, throwbacks to the original German occupation:

 "what we're doing here is confronting the past, not leaving it buried, where some people want it to stay".

It does take a little time for everything to fall into place - however, at about two thirds through, things really start to amp up and get interesting. I do enjoy his books and this was no exception.

"The small screen of the television didn't do justice to the majestic landscapes of Namibia, but all the same it moved something inside her to see the endless skies".

If you are intrigued about Africa and enjoy a well told thriller, then this is the book for you. Perfect mix. 

"Namibia has emerged as a beautiful, peaceful country and I'm proud to be here and proud to play a small part".

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.