One of the best things about autumn is looking forward to a new installment of The #1 Ladies Detective series by Alexander McCall Smith. The Big Cats Dance Party is the 27th in this wonderful series. By this stage, some long-running series become stale or revert to an obvious formula, but that has never happened with this one, and I doubt it ever will. My huge thanks go to NetGalley and Random House for the review copy. This book is for sale now.
There is a standard format to these stories, which is that two problems get dealt with at once, and it takes place so seamlessly and naturally that I can only shake my head in wonder. Sometimes there are two mysteries; sometimes there’s a mystery and also a personal dilemma. In this book, the agency’s owner and proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, goes on a trip to an elephant sanctuary that is under attack from unknown forces; she is accompanied by her husband and the other detective, Grace Makutsi.
While they are away, Charlie, who is training to become a detective, is left in charge of the agency. Charlie is a tremendously dynamic character, and was originally an apprentice in the auto repair shop owned by Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni, Precious’s husband, but he wasn’t cut out to become a mechanic. Over the course of the series, we’ve seen Charlie get into one scrape after another, generally of his own making, but he’s gradually grown up, matured, and now Precious believes he is ready to take on responsibility. What happens while he is in charge is the more important of the two problems in our story, and it is riveting. To say more might ruin it for you, so I’ll leave it there, except to say that this is how the book’s title comes about.
What has stayed with me after the last page has been turned and I’ve read other books is the disconnect between the understanding we in western cultures have of the elephant’s plight, and the efforts to save it, as opposed to that of people that live in its path. Many of us, myself included, might have imagined that to inadvertently come across an African elephant would be pure magic; this happens to Precious, who steps out into the night for some fresh air while she is on her trip, but for her, it’s not magical. It’s terrifying! The elephant has wandered into her host’s yard, and now it’s between her and the house. She sees “a creature that could end her life with a swipe of its trunk or a single nudge from its great head.” And indeed, the attacks on the sanctuary are suspected to be from a local man that lost an uncle to an elephant attack while he was working in his field. There’s a condition that occurs annually called “musth,” which is the male elephant equivalent of being in heat, and it makes them aggressive. If an elephant has had negative experiences with humans—say, if someone has taken potshots at them or otherwise harmed them—it’s even worse, since elephants are so intelligent. And as the person from the sanctuary points out, it isn’t the elephant’s fault; the elephant is just being an elephant. Of course we want to save the elephants, but a little knowledge and compassion toward those more directly affected wouldn’t go amiss, either.
Before I close, I want to point out that this series is so successful, and so widely loved, not only because of the things it includes, but also because of the things it doesn’t. At one point, Grace is conversing with someone about the ways in which businesses are sometimes misunderstood, and she points out that every now and then, someone calls the agency to report a crime. But, she points out, “We are not law enforcement,” and so the caller is referred to the police. Our detectives don’t share information with cops, as a rule. There are no buddies on the force; there are no wild car chases. Nobody kidnaps the detectives or their loved ones, and there are no serial killers featured. Rather, this series focuses on basic human behavior, and it carries with it the understanding that people are, as the late Anne Frank said, inherently good. Sometimes all it takes is a gentle nudge to get someone to do the right thing.
Get this book, and if you like reading at bedtime, this is your story. Fall asleep with a smile on your lips and at peace with the world. How many novels can do this for you?
