A Song of Comfortable Chairs
by Alexander McCall Smith
Pub Date: September 6, 2022
Audio
Thanks to the author, narrator, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to one of my favorite ladies mystery series. This is #23. I look forward to buying these for our library and for the pleasure they bring our patrons.
Phuti, Grace Makutsi’s husband, is worried – his store has been losing business to an international furniture chain whose focus is on profit, not quality or comfort. In addition, one of Grace’s long-time friends has a teenage son who is causing problems as only a teenager can. The staff of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency work to solve both issues with their customary patience and kindness. The narrator is fantastic and this is a truly wonderful book to listen to. I turned up the speed on the narration and it worked out great.
5 stars

There is a rather famous book titled A Song of... you probably know what I mean. It's about bad people, the worst really. I have no clue whether Alexander McCall Smith did this on purpose to point out the contrast, but his latest Ladies Detective title is A Song of Comfortable Chairs, where we continue to look inside the lives of good people, the best really, the people of Botswana (I've been there, I know it for a fact).

When this series began 22 books earlier, Mma Ramotswe named her new busines the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency because it was the only detective agency in Botswana run by women. In 2022, the story starts with her husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, wondering why she still need to call it "Ladies" detective agency -- in today's world, isn't "Detective Agency" enough?

It is isn't even "Detective Agency" in this book, as there are no cases for Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi to solve. Instead, they turn to their private lives, trying to find out who is undermining the furniture business of Mma Makutsi's husband and who is continuing to undermine the personal life of her tragically tortured childhood friend, aptly named Patience (just as Mma Makutsi is Grace and Mma Ramotswe is Precious).

The solution to the mysteries are hardly the point. How they get there is the fun part -- not how they solve them, but how they think, act, and talk in the process. These are good people with gentle natures, good hearts, and strong moral compasses -- it is sheer pleasure to eavesdrop on the their conversations and inner monologues as they deal with business ethics, parenting, gender issues, relationships, personal and professional growth, immigration, even a hilarious scene of controlling one's willpower when there's really good food filling your car with its tempting aroma.

And it's even more of a delight in audio as we get to listen once again to the wonderful Lisette Lecat give voice to the friendly people of Botswana and the narrative voice of Alexander McCall Smith -- although I must add, make sure to increase the playback speed a little (I went to 1.25x) and don't get hung up on how many times she fully enunciates "Mma" (a lot!).

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of the audio edition.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is my favourite series, I look forward to each new book and like to save it for a special, day when I can relax and savour it! The latest book in the series is even more heartfelt, because it doesn't have any new detective agency customers in the story, so the entire book is about the trials and tribulations of the main characters we've all grown to love.

Grace and Phuti are having problems with a new competitor trying to undercut their prices at the Double Comfort Furniture Store, and you can probably guess who is involved in this scheme! Mma Makutsi also helps an old friend from Bobonong who is having problems with her teenage son. And there are a few other interpersonal issues between staff members at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, but Mma Ramotswe is ready to handle any challenge that comes her way.

This is the first time I've listened to one of Alexander McCall Smith's books on audio, and I thought Lisette Lecat did a great job of bringing out the personality in each character. Even the voice of Grace Makutsi's shoes matched perfectly with how they sounded in my head, and I learned how to pronounce some Batswana words and names which I wasn't sure about before. I kept switching back and forth between the ebook and audio because I couldn't decide which one I enjoyed more, but really you can't go wrong, either way this book is a wonderful, heartwarming experience!

This is such a charming series. I enjoy this series so much because of the unique setting and because it is such a fresh take on the classic female detective stories.

⁣I like the main character PI Mma Precious Ramotswe’s formal and polite speech and kind treatment of others. Her pragmatic way of approaching a problem makes her an excellent detective. She has worked with Grace Makutsi for several years. Grace can grate on the nerves with her attempts to appear to be in charge, but Precious has more patience than I ever would with the whole Grace situation!

This is a different kind of cozy mystery where there isn’t necessarily a dead body, but there is plenty of detecting. I recommend it to all cozy mystery lovers looking for a book with great characters, an entertaining mystery, and an underlying sense of kindness.

Narration: I thought the narrator, Lisette Lecat, did an excellent job. She has a wonderful accent and a pleasant voice. There are many characters in this story and she was able to give each one of them a unique voice.

Phuti, Grace Makutsi’s husband, is worried – his store has been losing business to an international furniture chain whose focus is on profit, not quality or comfort. In addition, one of Grace’s long-time friends has a teenaged son who is causing problems as only a teenager can. The staff of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency work to solve both issues with their customary patience and kindness.

This is the 23rd book in this series, but the first I have listened to on audio rather than reading a print version. The narrator was very good, and I liked hearing how some of the names and other words I’ve been reading for so long are supposed to be pronounced.

I’ve always considered these books to be comfort reads, and this was no exception. There’s no heart-pounding action, no possible confrontation with a killer, and no breathtaking pace, just a methodical approach to the problems posed to the detective agency. I like the cast of characters, and have enjoyed the way their lives have changed over the course of the series. I was annoyed with Mma Makutsi early in the book, but she redeemed herself in the end. I always want to book a trip to Botswana after reading books from this series, but I’ll have to wait for the next book in the series instead.

A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith
The Number One Ladies Detective Agency Book 23
Either you love this series or you just don’t get it. I love it like a fleecy blanket and a hot cup of tea. Comfort is the operative word. The ladies and their friends have a philosophy of doing good and gently guiding others even if they have to use trickery to do it. Of course, Charlie sometimes has other methods. Very enjoyable audiobook with excellent narration as always.

Another feel-good cozy mystery from one of my favorite authors! All of the regular Botswana crew is back in this story focused on the growing office tension between Precious and Grace. Grace keeps overreaching her position in the agency and Precious is increasingly tired of trying to defend her right as the No. 1 owner of the Detective agency. I really related to the career burnout and general feeling of depression Precious experiences in this book! Full of all the trademark philosophical quandaries we've come to expect plus a side story that sees the Double comfort furniture store being threatened by a competitor. Good on audio, if you love this series/these characters you are sure to not be disappointed. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I have heard wonderful things about this author. Though the storyline was intriguing I just couldn’t get into it. I would still recommend this book and author as several of my friends adore it.

I am a big fan of the Number one Ladies detective agency series. This has been my comfort read for several years now. I have read each book in this series several times and every time found a new nugget of philosophical wisdom that added positivity to life. The newest one in this series "A song of comfortable chairs "is extremely comforting as well. Beautifully narrated by Lisette Lecat this audiobook matches the rest of the audiobooks in this series in terms of narration. I loved listening to this and will surely listen to it again.