Charlie's day in the sun

The Colors of All the Cattle (2018), the 19th No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel by Alexander McCall Smith, finds Precious Ramotswe trying her hand at politics, against her will, and Charlie, the long apprentice mechanic and short-time apprentice detective, solving his first big case.

Running for a seat on city council is not Mma Ramotswe's idea. Mma Potokwane, who runs the Orphan Farm, wants Mma Ramotswe on council to oppose the Big Fun Hotel planned next to the graveyard. Mia Potokwane claims she does not have time to run for council herself, although she does have time to run her friend's campaign. Grace Makutsi, the former secretary who by now has promoted herself to "joint managing director" of the detective agency, also pressures Mma Ramotswe to run for office because the other candidate is her longtime rival, Violet Sephotho.

Meanwhile there is a case to solve. An aged doctor was struck and injured by a hit-and-run driver in a blue vehicle. He and particularly his daughter want the driver found, even though the police have given up on the case. Charlie has an idea, and Mma Ramotswe puts him in charge. The cases in these novels rarely involve violence of any kind, but this one does, putting Charlie to a true test.

In a third plot line, Charlie starts dating a girl named Queenie-Queenie, who turns out to be from a wealthy family. She also has a protective brother regarded as one of the strongest men in Botswana. Again Charlie's courage is tested.

Like every other book in this series, The Colors of All the Cattle (we don't learn the significance of the title until the penultimate page) entertains from beginning to end.