I'll use this blog to discuss the journey of my writing process, connect with those who share my passion for reading, and have a little fun along the way.
This week, Central Virginia fell powerless to an ice storm which caused downed trees and wires, creating widespread power outages. We woke Wednesday morning to ice-covered trees bent to the breaking point. And no power.
We are more fortunate than many — our fireplace kept the living room area warm and my gas stove allowed me to cook. Our power was out for about 30 hours, leaving us with its silence to come up with ideas to entertain ourselves.
At Christmas, I had been gifted with the latest in Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, The Great Hippopotamus Hotel. Armed with a cup of red bush tea (Rooibos) much loved by Mma Precious Ramotswe, I began to read.
I have followed the series and loved its characters from the very first book. I have enjoyed each and every one of the books, and find the kindness of the characters endearing. I also find it amusing to learn how Mma Grace Makutsi self identifies in each of the books. Hired in the first book as a secretary, she has changed titles in the most self-aggrandizing manner. In The Great Hippopotumus Hotel, Mma Makutsi is now calling herself the joint managing director and co-founder of the detective agency.
Strange things are happening at the Great Hippopotamus Hotel and the ladies of the detective agency have been asked to figure out who is responsible. Shortly after a visit to the hotel, Mma Ramotswe is taken ill with a bout of food poisoning. Her illness forces her to take time from work, leaving the joint managing director in charge.
Mma Makutski is no sooner left in charge than she’s sitting at her boss’s desk. Where Grace is normally the foil in the books, it was interesting for her to take the lead in this investigation. Aided by the teachings of Clovis Andersen who wrote The Principles of Private Detection (which is frequently quoted throughout the series), Grace sets out to solve the mystery. Her methodical approach which runs counter to the instinctive approach of Mma Ramotswe was a bit of a departure from the former books in the series. And it was delightful. Left to her own devices, we learned that Mma Grace Makutski is worthy of her title joint managing director. But she knew it all along.
