The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith
The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon is Alexander McCall Smith's 14th installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. It has the same quiet grace and sense of place as the rest of the series and was a quite enjoyable read. However, the mystery elements of the novel seem a bit forced and lack a clear ending.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series has always been more about how to live a lovely, graceful life than it has about the mysteries that Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi solve. However, the mystery elements have often worked in tandem with the larger story lines of the novels. In The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon, however, McCall Smith seems to have stuck the mystery elements in as a bit of an afterthought. While I think that this novel is the most successful yet in the series at portraying McCall Smith's aesthetic, it didn't quite come together for me. The mysteries seem rather awkwardly stuck in and neither are properly put to rest.
I very much enjoyed reading The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon. Its graceful style is lovely and portrays in vivid colors McCall Smith's Botswana. However, the mystery elements of the book are a bit lacking.
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