The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon
First edition
AuthorAlexander McCall Smith
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
GenreMystery
PublisherLittle, Brown
Publication date
October 2013
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint Hardback and e-book
Pages256
ISBN978-1-4087-0431-8
Preceded byThe Limpopo Academy of Private Detection 
Followed byThe Handsome Man's De Luxe Café 

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon is the fourteenth mystery novel by Alexander McCall Smith in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, first published in 2013. The novel features the Motswana protagonist Precious Ramotswe and is set in Botswana.

Mma Ramotswe has two cases on hand, one to verify the identity of a boy as the heir to a large farm and the other to stop the smear campaign against the owner of the Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon, as it has stopped all customers from coming to her shop. Grace Makutsi is pregnant, but does not bring up the fact until late in her pregnancy, nor does she ever bring up the plan for her maternity leave. This gives Mma Ramotswe much to consider while her secretary and assistant is away with the baby. Mr JLB Matekoni contemplates whether he is a modern husband.

This novel drew a range of reactions from reviewers. Some viewed it positively, termed it "endearing",[1][2] and considered the novel to have its strength in the characters and their love of Africa, rather than the deductions needed to solve the mysteries.[1][2][3] By contrast, one reviewer considers this novel to show the reasons for the longevity of the series, with its sweet aspects but not omitting the harsh facts of life; "Forgiveness and generosity . . . are the answer to most of life’s ills", concludes Mma Ramotswe.[4] The changes Mma Ramotswe must make in response to the changes life brings her, were the focus for another reviewer.[5] Yet another reviewer focussed on some hilarious scenes in this novel and the close relationship between Mma Ramotswe and her husband.[6]

The hardcover novel opened at number 5 on the New York Times Best Sellers in November 2013,[7] and was on the NPR Hardcover Fiction Bestseller list for four weeks at the end of 2013.[8]

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