Order of Book Series
0

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Books in Order

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith contains 28 books, published between 1998 and 2026. The first book is The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998) and the newest is The Big Cats Dance Party (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
28
Published
1998–2026
Confirmed
28 of 28 titles
Pages on record
4,683 in 20 of 28 books
Reading time
78–117 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,683 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 20 of 28 titles with a page count on record.

See all 28 books in order Printable No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency checklist

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a mystery series by Alexander McCall Smith, set in Botswana. In the first novel (1998), Precious Ramotswe opens a detective agency in a Gaborone storefront and takes on a husband who has gone missing, a con man, a daughter who has strayed, and an eleven-year-old boy feared taken by witchdoctors. Tears of the Giraffe (2000) and Morality for Beautiful Girls (2001) follow. The series runs to 28 books through 2026, at a median 227 pages, and continues.

How many No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books are there?

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency has 28 books, released between 1998 and 2026.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 28 No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, book 1 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  2. Cover of The Cleverness of Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith, book 1 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2012)
  3. Cover of Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith, book 2 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2000)
  4. Cover of Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith, book 3 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2001)
  5. Cover of The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith, book 4 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  6. Cover of The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith, book 5 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2003)
  7. Cover of In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith, book 6 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  8. Cover of Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith, book 7 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2006)
  9. Cover of The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith, book 8 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  10. Cover of The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith, book 9 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2008)
  11. Cover of Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith, book 10 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  12. Cover of The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith, book 11 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  13. Cover of The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith, book 12 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  14. Cover of The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith (2012)
  15. Cover of The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith, book 14 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  16. Cover of The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café by Alexander McCall Smith, book 15 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  17. Cover of The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith, book 16 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series
  18. Cover of Precious and Grace by Alexander McCall Smith, book 17 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2016)
  19. Cover of The Colors of All the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith, book 19 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2018)
  20. Cover of How to Raise an Elephant by Alexander McCall Smith, book 21 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2020)
  21. Cover of The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith, book 22 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2021)
  22. Cover of A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith, book 23 of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (2022)
  1. 1
    The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency1998 · 278 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1998278
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 1
    The Cleverness of Ladies2012 · confirmed 3/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 2
    Tears of the Giraffe2000 · 227 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2000227
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 3
    Morality for Beautiful Girls2001 · 227 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2001227
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 4
    The Kalahari Typing School for Men2002 · 191 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2002191
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 5
    The Full Cupboard of Life2003 · 198 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2003198
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 6
    In the Company of Cheerful Ladies2004 · 233 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2004233
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 7
    Blue Shoes and Happiness2006 · 227 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2006227
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 8
    The Good Husband of Zebra Drive2007 · 213 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2007213
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 9
    The Miracle at Speedy Motors2008 · 214 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2008214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 10
    Tea Time for the Traditionally Built2009 · 212 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2009212
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 11
    The Double Comfort Safari Club2010 · confirmed 3/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 12
    The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party2010 · 213 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2010213
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 13
    The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection2012 · 257 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2012257
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 14
    The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon2013 · 242 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013242
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 15
    The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café2014 · 227 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2014227
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 16
    The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine2015 · 213 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2015213
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 17
    Precious and Grace2016 · 227 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2016227
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 18
    The House of Unexpected Sisters2017 · 227 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2017227
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 19
    The Colors of All the Cattle2018 · 361 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2018361
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 20
    To the Land of Long Lost Friends2019 · 240 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2019240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 21
    How to Raise an Elephant2020 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2020256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 22
    The Joy and Light Bus Company2021 · confirmed 3/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 23
    A Song of Comfortable Chairs2022 · confirmed 3/4
    2022–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 24
    From a Far and Lovely Country2023 · confirmed 3/4
    2023–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 25
    The Great Hippopotamus Hotel2024 · confirmed 3/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 26
    In the Time of Five Pumpkins2025 · confirmed 4/4
    2025–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 27
    The Big Cats Dance Party2026 · confirmed 3/4
    2026–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency?

No separate chronological order is on record for No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books in order?

You should read the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book also stands alone.

Where to start with No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Start with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998), the earliest published title.

What is the newest No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book?

The Big Cats Dance Party (2026) is the newest No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book released so far.

Is there a new No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book coming?

No next No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency has won

Wikidata records 1 award and 1 nomination for No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency at a glance

Still running
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is still running, with a title published as recently as 2026.
Release pace
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
4,683 pages across the 20 of 28 books with a recorded length, a median of 227 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, 11 of 28, were published in the 2010s.
Corroboration
8 of the 28 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.

What the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books are about

23 of the 28 No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: women private investigators is tagged on 18 of 23. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by Alexander McCall Smith

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.

Other series by Alexander McCall Smith

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.