Alexander McCall Smith books

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Books: 60 | Review: 0 | Avg rating: 3.98

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http://www.alexandermccallsmith.com

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Humor , Romance , Middle Grade & Children's , Memoir & Autobiography , Fiction , History & Biography , Mystery & Thriller , Historical Fiction , Picture Books , Horror , Poetry , Paranormal Fantasy , Fantasy , Young Adult Fiction , Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction , Science Fiction , Graphic Novels & Comics

Read Books by Alexander McCall Smith

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The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (2012)

All the things that make this series memorable are present in this novel, but it's just all starting to feel samey. The only progression that we see in this outing is that Fanwell is displaying the beginning of maturity, but other than that we have all the same players doing all the same things....

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A Conspiracy of Friends (2000)

I enjoy the usually low-key writings of McCall Smith. This book, however, does get a little more tense as a character is forced into being a gigolo. It is always amusing to read the thoughts of the dog, Freddy de la Hay, as written by the author, especially since Freddie gets lost. Then there ...

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Trains and Lovers (2013)

Alexander McCall Smith's writing puts our flaws and those of our companions into beautiful perspective. People constantly surprise one another with their unexpected goodness and normality. This book pulls together the love stories of four people who meet on a train. Those stories are so common, b...

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The Unbearable Lightness of Scones (2008)

2.9 I blame this rating on my poor judgement. What was I thinking starting a series on it's 4 or 5th instalment? I'm pretty sure I would have picked up on the subtle nuances and charm of the characters if I gave myself the opportunity to grow fond of them in the first place. If you haven't read ...

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The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case (2000)

Baru tahu ternyata ada seri Precious kecil ini :P. Seri ini untuk anak-anak. Bahasanya tentu saja lebih sederhana. Kasusnya jauh lebih sederhana daripada seri dewasanya yang kasusnya juga kebanyakan sederhana :D. Bahkan bisa dibilang di buku ini tidak ada kasus sama sekali. Lah dari awal juga pem...

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Precious and the Puggies: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case (2010)

I read the first book in the No. 1 Lady's Detective Agency series and really enjoyed it, so I thought it would be fun to introduce my daughters to Precious, the famous female detective from that series. This book was just ok ... kind of slow moving, but as always, the descriptions of Africa and i...

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Great Cake Mystery (Lib) (2012)

A very sweet and simple MG reader in the same vein as his adult No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. Very simple plot and little character development make this a very quick read but not very fulfilling. The great information about Africa contained in the book would make it a really good multi-...

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Precious and the Monkeys (2011)

This was great! I have never read the 'grown-up' version, but this book was exceptional! Loved the story-line. Loved the humor. Loved Precious. Loved the illustrations. We were laughing out loud at several points during the story, but that might just be us. ;o) The not-too-preachy message about ...

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Amori in viaggio (2014)

Trains and Lovers by Alexander SmithVarious stories from people who share the train and their life experiences. Loved the travel each had described and loved the jobs of a few of them: fisherman who lost his oar and the one who had picked up the steam train in a art setting where trains had not e...

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Bertie's Guide to Life and Mothers (2013)

This series is pure pleasure ...and what a fun twist for Bertie and Stuart ...and Ulysses, who becomes a real baby, laughing at the pleasure of seeing his brother after Bertie goes off on a camping trip! Lots of great changes for many characters, including one new one who listens to Penguin Cafe...

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Lonely Planet: Better Than Fiction: True Travel Tales from Great Fiction Writers (2013)

Reading travel literature is one of my favourite things to do. Unfortunately, some authors seem to believe that the subject matter, I.e the location, makes up for poor writing skills. Imagine how pleased I was to find this book of true travel stories written by really good authors. I loved it a...

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In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (2005)

Precious Ramotswe, Botwana's No.1 Lady Detective, is usually concerned with other people's problems and mishaps. She handles these with aplomb, common sense and, sometimes a little pressure... Her usual cheerfulness is rarely put to the test. Yet, when it comes to difficulties in her own life, sh...

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Morality for Beautiful Girls (2002)

Buat kamu yang baru akan pertama kali membaca serial ini–ya, ini sebuah serial terdiri dari beberapa judul, jadi sebaiknya dibaca secara urut dari buku pertamanya : Kantor Detektif Perempuan No. 1–aku ingatkan untuk bersiap diri mendapati kisah detektif yang berbeda. Kau tidak bisa berharap akan ...

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The Kalahari Typing School for Men (2004)

It's always nice to return to this world where everyone is blunt and honest and all the bad stuff happens because of Western influence or men. This installment is quite simple, even as these books go. There's a rival private investigator who opens up, then he closes. Mma Ramotswe has to find some...

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Tears of the Giraffe (2003)

Airmata jerapah? Rasanya kita di Indonesia tak pernah mendengar istilah itu. Ada juga airmata buaya, yaitu istilah untuk menyatakan kepura-puraan seseorang menangisi kesedihan atau kemalangan orang lain. Karena pura-pura sedih - sebab sebenarnya ia justru bahagia atas kemalangan tersebut - maka a...

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The Full Cupboard of Life (2005)

Publicado em 2003, é o quinto volume da série Agência Nº1 de Mulheres Detetives e continua deliciosa, viciante, lindamente singela. Mma Ramotswe ama a África especialmente por sua beleza e por seu povo, e esse foi um dos motivos que a levou a fundar sua agência de investigação, o desejo de ajudar...

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Blue Shoes and Happiness (2007)

I love these books from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. The dialogue, description of the countryside and local customs, and vividly described characters all make you feel like you are there in Botswana. I laugh when I hear Mma Ramotswe talk about her traditional build, as she enjoys ...

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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (2003)

I'm no fan of mystery, crime or detective books - the bore me, generally, though I loved Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher books in high school and Agatha Christie's Ten Little Niggers gave me chills (since renamed And Then There Were None, for obvious reasons - but I've got an old edition).The No....

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Espresso Tales (2006)

I really enjoyed the first of Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street novels, and so was really looking forward to reading this. However, I didn’t quite enjoy this one as much.On the plus side, I really love the drama of the Pollock family. Poor Bertie has now started at Steiner’s school-wher...

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The Sunday Philosophy Club (2005)

Alexander McCall Smith is best known for his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, of which I am a fan. He has another series featuring Isabel Dalhousie, a cultured and wealthy Scottish lady (and I use the term advisedly), which sounds far more like my usual preference than a genial African woma...

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The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs (2004)

I randomly stumbled upon this book on a booksale. The title caught my attention since I owned a Dachshund for more than a year already and quite thinking on reading some literature involving them. Hence, I bought it. This 2003 novel by the Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith, is a second nove...

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At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances (2004)

I read the first book in this series, “Portuguese Irregular Verbs,” found it quite amusing and so wanted to read another in the series. My second foray was “At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances” which I listened to via a CD audio book. This book is good, but I preferred the first in the se...

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44 Scotland Street (2005)

44 SCOTLAND STREET - Book 1The residents and neighbors of 44 Scotland Street and the city of Edinburgh come to vivid life in these gently satirical, wonderfully perceptive serial novels, featuring six-year-old Bertie, a remarkably precocious boy—just ask his mother. Welcome to 44 Scotland Street...

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Love Over Scotland (2015)

Bertie, the precocious six-year-old, has managed to escape the clutches of his controlling mother for a couple of glorious days in Paris; Angus Lordie, dishevelled portrait painter, has become separated from his two dearest friends – Cyril the dog, who is lost, and Domenica MacDonald, who has se...

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Max and Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery (2007)

It was a great book. This is the first one that I've read of this series. It's about these two children, Max and Maddy. They go on lots of adventures. Most of the people in my family like them because they are very mysterious and you don't know what will happen next. There was a villan named Prof...

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Portuguese Irregular Verbs (2006)

Esse é o primeiro livro da série que traz como protagonista o Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, filologista e maior especialista no estudo dos verbos portugueses irregulares e seus colegas Professor Dr Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer e o Professor Dr Dr (honoris causa) Florianus Prinzel.Não sabe...

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Mr. Sampath - The Printer of Malgudi, The Financial Expert, Waiting for the Mahatma (2006)

In the novels of R. K. Narayan (1906-2001), the forefather of modern Indian fiction, human-scale hopes and epiphanies express the promise of a nation as it awakens to its place in the world. The three novels brought together in this volume, all written after India’s independence, are masterpieces...

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The Careful Use of Compliments (2007)

Rating: 3.5* of fiveThe Book Report: Isabel Dalhousie, wealthy old-Edinburgh-family woman, art collector, philosopher, editrix of The Journal of Applied Ethics, lover of a beautiful younger musician, single mother.Wait...what?!My Review: This is the fourth Isabel Dalhousie novel, as I am pleased ...

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The 2 1/2 Pillars of Wisdom (2015)

The 2 1/2 Pillars of Wisdom is the exciting and humorous trilogy of tales featuring the hapless Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, Professor of Philology, and his two professorial colleagues - Prof Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer and Professor Florianus Prinzel. In Portuguese Irregular Verbs the three Prof...

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The World According to Bertie (2007)

I adore Alexander McCall Smith's style of light-as-a-feather writing, but wished he'd stop using German in his novels. Firstly, because it's rather pretentious and secondly, because the man hasn't the first notion of the German language and always gets it wrong...and to compound his error always ...

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The Baboons Who Went This Way and That (2006)

A man with a tree growing out of his head? A woman with children made of wax? A bird that can be milked? Let Alexander McCall Smith once again take you to a land where the bizarre is everyday and magic is real, with more illustrated stories from his celebration of African folktales.

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The Miracle at Speedy Motors (2008)

The further adventures of Mma Ramotswe & Mma Makutsi of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective agency, et al. This installment involves tragedy with a new bed, threatening letters to the agency, the possibility of a medical miracle for Motholeli, and a search for a client's lost family.Alexander McCall Smit...

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The Novel Habits of Happiness (2015)

The 10th book in this beloved author's consistently bestselling series featuring his insatiably curious, ever-delightful Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth who now takes on a case like none she's had before: one with paranormal implications. From a small town outside Edinburgh comes t...

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The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine (2015)

Fanwell, the young mechanic, had lowered a car onto his foot, with the result that he’d had to be rushed to the emergency department at the Princess Marina Hospital. “I warned him and warned him,” said Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni as he came into the kitchen on his return from work. “I warned him, Mma Ram...

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Unusual Uses for Olive Oil (2012)

—The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) 44 SCOTLAND STREETAll of Alexander McCall Smith’s trademark warmth and wit come into play in this novel chronicling the lives of the residents of a converted Georgian town house in Edinburgh. Complete with colorful characters, love triangles, and even a mysteriou...

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At the Reunion Buffet (2015)

said Jamie. “I thought about it—quite hard, actually, but at the end of the day decided no, I wouldn’t.” “Wouldn’t, or couldn’t?” asked Isabel Dalhousie, his wife, his lover, his friend, and, in addition to all that, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. “There’s a difference, you know.” “I cou...

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Chance Developments (2016)

In any photograph of two people there are three people: the two in the picture, in this case the man sitting on the woman’s lap, and then there is the person behind the camera. We see the two people, smiling over something, pleased that they are there rather than somewhere else, pleased, we assum...

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The Dog Who Came in from the Cold (2012)

The Reassurances of Home “SO WHAT DO I DO?” Caroline asked. “What do I say to him?” Jo shrugged. “I don’t see that you need to say anything to him. I thought you had gone over that ground. He’s told you what he feels—or doesn’t feel, in his case. So now you both know and you can move on.” “Move o...

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Precious and the Mystery of Meercat Hill

Whenever she saw Pontsho at school she would ask him how the meerkat was, and he would tell her of Kosi’s latest adventures. He had caught a large scorpion, he said, or he had stolen a piece of bread from the kitchen, or had done some other thing that meerkats like to do. One of these things, Pon...

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The Forever Girl

The Cayman Prep School took children up to thirteen before handing them over to the High School. Many children made the transition smoothly and completed their education in the senior division next door, but for a considerable proportion of expatriates the expense of sending children for their se...

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Fatty O'Leary's Dinner Party (2014)

Fatty was placed in the front row of the economy cabin, while Betty was seated ten rows behind him, lost in the sea of faces that a large aircraft so quickly becomes. Fatty craned his neck to get a glimpse of his wife, and she waved cheerfully to him before they both settled. Then the procedures ...

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The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (13)

1 Ladies’ Detective Agency @page { margin-bottom: 5.000000pt; margin-top: 5.000000pt; } THE HABITS OF LIONS MMA RAMOTSWE seemed to find the turning without any difficulty. “I remember that tree,” she said to Mma Makutsi as she swung the van off onto the pitted dirt track. “When I came...

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Precious and Grace (2016)

So lists of things achieved—cases closed, and so on—tended to include matters that were almost, but not quite finished, and lists of things to be done by noon embraced tasks that might well not be performed until four o’clock in the afternoon or possibly even noon the following day. This did not ...

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The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (2011)

Mma Makutsi was conscientious—one did not achieve ninety-seven per cent in the final examinations of the Botswana Secretarial College without demonstrating responsibility and the capacity for hard work—but she felt, nonetheless, that Mma Ramotswe could hardly have meant for her to go back to the ...

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La's Orchestra Saves the World (2008)

La recognised this all along, and later she said, “Tim, you may call this La’s Orchestra, but it’s really you who’s done all the work.” He was modest. “Nonsense. It’s La’s Orchestra because it was your idea and you’re the conductor. Enough said.” But she was right about the work. After he had wri...

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Explosive Adventures (2015)

“It worked perfectly,” he said. “But now we must get ready for the next stage of the plan. Mr Bhalla, have you got them?” Mr Bhalla nodded. “I’ve laid them all out in the room next door,” he said. “And Aunt Gopal has been busy doing some stitching.” “Good,” said Billy. “That will be one for me, o...

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The Great Cake Mystery (2012)

she asked. “Are you children fighting?” “We’re not fighting, Mma,” cried Tapiwa, pointing a finger at Poloko. “We’ve found the thief. It’s this boy! This boy right here!” The teacher looked at Poloko. “Have you stolen something, Poloko?” Poloko hung his head. “No, Mma, I have not stolen anything....

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The Forgotten Affairs of Youth (2011)

Isabel said. “I may remember one thing and you may remember something else altogether. Even if we were both in the same place at the same time.” She was walking across the Meadows with Jane. The morning, having started with a cool breeze off the North Sea, was beginning to warm up as the wind shi...

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Ladies' Detective Agency 01 - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

1 Ladies’ Detective Agency “A literary confection. …There is no end to the pleasure.”—The New York Times Book Review THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY Volume 1 Millions of readers have fallen in love with the traditionally built, eminently sensible, and cunning proprietor of the only ladies’ det...

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Trains and Lovers: A Novel

He thought, too, of moral luck.“Moral luck.”Kay looked at him enquiringly.“What exactly is moral luck?”Hugh smiled. “I only know what it means because I took a philosophy course at university; I had a gap to fill in, and I chose philosophy. We had a lecturer who was interested in moral luck and s...

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1997 - The Chocolate Money Mystery

Then she drew a deep breath and dashed as fast as she could to the back of the dog shed. So far so good, she thought. Now all she had to do was to wait for Max’s signal. This came a minute or so later, a low whistle which anybody else would think was a bird call but which she knew was her brother...

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The Double Comfort Safari Club (2010)

“As many days as you like, Mma,” she said. “You must be there at the hospital. You must be at Phuti’s bedside—that is where you should be.” Mma Makutsi had thanked her, but assured her that she would only take a day or two at the most. She was not one to take unscheduled leave, and had always ins...

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The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (2007)

She would have preferred to have gone to Mochudi in the place of Mr. Polopetsi, who she thought would not have been likely to add very much to the investigation. But she was cautious about giving offence to Mma Ramotswe after the misunderstandings of the previous day, and she kept those feelings ...

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The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel (9)

After Duncan had left the room to meet the lawyer, she had risen from the settee to stretch her legs. Moving to one of the windows, she was looking out of it, over a box hedge and lawn to trees beyond: sycamores, with some birch. The branches of the birch, silver and green, swayed against the sky...

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The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (2013)

Following his early morning visit to her office, Phuti rang her up later the same day and told her that his wife would be coming out of hospital after two or three days and Mma Ramotswe was welcome to visit any time after the weekend. Grace and the baby were not going to the aunt’s house after al...

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The Importance of Being Seven

The News from Arbroath In a quite different coffee bar, on the other side of town, Big Lou was preparing to receive her morning regulars – Matthew, Angus Lordie and Angus Lordie’s dog, Cyril. Angus was generally unreliable, she thought, and might drop in any time between ten and ten-thirty, wher...

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The Charming Quirks of Others (2010)

“He’s fast asleep,” she said, nodding in the direction of upstairs. “Exhausted. Out for the count.” She rolled her eyes heavenwards. “I wish I could sleep like that. The benefits of a clear conscience, perhaps.” “Or no conscience,” said Isabel. Grace, who had started to go back into the kitchen, ...

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Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009)

It was difficult enough, in fact, for her to walk to the bathroom without limping when she got out of bed shortly before six o'clock, such was the discomfort of the blister on her right foot. The plaster that Dr. Moffat had put on the day before had peeled off during the night, leaving the angry ...

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The Harriet Bean 3-Book Omnibus (2013)

said the new aunt, “I could tell that you were uncertain which one I was.” I went forward and shook hands with Aunt Thessalonika. She had a kind face, and I knew at once that I was going to like her. The only problem, of course, was her mind reading. Could she really tell what people were thinkin...

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The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe (2014)

1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (15) CHAPTER TWO PEOPLE WITH VERY LONG NOSES MMA MAKUTSI opened the door to their visitors. “Mr. and Mrs.…,” she announced, looking at them expectantly. The man shook his head. “Not Mr. and Mrs.,” he corrected. “Mr. and Miss.” Mma Makutsi was unembarrassed. “Then Mr. an...

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