The Kalahari Typing School for Men - Book Review

Its hard to get a book that flows like  a gentle river and does not bore. For someone who is addicted to the pace of thrillers and murder mysteries, to be engaged with a book that does not have the pace of a Ferrari on a race track, is saying something.


The book has characters that are well developed, and you get the sense that you know them well. Asked to do a character sketch, you could easily visualise Mr. JLB Maketoni, Precious and even the young apprentice who has taken to the Lord.


The plot is simple, if one can call it that. It feels a lot like a slice out of a life that is ongoing. The reader is aware at all times that there was an eventful life before this book,  and there will be more events in these lives after the book as well. Yet there is a sense of completeness as one turns the last page. More like one has just gotten up from a very long high tea with close friends, than that one has just turned the last page on a book.


Compared to the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, this one was a little short on the details, and there were some loose ends, which is rare for this author. For instance, how come Precious did not check up on the credentials of the rival detective agency? And how did that agency suddenly shut down? We can surmise, of course, but these are loose ends that leave the reader wondering..