Precious Ramotswe returns in her 12th adventure as the founder of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency with this volume. She and those around her seem to be haunted by the ghost of her old, reliable white van. She had to get rid of it a few books back because the repairs were going to be too costly. She greatly regretted the loss because it was really more of a friend than a mode of transportation. She can help but wonder what is going on, but she is going to find out.

Gace Makutsi, Mma Ramotswe's assistant at the detective agency, is thrilled to announce that she is going to be getting married to Phuti Radiphuti, the young man she has been seeing and the owner of a successful furniture store in town. She is very happy with him, and he is doing much better in dealing with the recent loss of his foot.

While her approaching marriage is something that is making Mma Makutsi very happy, she is very unhappy about the fact that Violet Sephotho, her nemesis from secretarial school, is running for a seat in the Botswana Parliament. In Grace's eyes, Violet has never worked hard and finds success primarily by using her looks and wily ways to get the attention of men. She is going to do everything she can to prevent Violet's election.

Charlie, one of the apprentices in Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's garage, is caught up in a bit of controversy when he is accused of having gotten a local girl pregnant. Considering his reputation as a layabout and a ladies' man, few doubt whether the accusations are true, particularly since he has run off. Mma Ramotswe is hoping to sort it out.

The primary mystery for Mma Ramotswe involves a local cattle farmer not far from Gabarone. Two of his cows have been killed, and he would like the area's best detective on the case. There is no shortage of suspects since so many people seem to really not like her client, but that doesn't stop her from talking to everyone and sorting out the complex social interactions in order to get to the truth.

This is another great addition to the series. As I have mentioned before, reading books in this series is like sitting down to visit friends. The people involved are generally very pleasant. The mysteries are never violent, but they are very important to the people involved. I was really sad to find out that the HBO series based on the novels was not optioned for renewal this past year because the stories, and its presentation of them, were excellent.