That it why I was so disappointed with this dud of a book, which is the fifth installment in the series. To begin with, the main mystery to be solved (i.e. a rich woman hires Precious to check on the backgrounds of some possible suitors for marriage) is a bit ho-hum. The character development and story flow, meanwhile, lacks the sparkle that made the earlier books such a gem to read.
Now it is true that certain parts of the book are enjoyable, such as Mma Potokwane's unconventional idea of having a fundraiser for her Orphan Farm through a parachute jump. With great skill, Mma Potokwane is able to convince Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni into jumping from an airplane, only to have Rra Matekoni (through the clever assistance of Precious) convince his older apprentice to jump in his place. Then there is the question of when Mr. Matekoni will finally marry Precious after such a long engagement.
These flashes of fun, however, are undermined by a book that is, to be frank, a bit dull. Not much happens in this fifth installment of the series, making it by far the weakest novel of the first five. When I finished reading this book, I couldn't help but compare it to a poor episode of an otherwise excellent TV series. In other words, I definitely won't "watch" this book as a "re-run," but I will certainly continue with the rest of the series.
2 1/2 of out 5 stars
