At the urging of her friends, family and co-workers, Precious Ramotswe, the owner of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, decides to take her first vacation ever since she opened the establishment that's done so much good in sorting out the muddled affairs of others. Instead of looking forward to her holiday with glee, however, she is apprehensive about leaving her business in the hands of Mma Makutsi, her co-director, and concerned about how she will occupy herself when she can't go to work. After all, Mma Ramotswe is happiest when she's helping others.

Reservations aside, Mma Ramotswe recognizes the importance of a period of restorative rest and sets out with every intention of relaxing during her period of enforced abstinence from work. Even so, she soon finds herself cleaning out kitchen cupboards, visiting a dear friend who runs a nearby orphanage, and having tea at the President Hotel with a group of women who embrace the malicious gossip that she herself tries to avoid, all in an effort to distract herself from wondering why Mma Makutsi was so eager to evict her from her office for a holiday she didn't even want to take.

"THE WOMAN WHO WALKED IN SUNSHINE...brings with it the usual warmth and wisdom that readers find so comforting. The simple style of storytelling that signifies an Alexander McCall Smith novel is present..."

Early in her vacation, Mma Ramotswe encounters a troubled youth who willfully damages her battered but beloved van. Instead of repaying one ill deed with another, she takes time out to listen to the boy and understand his desperate situation. She then springs into action to remove him from an abusive home and place him where he'll be loved and cared for.

Once her good deed is done, Mma Ramotswe finds herself approached by Mr. Polopetsi, a part-time employee of the agency who has been placed in charge of the complicated case of an influential new client who wishes to keep matters hush hush. Convinced that Mma Makutsi is incapable of handling the matter herself and at a loss as to what to do next, Mr. Polopetsi hesitantly interrupts Mma Ramotswe's vacation to gain her help.

With all of the matters that seem to shout so loudly for her attention, will Mma Ramotswe carve out the opportunity for a little R&R during her time off, or will she simply spend her time as she always does, helping others arrange their messy lives into something more manageable?

THE WOMAN WHO WALKED IN SUNSHINE, the 16th installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, brings with it the usual warmth and wisdom that readers find so comforting. The simple style of storytelling that signifies an Alexander McCall Smith novel is present as Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi and the rest of the gang work together to solve mysteries and bring a happy ending to all concerned under the burning heat of the African sun in their small corner of Botswana.