What is the author's style in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith?

The narrative unfolds primarily from the third person, past tense point of view, focusing on the experiences and perspectives of its central character, detective Precious Ramotswe. This particular point of view (the "limited" perspective) is often used in mystery novels (of which this book is a variation), drawing the reader into the mystery by placing him/her in a similar position to the detective. In other words, the reader discovers what the detective discovers as s/he discovers it. That said, there are also occasions when the narrative describes Mma Ramotswe's actions without letting the reader in on what she's doing, or why. A vivid example of this can be found in Chapter 5, when it's not entirely clear what Mma Ramotswe plans to do with the dog but is clearly up to SOMETHING. This variation on the technique, which might be described as keeping the detective's secrets, is also common to many mystery novels, particularly those written by Agatha Christie (the renowned British mystery writer whose work is referenced by Mma Ramotswe as an example of how women can know a lot about mystery).

It's important to note, however, that on one occasion, the narrative detours from its central perspective, associated with Mma Ramotswe, and for a chapter (Chapter 2) shifts into the first person point of view of her father, Obed Ramotswe. While Obed's story is certainly more interestingly told in first person than it would be if someone else (i.e. Mma Ramotswe or a narrator) was telling it, it is somewhat disconcerting and almost distracting, until one considers the larger thematic picture. As the narrative itself suggests, the stories of men like Obed Ramotswe tend to be forgotten, lost in other African stories. It may be that the shift into first person narrative, into an African man telling his story in his own voice, is a variation on the book's thematic consideration of African pride and identity (see "Themes - African Pride").