The Independent reports that a Scottish law professor, Alexander McCall Smith, has had unexpected success in the USA with his book The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. His female detective, Precious Ramotswe, has been called ‘the Miss Marple of Botswana’ by the New York Times. The book was published in an edition of 2,00 in 1998 and there are four sequels. Donald Rumsfeld and his wife are fans (hmm…).McCall Smith is apparently Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. According to his profile on the Human Genetics Commission website, he has written a textbook on law and medicine , several on criminal law and one on the law of Botswana.