Alexander McCall Smith - Anyone familiar with his books?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Smith's books are more like Beaton's than like Cotterill's

In fact, I am mystified by the comparisons to Colin Cotterill, whose books are darker with the ever-present threat of political disgrace in 1970s Laos.

Smith's Botswana books (No. #1 Ladies' Detective Agency and others) are sunny, mildly humorous, and G-rated (or at the most, PG-rated). I recommended them for my mother, who disliked anything that had explicit sex or violence. I never would have given her a Cotterill book.

Smith's other books take place in Edinburgh, but I've read only one of them.