The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean (Harriet Bean Series) » (First Edition)

Law professor Alexander McCall Smith had already written more than 50 books before inventing the heroine for his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series: Precious Ramotswe, the only female P.I. in Botswana. The books are as unconventional as their good-humored heroine, who relies on common sense -- and a few tidbits gleaned from Agatha Christie -- to solve her cases.

When Harriet discovers that she has yet another lost aunt—a cowgirl named Formica—she jumps at the chance to join her two detective aunts on a visit. Aunt Formica's ranch is being plagued by devious cattle rustlers, and she needs Harriet's help to track down the bandits and save the ranch. But the Wild West carries dangers all its own …

From bestselling novelist Alexander McCall Smith comes a charming new mystery that will keep young readers guessing—and laughing—from the first clue to the last.

Children's Literature

Harriet is constantly finding herself involved in adventures, mostly through her numerous aunts. When she learns about yet another aunt named Formica who is a cowgirl in America, more adventures arise. After meeting a couple of her aunts on a plane, Harriet is taken to Aunt Formica's ranch. Aunt Formica is plagued by cattle rustlers and it is up to Harriet and her aunts to stop them. The area around the ranch has many dangers other than rustlers, though, such as rattlesnakes. Can Harriet and her aunts outwit the rustlers? While the characters are quite entertaining, the plot drags in quite a few places. Harriet does not even get to the ranch until chapter three (out of eight chapters total), which is when the main action starts. Rankin's black- and-white illustrations are a fun complement to this amusing story.