Prairie Lights brings best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith to Iowa City

Alexander McCall Smith, the British-Zimbabwean author who has sold over 40 million books with his "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" novels, is coming to Iowa City for a Prairie Lights reading. 

McCall Smith will read from his latest book, "The Colors of All the Cattle," take audience questions and sign autographs at 7 p.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church.

The church is one of several venues Prairie Lights uses for readings that are expected to draw a much larger audience than the bookstore itself can handle.

Tickets are included with the purchase of his latest book through Prairie Lights, according to a news release from the book store. Those interested in attending should call 319-337-2681 or visit the book store at 15 S. Dubuque St. Tickets are not being sold online.

McCall Smith has become one of the most prolific and best-selling authors of the past 20 years.

Even with more than 100 books to his name, most of his success as an author didn't begin until he was 50 years old with the publication of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" in 1998, which centers around Mma Precious Ramotswe, a woman who starts Botswana's first detective agency. 

The series has spawned 19 books, including "The Colors of All the Cattle." In 2008, the series was turned into a short-running television series by BBC and HBO, which earned a Peabody Award. 

The inspiration for his Africa-based novels was McCall Smith's own childhood. He was born in Southern Rhodesia, what is now Zimbabwe, in 1948 and lived there until he went to the University of Edinburgh for college. 

Before becoming a novelist, he served as a professor of medical law at Edinburgh for decades.

His awards and honors are numerous. He was named a CBE, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in 2006, as well as the Presidential Order of Merit from the President of Botswana in 2011.

Reach Zach Berg at 319-887-5412, zberg@press-citizen.com or follow him on Twitter at @ZacharyBerg.