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Readers around the world have fallen in love with Alexander McCall Smith's stories of Mma Ramotswe, Africa's premier female detective who's crime solving has spawned eight novels to date - with more to come.

But putting the detective agency to one side the Zimbabwean-born author has written La's Orchestra Saves the World, which focuses on life in Suffolk during a turbulent 30 years for the world as a whole.

"I thought the 1930s was an interesting period because of the growing crisis in Europe," said McCall Smith. "I decided to trace the history of somebody involved in that time up until the early 1960s - the time of the Cuban missile crisis."

La (short for Lavender) originally appeared in a series for Radio 3. McCall Smith had the character, the orchestra and the bones for the story but still needed a location.

"I really had to choose somewhere for the story to take place and thought Suffolk would be a good choice. I think it's a very attractive county and a lovely part of England.

"I used to have an aunt who lived there and would go and visit her, so I got to know the countryside a little and it's always struck me as being a fascinating and lovely part of England."

Open-top tour of Suffolk

McCall Smith returned to Suffolk to reacquaint himself with the nuances of the county in the hope of adding texture to La's surroundings.

An old friend played host to the author and was happy to drive him around the villages of West Suffolk, but McCall Smith was anxious about the suggested mode of transport.

"We piled into this car he had, which was a wonderful open-top touring car. I got worried because it didn't have safety belts and it didn't have a top and so we went home and changed into a more sensible car.

"The theory was terrific but you feel quite vulnerable when you're in those old cars.

"We toured around and visited various people and villages. There are these wonderful villages that seem to have survived the modern age and we really enjoyed ourselves very much indeed.

"I was soaking up atmosphere and I love those little lanes that you've got in Suffolk with the old metal roadsigns still there. Marvelous."

And had Suffolk changed since he'd visited his aunt as a child?

"One always feels that the world has changed a great deal and one always feels the world has changed for the worse, which in many cases maybe it has.

Jill Scott as Mma Ramotswe

"There were fewer hedges I suppose, perhaps they're not as common as they used to be, but you've still got some wonderful hedgerows in Suffolk.

"The bit I know rather better is the bit not too far away from Bury. I have in the past been to the coast and I think you've got some wonderful parts round about Aldeburgh - gorgeous countryside.

"I do like the skies - I think you've got these lovely open skies. A gorgeous sense of openness which I really rather like.

"If you look at Dutch painting of the 17th Century you see that light captured and I suppose there are similar conditions in a way. One of the reasons why Dutch painting of that particular period has this gorgeous iluminescence is the water in the air so when you get closer to the coast in Suffolk you get similar light conditions and I find that wonderful.

"I wanted to get across a sense of place so I was also looking for the vegetation, what was growing at the edge of the road, things like that and looking at people's gardens. I'm familiar with some of the lovely houses and one of the things I love about the county is the faint pink wash.

"We went around churchyards which are often very moving. In particular one churchyard there were relatives buried and I found this very nice - just picking up local feeling in a way."

At home with La

The trip to Suffolk helped McCall Smith visualise La in her local setting.

"I had a very strong sense of her moving to Suffolk. She originally lived in London but goes to Suffolk after a failed marriage.

"She sets herself up on the edge of the village so I had a very strong sense of her house and who she was, and her getting to know people in the community.

"And then there's the gradual build up of tension with the international situation getting worse and worse and then along comes the Second World War. That was a period of tremendous heroism, I really admire what so many people did in that period and they really rose to the occasion.

"In particular if you look at the history of the RAF you cannot but be immensely impressed at the bravery of these men and women who started the RAF at that stage.

"It was a period of intense drama and great bravery and the whole idea of the book is that even those who weren't on the front line, so to speak, were nonetheless able to contribute something.

"In La's case she got a little amateur orchestra going with some of the airman from the RAF base and the locals playing the instruments. It's a story of how music can make a big difference to people."
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Listen again to Luke Deal's interview with Alexander McCall Smith:

La's Orchestra Saves the World is available now. The televised follow ups to the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency is due in 2009.