The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax

This series was recommended to me by a friend who is an avid and broad reader as a fun bit of escapism. I have not been disappointed. If you are looking for great literature, this isn't it. For fast, easy reading whose protagonist will instantly capture and hold your heart, this is a perfect series.

"I seem to bloom once a year," muses Emily Pollifax, that 60-some, shrewd and spirited grandmother and occasional CIA agent, when Mr. Carstairs, for the third time, calls on her in the month of July. One of his Bulgarian agents has barely escaped the country with his life, bringing a plea for passports and identity papers from a mysterious underground group, and these Carstairs wants Mrs. Pollifax to deliver--even though, as his assistant Bishop observes, he ages 10 years every time she's on an assignment. ("She breaks all the rules," he complains-- "doesn't even know there *are* rules. She goes off on tangents, operates on impulse and trusts her intution." But that's one of the reasons she's so useful.) But "Upstairs" wants to make more efficient use of her, much to Carstairs's irritation, by also using her as a mule to unknowingly smuggle in a large amount of counterfeit Russian paper money. There's also the question of General Ignatov, the ambitious and dangerous new darling of Bulgaria's Soviet masters, who's been courting the younger members of the country's secret police. Then Mrs. Pollifax unexpectedly crosses paths with a group of young tourists--"almost hippies," as the US consul in Sofia complains--one of whom, Philip Trenda, is scarcely inside Bulgaria before he's arrested for espionage. Soon she discovers that this incident is part of a sinister plot to extort a huge ransom from his wealthy father--and that he isn't likely to survive it. What's more, some of the Underground members for whom her cargo of passports are intended have been cast into the same prison. So, naturally, Mrs. Pollifax--assisted by an expert bowman, a goose-wrangler, a fabricator of fireworks, an American girl with a gift for gymnastics, and a Bulgarian patriot of decidedly mysterious origins--makes up her mind to get them all out. What follows is perhaps the most delightful and fast-moving yet of the Pollifax saga, which really hits its stride with this entry.

The books in this series get better & better. I didn't much care for the first, so it was awhile before I returned for number 2 & now 3. I'm so glad I did. This one had more depth & the characterizations were richer than previous books. The novels are so short - I compared them in a previous review to episodes of "Murder She Wrote" & Jessica Fletcher - so it has taken until this third book before I've felt any fondness for the character of Mrs. Pollifax. Now, I can say I'm looking forward to the rest of the series, & would encourage other fans of the "cozy mystery" genre to stick with the books even if you do not particularly like the first two. By the end of the third, you'll be hooked!

Interesting tale first published in 1971 about spies, communism, Balkan States politics, and a widowed senior citizen amateur volunteer employed as a courier by the CIA. Call it historical fiction.
Just suspend disbelief for a while and enjoy this view into a time and place not so different from now with a fascinating cast of characters doing things improbable even then. The story line holds interest, and the length is far from epic. The series is addictive and yet appropriate for any age reader, maybe even Harry Dresden.

The 3rd book written by Dorothy Gilman is another book filled with intrigue and heroism. Mrs. Pollifax, a widow who enjoys teas and garden clubs, sets out on her third courier job for the CIA, a mission which starts in Bulgaria. Mrs. Pollifax is a CIA agent assigned to smuggle forged passports into the country, for the use of some agents that have found themselves in need of escape. However, as in her previous two cases, no simple courier job ends up that way, and she also works to assist a group of college kids that find themselves in trouble.

I was enthralled with the third assignment of Mrs. Pollifax, and enjoyed every moment spent with her on this adventure. Mrs. Pollifax is not a person that you would initially feel would make a good CIA agent. She is elderly, loves to wear outlandish hats, and finds a way to talk and get to know everyone around her. But it is just these qualities that make her so invisible in the world of spies, and even the most cynical of agents falls under her spell. I loved the fact that Mrs. Pollifax is learning karate (since she hates guns I worried about how she could plausibly protect herself) and that she was just as lovable yet determined as she was in the previous books. If you have not tried this series, pick up a copy of this book and the previous books, and join the millions of others who are charmed by this beloved character!

The first book in the series is "The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax". Enjoy!

The 3rd book written by Dorothy Gilman is another book filled with intrigue and heroism. Mrs. Pollifax, a widow who enjoys teas and garden clubs, sets out on her third courier job for the CIA, a mission which starts in Bulgaria. Mrs. Pollifax is a CIA agent assigned to smuggle forged passports into the country, for the use of some agents that have found themselves in need of escape. However, as in her previous two cases, no simple courier job ends up that way, and she also works to assist a group of college kids that find themselves in trouble.

I was enthralled with the third assignment of Mrs. Pollifax, and enjoyed every moment spent with her on this adventure. Mrs. Pollifax is not a person that you would initially feel would make a good CIA agent. She is elderly, loves to wear outlandish hats, and finds a way to talk and get to know everyone around her. But it is just these qualities that make her so invisible in the world of spies, and even the most cynical of agents falls under her spell. I loved the fact that Mrs. Pollifax is learning karate (since she hates guns I worried about how she could plausibly protect herself) and that she was just as lovable yet determined as she was in the previous books. If you have not tried this series, pick up a copy of this book and the previous books, and join the millions of others who are charmed by this beloved character!

The first book in the series is "The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax". Enjoy!

The 3rd book written by Dorothy Gilman is another book filled with intrigue and heroism. Mrs. Pollifax, a widow who enjoys teas and garden clubs, sets out on her third courier job for the CIA, a mission which starts in Bulgaria. Mrs. Pollifax is a CIA agent assigned to smuggle forged passports into the country, for the use of some agents that have found themselves in need of escape. However, as in her previous two cases, no simple courier job ends up that way, and she also works to assist a group of college kids that find themselves in trouble.

I was enthralled with the third assignment of Mrs. Pollifax, and enjoyed every moment spent with her on this adventure. Mrs. Pollifax is not a person that you would initially feel would make a good CIA agent. She is elderly, loves to wear outlandish hats, and finds a way to talk and get to know everyone around her. But it is just these qualities that make her so invisible in the world of spies, and even the most cynical of agents falls under her spell. I loved the fact that Mrs. Pollifax is learning karate (since she hates guns I worried about how she could plausibly protect herself) and that she was just as lovable yet determined as she was in the previous books. If you have not tried this series, pick up a copy of this book and the previous books, and join the millions of others who are charmed by this beloved character!

The first book in the series is "The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax". Enjoy!

This wonderful third novel of Mrs Pollifax is set in Bulgaria and was written during the cold war, making it even more precious.

Her original mission of smuggling passports is compromised by the CIA decision to smuggle counterfeit bills inside of her coat without telling her. So with passports in a birds nest hat, and counterfeit bills unexpectedly in her coat, she heads out for her mission. Things go very wrong when she meets a group of teens on the trip, and one of them gets in serious trouble when he is picked up at the border.

In a wild, whacky adventure, it is up to her to get the passports delivered, the counterfeit money into play, and the teen rescued, all while avoiding and angering the woman and guard assigned to keep her doing the "correct" tourist things.

Sure to please all dedicated Mrs. Polifax fans.

Mrs. Pollifax always entertains and this installment is very enjoyable. Mrs. Pollifax is commisioned to deliver passports to the underground in Bulgaria and in her usual manner, Mrs. Pollifax makes new friends, this time a couple of young people visiting Europe and members of the underground, and sends Carstairs into fits with her solutions to unexpected problems. Even though this series was written in the early 70s and the political climate has changed, the characters still hold strong today.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good spy story with a bit of good old commonsense thrown in for good measure. Mrs. Pollifax is a breath of fresh air in a slightly smoggy world.

The Mrs. Pollifax novels are a delight to read. Her plots have enough twists to keep you in suspense, the characters are believable, whether smart, funny or very scary. And I love the armchair and safe traveling I do in Ms. Gilmans books!

The writing is good, the story charming and the characters well defined. But, oh, those coincidences. Not an hour has passed after Mrs. P. gets her assignment than she is given a small piece of paper that turns out to be the identification of a secret police agent, pilfered by one student from another.

In carrying out her assignment, she meets a friend of the pilfering student who is good with knots and ropes, the Bulgarian underground just happens to have explosives at hand, with an expert to handle it, a man who is good with shooting arrows, a bribed guard and a woman who works at the exact spot where a prisoner is to be rescued.

I don't mind the sentimental adornments but all this is just too easy and pat.

This series is engaging from the time you first begin to meet this grandmotherly woman with her garden club news about the growing of geraniums, her fly away white hair topped by out of the ordinary hats, and her diligent practice of yoga and karate. Not quie what you expected! And that is just the beginning. You can read these books for their excellent writing, the engaging Mrs. Polifax, and the supportive and threatening people she meets along the way of each new adventure. You won't be disappointed! But for these books, written years ago, offer an interesting contrast to life today. For example the absence of cell phones shows up early! The changes in world politics is another huge issue you cannot ignore. Some of the attitudes people express might challenge you. The downside is that the wonderful Dorothy Gillman is not going to offer any new books so savor each one as they are all treasures in courage, ingenuity, and. New surprises.

Who would think a cozy mystery series would feature a CIA agent? Well, reading the Mrs. Pollifax series makes it clear how this can be. This novel is set in Bulgaria during the Cold War era. Bishop reminds Carstairs of the problems that beset the simple errands that Mrs Pollifax has to run, but Carstairs blows him off. Of course Bishop is right; Mrs. Pollifax cannot help but care about the people who surround her.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book; the sequel is lined up to be read.

Who would make the perfect spy? Mrs Pollifax is an old woman that no one would suspect no matter how she behaves. In this adventure a simple smuggling trip into Bulgaria turns into a much larger mission with unexpected alliances and friendship. Terrific book with great narration.