A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax

update: Okay-I am happier now. The BOOKS213 store that I was unhappy with emailed me and said they were refunding my money. They apologized for the error. I will order from them again as I was satisfied with their customer service-surprised at their quick reply and at their refunding of my money. Below is what I wrote before I heard from BOOKS213. the store Marketplace should keep them on their list.

This book was supposed to be "new" but it was definitely not new. I ordered "New" & the comment was: "NEW. GIFT QUALITY. PICTURE DIFFERENT ON COVER." Well-thank goodness I was not going to give this to someone-it definitely was not NEW! When I unwrapped it, it did not look new; you could see there was some wear and tear on it, and when I opened the front cover, there was a written message: "Pauline, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Lois." Not new. Not at all. I will keep the book and read it but will never order from BOOKS213 in McMinnville, Oregon again. the store Marketplace should remove them if they can not deliver what they advertise. I will read it, but I am not happy.

Loving this series. Mrs Pollifax is recruited to find some nuclear material. Carstairs thinks it is dangerous, not just a courier job, but he also thinks that to ferret it out and get to the bottom of the thefts, they need not a trained spy but a certain approach to people and observation. Mrs Pollifax agrees wholeheartedly. She goes off to Switzerland where the material was sent and makes friends with the chief suspect of Interpol and a small strange boy. She puts the pieces together but a little late in the game leading to more dramatic and ingenious escape maneuvers with recruited strangers who others maybe wouldn't trust with life death.

When the weather in Langley, VA, hits the humid 90's, you know it's about time for Mr. Carstairs of the CIA to call on Emily Pollifax, his favorite courier. But this time it's not a courier job he has for her. Nine pounds of plutonium--two short of the amount necessary to craft a small atom bomb--have gone missing in two separate thefts, and Carstairs and Interpol (to Mrs. P's astonishment) believe that at least some of it has been sent by mail to an exclusive health resort in the Swiss Alps. Discovering the truth, says Carstairs, will require "something more than training and experience...a rare kind of intuitiveness, a talent for sniffing out what others miss." And for all her unconventialities, 60-plus Mrs. Pollifax (who has recently joined the Save-Our-Environment Committee and begun studying yoga) has both these things in abundance.

In less than 48 hours at the resort, Mrs. Pollifax has set her unmistakeable stamp on the mission, meeting a gentlemanly British jewel thief and a ten-year-old Francophone Arabian boy desperate for a friend, furthering Cupid as she matchmakes with the thief and a gun-shy Belgian divorcee, finding the murdered body of her Interpol contact in a whirlpool bath, and beginning to unravel a conspiracy to topple the progressive king of an obscure oil-rich nation. And to everyone's amazement, this conspiracy turns out to be connected to the plutonium. Mrs. Pollifax is at the top of her form here, showing once again the cool-headed resourcefulness that tends to so astonish her foes.

Mrs. Pollifax is getting promoted, sort of. Her latest assignment is not her normal courier work. Instead, she has been booked at a luxury spa in Switzerland. Her assignment is to track down the plutonium that has been stolen from two plants recently and then shipped there. Almost enough has been stolen to make a small atomic bomb, so naturally Carstairs and the rest of the international intelligence community is worried.

Upon arriving, Mrs. Pollifax makes contact with her Interpol counterpart and begins to learn what she can about the guests. Robin Burke-Jones is clearly hiding something, but her attention is drawn to the young boy Hafez. Something is upsetting this 10-year-old. And no one ever sees his grandmother. Is he just a distraction? Where is the plutonium?

This absolutely delightful book is one of my three favorites in the series. What makes it for me are the characters. Of course, Mrs. Pollifax is her normal resourceful, charming self. But Robin and Hafez are just delights. The book is fairly predictable, and I was a step ahead of Mrs. Pollifax most of the time. But the pace is so fast that it never took long for me to catch up to her. And there are several heart stopping moments along the way.

This is like a small time machine back to 1973. You'll love every minute of it and wish it were longer.

This story is a bit lightweight, but very straightforward: 'Find the uranium, or else!' At just about 200 pages, the story doesn't feel as excessively padded as many recent novels, although the pacing is a bit languid when Mrs P is 'off duty'. However, the charcaters are entertaining, and engaging.
I've read a few books later in the series, and found that I preferred this one simply because a character who is prominently featured(and mentioned to excess) in later adventures, is not yet part of Mrs Pollifax's world. I found myself visualizing Angela Lansbury as Pollifax, since th story had a bit of a 'Murder, She Wrote' feel.
A good jumping-on point for anyone who's new to the series.

Four books in and I'm still roaring with laughter as this woman fumbles through the spy world. A combination of luck and sexism/ageism (nobody suspects an old lady) are the only things keeping this woman alive and the story is still (mostly) believable.

I don't know how much longer this series can go on, continuing to be this hilarious, but I'm in it for now.

I enjoyed this one even more than the previous three. I want to look up exactly when Dorothy Gilman wrote this. It's dated in some ways, but in others remarkably prescient. I am particularly impressed with her ability to portray Islamic extremists alongside Islamic peacemakers with such a balanced hand, making it quite clear that the extremist is self egrandising & delusional & manipulative, not a true representative of either Islamic or Arab identity on the whole. An easy read, but addresses larger issues sensitively nonetheless.

Love this series, possibly b/c Mrs. Pollifax and I are about the same age and I think I am having a vicarious experience through her. But I love these books and have learned a lot of geography while reading,
Own every single adventure and read them often. Sadly there will be no more as the author passed away a few years ago.

There is some plutonium missing and Mr. Carstairs of the CIA decides that Mrs. Pollifax is the one to find it. He dispatches her to an upscale clinic in Switzerland, where he suspects the
contraband has been hidden. She begins a careful investigation of the guests at the clinic and soon befriends a young man and woman, and a young boy and his grandmother. She soon discovers that very few of them are who they claim to be and she becomes involved in intrigue with men who plan to overthrow the government of a small country. She, of course, displays the courage and ingenuity which Mr. Carstairs has learned to depend on, and she leads her outnumbered friends into the adventure of their lives. This is a delightful series.

Mrs. Pollifax an intrepid senior citizen who works for the CIA, is sent to a Swiss medical clinic to investigate stolen Plutonium. Along the way, she gets involved with a mysterious jewel thief, a precocious child, and sunbathing diva. Can Mrs. Pollifax discover WHO is smuggling the plutonium, and WHY? Or is she destined to be just another casualty at the health spa?
I really enjoyed "A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax." Mrs. Pollifax, is a kind, engaging character whose outgoing personality and homey adivce, endear her to friends and enemies alike. In particular I enjoyed the character of Hafez and his grandmother.
This was a great edition to the Mrs. Pollifax series, sure to delight readers young AND old.

This Mrs Pollifax novel finds her supposedly recovering from the flu while seeking a package of Plutonium.

Of course, Mrs. Polifax can't do anything the simple way, and her conversations with a lonely child have her working to rescue his mother at the same time.

My favorite scene in this involves a tour of a castle when Mrs. Polifax discovers the toilets of old, a subject I had never given a thought to. Wonderful and quirky, sure to please te Mrs. Polifax fan.

I have recently been rereading all of Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax books (some for the first time in over a decade) and have just finished "A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax," her fourth. I love all of the Pollifax books but, so far, this is by far the scariest! I have not found any other Pollifax book to be so full of terror and suspense. Quite often, it is difficult to determine just how she will get out of the many and varied scrapes in which she finds herself. Once again, an incredibly fun and quick read.

(Based on the audiotape, no longer available (?) )
For once Carstairs sends Mrs. Pollifax into the thick of it, to a Swiss spa where some plutonium thieves are thought to lurk. Once again she meddles in side issues, in this case a child who seems strangely frightened, which turns out to be at the heart of the whole situation. This is also where she meets jewel thief Robin and helps turn him to the straight and narrow. Another entertaining outing, well-read by Rosenblat, as usual.

Dorothy Gillman's books about Mrs. Pollifax are a "don't miss" for anyone enjoying a spunky, older woman who works as an undercover spy. I have read all of her books and I would like to get them for my Kindle. Books about Mrs. Pollifax are as good to read the second or third time around! Don't pass up an opportunity to read any of these mysteries.

There is some plutonium missing and Mr. Carstairs of the CIA decides that Mrs. Pollifax is the one to find it. He dispatches her to an upscale clinic in Switzerland, where he suspects the
contraband has been hidden. She begins a careful investigation of the guests at the clinic and soon befriends a young man and woman, and a young boy and his grandmother. She soon discovers that very few of them are who they claim to be and she becomes involved in intrigue with men who plan to overthrow the government of a small country. She, of course, displays the courage and ingenuity which Mr. Carstairs has learned to depend on, and she leads her outnumbered friends into the adventure of their lives. This is a delightful series.

Mrs. Pollifax an intrepid senior citizen who works for the CIA, is sent to a Swiss medical clinic to investigate stolen Plutonium. Along the way, she gets involved with a mysterious jewel thief, a precocious child, and sunbathing diva. Can Mrs. Pollifax discover WHO is smuggling the plutonium, and WHY? Or is she destined to be just another casualty at the health spa?
I really enjoyed "A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax." Mrs. Pollifax, is a kind, engaging character whose outgoing personality and homey adivce, endear her to friends and enemies alike. In particular I enjoyed the character of Hafez and his grandmother.
This was a great edition to the Mrs. Pollifax series, sure to delight readers young AND old.

This Mrs Pollifax novel finds her supposedly recovering from the flu while seeking a package of Plutonium.

Of course, Mrs. Polifax can't do anything the simple way, and her conversations with a lonely child have her working to rescue his mother at the same time.

My favorite scene in this involves a tour of a castle when Mrs. Polifax discovers the toilets of old, a subject I had never given a thought to. Wonderful and quirky, sure to please te Mrs. Polifax fan.

I have recently been rereading all of Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax books (some for the first time in over a decade) and have just finished "A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax," her fourth. I love all of the Pollifax books but, so far, this is by far the scariest! I have not found any other Pollifax book to be so full of terror and suspense. Quite often, it is difficult to determine just how she will get out of the many and varied scrapes in which she finds herself. Once again, an incredibly fun and quick read.

(Based on the audiotape, no longer available (?) )
For once Carstairs sends Mrs. Pollifax into the thick of it, to a Swiss spa where some plutonium thieves are thought to lurk. Once again she meddles in side issues, in this case a child who seems strangely frightened, which turns out to be at the heart of the whole situation. This is also where she meets jewel thief Robin and helps turn him to the straight and narrow. Another entertaining outing, well-read by Rosenblat, as usual.

Dorothy Gillman's books about Mrs. Pollifax are a "don't miss" for anyone enjoying a spunky, older woman who works as an undercover spy. I have read all of her books and I would like to get them for my Kindle. Books about Mrs. Pollifax are as good to read the second or third time around! Don't pass up an opportunity to read any of these mysteries.

There's some missing plutonium, and the CIA has a mission for Mrs Pollifax. She goes to Switzerland to a "clinic", which is really a mountain resort. While there, she befriends a young Arab boy and a British cat burglar... and discovers danger of course. Much of the first half of this book is slow, but once she finds a dead body, the action picks up.

I LOVED this book. This was my first Mrs. Pollifax novel. I couldn't put the book down. Dorothy Gilman does a fabulous job creating the relationships. I especially enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax's unique relationships with both the boy Hafez and Robin, the cat burgler. The way Dorothy Gilman describes the settings of Lake Geneva, the clinic, the castle and the chalet all provide a balance of relaxation and adventure for the reader. I can't wait to read my next Mrs. P novel.... one problem.... which to read first?

Dorothy Gilman is an artist when she came up with Mrs. Pollifax series. Fast pace spying and resortfulness is our 60-plus secret agent Mrs. Pollifax who want to do something for her country. Gilman is a fun ride to read!

I recently discovered these books, which I assume are perhaps some of the first cozies ever written. They're enjoyable, light reading, with a bit of interesting background information. Mrs. Pollifax is brave, unflappable, and reminds me of my grandmother. She manages to save the day through her kindness, keen wit, and her deceptive un-spylike demeanor. I'll definitely buy more of these for when I want a quiet afternoon of enjoyable, non-angsty reading.