The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax [Mass Market Paperback]

Dorothy Gilman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 1987

While waiting for a view of her night-blooming cereus, the mild-seeming Mrs. Pollifax received urgent orders for a daring mission to aid an escape. Soon, the unlikely-looking international spy was sporting a beautiful new hat that hid eight forged passports....

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

My grandmother is a big fan of the MRS. POLLIFAX mysteries by Dorothy Gilman. I was at first hesitant
to try the books, because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to relate to mysteries featuring a suburban grandmother
working for the CIA. But because my grandmother's taste in literature has always been impeccable,
I decided to delve into Mrs. Pollifax's adventures. I began with THE UNEXPECTED MRS. POLLIFAX, the first
in the series, and immediately found them delightful. Mrs. Pollifax is just the kind of grandmother I'd
love to have: resourceful, intelligent, somewhat sly, and, of course, a secret CIA operative. Her
adventures take her to all corners of the globe: from an authentically described communist China
(MRS. POLLIFAX ON THE CHINA STATION) to an exhilarating safari across Africa (MRS. POLLIFAX ON
SAFARI). I've thoroughly enjoyed joining her on her adventures, and intend to read them all. I recommend them
to everyone who's interested in learning about different countries and cultures--and, obviously, espionage!

--Malinda Lo, Editorial Assistant

From the Inside Flap

While waiting for a view of her night-blooming cereus, the mild-seeming Mrs. Pollifax received urgent orders for a daring mission to aid an escape. Soon, the unlikely-looking international spy was sporting a beautiful new hat that hid eight forged passports....

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (September 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449215237
• ISBN-13: 978-0449215234
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.5 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dorothy Gilman is the author of thirteen Mrs. Pollifax novels, beginning with The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax and continuing through Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist. She lives in Westport, Connecticut.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No One Else Could have Passports Sewn Into her Hat!, July 26, 2003

By 

L Smith "acozylover" (Macomb, MI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax (Mass Market Paperback)

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!

A Cozy Mystery Lover

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is great for teens AND adults!, May 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax (Mass Market Paperback)

The Elusive Mrs. Polifax is a book about an old grandmother from New Brunswick, N.J. that is a CIA agent that is sent to take eight forged passports to a strange man that helped Shipkov cross the border of Bulgaria when the police were after Shipkov. Mrs. Polifax meets a young rich boy on the plane ride to Bulgaria. He is arrested for espoinage, or spying, when they arrive at the airport. meet the members of the Underground and try to find a way to get them to help get Phillip Trenda out of Panchevsky Institute. They have a wild night trying to free him with ropes, fire works, one pistol, and two dozen geese in just fifteen minutes..

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best in the series, February 1, 2002

By 

Kevin W. Parker (Greenbelt, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax (Audio Cassette)

I go back a couple of books in the series now to this one, the third. Fortunately there are no significant references to prior books this time around.

Anyhow, this time Mrs. Pollifax finds her way to Bulgaria. Supposedly she is only taking passports to the underground there, but her boss Carstairs is strongarmed into having her taking other items, sewn into her coat, along with her without her knowing it. Complications, unsurprisingly, ensue. She falls in with a group of travelling college students (and one in particular), and leaps in to help when one of them is held by the secret police.

She leads both friends and foes on a merry chase as she travels around Bulgaria. It's got to be one of the more complex plots of any of the books I've read so far, and as a result one of the most gripping.

Rosenblat again does a superb job with the voices.