Customer Reviews

Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Emily Pollifax looks like everyone's harmless maiden aunt, but in reality, she is one of the CIA's top operatives. The resourceful Mrs. Pollifax has risked her life many times while on assignment for her country. Mrs. Pollifax teams up with freelancer John Farrell on an investigation into the disappearance of Amanda Pym in Syria. Ms. Pym was a fifteen-minute media superstar when she allegedly stopped an airplane hijacking from succeeding. Witnesses last saw Amanda enter a vehicle that waited for her at the Damascus Airport.

Farrell and Mrs. Pollifax land in Syria where the government places a tail on the duo. However, they quickly elude their shadow in order to obtain information that provides them with the first clue in their hunt. They soon enter the Syrian Desert where they meet American archeologist Joe Fleming. Joining the two operatives on their quest, Joe and the two spies seek an elusive individual who seems to be undergoing a rigorous training for a mission that has world implications.

Mrs. Pollifax is the international equivalent of Jessica Fletcher. Her latest adventure, MRS. POLLIFAX UNVEILED is filled with warmth and wit that will send readers to seek previous novels in the series. The lead protagonist thrives on adventure and action yet retains calmness during the dangerous storms she encounters. Farrell retains his enigmatic personality that keeps fans wondering about him. The story line flows smoother than silk while keeping the audience's attention from start to finish. Although this is a long running series, Dorothy Gillman keeps her tale and its characters as fresh as if they are making their debut. This ability is why readers will want another novel starring Mrs. Pollifax and Farrell.

Harriet Klausner

I couldn't wait for this book to come out, as I have loved reading Mrs. Pollifax books in the past, but this one seemed dull and uneventful compared to the others. The story never seemed to pick up and didn't have the delightful descriptions of the country that the other books have had. There were no real surprises or plot twists, and I am getting kind of sick of Farrell, even though I like the character, he's in too many of the books. I love her books set in the Middle East, but this one was basically the same geography as the last Mrs. Pollifax book (which was set in Jordan - Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled is set in Syria). Not to mention, having Mrs. Pollifax once again disguised as a native on a bus (also in The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax) was a bit weak. I was really disappointed in this book, compared to the others in the series, but since I do like the characters and the plot wasn't terrible, it was still entertaining. By the way, if anyone likes listening to audio books, Recorded Books, Inc. has brilliant recordings of all the Mrs. Pollifax novels. The narration is excellent. They have a website at recordedbooks.com or get one at your library!

Mrs. Pollifax has had barely enough time to recover from her last adventure (INNOCENT TOURIST) before Carstairs is calling again. Amanda Pym, an American who recently saved the lives on a hijacked plane, has been kidnapped. Believing that she is still alive, Carstairs sends Mrs. Pollifax and Farrell to Syria to track down the truth. By following notes left for them and attending secret rendezvous, they start to track down clues. But is she alive? Can Mrs. Pollifax free her if she is?

This is the fourteenth and latest is the long running and always enjoyable Mrs. Pollifax series. The plot is nothing out of the ordinary for this series, but enjoyable just the same and included a few interesting twists. Mrs. Pollifax is as resourceful as ever, and the cast of new characters is interesting and lively, especially Joe.

I recommend this book for any fan of the series. If you haven't read any yet, start with the first (UNEXPECTED MRS. POLLIFAX). You won't regret it.

This book was worth the wait - Mrs. P is back. I won't go into plot since everyone else including Amazon gives you that. This book is right up there and is what I call classic Mrs. P work. Action,adventure, humor - its all there. Take a break and enter the world of espionage with one of the least likely spies in the world. It won't take long to read this book. I doubt you can put it down once you start and you'll be hooked. I look forward to the next one. Is it done yet?

Mrs. Pollifax first sucked me into her slightly off-kilter espionage adventures back in the early 80s. As a teenage boy, I was proud to relate to such a spunky spy--who cared what the other kids thought!

I picked up "...Unveiled" with fond memories and found myself quickly drawn into Mrs. Pollifax's simplified, but fun, world of spies and intrigue. Sure, the story is somewhat predictable, but the fun level is perfect for those looking for a light weekend (or single evening) read. Mrs. Pollifax never tries to be more than she is, she just keeps plugging away at saving the world one adventure at a time.

Thanks Dorothy Gilman for not taking yourself too seriously.

Mrs. Pollifax is an unlikely candidate for a CIA spy.

Carstairs: "...Mrs. Pollifax, would you be free to leave on Sunday?

Emily Pollifax: "For Syria!" In her mind Mrs. Pollifax ran over her engagements and nodded. "I'd need only cancel Garden club on Monday, and my karate lesson on Tuesday."

In this Mrs. Pollifax book, she and Farrell are sent to Syria. A woman, who'd stopped some hijackers dead in their tracks, was missing. Mission: to bring Amanda Pym back to the United States.

Despite a beating each, Mrs. Pollifax and Farrell both got off easier than usual. This book, while still quite good, wasn't up to the standard of the other Mrs. Pollifax books. I've been reading Dorothy Gillman for over ten years, since "The Unexpected..." appeared in Reader's Digest "Condensed." While disappointed, I'm glad I read it. While I'm glad I read it, I'm also glad I borrowed it and didn't purchase it.

It was pretty good; I'll continue to read Dorothy Gillman's series.

I love Mrs. P. and her never-say-die attitude! This includes another series favorite, Farrel, in the usual mix of fascinating foreign settings, incredibly convenient coincidence and fast-paced action. I read it in a day!

After having read all the previous Mrs. Pollifax books I had been looking forward to reading this one, but found it rather disappointing. While the plot sounds like that of the other books the execution of the story is not up to the usual standard. It lacks the potential to identify with the characters, and even worse Mrs. Pollifax and Farell are both fairly flat characters. The new characters (Amanda and Joe) are a bit more lively, but still two dimensional. And the usual bunch of minor characters that give the other books their liveliness are either missing or just make a perfunctionary appearance. This book reads like a draft for the story before the characters get fully developed. Not a bad bad read, but not really worth buying.

As a long-time fan of Mrs. Pollifax, I ordered"Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled" as soon as I saw it was available,and anxiously waited for my wife to finish it so I would have mychance. Perhaps I should have waited longer.

All of the Mrs. Pollifax novels are light and fun reading. All but the latest are filled with interesting, well-developed characters and unexpected plot twists. Mrs. Pollifax did not succeed due to her charm, wit, and skill with interpersonal relationships. She succeeded instead due to standard plot tricks and unimaginative bad guys.

I highly recommend all the earlier Mrs. Pollifax novels. The characters develop sequentially through the the series. It is very unfortunate to see this trend stop. END

I've been a Mrs. Pollifax fan since the series first started back in the 60s, and I was just a young kid. Yet somehow this title escaped my notice until just the last few weeks, when I eagerly had to order a copy.

Since I love Mrs. Pollifax I don't regret ordering it, but if this book had been my introduction to her I never would have bothered to read a second book. I agree completely with the one and three star reviews here. The plot is mundane and pedestrian, the characters are not well developed, their motivations and actions are not developed either. Everything proceeds along a very dull straight line, with no interesting plots twists. The whole storyline around the character of Amanda Pym is thin and uninteresting.

If this is the best Ms. Gilman could do then I guess it's all for the best that she has written no more Mrs. Pollifax books after this one. I'd just as soon go back and reread the earlier books in the series that were exciting and intricate and wonderfully plotted. This one is not going to be very high on my reread pile, indeed if I ever reread it at all. Just a waste of my time, sad to say.

Also, this is not part of my review of the book, and does not affect the rating I gave it - but I bought this book as new, as part of Amazon's "4-for-3" offer, but when it came it was a USED copy, with lots of dog-eared and bent and even slightly ripped pages.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with used books. I love them, and I buy a lot of them, but I think it's very deceptive of Amazon to offer a book as "new" and then send you a used one. I expected to be getting new books with the 4-for-3 offer. I ordered them as new, and yet two of the four that I got were clearly used books and labeled as such when they arrived.