Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish [Hardcover]

Dorothy Gilman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1990

Mrs. Pollifax is on hand in Morocco to back up an inept CIA agent, and it's a good thing. Their first informant is killed, and Mrs. Pollifax begins to get the idea that her colleague is not who he says he is. Still, she forges ahead, checking out suspicious informants, and coming to the conclusion that someone is an imposter and someone wants her dead....

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This spirited mystery, the ninth featuring garden club matron and part-time secret agent Emily Pollifax shows the kindly grandmother at her steel-edged and resourceful best. Her superiors in the Atlas Group (an unofficial branch of the CIA) have dispatched Emily to Morocco to provide a cover for another of their agents, Max Janko. Emily will pose as Max's aunt to make the pair look like tourists, while in reality they will be trying to identify all seven agents in order to ferret out the mole who has recently infiltrated the Atlas network. Anticipating a relatively serene journey through picturesque Moroccan villages with an agreeable companion, Emily is dismayed to find Janko insufferably hostile. Worse, he intends to kill her. By the time the real Janko shows up, a murder has occurred, and Emily and her inexperienced companion are running for their lives from one dusty hamlet to the next, desperately trying to find the informer and save the rest of the network. Gilman's latest is well crafted, richly detailed and eminently suspenseful.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Carstairs' right hunch for the wrong reason provides the occasion for Mrs. Pollifax's journey to Morocco as Ajax agent disguised as aunt and traveling companion to Max Janko. Keen observation and quick thinking enable her to capitalize on opportunity as she speeds across the barren landscape, one step ahead of her assailants. Breakneck adventure and suspense are enhanced by insight into eastern culture and characters. This fast-paced armchair excursion into the exotic world of North Africa is equally entertaining for first-time readers of Mrs. Pollifax and her long-time fans. This may be one of the few books reluctant readers will actually finish. --Barbara Hawkins, West Potomac High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (May 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385414587
• ISBN-13: 978-0385414586
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #853,811 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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dorothy Gilman Does it Again!, June 16, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish (Mass Market Paperback)

Once again, Dorothy Gilman brings her reader along
with Emily Pollifax on another of her adventures. This
time Mrs. Pollifax visits Morocco, from the medina of Fez
to a small village on the edge of the desert (complete with
camel caravan). As always, Mrs. Pollifax overcomes each
obstacle with grace and skill (and the occasional bit of
luck) and wins out in the end. We get a mini history
lesson of the area and a brief lesson on Sufi whirling.
Dorothy Gilman continues to provide lovers of mystery novels
with a heroine worthy of being any woman's (or man's) role
model. Thanks for another great read, Dorothy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back to the old style!, July 13, 2001

By 

Bradley Cooper - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish (Mass Market Paperback)

After the disappointment of "Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle," Dorothy Gilman went back to the formula that works for the series with "Whirling Dervish." The story of Mrs. Pollifax traveling through a foreign land with a crusty agent makes for intrigue and comedy. A very enjoyable, exciting, quick read. Reminiscent in some ways of both "The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax" and "A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN ENCHANTING SERIES, July 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish (Mass Market Paperback)

All of the books in the Mrs. Pollifax series (as well as the whole of Mrs. Gilmans' works) are truly delightful. The reader will be swept away by the adventure, humor and intrigue, all the while learning about the customs and history of foreign lands. You can start with any book in the series, but if you have the chance, read them all. They are not to be missed!