Customer Reviews

Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish

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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.

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."

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!

First Sentence: They had been waiting among the low dunes for two days, a few goats feeding nearby on an impoverished growth of desert grass.

Emily Pollifax's husband is away and she's feeling bored. That soon ends when she is sent by the CIA to Morocco. She is to connect with another agent to locate and identify seven undercover agents. She finds she doesn't trust her contact; particularly as the agents they are to identify are either killed or disappear after their visits.

I had not read Mrs. Pollifax before and was very pleasantly surprised. I expected the book to be fluffy and annoying. Instead, it was much more serious than expected.

To compare Mrs. Pollifax to Ms. Marple would be doing both an injustice as they are very different. Mrs. Pollifax has the same intuitiveness, but also knows how to take care of herself. I loved the quote from "archie and mehitable": "There's a dance in the old dame yet, toujours gai, tourjours gai."

In addition to a very good story with an excellent sense o f place and plenty of suspense, Gilman provided a good history lesson and some basic philosophical reminders about what is important. I may just have to read more books in this series.

Mrs Pollifax is sent on an assignment to accompany a CIA agent on a mission to verify the identity of 7 foreign agents who are sympathetic to the Western Sahara independence cause. She has photos of the 7, and at least one might end up being an imposter. Along the way, unexpected danger occurs as her fellow CIA agent makes her nervous, and their first foreign contact is murdered. Mrs Pollifax is put into peril and is chased through the desert.

The descriptions of the scenery in Morocco are unusually good in this book. I took special interest in this since I recently read a book about Islam and was curious about Whirling Dervishes. In the book, we get a description of the dance of the Dervish. And of course the general sense of adventure is excellent. I highly recommend this book.

Dorothy Gilman writes smoothly and plots excellently. I am certain that others have compared her to Agatha Christie. This story begins as Carstairs determines that a situation requires the presence of Mrs. Pollifax. He thinks that Emily Pollifax would be able to correct whatever lack of tact the CIA man, Max Janko, possessed. He feels that it would be dangerous for Mrs. Pollifax to know too much. The destination is Morocco. Some years ago Mrs. Pollifax volunteered to be spy. Before being called this time she ws beginning to fear that Carstairs felt she was too old to be of any further use. She agreed to go to Morocco the following day. She is successful in her mission to foil the attempts of someone making impersonations of persons promoting the interest of the Polisarios. In the course of her adventures she encounters a small boy, a holy man, the sufi or whirling dervish of the title, and a former superior of Carstairs. The holy man she encounters is someone who saved Carstairs from certain death when he was serving in the OSS during World War II.

I love the Mrs. Pollifax series! It is Angela Lansbury's favorite series outside of Murder, She Wrote by Donald Bain! These are very well written, researched books that weave suspense, historical facts, fiction, and romance together in a nice easy-going way. :)

Mrs. Pollifax is looking for an adventure and finds one in Morocco. One of the undercover agents helping the CIA is not who he's supposed to be, and we try to guess along with Mrs. Pollifax before it's too late. Great atmosphere and appealing characters.

. . . and the inimitable Mrs. Pollifax of Dorothy Gilman's imagination kept me reading BUT it was not until chapter 15 that the Dervish emerges ~ as a captive. In this 9th *adventure* the wisdom of this Sufi holy man gives pause to the two on a secret mission for the CIA and strengthens their resolve. The reader must also have resolve, to sort out the author's thoughts about international politics & covert machinations.

One sane thought is injected along the way: "Never NEVER underestimate the lust for power - - it makes pawns of most of us . . . ". Emily Pollifax, the Yankee gardener-grandma & sometime undercover agent is paired with "Max" until they become "Alisha" and "Bashir" ~ she is veiled & both are wearing Moslem djellabahs. Their supposedly simple mission to confirm the identity of 7 informants in exotic Morocco has become most intriguing!

An 'unbecoming' thought or two: does a story-line, whether innocent or propagand-ish, inspire a trip (tax write-off) OR vice versa? Do these 'light entertainments' encourage readers to accept too casually the mayhem of undercover operations?

Foreign back-drops draw many readers with braying camels and "the gold & apricot colors of a desert dawn". Long before Mrs. P. is parted from Sidi Tahar and Ahmad ( the young boy so recently attached to them), the holy man tells Emily, "It is said that humility is the wealth of the poor, and that sitting with the rich hardens the heart." SO, mcHAIKU cautions you readers to remember to "Trust in Allah but tether your camel first." "Bismallah."

Mrs. Pollifax travels to Morocco in the ninth book of this delightful series. She is asked to pose as the aunt of a crusty agent who needs a little smoothing around the edges. They are to travel around Morocco and ascertain that the seven members of an information chain are all legitimate and match the pictures which have been entrusted to Mrs. Pollifax. She does not enjoy traveling with her companion and soon discovers that he is not who he says he is. Political intrigue and murder rear their ugly heads and Mrs. Pollifax is soon running for her life, while trying to ascertain who she can trust and who is out to eliminate her. This book introduces the reader to some delightful new characters while developing those we've already met, particularly an elusive gentleman who is in the upper echelons of the CIA's administration. This is a delightful read!