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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

15 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More like an novel steeped in mystery than a regular mystery, July 12, 2000

By

Karen Bierman Hirsh (Greenwich, CT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Clairvoyant Countess (Mass Market Paperback)

I adored this book. This was the first book of Ms. Gilman's that I have read and I can't wait to get my hands on some others soon. I thought that The Clairvoyant Countess was truly well written and wonderfully entertaining.

While this is not your average mystery as the book is more about the interaction between Madame Karitska and Detective Pruden than it is about the mysteries that they solve - it is still a great read for mystery lovers.

At the start of the book the readers are introduced to the clairvoyant Countess Madame Kartiska. We learn about her gift and how she uses it, we meet some of her clients and through this we learn of their fates. The reader becomes intimately involved with some of her clients as through one of them, we also meet Detective Pruden who comes across the countess' name during an investigation.

She helps him in several different ways, she aids him in solving several crimes and she introduces him to a side of himself that he never knew. We also have the opportunity to meet several other clients that she introduces to one another and we can watch their relationships grow.

There are several mysteries woven in through the plot and the reader discovers that who dunnit isn't always the reason to read on.

The Clairvoyant Countess won't appeal to every mystery lover but for those who take the plunge it is very refreshing and highly enjoyable. IT is really a shame that Ms. Gilman has not made this into a series as well as her Mrs. Polifax series as I would love to continue to watch these characters grow.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hard to classify, but great fun anyway., August 19, 2000

By

Elsie Wilson (Aberystwyth, Cymru) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Clairvoyant Countess (Mass Market Paperback)

Not exactly a series of short stores nor yet exactly a novel, this book is the story of a clairvoyant and the way she worked with one particular policeman, Lieutenant Pruden (prudent=sensible=skeptical?), who doesn't know exactly how much he believes her, but is willing to work with her to get results. The small series of mysteries they work on overflow outside one chapter apiece, but there is no one overarching plot, hence the classification difficulty. Once again Gilman has created if not believable (i choose to see as fictional this kind of clairvoyance) at least very attractive and readable characters.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars clairvoyant countess, November 28, 1999

By

geri e schmalle (springdale,washington,usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Clairvoyant Countess (Mass Market Paperback)

ive only read this book about 10+ times, on the the other hand ive read everything dorothy gilman has written, several many times. i have always liked the clairvoyant countess and wondered many times why no sequels? there are some movies,books,plays that can be enjoyed many times over and this is one. a cold day, a fire place, cup of tea, afgan and a good book how good it is.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Clairvoyant Countess
This book is the first of two dealing with the same people. A nice read.....not difficult to keep track of the characters, but still entertaining. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Rosalie

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun cozy mystery
The author of the Mrs Pollifax mysteries creates another mature woman, this one with psychic powers and a fascinating international past, who solves big and small crimes in the... Read more

Published on January 17, 2010 by Anne M. Hunter

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Plain Fun
This book makes the assumption that Extra Sensory Perception is something that one has a predisposition for, and, given that strange quirk in the brain, ESP can be "trained. Read more

Published on October 5, 2009 by Megret (sometimes...)

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating ... if a little dark
Written in the mid-1970s, The Clairvoyant Countess refuses to be put into any single category; ranging from mystery to drama to adventure to fantasy. Read more

Published on April 11, 2009 by D. Schleifer

1.0 out of 5 stars The Clairvoyant Countess
I have never received this book although it has been more than a month since the order was placed. I have emailed the sender, Once Sold Tales, and got absolutely no help at all... Read more

Published on November 30, 2008 by Katharine S. Dupre

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a police procedural with a psychic thrown in!!
I just finished reading this for the second time. I loved it!!! It is a bit dated, it was written in 1975, but it's how Madame Karitska, a clairvoyant, helps the police with... Read more

Published on June 4, 2008 by Ms. Honest Opinion

5.0 out of 5 stars The Countess Karitska
This was a pure delight. I loved the format of several stories within the story. I felt like I got much more Gilman for my money! Read more

Published on April 20, 2008 by tree leaf

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good
I couldn't put this one down...although it's more of a group of mysteries strung together,rather than just one, I still found it very entertaining. A nice, light read.

Published on August 24, 2001 by SophiaV

1.0 out of 5 stars A definite waste of time
I had never read a Dorothy Gilman book before this one and I was very, very dissappointed. If it were not such a short book (about 224 pages) I would have abandoned it before... Read more

Published on February 27, 2001 by Steven Henderson

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! An excellent read; highly recommended
I love Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax series (particularly the early books -- through and including Mrs. Read more

Published on October 18, 2000

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
The sign in the window of the shabby brownstone building said simply Madame Karitska, Readings. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
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Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Madame Karitska, Lieutenant Pruden, Jan Heyer, Lucas Johns, Madame Souffrant, Miss Heyer, Fifth Street, Luis Mendez, Alison Bartlett, Carlos Torres, Eighth Street, Jack Frost, Joe Lister, Broad Street, Carl Madison, John Painter, Kathy Dunlap, Mazda Lorvale, New York, Puerto Rican, Third Street, Bill Kane, Cas Johnson, Tommy Brudenhall, Good God

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