The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

Review by Vicky T. (VickyJo)

I have a tee shirt that says “So Many Books, So Little Time”….and it’s true.  I enjoy all types of genres, and all types of subjects and so keeping up with my reading is difficult.  I seldom have the inclination to go back and re-read books, and if I ever do…you can be sure they are books I LOVED the first time around!

I recently ran across an old paperback copy of “The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax” by Dorothy Gilman and on the spur of the moment, I decided a light, cozy mystery was exactly what I needed.  I read “The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax,” which was published in 1966, when I was in high school in the early 70’s, so it was time to revisit this endearing character.

Mrs. Pollifax is in her 60’s.  Her children are grown, married with children of their own, and live far from her neat apartment in New Jersey.  She has her Garden Club, of course, and volunteers to push the book cart at the hospital every Wednesday, but for the most part she feels…well, she feels that no one needs her.  It’s a very depressing situation.  Her doctor, young, busy and unable to truly relate to her feelings of worthlessness, suggests that she look at this phase of her life as her time to do what she has always dreamed of doing.  She tells him she has always wanted to be a spy, which amuses him very much.  But Mrs. Pollifax is sincere…and the more she thinks about it, the more she likes the idea, until she decides to take action.

She makes a trip to Langley, Virginia to visit CIA headquarters in order to ask for a job.  The nice young man who receives her there is taken aback.  He politely and gently turns down her offer of becoming a spy.  However, while she is there, she runs into William Carstairs, the head of one of many departments in the CIA.  Carstairs is looking for an “innocent tourist” type to act as a courier, and Mrs. Pollifax is perfect!  With her prim hat covered in roses, her gray hair and open, smiling face…who would suspect that she is an agent?

And so Mrs. Pollifax’s first adventure begins!  She is sent to Mexico City.  All she needs to do is visit a bookshop, ask the man behind the counter a pre-arranged question, and he will give her a package which she must bring home with her after her week-long stay.  Simple, right?

Well, of course, nothing about this assignment goes according to plan.  What’s worse, Mrs. Pollifax finds herself in a great deal of danger and she must use her wits to try and complete her assignment.

Dorothy Gilman wrote 14 Mrs. Pollifax mysteries, and I’ve worked my way through each one.  The premise is usually the same: what should be a simple assignment in a foreign country turns into a complex mission, filled with danger and fascinating people, some friendly and some out to kill her.  As the series progresses, Mrs. Pollifax takes karate lessons (she’s a brown belt) and meets a charming man that she eventually marries.  (He fully supports her spy career, of course).

But the real attraction is Mrs. Pollifax herself.  She is warm, kind, very open and curious about other people and other cultures.  She can also get cranky, have a sharp tongue, and be incredibly stubborn.  She is thrilled that she feels useful again, and is delighted that Carstairs doesn’t find her too old to help out.  She is simply charming and this series is a perfect example of the cozy mystery genre.  If you enjoy intrigue without lots of violence and bad language, then Mrs. Pollifax is definitely for you!   In fact, I’ve decided that I’d like to be Mrs. Pollifax when I grow up!

Tags: Book Recommendations, Book Reviews, Book Suggestions

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