Mrs Pollifax and the Second Thief by Dorothy Gilman

Mrs. Pollifax #10

by Dorothy Gilman

The assignment is a snap: Mrs. Pollifax just has to shoot some pictures at a quiet funeral outside Washington and take them to Sicily, where her old friend Farrell — a former CIA agent turned art dealer — anxiously awaits them.

But like all Mrs. P's assignments, so ostensibly suitable for the CIA's favorite garden club member, this one quickly turns lethal. Her welcoming committee in Palermo includes a most unlikely CIA agent and several unseen enemies. Unfriendly eyes also observe Mrs. P's rendezvous with Farrell in a secluded mountain village and weapons are soon displayed. With mysterious forces hot after them, she and Farrell scurry for safety to a fortified country villa, where the bizarre chatelaine, once a star on Madison Avenue, is almost as unnerving as the dangers she's protecting them from.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Adventure, Espionage, Mystery Thriller

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Dorothy Edith Gilman started writing when she was 9 and knew early on she was to be a writer. At 11, she competed against 10 to 16-year-olds in a story contest and won first place. She attended Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and briefly the University of Pennsylvania. She planned to write and illustrate children's books. She married Edgar A. Butters Jr, in 1945, this ended in divorce in 1965. Dorothy worked as an art teacher & telephone operator before becoming an author. She wrote children’s stories for more than ten years under the name Dorothy Gilman Butters and then began writing adult novels about Mrs. Pollifax–a retired grandmother who becomes a CIA agent. The Mrs. Pollifax series made Dorothy famous. While her stories nourish people’s thirst for adventure and mystery, Dorothy knew about nourishing the body as well. On her farm in Nova Scotia, she grew medicinal herbs and used this knowledge of herbs in many of her stories, including A Nun in the Closet. She travelled extensively, and used these experiences in her novels as well. Many of Dorothy’s books, feature strong women having adventures around the world. In 2010 Gilman was awarded the annual Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Dorothy spent much of her life in Connecticut, New Mexico, and Maine. She died at age 88 of complications of Alzheimer's disease. She is survived by two sons, Christopher Butters and Jonathan Butters; and two grandchildren.

Series:
* Mrs. Pollifax

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back again in my happy place with book ten about the amazing Mrs. Pollifax, an older lady who is an unlikely special agent.

In this episode she spies on a funeral, takes photos of the guests, carries these photos to Sicily and meets up with her friend John Farrell who is an ex CIA agent needing help. As usual things go wrong when unscrupulous people start following them with the apparent intent to kill. Will Mrs P save the day again? How can you doubt it!

This series is a pleasure to read, always entertaining and well written, and with a main character you cannot fail to love. Highly recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun outing with Mrs. Pollifax (even if I accidentally skipped book 9 and now have to go back 🤦🏻‍♀️). I loved the setting of Sicily for this adventure and equally enjoyed seeing Farrell again.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mrs. Pollifax sent to Italy on a Farrell SOS. About 200 too many coincidences for me, but to be fair no one is forcing me to read all 14 of these books.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up
This was one of the most enjoyable books in the series so far. Mrs. Pollifax reunites with John Farrell and it is lots of fun.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable, though this time rather thinly plotted, adventure with Emily Pollifax, CIA agent extraordinaire!

Farrell, whom we’ve met in previous books in this series, sends an SOS asking for Emily and her husband, Cyrus, to join him in Sicily urgently. As Cyrus has a previous engagement, Mrs Pollifax goes on her own. The excitement starts almost immediately with car chases around Sicily and the usual asssortment of baddies to identify and/or avoid. As always, we learn a little of Sicily’s history. I was expecting an exciting denouement but the book ends with a whimper really, and a rather slow one at that.

Enjoyable but not to the level I’ve come to expect from this series. Onward!

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars and opted to round up

This is another fun installment in this series--I opted to round up because I've been giving out so many 2 and 3 stars lately, but it's better than some of them (none have had less than a 3 star like from me and a few 4 stars). Once again Emily Pollifax is called to do a very simple task, but nothing she ever does turns out to be as simple as expected. There is plenty of action and adventure set in Sicily. It was fun to have Farrell (from the very first book plus another) back, as well as at least one other character from a previous book. On the one hand, it's humour and we know she'll come out of it all right, but on the other hand Gilman doesn't have Emily always go through certain types of things which for me is welcome--I don't care for series where I know that in every episode the protagonist will be captured and/or injured, etc, so you won't know if she is or isn't until you read the book.

[Debbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner! I always look to Mrs. Polifax when I need a palate cleanser or when I'm in a reading slump. This installment takes place in Sicily, the setting is wonderful, the writing is intelligent and the characters are engaging. The audiobook is excellent Barbara Rosenblat is brilliant.

[Stacie Haden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oops. I read this one before #9. As usual, the Mrs Pollifax series doesn't disappoint. Solid mystery and emotionally intelligent characters.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual, more housebound Mrs. P has a Vicki Bliss-style adventure in a country house, mostly, when she goes to rescue Farrell with the help of another young agent. Definitely shades of Elizabeth Peters.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book five years ago. This time I listened on an audible book. I love the Mrs. Pollifax books. I started reading them many years ago with Reader's Digest books. I enjoy the narrator of these books as well. Dorothy Gilman creates interesting characters, and makes us care about them. The stories take place all around the world, and we learn things about those places. In this book we have little lessons on art. Emily Pollifax is a gardener, and belongs to a garden club at home. Where ever she goes, shoe describes the flowers, and her surroundings. Mrs. Pollifax is an older lady, who works for the CIA, and is called on once in awhile on special assignments. She had helped catch an assassin in another book, and he is out of prison, and has been spotted by Farrel, who asks for her, to help identify him.

I listened to this book once more. I enjoy these books very much. 2015 April 10

[Ledayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't feeling well yesterday so I pulled this book from the shelf for some light reading. This may be the worst "spy novel" I have ever read. The interwoven plots are simply silly, the characters are unbelievable, the writing is simplistic and there is nothing compelling about any of it. It reads as if Gilman, having forgotten or ignored a looming deadline, sat down one afternoon and filled up 200 pages to send off to her editor. Spare yourself!

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprise, surprise

a dozen total karate casualties!
what a turkey shoot

[Chautona Havig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this one was extra fun and extra clever. Add to it John Sebastian Farrell out of his element and IN his element at the same time, and things got super fun.
Occasionally, the Pollifax books get a bit spiritualistic in ways that make me uncomfortable, but as with the occasional tossing in of a foul word here or there, it's not nearly as often as you'd expect nor as detailed. Almost nonexistent, but it is there.
Read it this time through Barbara Rosenblat's narration of it on audio.

[June]

Ah, an archenemy for Farrell--or is that a friend?

[Olivermagnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mrs. Pollifax's former colleague, John Farrell, has been hired to go to Sicily and steal a document signed by Julius Caesar. He sends an SOS while, at the same time, dodging a professional assassin whom he and Mrs. Pollifax jailed some years ago. Mrs. Pollifax, the grandmotherly karate expert who is also a member of the Garden Club, has a talent for spying. In this novel she pairs up with a freckle faced gun-toting young woman named Kate Rossiter, and goes to try and rescue her old friend Farrell in Italy. Farrell is on the run for his life, even though he's staying at an amazing villa, coincidentally owned by Kate's eccentric aunt.

This is a nice and perfectly predictable book by Dorothy Gilman. Add to it ancient artifacts, hair-raising chases, art forgery, arms traffic, a nighttime assault on the villa, mysterious millionaires, spectacular scenery and unexpected romance and you have the perfect cozy and humorous way to spend the afternoon.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slower in pace than other Pollifax’ adventures and at times repetitious but overall the Duchess did not disappoint.

As in other books there is a nickname for characters that are important to the story and I’ll remember “Whatshername” fondly. Like I said before the plot although interesting was slow and repetitive probably due to the fact that the main characters were confined to a house.

This book was also different, Gilman usually serves as a gentle tour guide that takes time describing the different countries Pollifax visit, the overall look of the place, it’s people and the political climate of the time. With Sicily, she decided to skip this and go straight to the story…. I wonder why…?

[Maryanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not one of my favorite in the series, although entertaining. Reoccurring character, Farrell, sends the CIA an SOS that he needs Mrs. Pollifax and Cyrus, her husband, in Sicily. The plot was thin, and there were too many coincidences. Her wittiness and cleverness may have diminished by the jet lag and sudden turn to violence.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite in the series so far!!

[Disco · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't read the series in succession so the quality between the first 3 or 4 books and this one was quite jarring. Not only is this badly edited, but then there are things that contradict the first few books.

Series spoilers: Mrs. Pollifax already killed a bad guy in book one, now she uses unloaded guns to "wave around?" Why? That horse has already left the barn.

Series spoilers: Mrs. Pollifax is meeker and stupider in this book than in the first 3 or 4 and suddenly she can't sleep on airplanes when she used to be able to?

Bad editing in this book pg 95: ""Actually," said Mrs. Pollifax, "I was waked up in the night by the sound of a truck...""

"Waked up?"

Bad editing pg 109: "Mrs. Pollifax sighed, rather overpowered by so many dates and kings..." 2 paragraphs later: "Mrs. Pollifax sighed, and removed her gaze.."

We get it, she sighed.

This book just isn't as clever as the early ones in the series and there's less detail. Gilman probably didn't want to be anachronistic, but I don't think it would've been too difficult to throw in some car makes and models.

[Elgin · Rating 1 out of 5]

We (unfortunately) got ahold of this as a "book on CD" on a recent drive from Denver to Iowa. It is set in Sicily so we thought it would be good to listen to in anticipation of our trip this Summer. This has to be the stupidest story I have read (or heard) in years and I learned nothing about Sicily from it.
The writing was trite and amateur. Should have listened to NPR instead.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a Treasure

I loved watching this story unfold!! Emily is a jewel, always. And Farrell and Kate aka whatshername had a lovely time capering through this story with her. I love seeing the places Emily ends up, and I adore watching her magic interact with the characters she meets. Just a delight.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving Mrs. Pollifax and her gumption! Good story but just a bit too long.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, but not my favorite, although I always enjoy seeing Farrell pop up.

Carstairs has received a message from Farrell asking that Emily and Cyrus meet him in Sicily. He is searching for a possibly-authentic signature of Julius Caesar, but why he wants Emily and Cyrus is a mystery. Cyrus can’t go, but Emily is free, and Carstairs promises Cyrus that another agent will go with Emily. So after attending a funeral and taking photos of all the mourners/attendees, she is off to Palermo.

The other agent meets Emily at the airport—a young woman named Kate Rossiter. They meet Farrell, who has a baffling story to tell. First of all, he had been shot at and was just nicked on the ankle; he has been hiding out for two days and the wound has become infected. But the most astonishing thing is that Farrell swears he has seen the assassin, Aristotle, who had been on the African safari when Emily first met Cyrus. Aristotle, who had been arrested, tried, convicted and sent to prison for the rest of his life! He couldn’t possibly be in Sicily.

It is quickly apparent that bad guys are indeed in pursuit of Farrell and now Kate and Emily. Kate takes Emily and Farrell to an estate belonging to her aunt Franca. Aunt Franca turns out to be quite a mysterious character herself. But all’s well that ends well—the bad guys are caught, the assassin, Aristotle, is sent back to prison and Farrell has fallen in love.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mrs. Pollifax has been asked to go to Sicily to help Farrell (who is no longer in the business, but Carstairs and company are still willing to help him because they want him back). This time, she isn't traveling across the country; instead working from a base of operations in the Sicilian countryside. There isn't quite as much danger in this one, either. There's also a Battle of Thermopylae moment that's a little hard to believe.

Still, a fun entry to the Mrs. Pollifax series.

[Ejayen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should probably put a note about the language, the swear words in the books. They are here, but I never noticed them as a child. I probably glossed over them as wordss old fictional characters use and thus not something I cared to include in my vocabulary.

[Lisa Brantly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just once in a great while, you read a book and once completed are left with a hint of a Mona Lisa smile as tho only you, the author and the characters, share a secret.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the Mrs Pollifax stories a lot, but this one somehow failed to come together for me.

[Bonnie Dieffenbacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mrs. Pollifax (CIA) is sent to Sicily to help a friend. An OK book, but was not appealing to me.

[L Y N N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another endearing entry in this series! Amazing characterization, particularly of Aristotle as well as Risotto and Farrell! I adore the way Gilman weaves recurring characters in and out throughout this series!