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Mrs. Pollifax #3
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax
If you make it across the border, get us help.
Some of us care.
Do you understand?
Right now we desperately need passports and identity papers.
The arrests grow insane.
At the very hour this message was en route to the CIA, Mrs. Pollifax was waiting for her night-blooming cereus too do its thing.
She hardly got to see it, however, because Mr. Carstairs was already on his way to recruit that gallant lady for another daring mission.
Soon, the most unlikely of all international spies was sporting a beautiful new hat. Perfect for hiding eight forged passports...
Some of us care.
Do you understand?
Right now we desperately need passports and identity papers.
The arrests grow insane.
At the very hour this message was en route to the CIA, Mrs. Pollifax was waiting for her night-blooming cereus too do its thing.
She hardly got to see it, however, because Mr. Carstairs was already on his way to recruit that gallant lady for another daring mission.
Soon, the most unlikely of all international spies was sporting a beautiful new hat. Perfect for hiding eight forged passports...
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
618 people are currently reading
1670 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Gilman
121 books763 followersDorothy 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
Series:
* Mrs. Pollifax
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 737 reviews
July 3, 2024
Even when the book is feeling a bit dated (The draft and hippies) the author can convey such comradery and great side characters. The plot didn't grab me as it reminded me of a tv show spy episode but what funny dialogue. The first 2 books in the series were 5* and this one is a VERY strong 4*. I look forward to reading the entire series.
May 7, 2024
The third book in this series in which the indefatigable Mrs. Pollifax is asked to courier eight forged passports into Communist Bulgaria. According to Mr. Carstairs this is a safe mission but with this particular lady involved nothing is ever safe.
I really enjoy these books especially the humor. Mrs P, the main character, is quite wonderful. She makes friends everywhere she goes and is unable to watch any of them in trouble without helping them. This is not always the best attribute for a spy who really should keep their head down at all times. Of course the fun in her stories is watching how she gets herself and her friends out of trouble and back to safety.
Definitely a series I am going to pursue to the end.
I really enjoy these books especially the humor. Mrs P, the main character, is quite wonderful. She makes friends everywhere she goes and is unable to watch any of them in trouble without helping them. This is not always the best attribute for a spy who really should keep their head down at all times. Of course the fun in her stories is watching how she gets herself and her friends out of trouble and back to safety.
Definitely a series I am going to pursue to the end.
March 5, 2012
I was in the middle of this book when I read of Dorothy Gilman's recent death. Losing one of my favorite authors makes me sad, knowing that there will be no more books with that voice, wisdom, and wit. Dorothy Gilman is best known for her Mrs. Pollifax series, but it was actually her other novels that I preferred. My late mother-in-law was a devoted Mrs. Pollifax fan, and perhaps I stupidly relegated the series to old ladies who liked Murder She Wrote, for I resisted reading all but the first one. I should have known better, because I've re-read many of her other books. Now I am making up for it by going back and reading the Mrs. Pollifax series from the early days. Maybe I've grown more 'old lady-ish' myself and no longer mind a protagonist in the latter decades of her life. I certainly can't seem to relate to teenage vampire stories and tiresome petulant seventeen-year-old heroines any more.
This book, published in 1971, is a delight. It has a rip-roaring plot where Mrs. Pollifax is supposed to smuggle passports into communist Bulgaria in the midst of a bloody crackdown. Being Mrs. Pollifax, she manages to go beyond her simple courier mission for the CIA, and get involved with a couple of traveling American college students, one of whom ends up arrested by the Bulgarian secret police. I'm not sure how she does it, but Dorothy Gilman has the talent for making you immediately care for these characters. Perhaps it's because the observant Mrs. Pollifax cares so, without being nosy and intrusive. She is also psychologically astute. She has an intuitive understanding of others and knows innately how to deal with them. She is also very brave, as well as being at peace with her death, which she faces a number of times. I feel sure that Ms. Gilman, who suffered from Alzheimer's, had bravely faced her own.
This book, published in 1971, is a delight. It has a rip-roaring plot where Mrs. Pollifax is supposed to smuggle passports into communist Bulgaria in the midst of a bloody crackdown. Being Mrs. Pollifax, she manages to go beyond her simple courier mission for the CIA, and get involved with a couple of traveling American college students, one of whom ends up arrested by the Bulgarian secret police. I'm not sure how she does it, but Dorothy Gilman has the talent for making you immediately care for these characters. Perhaps it's because the observant Mrs. Pollifax cares so, without being nosy and intrusive. She is also psychologically astute. She has an intuitive understanding of others and knows innately how to deal with them. She is also very brave, as well as being at peace with her death, which she faces a number of times. I feel sure that Ms. Gilman, who suffered from Alzheimer's, had bravely faced her own.
June 7, 2025
June 2025 - Listened for a second time, this time with Simon. I loved it just as much as the first time! As Simon mentioned to me, it's "a bit far fetched" in places, but so much fun! Mrs. Pollifax is such an unlikely looking spy and she gets into and out of the most amazing scrapes while making friends with people all over the world.
Quotes:
"He had produced a marvelously imaginative hat and just the kind that she enjoyed most. It was an inflated cushiony birds nest made out of soft woven straw with a small feather bird perched at the peak. It was true that it had a tendency to tilt but Mrs. Pollifax skewered it sternly in place with three stout hatpins."
"You look like a nice old lady really nice, really kind, sweet and gentle. You are not nice," he added. "Now that," said Mrs. Pollifax, "Is one of the nicest compliments I've had from a professional."
Quotes:
"He had produced a marvelously imaginative hat and just the kind that she enjoyed most. It was an inflated cushiony birds nest made out of soft woven straw with a small feather bird perched at the peak. It was true that it had a tendency to tilt but Mrs. Pollifax skewered it sternly in place with three stout hatpins."
"You look like a nice old lady really nice, really kind, sweet and gentle. You are not nice," he added. "Now that," said Mrs. Pollifax, "Is one of the nicest compliments I've had from a professional."
April 14, 2020
That most unlikely of CIA agents - the charming, flowered-hat-wearing grandmother Mrs. Emily Pollifax - returns in this, her third international adventure. Dispatched to Bulgaria with passports hidden in her hat, her assignment was a simple one: make contact with a member of the underground political movement there and give him the passports, to enable dissidents to flee the country. But as was so often the case with Mrs. Pollifax, things proved to be more complicated. First, there was the question of her coat, which hid another bit of smuggled contraband, of which she herself was unaware. Then there was the innocent young American, arrested as a spy, imprisoned, and being used as a pawn in an international conspiracy. Mrs. Pollifax was, as Bishop noted back in Washington, a "meddler," and soon she was involved in another extraordinary adventure...
Every bit as delightful as its predecessors, The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax is amusing, entertaining and ultimately heartwarming. Its eponymous heroine is such an unlikely agent, not simply because of her age, but because of her goodhearted and trusting nature. It isn't that she's a fool - if anything, she is very wise, and is a good judge of character - but she wants to see the best in people, and this allows her to find allies in unlikely places, allies that a more cynical person would never have managed to find. As always, I found the setting here quite fascinating - I find that many of the countries and regions I want to visit, to this day, have featured in this series - and the cast of secondary characters appealing. I loved the hilarious exchanges between Radev and Mrs. Pollifax, and the more romantic ones between Mrs. Pollifax and Tsanko. All in all, a wonderful adventure, every bit as entertaining as when I read it years ago! Highly recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the first two Mrs. Pollifax books.
Every bit as delightful as its predecessors, The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax is amusing, entertaining and ultimately heartwarming. Its eponymous heroine is such an unlikely agent, not simply because of her age, but because of her goodhearted and trusting nature. It isn't that she's a fool - if anything, she is very wise, and is a good judge of character - but she wants to see the best in people, and this allows her to find allies in unlikely places, allies that a more cynical person would never have managed to find. As always, I found the setting here quite fascinating - I find that many of the countries and regions I want to visit, to this day, have featured in this series - and the cast of secondary characters appealing. I loved the hilarious exchanges between Radev and Mrs. Pollifax, and the more romantic ones between Mrs. Pollifax and Tsanko. All in all, a wonderful adventure, every bit as entertaining as when I read it years ago! Highly recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the first two Mrs. Pollifax books.
May 15, 2016
In book three of the series, the CIA’s least likely courier is sent on a mission to Bulgaria. She’s to deliver some forgeed passports to a group of underground operatives. The CIA has given her a wonderful custom-made hat, in which she can hide the documents. All she has to do to shake her Balkantourist “keeper” and order a particular garment at a local tailor shop. But her CIA supervisor, Carstairs, should know better. Emily Pollifax has a talent for getting involved and this trip will be no different. Before anyone knows what’s happening she is helping a handful of older men break into an impregnable prison – with the help of one teenage gymnast, one pistol, some fireworks and a gaggle of geese.
I love this series. Mrs Pollifax is charming, smart, resourceful and calm in a crisis. If the situations she finds herself in stretch credulity, who cares? The books are fun to read and pure entertainment.
I love this series. Mrs Pollifax is charming, smart, resourceful and calm in a crisis. If the situations she finds herself in stretch credulity, who cares? The books are fun to read and pure entertainment.
May 16, 2022
This was a blast. One of the best entries in the series so far and I've read 6. This series is just comfort food and puts me in a good mood even when the stories aren't that great.
January 25, 2021
Another romp abroad with Mrs Pollifax, voluntary CIA operative. This time, she is sent to Bulgaria to deliver passports sewn into a specially designed version of her floral hat. Nothing goes to plan, as we would expect, and we career with her through Sofia and the Bulgarian countryside escaping from one dangerous, life-threatening situation after another. As usual, there is a serious side as we learn about living conditions in Bulgaria, a police state, in the mid-1960s. We also learn a little about the country’s history. Formulaic but very entertaining, I will be following Mrs Pollifax and her hats to the ends of the earth!
February 21, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up - Mrs. Pollifax is the perfect example of how to age well.
October 7, 2025
It's possible that this is the best Mrs. Pollifax book ever. The challenge she faces is enormous and her ingenuity is at its best, the side plots create all kinds of complications and confusions, and what's at stake is a young man's life. I also love the fact that the reader gets a sense of Bulgarian history and geography, too. But the best part is, as always, the interaction of Mrs. Pollifax with everyone she meets, from a bossy Balkan Tourist guide to a grumbly history professor. This may also contain the single best scene in the series - a late night talk between Mrs. Pollifax and the mysterious leader of the Bulgarian underground. Just say "Wednesday" and "peaches" and I'm taken back to that evening.
There is no one else like Mrs. Pollifax. The intrigue and humanity of these stories is wonderful, and they make great rereads, as I've discovered over many decades.
NB - Rosenblat narrates the series, and she makes Mrs. P. sound really old, but if you let yourself get past that, they're great to listen to, also.
There is no one else like Mrs. Pollifax. The intrigue and humanity of these stories is wonderful, and they make great rereads, as I've discovered over many decades.
NB - Rosenblat narrates the series, and she makes Mrs. P. sound really old, but if you let yourself get past that, they're great to listen to, also.
July 20, 2023
3+ stars and opted to round up.
This was the most fun of the three of these books I've read before; I'm quite happy that there isn't a plot formula for these. What can be expected is that nothing that Mrs. Pollifax is involved is going to be pulled off without any hiccups and detours.
This is still during the Cold War and Mrs. Pollifax is sent to aid in an escape with eight hidden passports (this is on the back cover, so most certainly not a spoiler) behind the iron curtain in Bulgaria. In addition to danger, naturally, there are some fun and delightful (this is comedy, after all) twists and turns and various and sundry characters involved in this. Not to mention that she is talking more into the country than she even knows.
This was the most fun of the three of these books I've read before; I'm quite happy that there isn't a plot formula for these. What can be expected is that nothing that Mrs. Pollifax is involved is going to be pulled off without any hiccups and detours.
This is still during the Cold War and Mrs. Pollifax is sent to aid in an escape with eight hidden passports (this is on the back cover, so most certainly not a spoiler) behind the iron curtain in Bulgaria. In addition to danger, naturally, there are some fun and delightful (this is comedy, after all) twists and turns and various and sundry characters involved in this. Not to mention that she is talking more into the country than she even knows.
July 27, 2010
I don't know if I should explain with each one of these how I came to be listening to them. For a long time I tracked down audio books for my late wife. I would often listen to them also as I had a profession that involved spending a lot of time behind the wheel...often I preferred an audio book to recorded music or the radio...sometimes my attitude was "any book is better than no book", so sometimes I listened to books I might not have read...that's not the case here. My wife and I both truly enjoyed the adventures of Emily Pollifax.
In this one (#3 in the series) Emily gets lied to (overtly for the first time) by her "handler" at the CIA, Carstairs. Not told about all she's carrying and getting involved in several side adventures Mrs. Pollifax (however) triumphs again.
These are some of the most enjoyable comedy/drama books I've had the pleasant experience of discovering.
In this one (#3 in the series) Emily gets lied to (overtly for the first time) by her "handler" at the CIA, Carstairs. Not told about all she's carrying and getting involved in several side adventures Mrs. Pollifax (however) triumphs again.
These are some of the most enjoyable comedy/drama books I've had the pleasant experience of discovering.
April 6, 2020
april 6 2020
Finding a certain amount of joy in re-reading my favorite books in this series! Also, I am excited to realize that although I read these books a large number of times there are things that I see with new eyes or have forgotten.
Finding a certain amount of joy in re-reading my favorite books in this series! Also, I am excited to realize that although I read these books a large number of times there are things that I see with new eyes or have forgotten.
August 26, 2021
Another fun adventure with my favorite senior citizen spy.
June 25, 2024
* I am not keen on empty like button clicks. Comments, if you have them, are this writer’s reward. *
I loved "The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax". Its skilfully-plotted pace whisks one pertinent event to the next; keeping all of them plausible, however bizarre and our heroine relatable. Five-star enjoyment breezed along, until Dorothy Gilman described Bulgaria's rivalry with France in foie gras. It is made by reprehensible torture: force-feeding geese until their livers enlarge. Emily Pollifax and a student, Debby, shuddered at its awfulness when they visited a farm, proclaiming never to eat it. I am sure bribing guards with geese later was meant to be whimsical but after exposing a heinous animal rights issue, that was disheartening.
Every other part of the novel was fantastic, which is why I breezed through it. Although they sidestep violence and gore, I find these adventures too intelligent to categorize as "cozy" and feel they are "standard adult mystery". They aren't written as silly hijinks or bumbling into resolutions unwittingly. Emily's maturity and intelligence create the excitement and detours that stun her CIA employers; shining through most notably if plans don't pan out smoothly. These books always close humorously, with Mr. Carstairs and Mr. Bishop agape at the scope of what Emily achieves, when they only fly her out reluctantly as a courier. This time she was to deliver passports to a communist Bulgaria but witnessed things that put her in a position to save a boy from political murder.
Dorothy's ideas are grand and complex but she pulls them off and we learn about nations that are usually poorly-known; even if Bulgaria of 1971 sounded unsafe and bleak. A theme of making friends anywhere, no matter the ages or exaggerated natures of Emily's new allies, always gives these dangerous missions the warmest goodwill. The frankest and funniest scene is when she exasperatedly declares: "I've never heard of an underground just sitting there"!!!!
I loved "The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax". Its skilfully-plotted pace whisks one pertinent event to the next; keeping all of them plausible, however bizarre and our heroine relatable. Five-star enjoyment breezed along, until Dorothy Gilman described Bulgaria's rivalry with France in foie gras. It is made by reprehensible torture: force-feeding geese until their livers enlarge. Emily Pollifax and a student, Debby, shuddered at its awfulness when they visited a farm, proclaiming never to eat it. I am sure bribing guards with geese later was meant to be whimsical but after exposing a heinous animal rights issue, that was disheartening.
Every other part of the novel was fantastic, which is why I breezed through it. Although they sidestep violence and gore, I find these adventures too intelligent to categorize as "cozy" and feel they are "standard adult mystery". They aren't written as silly hijinks or bumbling into resolutions unwittingly. Emily's maturity and intelligence create the excitement and detours that stun her CIA employers; shining through most notably if plans don't pan out smoothly. These books always close humorously, with Mr. Carstairs and Mr. Bishop agape at the scope of what Emily achieves, when they only fly her out reluctantly as a courier. This time she was to deliver passports to a communist Bulgaria but witnessed things that put her in a position to save a boy from political murder.
Dorothy's ideas are grand and complex but she pulls them off and we learn about nations that are usually poorly-known; even if Bulgaria of 1971 sounded unsafe and bleak. A theme of making friends anywhere, no matter the ages or exaggerated natures of Emily's new allies, always gives these dangerous missions the warmest goodwill. The frankest and funniest scene is when she exasperatedly declares: "I've never heard of an underground just sitting there"!!!!
February 22, 2013
When I first saw one of the books in the Mrs. Pollifax series, I assumed it was another cozy mystery. I was expecting an American Miss Marple. Then as I read the story, I realized that it was a fun spy novel. I think of it as a Jessica Fletcher-meets-John le Carré kind of tale.
I really enjoyed the first two books in the series and I was eager to read more about this entertaining character. This book takes us to Communist Bulgaria and Mrs. Pollifax does not fail to deliver an exciting adventure.
This story seems a bit more subdued and politically charged than other books, but otherwise, it's a very good piece of brain candy and I read the entire book on a long flight to Anchorage, Alaska. Perfect book to read on an airplane - I really enjoyed it. The only disappointment I had was that there seemed to be numerous typos in the book, especially in the beginning of the story.
I really like the characters and the plucky courage with which Emily conducts herself. I like her devil-may-care attitude and her sense of wonder and ability to take in the sights as she dashes about on her mission. I am really looking forward to reading the fourth book in the series, A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax
interesting quote:
"She's using herself, she's needed, thought Mrs. Pollifax, and wondered why so many people insisted upon happiness being a matter of ease." (p. 176)
new word: defenestration
I really enjoyed the first two books in the series and I was eager to read more about this entertaining character. This book takes us to Communist Bulgaria and Mrs. Pollifax does not fail to deliver an exciting adventure.
This story seems a bit more subdued and politically charged than other books, but otherwise, it's a very good piece of brain candy and I read the entire book on a long flight to Anchorage, Alaska. Perfect book to read on an airplane - I really enjoyed it. The only disappointment I had was that there seemed to be numerous typos in the book, especially in the beginning of the story.
I really like the characters and the plucky courage with which Emily conducts herself. I like her devil-may-care attitude and her sense of wonder and ability to take in the sights as she dashes about on her mission. I am really looking forward to reading the fourth book in the series, A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax
interesting quote:
"She's using herself, she's needed, thought Mrs. Pollifax, and wondered why so many people insisted upon happiness being a matter of ease." (p. 176)
new word: defenestration
December 18, 2012
This is a wonderful series. I came across a set of these at a library sale several years ago. The first book in the series didn't impress me a great deal at the time. But, after taking into consideration the era these books were written in, I've developed a healthy respect for Mrs. Pollifax.
Published in the early 1970's, and written in "present day ", the cold war and communism provided a backdrop as Mrs. Pollifax is contracted by Carstairs to deliver forged passports to Bulgaria.
Naturally, Mrs. Pollifax gets involved in much more than was intended and gets in way over her head.
There are phrases unique to the time frame that just added to the book's charm. ( one character flashed a peace sign)
These books are "cozy " mysteries, but any mystery lover can appreciate the details of the plot, no matter how outlandish.
A very enjoyable read. This one scores an A.
Published in the early 1970's, and written in "present day ", the cold war and communism provided a backdrop as Mrs. Pollifax is contracted by Carstairs to deliver forged passports to Bulgaria.
Naturally, Mrs. Pollifax gets involved in much more than was intended and gets in way over her head.
There are phrases unique to the time frame that just added to the book's charm. ( one character flashed a peace sign)
These books are "cozy " mysteries, but any mystery lover can appreciate the details of the plot, no matter how outlandish.
A very enjoyable read. This one scores an A.
January 16, 2011
Mrs. Pollifax starts out a little slow in this spy thriller set in Bulgaria. At one point, I was asking, “ Mrs. Pollifax, what were you thinking?” But then she gets up to speed, and you just can’t help but love her, with her flowered hat, karate chops, and willingness to improvise. Bond is oh so predictable next to her.
August 24, 2016
Mrs. Pollifax is off to Bulgaria this time, with eight passports concealed in her hat to help some political prisoners escape the country. What starts as another very straightforward mission ends up very complicated. Mrs. P saves the day, as always, and it's more of the same good stuff: high adventure, suspense, great characters, and intriguing scenery.
I love the way this story starts, with a group of Mrs. Pollifax's friends gathered in her apartment in New Brunswick, New Jersey, at midnight, to witness her night-blooming cereus unfolding its petals. It makes me wish I was there - and at the same time makes me feel as if I was there, witnessing it with them. For even when she isn't off on a mission, her life is still becoming more and more interesting. Karate lessons, award-winning plants, and all of sorts of things to enrich Mrs. Pollifax's life, which is very different than it was at the beginning of the first book, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax.
This book is one of my favorites, in line right behind the first book. Again we have the cast of allies that Mrs. P acquires over the course of the story - the most prominent of which is Debby, a somewhat lost and dispiritied American hippie girl who is doing the whole "backpacking around Europe" thing in an attempt to find herself. Her life feels directionless, without purpose...something our Mrs. Pollifax can relate to intimately. And even though they're a few generations apart, the two make a great team, and it is very enjoyable to read about.
There is also the thrill of adventure, laced with danger, and of seeing the countryside of another foreign country through the eyes of Mrs. Pollifax and Dorothy Gilman. One of my favorite parts is where Mrs. Pollifax was supposed to go to Borovets, but decided to drive to Tornovo instead. Just Mrs. P and Debby, taking off on foreign roads to a destination unknown, in their rented car. That's my kind of adventure.
And the character development with Mrs. Pollifax continues. Sometimes, after the first book or so of a series, the main character settles into their role and development pretty much stops. But it isn't like that with Mrs. Pollifax. The more I read about her, the more I love. The part where she was looking up at the old fortress in Tornovo and imagining what it would be like to see and experience it centuries in the past - that was so ME that even on my fifth reading of this book, it gave me an even greater appreciation of her character. Another endearing line was where she was thinking of imprisoned Philip Trenda, who she was trying to free, and of how he liked Simon and Garfunkel, and she asserted that she, too, liked Simon and Garfunkel...for an elderly lady in the early '70s, that's a pretty cool thing. I love this lady!
And then, of course, we have Tsanko. Another endearing character, and one who I never forget, no matter how time passes between my readings of this book. We all have had moments where we meet someone and we just have instant rapport, like Mrs. Pollifax did with Tsanko. The few moments sitting outside at night that they spent, talking, and their other few exchanges, are both heartwarming and bittersweet at the same time, and very fitting, for we all have people who come into our lives like that, for a brief time, who leave us forever changed.
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax is another great, wild ride, with all of the elements I have come to love from this series. This is definitely a favorite.
I love the way this story starts, with a group of Mrs. Pollifax's friends gathered in her apartment in New Brunswick, New Jersey, at midnight, to witness her night-blooming cereus unfolding its petals. It makes me wish I was there - and at the same time makes me feel as if I was there, witnessing it with them. For even when she isn't off on a mission, her life is still becoming more and more interesting. Karate lessons, award-winning plants, and all of sorts of things to enrich Mrs. Pollifax's life, which is very different than it was at the beginning of the first book, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax.
This book is one of my favorites, in line right behind the first book. Again we have the cast of allies that Mrs. P acquires over the course of the story - the most prominent of which is Debby, a somewhat lost and dispiritied American hippie girl who is doing the whole "backpacking around Europe" thing in an attempt to find herself. Her life feels directionless, without purpose...something our Mrs. Pollifax can relate to intimately. And even though they're a few generations apart, the two make a great team, and it is very enjoyable to read about.
There is also the thrill of adventure, laced with danger, and of seeing the countryside of another foreign country through the eyes of Mrs. Pollifax and Dorothy Gilman. One of my favorite parts is where Mrs. Pollifax was supposed to go to Borovets, but decided to drive to Tornovo instead. Just Mrs. P and Debby, taking off on foreign roads to a destination unknown, in their rented car. That's my kind of adventure.
And the character development with Mrs. Pollifax continues. Sometimes, after the first book or so of a series, the main character settles into their role and development pretty much stops. But it isn't like that with Mrs. Pollifax. The more I read about her, the more I love. The part where she was looking up at the old fortress in Tornovo and imagining what it would be like to see and experience it centuries in the past - that was so ME that even on my fifth reading of this book, it gave me an even greater appreciation of her character. Another endearing line was where she was thinking of imprisoned Philip Trenda, who she was trying to free, and of how he liked Simon and Garfunkel, and she asserted that she, too, liked Simon and Garfunkel...for an elderly lady in the early '70s, that's a pretty cool thing. I love this lady!
And then, of course, we have Tsanko. Another endearing character, and one who I never forget, no matter how time passes between my readings of this book. We all have had moments where we meet someone and we just have instant rapport, like Mrs. Pollifax did with Tsanko. The few moments sitting outside at night that they spent, talking, and their other few exchanges, are both heartwarming and bittersweet at the same time, and very fitting, for we all have people who come into our lives like that, for a brief time, who leave us forever changed.
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax is another great, wild ride, with all of the elements I have come to love from this series. This is definitely a favorite.
February 21, 2014
Kept my interest, but I’m not excited enough to continue the series. This would be good for mystery lovers and teens.
This is book 3 in the series. A lady in her 60s periodically acts as a courier for the CIA. In this book she is sent to Bulgaria to deliver fake passports to the underground. While there she discovers a young American put in jail to be killed. She wants to help. By the end of the book, some major things have happened for the good that shock and awe her boss back at the CIA. I really liked the ending.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
I like the narrator Barbara Rosenblat doing other books. In this book she was ok but not as good. I did not like her fragile little old lady voice for Mrs. Pollifax. She made her sound like she was in her 90s. Most women in their 60s don’t sound like that. There are many eastern European characters which the narrator was doing in what I think of as a Russian accent. (Think Boris and Natasha cartoons.) Those were ok. They were understandable.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 6 hrs and 15 mins. Swearing language: damn and Christ were each said about twice. Sexual content: none. Setting: around 1971 mostly Bulgaria. Book copyright: 1971. Genre: spy suspense.
This is book 3 in the series. A lady in her 60s periodically acts as a courier for the CIA. In this book she is sent to Bulgaria to deliver fake passports to the underground. While there she discovers a young American put in jail to be killed. She wants to help. By the end of the book, some major things have happened for the good that shock and awe her boss back at the CIA. I really liked the ending.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
I like the narrator Barbara Rosenblat doing other books. In this book she was ok but not as good. I did not like her fragile little old lady voice for Mrs. Pollifax. She made her sound like she was in her 90s. Most women in their 60s don’t sound like that. There are many eastern European characters which the narrator was doing in what I think of as a Russian accent. (Think Boris and Natasha cartoons.) Those were ok. They were understandable.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 6 hrs and 15 mins. Swearing language: damn and Christ were each said about twice. Sexual content: none. Setting: around 1971 mostly Bulgaria. Book copyright: 1971. Genre: spy suspense.
September 18, 2024
Mrs. Pollifax goes to Bulgaria!
She spies, she travels, she is blackmailing people to help her, she has an underground network! And she does sooo much more!
This book was written in 1971 so we learn Bulgarian history which I had no idea and Bulgaria is right next to my country! It was the same like with Albania in the first book.
I'll be honest, at first I couldn't find the familiar "sparkle". I mean sure, these books are optimistic, fast and funny. But this one wasn't sooo much funny... Still is a great adventure and I'm happy I read it! It has another element that the previous stories didn't and I was took by surprise. I really enjoyed it.
She spies, she travels, she is blackmailing people to help her, she has an underground network! And she does sooo much more!
"I have one thing to say," he announced. "You look like a nice old lady. Really nice. Really kind, sweet, gentle. You are not nice", he added.
This book was written in 1971 so we learn Bulgarian history which I had no idea and Bulgaria is right next to my country! It was the same like with Albania in the first book.
"How did you get Debby?" she demanded.
He chuckled. "Very simple really. Yugov picked the lock of your room, rolled her into a rug and dropped her out of the window into my arms. These things are very casually done in the Balkans."
I'll be honest, at first I couldn't find the familiar "sparkle". I mean sure, these books are optimistic, fast and funny. But this one wasn't sooo much funny... Still is a great adventure and I'm happy I read it! It has another element that the previous stories didn't and I was took by surprise. I really enjoyed it.
"One asks, "is this to be died for?"
He smiled. "Is not worth dying for, no, but worth being alive to do."
October 23, 2025
Except for the first book, this is my absolute favorite. I LOVE Tsanko! As with all but one, I listen to this via Barbara Rosenblat's narration of it on audio. I recall that this book is what made me want to have characters of mine adopt from Bulgaria.
November 28, 2018
Another fun book in this series. Can’t wait to read the rest of them.
September 9, 2019
Third in the Mrs Pollifax cozy mystery series and revolving around a little old retired lady who lives in New Brunswick, New Jersey, splitting her time between the Garden Club and her karate lessons.
My Take
Another enjoyable cozy with both memorable characters and plenty of action with the flexible Mrs Pollifax, lol! It is all from her perspective — in third person protagonist point-of-view — that we view the story, as she upsets the intended order of a bad man, I should say men. And poor Mr Carstairs continues to pull his hair out, *more laughter*. Bishop certainly enjoys that!
I do love Mrs Pollifax's philosophy.
I would like to know why Phil picked someone's pocket. There's nothing later in the story to explain that. Well, other than a useful way to uncover someone's identity. I'd also like to know how Mrs Pollifax determines Ignatov is going to overthrow the government?? As for paying that ransom...how would they explain the public death of the one but produce the same guy as being well and alive?? His dad (and Gilman) is just not thinking.
Gilman's description of Nevena cracks me up. All the stereotypes of the stolid Communist with her passion for Soviet architecture and disdain for history. Her attitude (and her government's) all make me so grateful that I live in the United States. Where we have electricity and water 24/7, oy.
On the other hand, Tsanko prefers the Russian oversight. He sees it as protection from the wolves. Isn't that a kick in the pants!
It's kind of sad that a citizen's appearance will affect how one's government provides aid. It's also fascinating that it's Debby who has the character arc in this story, and in her life. It's her past that plays up those hypocritical parents who alienate their children.
The Story
The unexpected aid that enables Shipkov's escape deserves a reward — eight forged passports to help others escape Bulgaria.
And who better to deliver those passports but the harmless Mrs Pollifax. Carstairs really should have remembered her penchant for getting into trouble...
The Characters
Mrs Pollifax, a.k.a., 10573, is a retired widow with a variety of interests from the Garden Club to hospital volunteer to karate. Virgil had been her husband. The intuitive Roger is her son who is based in Chicago. Jane is her daughter in Arizona.
CIA
Mr Carstairs likes to employ Mrs Pollifax as a special courier. Bishop is his assistant who stays in contact with Mrs Pollifax. Osmonde is a hatmaker. Shipkov, an undercover agent, managed to escape Bulgaria.
Bulgaria
Tsanko is Mrs Pollifax's Underground contact; Adriana had been his wife. His second wife, an ex, is an engineer in Varna. Vasil is Tsanko's only surviving child. Other members of the Underground include Kosta; Boris, a history professor; Encho; Georgi who is a student at the university; and, Volko, who is the businessman of the group. The nasty Assen Radev is the only CIA agent left in Sofia and works at the Dobri Vapacarow Collective where they raise geese. Slavko is their guide at the collective. Durov is a tailor at Number nine Vasil Levski. Anton Schoenstein will make use of one of those passports.
Nevena is Mrs Pollifax's contact with Balkantourist, the official travel agency in Bulgaria. Herr Vogel is a hotel manager in Tarnovo. Chairman Brezhnev is the leader of the USSR.
An English expat, Carleton Bemish, is a has-been journalist, recommended to Mrs Pollifax as an unofficial guide. Stella Trendafilov is his wife. Her brother, Petrov Trendafilov, is a millionaire in the US.
The scheming General Ignatov is a CIA worry. Titko Yugov, Minco Kolarov, and Nikolai F Dzhagarov, a protege of Ignatov, are with the secret police. The Panchevsky Institute is an inescapable institute in Sofia where the secret police stash those they take. Miroslav is a venal guard there.
The young people, some of whom don't want to go to Bulgaria, include the bossy Nikki, the parents-beset and physically adept Debby, the ill Philip Trenda, the French Ghislaine, and Erika and Andre. Benjamin Eastlake is with the US Embassy in Sofia.
The New Brunswick, New Jersey, Garden Club consists...
...of Miss Grace Hartshorne, Mrs Pollifax's neighbor; Professor Whitsun from the university botany department; and, Mrs Otis, the club's president.
Retired police chief, Lorvale Brown, teaches karate. Mr Omelianuk owns the delicatessen around the corner from Mrs Pollifax's apartment. Dr Kidd is Debby's psychiatrist. Paul Trenda is Philip's father.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a red-brown background. At the top is the author's name with a thin underline in a pale yellow. The title is centered below that in white. A rectangle of a gradated yellow-to-brown ranging left to right with a thin white border is the background for Mrs Pollifax's elaborate brown hat, en-mossed in green with two long creamy gray feathers thrusting out behind and a cup of tea in Blue Cantonese sitting to the left of it. Underneath the graphic is an epigraph followed by a testimonial in white.
The title is how the frustrated Nevena views our protagonist, The Elusive Mrs Pollifax.
My Take
Another enjoyable cozy with both memorable characters and plenty of action with the flexible Mrs Pollifax, lol! It is all from her perspective — in third person protagonist point-of-view — that we view the story, as she upsets the intended order of a bad man, I should say men. And poor Mr Carstairs continues to pull his hair out, *more laughter*. Bishop certainly enjoys that!
I do love Mrs Pollifax's philosophy.
"...this was exactly the age, she thought, when life ought to be spent, not hoarded. ... One could not always change the world, she felt, but one could change oneself."It's this approach that gets her into all these pickles — every time she plays courier, lol. Ya gotta love her for standing up for her convictions! And such an innocuous spy.
I would like to know why Phil picked someone's pocket. There's nothing later in the story to explain that. Well, other than a useful way to uncover someone's identity. I'd also like to know how Mrs Pollifax determines Ignatov is going to overthrow the government?? As for paying that ransom...how would they explain the public death of the one but produce the same guy as being well and alive?? His dad (and Gilman) is just not thinking.
Gilman's description of Nevena cracks me up. All the stereotypes of the stolid Communist with her passion for Soviet architecture and disdain for history. Her attitude (and her government's) all make me so grateful that I live in the United States. Where we have electricity and water 24/7, oy.
On the other hand, Tsanko prefers the Russian oversight. He sees it as protection from the wolves. Isn't that a kick in the pants!
It's kind of sad that a citizen's appearance will affect how one's government provides aid. It's also fascinating that it's Debby who has the character arc in this story, and in her life. It's her past that plays up those hypocritical parents who alienate their children.
"Because someday I hope a man will look at me the way he looked at Mrs Pollifax."Now don't forget...Wednesdays.
The Story
The unexpected aid that enables Shipkov's escape deserves a reward — eight forged passports to help others escape Bulgaria.
And who better to deliver those passports but the harmless Mrs Pollifax. Carstairs really should have remembered her penchant for getting into trouble...
The Characters
Mrs Pollifax, a.k.a., 10573, is a retired widow with a variety of interests from the Garden Club to hospital volunteer to karate. Virgil had been her husband. The intuitive Roger is her son who is based in Chicago. Jane is her daughter in Arizona.
CIA
Mr Carstairs likes to employ Mrs Pollifax as a special courier. Bishop is his assistant who stays in contact with Mrs Pollifax. Osmonde is a hatmaker. Shipkov, an undercover agent, managed to escape Bulgaria.
Bulgaria
Tsanko is Mrs Pollifax's Underground contact; Adriana had been his wife. His second wife, an ex, is an engineer in Varna. Vasil is Tsanko's only surviving child. Other members of the Underground include Kosta; Boris, a history professor; Encho; Georgi who is a student at the university; and, Volko, who is the businessman of the group. The nasty Assen Radev is the only CIA agent left in Sofia and works at the Dobri Vapacarow Collective where they raise geese. Slavko is their guide at the collective. Durov is a tailor at Number nine Vasil Levski. Anton Schoenstein will make use of one of those passports.
Nevena is Mrs Pollifax's contact with Balkantourist, the official travel agency in Bulgaria. Herr Vogel is a hotel manager in Tarnovo. Chairman Brezhnev is the leader of the USSR.
An English expat, Carleton Bemish, is a has-been journalist, recommended to Mrs Pollifax as an unofficial guide. Stella Trendafilov is his wife. Her brother, Petrov Trendafilov, is a millionaire in the US.
The scheming General Ignatov is a CIA worry. Titko Yugov, Minco Kolarov, and Nikolai F Dzhagarov, a protege of Ignatov, are with the secret police. The Panchevsky Institute is an inescapable institute in Sofia where the secret police stash those they take. Miroslav is a venal guard there.
The young people, some of whom don't want to go to Bulgaria, include the bossy Nikki, the parents-beset and physically adept Debby, the ill Philip Trenda, the French Ghislaine, and Erika and Andre. Benjamin Eastlake is with the US Embassy in Sofia.
The New Brunswick, New Jersey, Garden Club consists...
...of Miss Grace Hartshorne, Mrs Pollifax's neighbor; Professor Whitsun from the university botany department; and, Mrs Otis, the club's president.
Retired police chief, Lorvale Brown, teaches karate. Mr Omelianuk owns the delicatessen around the corner from Mrs Pollifax's apartment. Dr Kidd is Debby's psychiatrist. Paul Trenda is Philip's father.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a red-brown background. At the top is the author's name with a thin underline in a pale yellow. The title is centered below that in white. A rectangle of a gradated yellow-to-brown ranging left to right with a thin white border is the background for Mrs Pollifax's elaborate brown hat, en-mossed in green with two long creamy gray feathers thrusting out behind and a cup of tea in Blue Cantonese sitting to the left of it. Underneath the graphic is an epigraph followed by a testimonial in white.
The title is how the frustrated Nevena views our protagonist, The Elusive Mrs Pollifax.
July 8, 2024
Mrs. Pollifax is recruited to deliver some passports to the Underground Resistance in Communist Bulgaria. It seems like a straightforward courier job, but nothing is ever straightforward with Mrs. Pollifax. She befriends a group of young hippie tourists, and when one of them is arrested for espionage, Mrs. Pollifax suspects that something else is going on.
I like Mrs. Pollifax more and more all the time!
This is everything a spy novel should be! Suspense, humor, horror, adventure, friendship, surprise twists.... it's all there in abundance! The writing is superb, and the plot is fantastic!
The characters have some great development, and they grow and change with the story.
The little insights, the fresh brilliance of the writing... I can't even describe it. A phrase here and there just jumps out at you with its... rightness. Like words are puzzle pieces that fit in place, and out comes a form of poetry in prose. I always know I'm going to love a Dorothy Gilman book, because her writing is just that good!
Fabulous stuff, and I want to read more.
I like Mrs. Pollifax more and more all the time!
This is everything a spy novel should be! Suspense, humor, horror, adventure, friendship, surprise twists.... it's all there in abundance! The writing is superb, and the plot is fantastic!
The characters have some great development, and they grow and change with the story.
The little insights, the fresh brilliance of the writing... I can't even describe it. A phrase here and there just jumps out at you with its... rightness. Like words are puzzle pieces that fit in place, and out comes a form of poetry in prose. I always know I'm going to love a Dorothy Gilman book, because her writing is just that good!
Fabulous stuff, and I want to read more.
June 26, 2025
This was good, but not quite as strong as the first few that I read. Mrs. Pollifax is in danger once again, and this time is in Bulgaria, dealing with a kidnapping, secret police and a confusing coat. 3.5 ⭐
October 9, 2021
These are starting...
February 21, 2023
Read on a road trip with my husband who now loves this series!
January 15, 2025
4.5. Such a fun series to read. Would love to meet Mrs. Pollifax!
August 12, 2017
Actually the third in the series and I finished it sometime ago, read it before re-reading #2, The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax. Catching up now.
Scene - Bulgaria.
An unforgettable character, Tsanko.
"They sat quietly together, the sounds of the night encircling them: the shrilling of cicadas, the call of a whippoorwill, a murmur of rustling leaves from the forest. It was extraordinary how fond she had become of this man, thought Mrs. Pollifax, and she reflected upon how few persons there were with whom she felt an instinctive rapport. There was never anything tangible about this. It was composed of humor, attitude, spirit -- all invisible -- and it made words completely unnecessary between them."
"We are of different cultures on the outside," he said slowly, "but inside we are alike."
Worth remembering in this day and time.
Lots of wisdom in Mrs. Pollifax...
And great adventures too.
Scene - Bulgaria.
An unforgettable character, Tsanko.
"They sat quietly together, the sounds of the night encircling them: the shrilling of cicadas, the call of a whippoorwill, a murmur of rustling leaves from the forest. It was extraordinary how fond she had become of this man, thought Mrs. Pollifax, and she reflected upon how few persons there were with whom she felt an instinctive rapport. There was never anything tangible about this. It was composed of humor, attitude, spirit -- all invisible -- and it made words completely unnecessary between them."
"We are of different cultures on the outside," he said slowly, "but inside we are alike."
Worth remembering in this day and time.
Lots of wisdom in Mrs. Pollifax...
And great adventures too.
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