The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax question

Have any of you tried the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton? While the main character is a much younger woman, she gets help from the ghost of her mother's friend.

While I dearly love Mrs. Pollifax, Dorothy Gilman gave us other wonderful characters, too. Try A Nun in the Closet. Or one of my favorite books (I think by her), Thale's Folly.

I don't know of any other, but I love your descriptor of 'thriller cozy'. Another character I greatly enjoy is Mm Rhomatswa (sp?) of Botswana. She's not quite as adventurous, but her colloquialism is divine. Look for her in The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith.

One of the series that I really enjoyed was the Miss Melville books. While the characters were completely different, Miss Melville always made me think of Emily Pollifax a bit. I also love the description 'thriller cozy' and would put the Miss Melville books in that category. I think if you like Mrs Pollifax, you'll like Miss Melville.

Thanks for the recommendation on Miss Melville, Vickie...I'll have to check her books out. I recently finished reading the Mrs. Pollifax series for the third time, and when I got to the last few books, I found myself slowing down and not reading them as fast because I didn't want the series to end. I like, though, how there was no finite end to Mrs. P's adventures at the end of the last book...and I prefer to still imagine her out there somewhere, right now, having wonderful adventures.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have looked at the No. 1 LDA but haven't tired it. I have to give it a show. Who writes the Miss Melville series. It sound familiar but I can place it.

I did not know until I saw it here that Dorothy Gilman had passed away. I can't imagine how many times I have read the early books, I went through at least three copies of the first three. I don't even think the 2nd one was out when I started reading them. I also enjoyed Num in a Closet and her Clairvoyant Countess books but not nearly as much.

I love, love, love Miss Melville & Mrs. Pollifax. Our library doesn't even have Miss Melville anymore. Another that I would put in quirky female adventurer thriller cozy is Mrs Pargeter by Simon Brett. She's the widow of a master criminal. Haven't been any new ones in years unfortunately.

Not as good are the first two Kick Keswick by Marne Davis Kellogg. She works in an auction house & replaces stolen jewels with counterfeit ones she makes.

I first learned of Mrs. Pollifax through the Readers Digest Condensed Books and immediately fell in love with her. I was never able to complete reading the series but now with e-readers and being able to download books from the library on the internet I will hopefully be able to complete the series. Thanks for pointing out a similar character. There was a Mrs. Pollifax movie made but the Rosalind Russell was the lead i believe and did not match my view of what Emily would look like and so I could not bring myself to finish watching it.

It is sad to hear of Gilman's passing. Her books have been very interesting reads. So good that re-reading and re-reading never gets old. A.McCall Smith's series #1 Ladies Detectives are also excellent reads. Another is the utterly delightful series by Shirley Rousseau Murphey the Joe Grey P.I. series enchanting, engrossing, laugh out loud re-readable mysteries.

I loved Mrs. Pollifax, and I too reread her books this summer after a major surgery, just the thing to brighten ones day. Have you tried E. Peters? Amelia Peabody is a fun character. I have not read the books, but I am enjoying Miss Fishers Murder mysteries on Netflix, and will probably read them next.. by Kerry Greenwood. The tone of the tv show reminds me of mrs Pollifax. The internet is also a great resource for "books similar to", here is an example http://www.cozy-mystery.com/blog/auth... Good reading.

I too met Dorothy Gillman's Mrs Pollifax through the Reader Digest condensed books. When I had children, I introduced them to Mrs. P and Books on Tape narrator Barbara Rosenblat. Now that my children are almost grown they say that their children will have to listen to Mrs. P. Even now my 17 yr old son will say we haven't listen to Mrs. P for a while can you get them from the Library.

I am an avid reader and there is no other Dorothy Gillman. I have read all her books and many of the authors you list but they do not consistently measure up. Maybe some day a new author will come along and catch our imagination in special way Dorothy has done and I will be there reading along with all of you.

It's not exactly the same, but you might very much enjoy Heron Carvic's "Miss Seeton" -- at least the first five novels which were written by the original author. The first three (and best) are Picture Miss Seeton, Miss Seeton Draws the Line, and Witch Miss Seeton, published from about 1968 to 1971. The title character is an English spinster drawing teacher with a subconscious knack for seeing through/beyond the surfaces of things -- but who considers herself to be perfectly ordinary and conventional. Well, except for the yoga. She witnesses a murder in the first book, and thus makes the acquaintance of Chief Superintendent Delphick ("The Oracle") of Scotland Yard.

Highly recommended -- but beware the sequels written by other authors, especially those by "Hampton Charles"

Thank you so much, that does sound like something I would enjoy.

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions regarding books for readers of the Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman. I'm excited to try some of them. I am so happy to see that Dorothy Gilman has so many readers who love her books. I am hoping they will make an ebook out of her "A New Kind of Country" book. I carry that book with me when I travel and it is getting very beaten up. Thanks again for all your wonderful suggestions!