What do You think about The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (1983)?
This is the story of someone's widowed grandmother who, bored by volunteer duties and the life of an elderly spinster, volunteers to be a spy. Yes, a spy. She waltzes down to the CIA, gets an interview on false pretenses and offers her services. Accidentally mistaken as someone else, she gets the job -- a simple courier mission. Go to Mexico, utter a code phrase at the right time to the right person and bring the results back.Mrs. Pollifax is a more than a bit dotty, but she's desperately good with people, and she makes friends with her contact prior to their scheduled rendezvous. He suggests solitaire to pass the time, and she takes it up as a hobby, only to be kidnapped when she shows up for her arranged contact meeting. From there, she's flown to Albania to be imprisoned with another spy, who's the standard kind of spy. One who knows things that shouldn't be spoken of and tries to throw himself off a cliff in order to avoid being interrogated. Mrs. Pollifax has to get herself, the spy with a broken leg and the delightful gentleman in the next cell down out of the country. Somehow. With the contents of her handbag and her wits.It's a very light story. Quite humorous, without ever trying to make jokes. Mrs. Pollifax is the most unexpected spy ever, but you don't need to teach this granny how to suck eggs.
—Dixie A.
Emily Pollifax is bored in retirement. Her husband is deceased. Her children and grown and married. She still volunteers for various charities, but that’s getting old, too. But what else could she possibly do? America is engage in the Cold War against Communist countries. She figures she’s resourceful, intelligent, patriotic, loyal, and good at puzzles, so she leaves her New Jersey home and goes to Washington DC to meet with the CIA and offer her services as a spy. It so happens they are looking for the perfect operative to pose as a tourist in Mexico City and pick up a certain package, and the director calls in a certain candidate for an interview. He’s charmed by the woman he meets in the interview room, and before he discovers his mistake, he has offered Mrs Pollifax the job. Well, how difficult could this be? She only has to go to Mexico City (paid for entirely by the CIA, of course), play the tourist for nearly three weeks, and then on a particular day go to a particular book shop and ask for a specific book, commenting on one of the characters. The proprietor will sell her the book and she will bring it back to America. But the best laid plans … oft go awry. And this one is no exception. But Emily Pollifax IS perfect as a spy. She’s bright, inquisitive, observant and has a great deal of courage. She may be an amateur but she handles herself very well against the enemy. Some of the plot turns really stretch credulity, and the whole thing is obviously dated, but it’s a fun read nonetheless. I figured out the secret right away, but I was still entertained. I’ll definitely read more of this series.
—Book Concierge
Mrs. Pollifax is bored. Her husband passed away, her children are grown. Oh sure, there's her volunteer work, but that's become rather tedious of late. Definitely lacking in excitement. So, Mrs. Pollifax does what any sensible woman in her 60s does in her situation. She volunteers to serve her country as a spy for the CIA. What should be a simple assignment in Mexico gives Mrs. Pollifax much more adventure than she bargained for. Why I picked it up: I finished the Amelia Peabody series and the Vicky Bliss series and was looking for something similar. I discovered via Barbara Rosenblat's website that she narrated the Mrs. Pollifax series, so decided to give it a try.Why I kept listening: I admired Mrs. Pollifax's spunk and determination. Even kidnapping and imprisonment didn't daunt her. I enjoyed Ms. Gilman's portrayal of most of the other characters as well. The action and suspense made it difficult for me to get out of my car at the end of my drives because I wanted to know what would happen next. In the end: The only character I had a hard time liking was Mr. Farrell. He was a bit whiny and not as helpful initially as he might have been. It took me awhile to come around, but I didn't think him too bad by the end. While the action scenes did drive the story, I was starting to wonder just how much more poor Mrs. Pollifax would have to endure. At times it seemed a bit much. Overall I enjoyed this venture into a new series. I'm looking forward to the next book.
—librarian4Him02
