Product Description

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.
So, though the sun shines brightly, the food is delicious, and romance is in the air, Mrs. Pollifax is too busy handing out karate chops and playing catch-me-if-you-can with an assassin to enjoy the amenities . . . .
"Mrs. Pollifax gives Agatha Christie's Miss Marple a rival to reckon with." -- The Toronto Star

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31765 in Books
• Published on: 1995-01-30
• Released on: 1995-01-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 208 pages

From Publishers Weekly
That dignified New Jersey grandmother with the wicked karate chop embarks on her 10th CIA assignment, after Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish , in this sunny Sicilian adventure. Former colleague John Farrell, hired to crack a safe and lift a document signed by Julius Caesar (who "launched his attack on Africa in 47 B.C. from the town of Lilybaeum" in Sicily) sends an SOS while dodging a professional assassin whom he and Mrs. P. jailed some years ago. Soon she too is ducking bullets and the old pals are forced to hole up in the Villa Franca--part farm, part medieval fortress and full-time residence of young CIA agent Kate Rossiter's eccentric aunt. Ancient artifacts, hair-raising chases, art forgery, arms traffic, a nighttime assault on the villa, mysterious millionaires, spectacular scenery and unexpected romance are some of the ingredients simmering in the plot. Gilman's smooth storytelling and slyly comic tone make it easy for readers to overlook a somewhat untidy ending.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Emily Polifax is a grandmother, garden club fan, and a part-time CIA operative who manages to hold her own in her assignments. In this outing, she is sent to Sicily to help rescue Farrell, a former agent who was shot while attempting to steal a document bearing the signature of Julius Caesar. Polifax teams up with another agent, Kate Rossiter, who is vacationing in Sicily. Upon finding Farrell, they become embroiled in a scheme involving art forgers, secret cartels, and professional killers. This is a delightful romp, with the quick pacing and well-drawn characters that mark Gilman's series (e.g., Mrs. Polifax and the Golden Triangle , Audio Reviews, LJ 11/15/93). The narration by a full cast of readers is played for all its worth. Strongly recommended for all libraries.
- Susan B. Lamphier, Somerville P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Grandmother, garden-clubber, karate expert, and part-time CIA agent Emily Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish, 1990, etc.) is sent by boss Carstairs first to a funeral in Virginia, then to Sicily. From there, ex-agent John Farrell, now owner of a Mexico City art gallery, has sent an SOS asking for her help. He's in Sicily to authenticate a document bearing the signature of Julius Caesar for collector Ambrose Vica--and he's in deep trouble. Carstairs assigns gutsy young agent Kate Rossiter, who knows the area, to assist Emily. Together, they find Farrell--injured and shaken; take on a couple of pursuers; and end up in the fortress villa of Kate's aunt Franca--an unflappable type who paints first- class forgeries, sells them, and helps the villagers with the proceeds. It takes a while to find out what's behind all the brouhaha--an assassin prematurely released from a French prison, plus a deeper conspiracy thwarted with much help from Franca and villagers. A heavily contrived plot sparks little tension, and the movie- script characters are uniformly unreal. Pollifax fans may love it, but Gilman's best work lies outside this series. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Mrs. Pollifax in Sicily
Mrs. Pollifax, intrepid Garden Club member and holder of a brown belt in karate, has gone on several assignments to exotic places for the CIA. In this book, she is called by old friend John Farrell to help him in his latest predicament. He is a former CIA agent who is now an art dealer and he has been asked to authenticate the signature of Julius Caesar on a document. In the process of doing so, he has been chased and shot at and he is currently in hiding. Mrs. Pollifax shows up with a young woman named Kate who has been assigned to help her. When they have trouble finding a safe haven, Kate takes them to her aunt's house. Mrs. Pollifax finds all sorts of interesting activities going on there and learns more about the people who are chasing Farrell. This story has the amusing complication of having Carstairs assign a person to follow and protect Mrs. Pollifax. She is not aware of this and she levels the poor man with a well-placed karate chop. Mrs. Pollifax fans will not be disappointed in this entry in the series.

A surprising disappointment...
I can wholeheartedly recommend all other Mrs. Pollifax books, but this one left me wishing it hadn't happened. The plot was obvious and contrived - not her usual level of writing at all. While it was nice to see old friends, they were not as entertaining and funny as they have been both before and since. I'd pass on this one.

Different voice?
Dorothy Gilman is one of my favorite mystery writers. I've read all of her first nine books many, many times, and highly recommend them. In this book and the ones that follow the author's voice shifts so completely, I wonder if she is actually the one continuing to write them. Mrs. Pollifax's character changes, she is "cross" several times in the first few chapters and the old Mrs. Pollifax was curious and philosophical and observant. This philosophical bent disappears entirely from these later books.

The adventures no longer sizzle along. An early chase in this book is poorly crafted; as it happens it is described without enough detail to make it interesting or suspensful and we are told Mrs. Pollifax looks back on it as a "nightmare," when there is no basis for this in the story. The earlier Mrs. Pollifax would roll with the punches and reserve "nightmare" for full fledged torture. These later books are so disappointing because the first nine are so wonderful....