The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

Most series mysteries leave me either impatient for more action, irritated as protagonists hop in and out of bed as if no one is trying to kill them, or wondering how the insubstantial protagonists could leap from one suspension of disbelief to another and expect any rational mind to follow.

Mrs. Pollifax, however, could sell wool to a shepherd and entice him to follow her into town where she would instruct him not only in how to knit, but have him gladly finishing a sweater for her to wear that very day.

Usually, I also tire when action scene is followed by more suspense, more trouble, more questions. However, Gilman deftly balances anxiety and hope, not only in the plot line, but in the overarching tone and philosophy of the book. I will soon purchase the sequel.

I loved this book! It is just so fun! I love Mrs. Polifax and totally imagined Angela Lansbury or someone of that caliber playing the part! It is just the right amount of light, yet suspenseful! Please.....someone make a movie but make sure you hire just the right lead. For example NOT Angelina Jolie (as they have for Scarpetta.ugh!)
Off to download the second book now :)

Love this book - read it years ago and couldn't wait for the rest of the series to appear on Audible.

My dear fellow readers: I strongly recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves to hear a good story! Dorothy Gilmore writes a fascinating story about 60 year old Mrs. Pollifax who becomes a CIA courier... Say what!? Yes, and it is so riveting that I have BOTH the audiobooks AND the books -- and I love listening or reading EVERYTIME! Want a great book... the Pollifax series of stories are AWESOME!!

Any audiobooks narrated by Barbara Rosenblatt are awesome with her gift of hundreds of voices and accents. She stays true to Mrs.Pollifax's voice in each recording. You just fall in love with that spunky little lady with the outrageous hats. Unfortunately not all of the Pollifax books are read by Ms. Rosenblatt and are totally uninspiring! So watch out who the narrator is for these books.

I first heard about Mrs. Pollifax 20 years ago. Now that I am 55, I found it hugely entertaining that a 58 year old woman convinced the CIA to let her be a spy. This series is well worth the time. You'll be disappointed, though, to find out two of the books are not available at Audible. Request those at your local library. They are number 5 and 6, I think.

I LOVE Mrs. Pollifax! Read them all years ago and am thrilled to see them on Audible. Please add the whole series, and all the rest of Dorothy Gilman's books!

Simply charming character in Mrs. Pollifax and a mystery spy plot with unexpected twists and turns. Really enjoyed this!

This is one of the best, and most fun, spy-series on Audible. Barbara Rosenblat is an wonderful reader, whose male characters are always believable. They are pretty much a product of their time, but Gilman always has sympathy for the regular natives of the oppressed countries Mrs. Pollifax visits.

Start with this and move on to the whole series - there is perhaps one so-so book in it, but the rest are all great!

I have recommended this to several who really enjoyed it.

Love the unexpected way Mrs. Polifax becomes a spy, the humor, the danger is real but it is not grisly or rated R.

My daughter loved listening to Mrs. Polifax and immediately wanted the rest of them.

This is the second Mrs. Polifax book I've listened to. I have mixed feelings about it, which explains my 3-star rating. It's totally ridiculous. A 60-ish, untrained widow who is bored with her life, VOLUNTEERS herself to the C.I.A. to be a spy, and what's more, they sign her up!! Never happen, of course! But.... remind yourself - this IS fiction!! So once you get past that fact, you start listening, and you keep saying to yourself, "this is almost to the point of being dumb." The other agents she meets actually accept her and work with her, instead of telling her to go home to New Jersey. Bottom line is that it's a nice, albeit silly story, with no foul language and no sexual situations. Would I listen to another? I might, but I'd rent it for free from my library.