I have a terrible pattern of downloading books from audible.com and then saving the ones that I REALLY want to listen to. It’s a habit quite like my habit of putting off reading my favorite authors. I always want to know that “they” are there waiting for me in my To Be Read book shelf. (Right now I have a lot of TBR mystery books! Monica Ferris, Katherine Hall Page, Patricia Moyes, Ruth Rendell, Camille Minichino/Margaret Grace, Susan Wittig Albert, and a WHOLE LOT MORE!!!)
However, today I decided to bump up one of my very favorite authors. I was just in the mood to start listening to a mystery book that I absolutely knew was going to be able to “deliver.” So my book of choice to start listening to was: Dorothy Gilman‘s Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled.
For those of you who are not familiar with Mrs. Pollifax, she is a woman of “a certain age” who has joined the CIA at a time in life when other people might enjoy sipping lemonade in a hammock under the shady limbs of a dogwood tree. (OK, I know that isn’t a great example, since most of us would rather be doing that… especially if we could be reading while lulling the time away, enjoying a cool breeze… But, you know what I mean…)
Not so for Mrs. Pollifax! As a member of her local Save Our Environment Club, a woman working toward becoming a black belt karate athlete, and a prize winning geranium grower, Emily Pollifax is not content to just enjoy a leisurely life. And, she is really good at her spy job. She fools the “bad guys” every time… with her innocent looks, and her outrageously “old lady” hats. (I don’t think her hats are described with that term, but that’s how I would describe them.)
Dorothy Gilman has given me hours of reading enjoyment… whether I listen to her books or read them. Mrs. Pollifax is a character who comes to us fully-developed, very three-dimensional, and an added benefit of her work as a spy is that she travels the globe, going to exotic locations which we (the readers) are able to enjoy.
PS… For those of you lucky enough to be heading to New York for the Edgar Awards at the end of this month (April 27-29) >>> Dorothy Gilman is going to be the Grand Master!
Kay says
I have loved Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Pollifax books for a really long time. They are great mysteries and I have read them over and over.
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
You know I’ve heard about these books many times–and your description is the first one I’ve read where I have decided, “These sound excellent. I must check them out!”
Marie says
Funny you should mention the delightful Mrs. Polifax right now. I’ve just been thinking about re-reading Ms. Gilman’s books. Maria, I think you’ll love them.
Bernadette in Australia says
I read (listened to) my first one of these earlier this year and really enjoyed it. I thought it might be a bit ‘twee’ but found it a lot of fun.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bernadette,
My first time “reading” Dorothy Gilman was an audio book, and Barbara Rosenblat simply brought Emily Pollifax to life… I was hooked!
PS… I love that word “twee”>>> although I had to look it up on Dictionary.reference.com! (“affectedly dainty or quaint”)
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marie and Kay,
After reading your comments yesterday, I decided to re-listen to an earlier book in Gilman’s series. Nothing wrong with re-reading (or re-listening.) That’s how much I enjoy Mrs. Pollifax!
Violette says
I love the Mrs. Pollifax series and have a copy of each one of them. I think you will like them too.
Brad says
Does anyone know if Dorothy Gilman is still writing? I’ve kept hoping for a new book for quite a while…..
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I don’t know, Brad… It’s already been ten years since the last Mrs. Pollifax mystery was published… I know Dorothy Gilman has a lot of fans out there who would love to see another mystery in the series. (And, I’m one of them!)
Ami says
These books are generational in my family. My grandmother and I read them together on our travels through Europe and now I am sharing them with my 12 year old daughter. It took a bit to get her to start reading them but now she is hooked and can’t wait for the next one! To Mrs. Gilman: Thank you for sharing your talent with all with us! 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I was so sad when I finished the Mrs. Pollifax mysteries, that I actually started listening to some of them for the second time. I loved Dorothy Gilman’s series, loved the characters AND the travel…