Dorothy Gilman is the author of the Mrs. Pollifax series. Mrs. Pollifax is a spunky woman, who in her sixties, becomes a spy for the CIA. An avid traveler herself, Ms. Gilman sent her undaunted female agent all around the world: Turkey, Hong Kong, Mexico City, and Switzerland.
Mrs. Pollifax's first adventure, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, was made into a film starring Rosiland Russell. After the first book, Ms. Gilman assigned her spy heroine thirteen more missions.
I recently came upon and read two of her stand-alone mysteries, The Clairvoyant Countess and A Nun in the Closet.
In the first, psychic Madame Karitska teams up with Detective Luden in a large city (which I took to be New York) and solves not just one but a few baffling crimes and murders. This is more a series of short stories than a novel starring The Countess who uses her psychic abilities, powers of observation, and common sense to sort out the criminals and their wicked ways. Although Detective Luden is skeptical at first, he comes to appreciate Madame's gift and the two become friends. I liked the characters and Ms.Gilman uses the novel to explore the areas of predicting the future, mind reading, and communicating with the dead. Madame Karitska is on the level and this excursion into her world (written in 1975) was quite entertaining.
In A Nun in the Closet, also published in 1975, we have the story of a small convent that is willed a big old house and some property. Two of the nuns, the practical Sister John and the fey Sister Hyacinthe (who knows her herbs and weeds), take off in a borrowed van to inspect the convent's inheritance. What they find is more than they bargained for: a house that seems to be haunted; a suitcase full of money hidden in the garden well; a town run by a nasty sheriff; gangsters; a nearby camp of helpful hippies; and, a group of migrant workers.
Not to mention the man with a gunshot wound holed up on the second floor of the house. Because he asks for sanctuary and they cannot refuse him, the two sisters decide he must become Sister Ursula and dress him in a habit to avoid detection.
Quite out of the self-contained world at the convent.
Ms. Gillman gets to show off her knowledge of medicinal herbs and other wild plants and really lets the Sisters have a great time and gives them a bit of a worldly education as well.
Both books are easy to read and filled with humor. Reading them has put me in the mood to make the acquaintance of Ms. Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax, spy.
I read The Nun in the Closet years ago, and while I don't remember much about the plot, I do remember that it made me laugh. :) Even now, just thinking about it, makes me smile. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe characters in this one are great, Lark. I did chuckle at the escapades and the rude awakening the sisters got in dealing with the Real World.
DeleteI have loved so much the Mrs Pollifax series, as audiobooks with the amazing narrator Barbara Rosenblat. Each book is set in a different country, they are really amazing. I have looked but could not find these standalones as audiobooks, so need definitely to read them. Thanks for reminding me of them!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I will have to check out the audio books. My library just got a ton of Ms. Gilman's books as ebooks which is how I read these two. So many ways to enjoy a book!
DeleteI've enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax (though did not know about the movie). I will be on the lookout for both of these.
ReplyDeleteThe movie is a delight, Penny. It perhaps combines several of her spy adventures. Actually, I think I watched it on YouTube. How can you beat Rosiland Russell!
DeleteI've read several of the Mrs. Pollifax books, but thank you for reminding me about them. I liked them and hope to add some to my ever growing TBR stacks.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if I have read the spy books, Joan, but am certainly familiar with Mrs. Pollifax as a character. My library just made available many of Ms. Gilman's tales as ebooks so I have plenty to choose from.
DeleteI've read (and enjoyed) a few of the Mrs. Pollifax books, and I think I read A Nun in the Closet ages ago...I think I'd like to reread it! There was a more recent Mrs. Pollifax movie with Angela Lansbury as Mrs. P. that was great fun, too. Thanks for the reminder of this great series.
ReplyDeleteI will have to check out the Angela Lansbury version. It would be fun to see an updated version from the Rosiland Russell movie of 1971. My library now has many of Mrs. Pollifax's spy novels as ebooks and I just downloaded the first one. I am off to see the world!
DeleteI really enjoyed the early Mrs Pollifax books - I really should go and re-read them.
ReplyDeleteHi, Vicki. I just checked out the first one in the series. I am ready for a bit of spying adventure. I normally don't 'get' spy novels. I never really know what they are talking about. But I have the feeling that Mrs. Pollifax will be a bit more straightforward.
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