Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collections
Publication
Fawcett (1997), Mass Market Paperback, 224 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. In Dorothy Gilman's best-selling mystery series, loveable grandmother Emily Pollifax has captured the hearts of millions with her secret CIA missions. Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist whisks the gray-haired agent into a perilous web of intrigue that spreads across the drifting sands of the volatile Middle East. An old CIA friend, Farrell, must collect an inflammatory manuscript smuggled out of Iraq into Jordan. Farrell has a simple request for Emily-provide cover during his trip to Jordan by posing as his fun-loving elderly cousin. But before the plane even lands, danger begins stalking the sprightly Mrs. Pollifax. Outwitting her wily opponents with her keen eye for the truth and her impeccable karate, Mrs. Pollifax is the lively senior citizen everyone dreams of someday becoming. You'll feel you know the aging spy and her colorful opponents personally with Barbara Rosenblat's outstanding narration.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Othemts
Mrs. Pollifax, Farrell and a charming Bedouin girl in Jordan.
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Another mystery where Mrs. Pollifax gets embroiled in an unofficial way. This mystery feels more contemporary because it is set post Gulf War in Jordan. It was nice to see familiar characters like Farrell. But I wish there had been more of Cyrus in this story.
LibraryThing member nolak
Emily and her friend Farrell smuggle a manuscript out of Jordan that encodes the shocking truth of Saddam Hussein's rule. They are pulled into Middle Eastern intrigue that ends up in Karak Castle. More fun and intrigue games that are sure to please.
LibraryThing member smik
Mrs Pollifax is commissioned by the CIA to accompany a retired CIA agent John Farrell to Jordan and Amman to retrieve the final manuscript of a dissident Iraqi novelist Dib Assen, allegedly recently murdered in an Iraqi prison. Mrs Pollifax will add credence to their tourist disguise while Farrell
MRS POLLIFAX, INNOCENT TOURIST reminded me of plots that Agatha Christie constructed back in the 1920s especially the ones that involved Tommy & Tuppence, except that INNOCENT TOURIST is played out against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Gulf War of the 1990-1991.
The plot background details about Saddam Hussein and the political situation in Iraq after the Gulf War seemed mostly correct if a bit simplified.
Emily Pollifax seems like a less fragile version of Jane Marple.
However the whole plot felt a tad unrealistic, even though I liked the description of their Bedu guide and his teenage sister. The way the CIA uses Mrs Pollifax as an "unofficial" agent seems most unlikely.
I've been thinking about whether this book qualifies as a "cozy" and have decided that it does despite containing elements that could be described as "thriller".
Dorothy Gilman wrote INNOCENT TOURIST towards the end of her writing life. The series had begun just over 30 years earlier back in 1966 and I couldn't help feeling that the style of INNOCENT TOURIST hadn't really moved with the times. However it was a quick and entertaining read, partly because of the length but also because the writing style is not particularly complex.
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carries out his mission to retrieve the manuscript at a rendezvous at a castle near Amman. It takes them a while to realise that they have been under surveillance from the very beginning.MRS POLLIFAX, INNOCENT TOURIST reminded me of plots that Agatha Christie constructed back in the 1920s especially the ones that involved Tommy & Tuppence, except that INNOCENT TOURIST is played out against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Gulf War of the 1990-1991.
The plot background details about Saddam Hussein and the political situation in Iraq after the Gulf War seemed mostly correct if a bit simplified.
Emily Pollifax seems like a less fragile version of Jane Marple.
However the whole plot felt a tad unrealistic, even though I liked the description of their Bedu guide and his teenage sister. The way the CIA uses Mrs Pollifax as an "unofficial" agent seems most unlikely.
I've been thinking about whether this book qualifies as a "cozy" and have decided that it does despite containing elements that could be described as "thriller".
Dorothy Gilman wrote INNOCENT TOURIST towards the end of her writing life. The series had begun just over 30 years earlier back in 1966 and I couldn't help feeling that the style of INNOCENT TOURIST hadn't really moved with the times. However it was a quick and entertaining read, partly because of the length but also because the writing style is not particularly complex.
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LibraryThing member simchaboston
Enjoyable and a quick read, though I am starting to recognize (and be a little bored with) the basic formula of these stories. I still like the characters, though, and find this works as a nice palate-cleanser between more serious books.
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Mrs. Pollifax's latest mission is a trip to the Middle East with her CIA friend Farrell to retrieve a manuscript written by a murdered dissident. The manuscript, disguised as fiction, provides provocative details of Saddam Hussein's reign of terror. The pickup, arranged through an intermediary,
By the end, the always gracious Mrs. Pollifax, as expected, has helped capture the bad guys and made some delightful new friends in adverse circumstances. These mysteries are always fun and entertaining, and this one is sure to be a hit with Mrs. Pollifax fans. I would call this a cozy mystery, even though there are some mild suspense elements. It was a quick and entertaining read and I plan to finish the series this year with the final book, Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled.
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proves much more difficult than Farrell or Mrs. Pollifax anticipated, and they are faced with smugglers disguised as businessmen, attacks by knife-wielding sheikhs, car chases, and rides on berserk camels. By the end, the always gracious Mrs. Pollifax, as expected, has helped capture the bad guys and made some delightful new friends in adverse circumstances. These mysteries are always fun and entertaining, and this one is sure to be a hit with Mrs. Pollifax fans. I would call this a cozy mystery, even though there are some mild suspense elements. It was a quick and entertaining read and I plan to finish the series this year with the final book, Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled.
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LibraryThing member Greymowser
Although Agatha Christie was some of the first mystery books I read, others followed in a tumble. Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax was enchanting and I ate up her series.
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
Unsophisticated but fun, the Mrs. Pollifax books are quick, easy reads. I enjoyed this one more than the previous two in the series.
Chosen as a decoy (because she is so good at looking like an 'innocent tourist') to accompany her old friend Farrell to Jordan, here Mrs. Pollifax, as usual, gets
Chosen as a decoy (because she is so good at looking like an 'innocent tourist') to accompany her old friend Farrell to Jordan, here Mrs. Pollifax, as usual, gets
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swept up in events more dangerous than anticipated. The mild risk of their intended mission (secretly picking up a manuscript from a dissident Iraqi author) is compounded when the innocent tourist 'disguise' leads the two into a web of murder, terrorism and kidnapping... Show Less
LibraryThing member themulhern
KIndergarten spying. "A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax", one of the earlier in the series, was much more fun.
LibraryThing member tkcs
I'm surprised how quickly I finished the 6 CDs just driving around doing errands. The Mrs. Pollifax books are a pleasant diversion, perfect for passing time in the car.
LibraryThing member jetangen4571
thriller, suspense, friendship, ex-spy, sexagenarian, country-Jordan, Bedouin, cultural-exploration, smuggling, family, famous-author, historical-fiction*****
Somehow, I never read this one of the series. Farrell has a need to go to Jordan and wait for an unknown contact to rescue a last manuscript
This falls into historical fiction even though it was written in 1997.
The wonderful narrator Barbara Rosenblat really makes it even better!
Somehow, I never read this one of the series. Farrell has a need to go to Jordan and wait for an unknown contact to rescue a last manuscript
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for a friend who died in Saddam Hussein's prison. But he needs a plausible cover and Emily is the only one he trusts to go with him. Add in terrorists, camels, and the historical site of Petra to make this an engaging and gripping mystery.This falls into historical fiction even though it was written in 1997.
The wonderful narrator Barbara Rosenblat really makes it even better!
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Language
Original publication date
1997-02-11
Physical description
224 p.; 6.83 inches
ISBN
044918336X / 9780449183366
Local notes
Mrs. Pollifax, 13
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery Gilman |