Mrs. Pollifax on Safari

Mrs. Emily Pollifax, a New Jersey widow, geranium grower, and occasional spy, has a new assignment from the CIA. An unknown assassin is expected to be among a safari party in Zambia. All Mrs. Pollifax needs to do is take pictures of everyone in the group and the CIA will do the rest. It sounds simple enough until Mrs. Pollifax encounters unexpected difficulties. She’ll have to use all of her considerable resources to get out of the situation alive.

Mrs. Pollifax has the strong personality of an Amelia Peabody combined with the sharp perception of a Miss Marple. The combination makes for entertaining armchair adventures. However, the book isn’t pure fluff. The action in the book takes place after Zambian independence and before show more Zimbabwean independence. The political situation in Rhodesia and the issue of apartheid form part of the context for the events in the book. There are also oblique references to the political turmoil in the U.S. surrounding the Watergate affair:

Carstairs asked me to tell you very firmly that his department has remained scrupulous to the letter in all its undertakings…At least as scrupulous as can be expected when our business is to gather information by nefarious means, hit troublesome people over the head, and indulge in other interesting forms of skullduggery.

Mrs. Pollifax, recalling certain people that she herself had been forced to hit over the head, did not comment; it was a very modest number, of course, but one of which she was sure neither her garden club nor her pastor would approve. show less

That grandmotherly spy Mrs. Pollifax, with her penchant for flamboyant hats and her friendly interest in everyone she meets, heads to Zambia in this fifth installment of Dorothy Gilman's series devoted to her espionage adventures. Her mission, while on safari, is to take photographs of all of her fellow travelers, as Mr. Carstairs and the CIA have it on good authority that one of them is an international assassin known as Aristotle. Things rarely go as planned on a Mrs. Pollifax mission however, and soon our redoubtable retiree finds herself kidnapped by some very dangerous people...

I have always enjoyed Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, since first reading it (along with the rest of the series then in publication) as an adolescent. First, there show more is our eponymous heroine, with her cheerful, upbeat, hopeful view on her fellow human beings. I am no expert on spy novels - these are, in fact, the only ones I have read - but it strikes me that this must be unusual, in the genre. Second, there is the poetic description of Zambia, and the beauties of the natural world, which would make any reader long to go on safari herself. As another reviewer has noted, the travelogue aspect of this series is one of its great charms. Third, the reader gets to witness the happy reunion with John Sebastien Farrell, whom Mrs. Pollifax met and befriended in her first adventure, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, and who is a favorite character. Fourth, Mrs. Pollifax's new beau, and eventual second husband, Cyrus Reed, debuts here. These factors all make this an engaging addition to the series! I see that some other reviewers felt that Dorothy Gilman failed to grasp the geopolitics of the region, during this period, but while their criticisms may indeed be just, as someone not conversant with the history, I feel ill-equipped to judge. Still, those who do know more about the subject might want to keep that in mind, when approaching the book. With that proviso, I recommend this one to anyone who has read and enjoyed the previous books in the Mrs. Pollifax series. show less

Lovable Mrs. Pollifax is back! This time she has traveled to Africa to go on safari. Her mission is to take lots and lots of pictures and oh by the way, find an infamous assassin. Acting as the CIA's voluntary grandma spy, Emily Pollifax, albeit with bumbling charm, befriends every strange character she meets in the hopes one of them is the elusive and deadly Aristotle. Of course, it wouldn't be a Gilman mystery if something didn't go according to plan. This is a quick read, but highly enjoyable.

As an aside, this is not a spoiler but, but. But! Gilman gives Pollifax an umbrella to carry throughout her journey through Africa. Because the umbrella/parasol is mentioned a dozen times I thought for sure it would be used as a weapon, contain show more a secret clue or something significant. In the end, Pollifax gives the umbrella away without incident. Oh well. show less

Mrs. Pollifax on Safari by Dorothy Gilman is the 5th book in the series and this time she has been sent to Africa and is intent on hunting down an international assassin. Although her superiors sent her to just take pictures so they could identify who this mystery assassin is, she hopes to be able to identify him herself.

She is very excited to be going on a safari and she is even more pleased when she finds out that her old friend and colleague, Farrell has retired to Zambia and she plans to visit with him as well. Of course plans tend to go astray in the world of espionage, and Mrs. Pollifax soon finds herself involved in a romance and a kidnapping situation.

Mrs. Pollifax on Safari is another fun and exciting entry into this series. I show more listened to an audio version well read by Barbara Rosenblat who draws the listener in with the excellent blend of humor, adventure and danger that the story offers. show less

This is the fifth book of the series and sees the return of a character introduced in the first book. It takes place during the Cold War era when apartheid was still going strong.

I loved the assignment: take pictures of everyone going on this safari. It is simple and sounds so easy -- what could possibly go wrong? But this is Mrs. Pollifax so you know *something* will happen.

It is another frothy mystery, perfect for reading quickly. But beware! You'll want to finish it in one gulp.

Off to the next one in the series.

One day Mrs Pollifax is practising her karate in her New Jersey apartment, then by the weekend she is being sent to Zambia on a safari. In addition to photos of lions and elephants, Mrs P is instructed to snap photos of her fellow tourists: one of them is suspected to be the legendary assassin Aristotle, and the CIA wants a photo of him to aid in a future arrest. However, Aristotle is camera shy, and makes short work of her film. Then a kidnapping further complicates her task...

This was a moderately exciting installment in the series. Mrs Pollifax is her usual charming self, and there are callbacks to her first two adventures. This is also the book where we meet retired judge Cyrus Reed, who proves to be an amusing and steadfast show more companion. The final reveal and explanation of the mystery might not explain every last thing, but it is also possible that I read too quickly and missed things. It is a very quick book and can be read in an afternoon. It's probably a good idea to have at least the first book in the series under your belt, if only to be familiar with the characters. show less

This is one of my favorites. It introduces us to Cyrus Reed and reintroduces us to John Sebastian Farrell from book 1. Lots of intrigue, fun, and excitement. Only a couple of minor missteps, but understandable because otherwise there's no way for the reader to find out what's happening. Very satisfying.