Three of A Kind - Dorothy Gilman (3/3): Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station

As with her previous books, this one is also inspired from the author's travel to China. Dorothy Gilman loves to travel and her stories are often a product of her latest escapades. This book was born after her journey to the mainland.

Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station

Mrs. Pollifax, after her astonishing success from her previous assignments with the CIA, she has become one of Carstairs most cherished assets. She is now the Agency's go-to person for jobs that require a great deal of resourcefulness and to allay suspicion that the agency is involved. This next mission is to get in touch with a contact in Xian, China to get information on a labor camp. Once Mrs. Pollifax got the information, another agent will approach her and pull out Mr. X from the labor camp. Mr. X is an engineer who helped build China's defenses near the borders of Russia. They need to get Mr. X out of the mainland before Russia will get to him.

Mrs. Pollifax is to join a tour to China with other unsuspecting American tourists. If anything goes wrong, she will have to make sure that the group are taken out of China as soon as possible. The challenge now would be to convince the contact to give her the information she needs and not report her to the Sepos (police). The success of the whole operation depends on her, if she is unsuccessful, the other agent will never be able to rescue Mr. X. 

Another display of Mrs. Pollifax amazing powers of persuasion and her ability to see through a person's character. She again surprised me. She will always be my greatest super heroine. No one can match her. Dorothy Gilman is undoubtedly my number 1 favorite author in the whole universe. Her stories are written without much need for highfalutin words and emotional lines but nevertheless captivating and absorbing. 

This book makes me want to go to China and walk the famous Silk Road. To see for myself the life size terracotta warriors of China's first Emperor. 

This post has reminded me of the joy I had when in the company of Mrs. Pollifax. I think I am now a believer of the saying that stories are more enthralling the second time you read them. This surely applies to Mrs. Pollifax and Dorothy Gilman. I often do not read books again in fear of not feeling the same enjoyment I had when I first read them, but not with Mrs. Pollifax.  I am convinced, I need to read the rest of my Mrs. Pollifax and Dorothy Gilman collection again. I need them to feel good again, to feel alive. I haven't been feeling myself lately, actually for quite a while. 

Again, so long Dorothy Gilman and thank you for giving us Mrs. Pollifax. I will keep her immortal, even just for my benefit. I think, I still have a lot to learn from her. May I grow old to be a Mrs. Pollifax, not a CIA spy, but someone who never stops learning and dreaming. One who finds friends in unlikely places and who never fails to disprove what others think I cannot do.

Long live Mrs. Pollifax!

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (1/3)
Mrs. Pollifax on Safari (2/3)

Three of A Kind - Dorothy Gilman (2/3): Mrs. Pollifax on Safari

This story was created from the travels of Dorothy Gilman to Africa. All her stories are from her experiences while exploring different places and cultures. 

Mrs. Pollifax on Safari

After the epic and incredible success of Mrs. Pollifax's first assignment in Mexico, she had become one of the Agency's very reliable and valuable assets. With her proven resourcefulness and very dependable intuitive skills, she has been given other assignments and sent to other parts of the world. Her new assignment is to pose as a tourist again but this time join a Safari tour in Africa, Zambia in particular. Mrs. Pollifax accepted the job right away as she has never been to Africa and who could refuse an all-expense paid safari. Her job is to take pictures of all the people in the tour group. CIA has received a report that the notorious assassin-for-hire known as Aristotle will be joining the safari. No one has seen this Aristotle character. He is credited for various high profile killings around the world. Aside from that, her good friend John Sebastian Farrell is known to be in Lusaka, Zambia and Carstairs wants to know if he still wants to work for the CIA. He has retired a few years after working for them for 15 years.

So, Mrs. Pollifax went on to join the safari. Once she got to Lusaka, she set out to find Farrell. She tried the local phone directory but no luck. She also tried asking for his forwarding address from the bank and post office but was unsuccessful as well. After seeing a local ad in a newspaper, she was inspired to post an ad for Farrell to find her.  Much to her surprise, other people were also interested in finding Farrell - the local police and spies from Rhodesia. The question now, what is Farrell up to?

This is another exceptional undertaking of Mrs. Pollifax. As much as I relished her other books, this one is still as adorable as can be expected. Never fails. It still maintained its trademark - the uncanny, eccentric and resourceful Mrs. Pollifax. In this book though, Mrs. Pollifax met an interesting man. Yes, a love interest - retired judge Cyrus Reed. Here, Cyrus proved to be a very helpful friend and a knight in shining armor of Mrs. Pollifax. After her successful stint in Mexico, she has decided to learn new things like karate. She found that at her age, life is still full of surprises. Mrs. Pollifax was able to thwart the almost assassination of Zambia's president and identified the real Aristotle who was wearing a disguise during the safari. Thanks to Mrs. Pollifax's super keen powers of observation. She was also able to find Farrell, he saved her from the spies from Rhodesia who abducted her.

Another one unbelievable adventure of Mrs. Pollifax. I will never go tired of her ventures. Never, ever. Not in this lifetime or the next. Believe me, you have to read her books to know what I am talking about. I could not say more lest I say too much and spoil the books for you. I love Mrs. Pollifax!

Another gold medal for Dorothy Gilman.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (1/3)

Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station (3/3)

Three of A Kind - Dorothy Gilman (Part 1/3): The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

Here's another favorite author of mine - Dorothy Gilman. I will feature three of her books and my all-time favorite heroine - Mrs. Emily Pollifax.

Let's get to know Dorothy Gilman first and then I will all introduce you to Mrs. Pollifax.

Dorothy Gilman

She is an American author and is widely known because of her Mrs. Pollifax series which I love so much.  I first met Gilman via an edition of Reader's Digest Condensed Books. It was Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station. I was so caught up with the story that I wanted more of Mrs. Pollifax and her adventures. And this is how my hunt for condensed books and paperbacks of the works of Gilman, especially those that have Mrs. Pollifax on them, started. 

If there is an author that I would want to meet, it would be Dorothy Gilman. She animated my fascination with mystery novels. She initiated me into the world of espionage, detection, intelligence gathering, suspence, adventure, danger and intrigue. Unfortunately, Gilman died in 2012 at the age of 88 due to complications of Alzheimer's disease. She may have gone but she has left an everlasting legacy through the person of Mrs. Pollifax. Gilman will remain forever in the hearts of all her fans, just like me, because of her amazing and entertaining Mrs. Pollifax stories. I am glad I have come to know her. It has been a pleasure and a lifetime's worth of very memorable late nights.

Dorothy Gilman was awarded the annual Grand master of Mystery Writers in America in 2010. Gilman was an art teacher and telephone operator before she began writing. She first started writing children's stories for more than ten years and then began writing adult novels on Mrs. Pollifax which made her famous.

Who is Mrs. Pollifax?

Mrs. Pollifax is a grandmother and widow in her sixties. She was hired by the CIA to become a spy. It was probably the most hilarious thing to do, hire an old woman as a spy. But don't belittle Mrs. Pollifax, she was specifically selected by the Agency because no one will ever think that she works for them. At first, her assignments were just as simple as acting as courier but then her encounters often lead her to more serious espionage activities. Aside from that, she has a black belt in Karate and is very resourceful which has been proven in all of her adventures. She is also very intuitive and can often tell a friend from foe. Her vulnerability as an old woman is often taken as a weakness which proved to be her advantage in most situations. No one expects anything sinister from her. She's like everyone's gentle and warm grandmother.

Mrs. Pollifax has taken me to all of her adventures across the globe, from China to Africa. I have enjoyed all her exploits. When she does not have an assignment from the Agency, she is often tending to her garden in her New Jersey home. She is a member of a garden club and do volunteer work at the hospital.

The first Mrs. Pollifax book came out in 1966 and the 14th and last book was in 2000.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

This is the first book of the Mrs. Pollifax series. It's just fitting that this will be the first of the three books that I will put a spotlight on.

The career of Mrs. Emily Pollifax as a CIA spy started when she felt that old age is dull and even contemplated of ending all her misery and boredom. She was inspired by a newspaper article about an actress who pursued her career later in life. With this in mind, she set out to fulfill one of her childhood dreams - to become a spy. Fortunately, CIA was also looking for an old woman who will pose as a harmless tourist and pick up a package in Mexico. Mrs. Pollifax got the job. What she did not know was that her first assignment would not be as easy as getting the package and flying back. Everything did not go as planned and Mrs. Pollifax will have to tap into her long experience of reading people and use her exceptional talent and resourcefulness to get out from prison in Albania.

This book is really unexpected as its title suggest. A lot of unexpected things happened to Mrs. Pollifax. She did not expect to actually get hired on the spot as a spy for the CIA when she bravely applied and volunteered her services. She did not expect that the assignment could go wrong and she'll end up in prison and probably not see her family again. She unexpectedly met two other important people while in prison and even saved their lives because of her resourcefulness and ability to appeal to the good side of the prison guards. Her bosses at CIA had written her off as dead but much to their surprise, Mrs. Pollifax  just did not survive but also fulfilled the assignment. One of the many admirable qualities of Mrs. Pollifax is her ability to assess the situation and use it to her advantage. To jump at an opportunity for it may never present itself again.

Reading a Mrs. Pollifax book has always been a delightful memory to me. Even when I read the books again, they still give me the same excitement. It has been one of my best discoveries in life. My sister introduced me to Reader's Digest Condensed books and in turn paved the way for me to know Mrs. Pollifax and a host of other great authors and characters. A lot of Mrs. Pollifax stories have been featured in its editions. I could still remember going into the second hand bookstore and rummaging through the spines of those dusty and yellowed hard bounds. It was always a triumph for me when I spot Mrs. Pollifax on the titles. It was like I have unearthed the long-lost Yamashita treasure. Much to my delight, I have also unexpectedly stumbled on the other Mrs. Pollifax titles in one of the oldest chain of department stores here in Cebu. Not a lot of people know that they have condensed and second hand books in their stationery section. Finding Mrs. Pollifax, unknown and ignored in those dusty shelves was both a relief and a feeling that the universe loves me, because again, I have found the rest of the loot.

Mrs. Pollifax to me always saved the day, not just in the stories but also in my real life. With her adventures, I feel like I have been right there with her experiencing the thrill and the danger, the awe and amazement. There were a lot of things and worlds I was not aware of. Mrs. Pollifax took me along on her assignments abroad and I realized that apart from the simple and hard life that I have, there is a dreamland out there just waiting for me. Before I started traveling using my own money, it was Mrs. Pollifax who took me under her wing and we visited other countries without a need for a passport. From then, mystery novels have been my saving grace and it kept my creativity and imagination alive. I owe it all to Mrs. Pollifax and Dorothy Gilman. The two people who kept reminding me that travel is the greatest adventure.

If you have not met Mrs. Pollifax, it's not yet too late to get to know her. You will find that her adventures are really irresistible and exhilarating. You will also meet weird and hilarious characters along the way. Mrs. Pollifax is my female version of James Bond sans the high-tech and sophisticated gadgets. She has survived captivity and escaped danger with her wits and charms alone. She is the epitome of ageless grace under pressure. The saying old dogs can't learn new tricks does not apply to her. Take it from her, age should not stop us from pursuing our ambitions. Mrs. Pollifax is like wine, just gets better with age.

Cheers to you Mrs. Pollifax and thank you Dorothy Gilman.

Mrs. Pollifax on Safari (2/3)
Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station (3/3)

Information on Dorothy Gilman and Mrs. Pollifax were taken from Wikipedia.