Carstairs, her CIA superior, to go to Turkey and contact Magda Ferenci-Sabo, a known Russian spy and secret double agent who is defecting to the Free World. But she proves to be unusually resourceful, and with her companion's assistance, manages to outwit the enemy and save the day. Pollifax finds herself imprisoned in the Socialist Republic of Albania, facing harsh questioning and possible torture. The courier mission does not go as planned, and Mrs.

So with minimum explanation, Pollifax is ushered off to Mexico City to meet a bookstore owner/secret agent, exchange code phrases, and leave with the package. Pollifax is ideal Carstairs decided this assignment carries so little danger that even one who is relatively untrained may be sent. Pollifax is one of the candidates and decides that Mrs. Due to a slight confusion, he thinks Mrs. Meanwhile, Carstairs at the CIA is looking for an agent who can pass as a tourist in order to pick up an important package in Mexico. Inspired by a newspaper profile of an actress who began her career in later life, she decides to fulfill a childhood ambition and apply for a job as a spy at the CIA. Pollifax is an elderly widow who has come to find life dull and is almost ready to end it all out of sheer boredom. Pollifax who is from Zabya, a fictional Middle Eastern monarchy described as one of 'those Arabian oil-producing countries.' In addition, as is common in the spy fiction genre, many of the stories taking place in the Cold War era are set in Iron Curtain countries or include rival spies from communist countries.īooks in the Mrs. An example of this trait is evidenced by a character in A Palm for Mrs. Most of the novels take place in existing countries and include authentic details however, characters in the stories sometimes originate from fictional places that resemble groups of real-life countries.

Recurring characters include Bishop, Carstairs' assistant John Sebastian Farrell, an agent turned art dealer and in later books, Cyrus Reed, a man with whom Mrs. Pollifax's tendency to take an interest in people who seem disconnected with her mission, but who either become part of the investigation and/or who prove to be of invaluable assistance to resolving the case. A consistent theme throughout the series is Mrs. The Emily Pollifax novels frequently employ comic relief and suspense. Carstairs, and her ensuing adventure leads her to a career in espionage. Pollifax is given what is supposed to be a simple courier assignment by Operations Chief, Mr. Through an initial misunderstanding, Mrs. Pollifax is a widow and senior citizen who decides one day to leave her comfortable apartment in New Brunswick, New Jersey and join the CIA. Emily Pollifax is the heroine of a series of spy- mystery novels by Dorothy Gilman. Emily Pollifax usually wears a hat with attached flowers.

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