Mrs. Pollifax Pursued by Gilman, Dorothy - 1995

Fawcett. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1995. Hardcover. 0449909549 . Editorial ReviewsFrom Publishers WeeklyIn her 10th adventure, the observant and unflappable Mrs. P. Discovers a young woman hiding in a closet of her Connecticut home on the same day that she observes a suspicious white van patrolling the neighborhood. Kadi Hopkirk says the men in the van have been following her ever since she met Sammy, a childhood friend from the African country of Ubangiba, in New Haven, where he told her he was being guarded and secretly gave something for safekeeping. Mrs. Pollifax hides Kadi in the car and takes to the highway but is unable to shake the van until she calls on two former colleagues at the CIA, who send a helicopter to whisk them away to a traveling carnival in rural Maine. Mrs. Pollifax, last seen in Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief (1994) , poses as a journalist, and Kadi becomes the lower half of the woman who is sawed in two, while the CIA pals find out who Sammy is and why he is being so heavily guarded. Like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat, Gilman, a deft stylist, adroitly resolves her plot's mysteries, finally bringing together a stabbing at the carnival, Kadi and Sammy's story and the abduction of a wealthy executive. Mystery Guild selection. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalMrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief, Fawcett: Ballantine, 1994) discovers a young woman in her hall closet hiding from some men in a white van. Eager as always, she elicits the girl's story, eludes the villains, and enables the CIA to resolve the situation, which involves kidnapping, shady investments, attempted murder, and the grandson of Ubangiba's last king. Agents actually consult reference books for essential background information, and a few literary allusions build character or relate to earlier Pollifax appearances. This fast-moving tale sports a lively, energetic style, much like its heroine, and should prove popular for light reading. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.; 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches .