Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish

In this installment, as with the entire Mrs Pollifax series, Dorothy Gilman's subtext is what enriches the reading experience. Her message: Don't give up; trust yourself, trust your instincts. Mrs Pollifax invariably is beyond assistance by the time she gets in serious straits, usually abducted, misled, lost in a foreign country. In "Whirling Dervish" she begins a charted exploration of deeper Morocco, but quickly realizes... Read Full Review

Mrs Pollifax is sent on an assignment to accompany a CIA agent on a mission to verify the identity of 7 foreign agents who are sympathetic to the Western Sahara independence cause. She has photos of the 7, and at least one might end up being an imposter. Along the way, unexpected danger occurs as her fellow CIA agent makes her nervous, and their first foreign contact is murdered. Mrs Pollifax is put into peril and is chased... Read Full Review

After the disappointment of "Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle," Dorothy Gilman went back to the formula that works for the series with "Whirling Dervish." The story of Mrs. Pollifax traveling through a foreign land with a crusty agent makes for intrigue and comedy. A very enjoyable, exciting, quick read. Reminiscent in some ways of both "The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax" and "A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax."

All of the books in the Mrs. Pollifax series (as well as the whole of Mrs. Gilmans' works) are truly delightful. The reader will be swept away by the adventure, humor and intrigue, all the while learning about the customs and history of foreign lands. You can start with any book in the series, but if you have the chance, read them all. They... Read Full Review

This is another excellent installment in the saga of Emily Pollifax, grandmother, gardener, spy. My only complaint is that it's too short. In going through my great-aunt's books I skimmed the Reader's Digest Condensed version for the pictures and found a whole extra final chapter. What happened?