Who among us would have the courage or craziness to visit the headquarters of the CIA and volunteer to be a spy? That’s what 63-year-old Emily Pollifax does in The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, the first book in the 14-book series by Dorothy Gilman. Mrs. Pollifax is sent to Mexico as a courier to pick up a package at a bookstore. That goes somewhat awry. But the bookseller gives her a pack of cards and a book describing how to play numerous solitaire games. As she leaves the bookstore and gets abducted. What follows is a exciting set of events that connect her to another American spy operative and an unusual Chinese man. Both held captive with her in the Balkan country of Albania.
Since this book was written in the mid-60s, some of the political references are a bit dated (e.g., Red Chinese). But that in no way detracts from the story. Both suspenseful and humorous, this is a cute, quick read.
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax
by Dorothy Gilman
© 1966
Fawcett/Random House