Author: Dorothy GilmanGenre: Cozy MysteryPublished: 1970Personal Rating: 3.25/5Yearly Count: 118
Mrs. Emily Pollifax, grandmother (aka CIA agent), travels to Turkey in this second book of the series. Her assignment is to assist a recently defected Soviet spy by providing her with a passport and money so she can leave the country. Mrs. Pollifax makes contact with the spy, but she quickly disappears without taking the necessities with her. It's up to Mrs. Pollifax to find her and get her to the United States.
My experience and pleasure reading cozy mysteries has grown this past year, but I'm not up to where I'd like to be. This one didn't help the genre, but it didn't hurt it either. It was just okay. I enjoyed the minor twists and turns of the plot, but there were a few action scenes that crossed my line of acceptance. They ended up catapulting the book into a realm of foolishness that I just don't appreciate (not my thing). Other than that, I did enjoy the travel to Turkey with Mrs. Pollifax. With her kind disposition and genuine caring nature, she draws people towards her, including me. Despite my lack of enthusiasm towards the book, I do look forward to meeting up with her again.
Other than the 1st Mrs. Pollifax, my favorites in her series are MRS. POLLIFAX ON SAFARI and MRS. POLLIFAX ON THE CHINA STATION. I didn't care for the ones that came after these. They are fun to listen to though, I think, even more fun than reading.
ReplyDeleteKay ~ I have to go check my series list to see where those two are in the line-up. My guess is that if they all are available to me, I will continue to listen to the series.
ReplyDeleteJeepers, I've never read any of these either. You'd think with all of the books I've read I would have. I do like a good mystery once in a while.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm--it almost sounds as if cozy murders isn't a genre that you are naturally drawn to? I wouldn't have quessed that and am a little curious about this statement, "My experience and pleasure reading cozy mysteries has grown this past year, but I'm not up to where I'd like to be."
ReplyDeleteDar ~ Ehh, I wouldn't necessarily call this series a "good mystery" series, but they are pleasant. They truly fit in the cozy mystery category, which is growing on me, but is certainly not a favorite. I LOVE suspense/thrillers.
ReplyDeleteFrom Wikipedia:
"Cozy mysteries" began in the late 20th century as a reinvention of the Golden Age whodunnit; these novels generally shy away from violence and suspense and frequently feature female amateur detectives. Modern cozy mysteries are frequently, though not necessarily in either case, humorous and thematic (culinary mystery, animal mystery, quilting mystery, etc.)
Trish ~ On the heels of what I just said to Dar, you are correct. I am naturally not drawn to cozy mysteries. It's not that I am drawn to violence either, but I love the chase. What I don't like about cozies is the amateur part of the lead character. I'm not big on people stumbling into a crime scene or a lead to help solve a case. Also, the humor tends to run towards silly.
My comment about my current experiences with cozies is referring to the fact that I have actually found some that I have enjoyed during this past year. I would love to love every genre, so at least I have made some progress towards enjoying some cozies and classics for that matter. :) Science fiction still eludes me, along with a few other genres, but I like to learn so I keep trying.
Hey Joy, I nominated you for an award here:
ReplyDeletehttp://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-received-award.html
Mrs Pollifax was one of my first favorite series so I'm quite partial to her. I'm not a big fan of the serial killer model that's popular today and my father was a Homicide Detective when I was growing up, so true crime was pretty much demystified in my house.
ReplyDeleteDar ~ I'm running over, asap!
ReplyDeleteCarrie K ~ WHOA! With your background, I can understand why you wouldn't be a fan of books that focus on serial killers. I'm assuming it might not be perceived as fiction for you. For me, I love the chase and the psychological aspect of the thrillers, and I do remind myself that it is fiction. I really appreciate your comment, Carrie. It has me thinking.