From Publishers Weekly
Spunky Emily Pollifax, the occasional CIA operative last seen in Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer (1996), travels to Jordan with former Company agent John Sebastian Farrell to receive a manuscript smuggled from Iraq, written by an executed dissident Iraqi novelist. As Farrell's cover, Mrs. Pollifax poses as his tourist cousin but immediately is up to her flowered straw hat in intrigue. In Amman, she discovers that her airplane seatmate hid a carving in her luggage that contains a mysterious map and key; then her room is searched. Simultaneously, the CIA learns that notorious Jordanian terrorist Suhair Slaman recently sneaked into and out of the U.S. Was he Emily's seatmate? You bet. Farrell's contact doesn't show up for their scheduled meeting at the Crusader castle at Karak, although Emily does find a dead body there. When their guide, Youseff, and his sister, Hanan, invite them to visit their grandfather, a desert sheik, they're trailed by Jordanian terrorists, the Iraqi secret police and Amman police Inspector Jafer. The climax occurs at an ancient desert fort, where Mrs. Pollifax fells the villains with karate. Whatever they lack in subtlety, the reliably delightful Mrs. Pollifax stories make up for in charming, intelligent characters, brisk action and seductive scenery. Author tour. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The always delightful Emily Pollifax is back in another hair-raising adventure. Mrs. Pollifax's latest mission is a trip to the Middle East with her CIA friend Farrell to retrieve a manuscript written by a murdered dissident. The manuscript, thinly disguised as fiction, provides provocative details of Saddam Hussein's reign of terror. The pickup, arranged through an intermediary, proves much more difficult than Farrell or Mrs. Pollifax anticipated, what with smugglers disguised as businessmen, attacks by knife-wielding sheikhs, car chases, and rides on berserk camels. By the end, the always gracious Mrs. P., as expected, has fingered the baddies, restored order to the universe, and made some delightful new friends in adverse circumstances. Fun and entertaining, this one is sure to be a hit with the legion of Mrs. Pollifax fans. Emily Melton


From Kirkus Reviews
The only thing the CIA's peripatetic den mother has to do this time out (her 13th) is provide cover for her old friend John Sebastian Farrell as he hangs around Amman waiting to smuggle the manuscript of a dead Iraqi dissident's explosive last novel out to the West. But Emily Pollifax has been chosen for another assignment as well: to serve as unwitting courier for a celebrated terrorist's cargo to Jordan. The double duty would be a challenge to anybody else, but Mrs. Pollifax, surrounded by a bevy of enemy agents unfailingly more innocent than she is, dispenses a combination of karate kicks and affecting charm that keep her bobbing atop this weightless, though topical, caper. Another dainty sip of Old Reliable (Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer, 1996, etc.)--three parts expert tour-guide, one part game intrigue--the whole mixture gently stirred, never shaken. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Working with her retired CIA friend John Farrell, Mrs. Pollifax must smuggle a manuscript out of Jordan, a document that encodes the shocking truth of Saddam Hussein's reign.

Hardly are the two airborne when the coils of Middle Eastern intrigue begin to unwind. Mrs. Pollifax's seatmate is not the affable Arab businessman he pretends to be. It is not imagination that persuades Mrs. P. that wherever they go, she and Farrell are followed. To elude their pursuers in such a politically volatile country isn't easy. In fact, it can be downright deadly. . . .


From the Publisher
My grandmother is a big fan of the MRS. POLLIFAX mysteries by Dorothy Gilman. I was at first hesitant
to try the books, because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to relate to mysteries featuring a suburban grandmother
working for the CIA. But because my grandmother's taste in literature has always been impeccable,
I decided to delve into Mrs. Pollifax's adventures. I began with THE UNEXPECTED MRS. POLLIFAX, the first
in the series, and immediately found them delightful. Mrs. Pollifax is just the kind of grandmother I'd
love to have: resourceful, intelligent, somewhat sly, and, of course, a secret CIA operative. Her
adventures take her to all corners of the globe: from an authentically described communist China
(MRS. POLLIFAX ON THE CHINA STATION) to an exhilarating safari across Africa (MRS. POLLIFAX ON
SAFARI). I've thoroughly enjoyed joining her on her adventures, and intend to read them all. I recommend them
to everyone who's interested in learning about different countries and cultures--and, obviously, espionage!

--Malinda Lo, Editorial Assistant


From the Publisher
My grandmother is a big fan of the MRS. POLLIFAX mysteries by Dorothy Gilman. I was at first hesitantto try the books, because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to relate to mysteries featuring a suburban grandmotherworking for the CIA. But because my grandmother's taste in literature has always been impeccable,I decided to delve into Mrs. Pollifax's adventures. I began with THE UNEXPECTED MRS. POLLIFAX, the firstin the series, and immediately found them delightful. Mrs. Pollifax is just the kind of grandmother I'dlove to have: resourceful, intelligent, somewhat sly, and, of course, a secret CIA operative. Heradventures take her to all corners of the globe: from an authentically described communist China (MRS. POLLIFAX ON THE CHINA STATION) to an exhilarating safari across Africa (MRS. POLLIFAX ON SAFARI). I've thoroughly enjoyed joining her on her adventures, and intend to read them all. I recommend themto everyone who's interested in learning about different countries and cultures--and, obviously, espionage! --Malinda Lo, Editorial Assistant


From the Inside Flap
Working with her retired CIA friend John Farrell, Mrs. Pollifax must smuggle a manuscript out of Jordan, a document that encodes the shocking truth of Saddam Hussein's reign.

Hardly are the two airborne when the coils of Middle Eastern intrigue begin to unwind. Mrs. Pollifax's seatmate is not the affable Arab businessman he pretends to be. It is not imagination that persuades Mrs. P. that wherever they go, she and Farrell are followed. To elude their pursuers in such a politically volatile country isn't easy. In fact, it can be downright deadly. . . .


From the Back Cover
"Charming, intelligent characters, brisk action, and seductive scenery."
--Publishers Weekly


About the Author
Dorothy Gilman is the author of twelve earlier Mrs. Pollifax novels, including The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (the series debut), The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax, Mrs. Pollifax Pursued, and Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer.

Ms. Gilman lives in Westport, Connecticut, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Mrs. Pollifax is on loan to her retired CIA friend, Farrell. Her bag lady act is the first phase of a mission to the Middle East: to smuggle out of Jordan the final manuscript of the dissident Iraqi novelist Dib Assen, who was recently murdered in an Iraqi prison. Allegedly fiction, the script encodes the shocking truth of Saddam Hussein's reign. Allah willing, Farrell is to rendezvous near Amman with a man called Ibrahim, who will deliver the manuscript. All Mrs. P. has to do is look as much like a tourist as possible to deflect suspicion from her "cousin," Farrell. But hardly are the two airborne when the coils of Middle Eastern intrigue begin to unwind. Mrs. Pollifax's seatmate is not the affable Arab businessman he seems and the little carved plaque he secretly stashes in her carry-on bag is not a mere souvenir.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Spunky Emily Pollifax, the occasional CIA operative last seen in Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer (1996), travels to Jordan with former Company agent John Sebastian Farrell to receive a manuscript smuggled from Iraq, written by an executed dissident Iraqi novelist. As Farrell's cover, Mrs. Pollifax poses as his tourist cousin but immediately is up to her flowered straw hat in intrigue. In Amman, she discovers that her airplane seatmate hid a carving in her luggage that contains a mysterious map and key; then her room is searched. Simultaneously, the CIA learns that notorious Jordanian terrorist Suhair Slaman recently sneaked into and out of the U.S. Was he Emily's seatmate? You bet. Farrell's contact doesn't show up for their scheduled meeting at the Crusader castle at Karak, although Emily does find a dead body there. When their guide, Youseff, and his sister, Hanan, invite them to visit their grandfather, a desert sheik, they're trailed by Jordanian terrorists, the Iraqi secret police and Amman police Inspector Jafer. The climax occurs at an ancient desert fort, where Mrs. Pollifax fells the villains with karate. Whatever they lack in subtlety, the reliably delightful Mrs. Pollifax stories make up for in charming, intelligent characters, brisk action and seductive scenery. Author tour. (Feb.)

Kirkus Reviews

The only thing the CIA's peripatetic den mother has to do this time out (her 13th) is provide cover for her old friend John Sebastian Farrell as he hangs around Amman waiting to smuggle the manuscript of a dead Iraqi dissident's explosive last novel out to the West. But Emily Pollifax has been chosen for another assignment as well: to serve as unwitting courier for a celebrated terrorist's cargo to Jordan. The double duty would be a challenge to anybody else, but Mrs. Pollifax, surrounded by a bevy of enemy agents unfailingly more innocent than she is, dispenses a combination of karate kicks and affecting charm that keep her bobbing atop this weightless, though topical, caper.

Another dainty sip of Old Reliable (Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer, 1996, etc.)—three parts expert tour-guide, one part game intrigue—the whole mixture gently stirred, never shaken.