ISBN: 0-449-15004-6 Order from: Amazon.com
A humorous spy adventure with an unusual heroine, this novel has some likable characters, while suffering from a clumsy plot.
Reviewed by David on January 30, 2000
Genre: Mystery (Cloak and Dagger)
Synopsis: Coming back to the characters of Mrs. Pollifax Pursued, Emily Pollifax sets out to help young Kadi Hopkirk in her return to Ubangiba and her friend, the royal scion Sammat. Trying to help his country out of crashing poverty, Sammat, the Yale-educated grandson of the last King of Ubangiba has begun reinvigorating his country's economy. However, several brutal murders and occusations of sorcery have marred his brief tenure as the head of state.
Kadi, whose life is in danger in the African country of her birth, and Mrs. Pollifax, who has taken the girl under her wing, must find the source of the ugly rumors, and stop the series of murders. However, the investigation is difficult, and much too dangerous for the two visitors from the United States.
Full Review: While still featuring the charming Kadi Hopkirk, as well as the indominable Mrs. Pollifax, this novel suffers from a plot even less plausible than that in the rest of this entertaining but superficial series of spy novels. The villain is believable enough, but his methods appear clumsy, and inefficient, and most of the other characters seem forced in their actions to support the plot.
While mildly entertaining, this is not a novel to recommend to newcomers to Mrs. Pollifax. When read as a part of the series, this installment is satisfying, but not irreplacable.
Overall: 5; Plot: 4; Characters: 5; Style: 5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 1996, Fawcett Books, January 1997, Mass market paperback
ISBN: 0-449-15004-6 Order from: Amazon.com