Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews
Page Three of FiveMrs. Pollifax Unveiled by Dorothy Gilman
Ballantine, February 2000Hardcover, 224 pages.
ISBN: 0345436520.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Emily Pollifax, wife, gardener and part-time spy for
the CIA, bids her beloved Cyrus goodbye and heads
off for Syria with her old comrade in arms, the handsome
and rakish Farrell. Farrell and Emily are charged with
finding an American woman named Amanda Pym,
who bravely stopped a
hijacking saving hundreds of lives, and then
promptly disappeared. After Farrell and Emily land
in Syria, things get sticky. The local government
is having them followed, and everyone they talk to
seems to die immediately afterward. Forced into hiding,
they end up at an archeology dig helped by
Joe Fleming, an American archeologist. The
duo will find surprises out in the desert which could
have international ramifications. They must use their
ingenuity and creativity to rescue the mysterious
Ms. Pym from terrorists and get valuable information
back to the Americans in time to avert a civil war.
John Farrell is one of the most fascinating characters that Mrs. Pollifax has met on her many journeys for Carstairs of the CIA, and it's always a thrill when he's along for the ride. The two make a wonderful team, which is a bit like throwing James Bond and Jessica Fletcher together for an episode of Mission Impossible: funny, exciting and full of suspense. Mrs. Pollifax is unflappable, whether she's having tea with the garden club or traveling disguised as a peasant woman, and her observations about human nature are always on the mark. This is one long-running series which is still fresh and enjoyable. Her legions of fans will be extremely satisfied with Mrs. Pollifax's latest outing.
Pisces Rising by Martha C. Lawrence
St. Martin's Minotaur, March 2000Hardcover, 240 pages.
ISBN: 0312202989.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Psychic detective Elizabeth Chase is
emotionally and physically exhausted from her last
case, in which she suffered the terrible loss of her
fiancé. She reluctantly agrees to take on a new case
to search for information to assist in the defense of
a murder suspect who was found passed out
next to the gruesomely disfigured corpse of the
Native American owner of the Mystic Mesa casino on
the Temecu Reservation. The suspect, Dr. Horton,
is a gambler whose addiction has destroyed his
medical practice and his marriage. But Elizabeth senses
that he is innocent of the murder charges. Elizabeth
begins spending more time on the Temecu Reservation as she
searches for clues to the real killer's identity.
She soon finds that the Reservation is a hotbed of
political intrigue over the question of gambling, and
that racism is lurking just beneath the surface of the
seemingly peaceful community. Soon Elizabeth
herself is the victim of violence, and she must
use all of her skills to save an innocent man and
stop a killer from striking again.
Elizabeth Lawrence is one of the most interesting private investigator in mystery fiction today. Her psychic skills never provide a quick solution to the mystery; rather, they provide insight into people and give oblique clues which Elizabeth must decipher. The plot is well-constructed and fast-paced, with an interesting sidelight into the controversial issue of reservation gambling. Also interesting is a new character, the Native American shaman Sequoia, who helps Elizabeth work through her pain and sorrow over her loss.
--Claire E. White
Mystery Reviews
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