Another gem, with a delicious immersion into the world of small carnivals and traveling circuses. Plus a little more involvement from the enigmatic Carstairs.

On to the next, which I believe is somewhat a continuation of the tale, picked up later. ( )

Emily Pollifax, sometime CIA agent, isn't on assignment but is on alert because of a suspicious white van in her neighbourhood. Soon she discovers a young woman hiding in her closet. The young woman, Kadi Hopkirk, grew up with the son of the former president of Ubangiba, and both she and her friend are in danger. Fortunately, Kadi picked the right person's house to hide in, because Mrs. P has connections. They are sent to a safe house, a carnival, but there is concern that the safe house isn't all that safe after all...

This is a light, undemanding series. Mrs. Pollifax can be seen as a somewhat updated version of Miss Marple, trading on her grandmotherly looks to trick hard-bitten criminals into giving up their secrets. This story was written in the mid-1990s, so news clippings and phone calls are still the primary means of research, and people can be cut off from communication much more easily. I read this one several times in my youth and found this an enjoyably nostalgic re-read. ( )

When her second husband, Cyrus, takes a trip to the American Bar Association meeting, Mrs. Pollifax expects that the most exciting thing on her agenda will be the upcoming garden club meeting. However, her curiosity is aroused when she keeps seeing a van drive by her country home. Even more surprising, she finds a young woman hiding in one of her closets. While trying to sneak Kadi Hopkirk away from the house, Mrs. Pollifax finds herself followed. With nowhere to turn, she calls Carstairs at the CIA, who whisks her away to a most unusual safe house with a mystery all its own.

Unlike most books in the series, this one takes place almost completely in the United States. We only leave the country at the end of the book. The plot moves forward quickly with several seemingly unrelated threads coming together in the end. I prefer the stories where Mrs. Pollifax goes to a different country, but overall this was really interesting. If you've enjoyed other Mrs. Pollifax mysteries you are sure to enjoy this one as well. I understand the next book, Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Hunter, goes to the fictional African country of Ubangiba and continues the characters we met in Mrs. Pollifax Pursued. ( )

Deeply meaningful? No. Preposterous? Yes. Fun anyway? Definitely, at least for me. This is a little of a twist on the standard formula, as the plot deals almost as much with Carstairs as with his operative. This has its ups and downs -- it's nice to get a sense of how he works, but this means less time for Mrs. Pollifax to run after people (or from them) and do her meddling, and there's less action in general. (It's possible I am just missing all the assassination attempts and explosions from the Mrs. Pollifax book I finished right before this one.) This is still be a good light read, though, especially if you don't set your expectations too high. ( )

Kinda dull. I prefer Mrs.P. getting bounced around like a pinball from one exotic outrageous situation to another. ( )