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Book Review By Jóhanna
A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

The CIA send Mrs. Pollifax undercover to a Swiss health resort to try to track down a shipment of stolen plutonium that appears to have been sent there. Once there, she befriends a young boy who appears to be mortally afraid of someone or something. She also catches a jewel thief in the act of trying to steal her expensive-looking imitation jewellery.

When her contact on the hotel staff is murdered just before he was going to meet her, things start heating up. But before she can discover the murderer and the plutonium, Mrs. Pollifax intends to find out why her little friend is so afraid and why his grandmother seems to be under guard. She recruits the jewel thief and they start sniffing around for clues, and before too long, Mrs. Pollifax, the boy and the jewel thief have uncovered a deadly secret that puts them all in danger.


Plot & Themes
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20 %
Who's the terrorist enemy here?

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 60's-90's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status:
Motive of antagonist - power
The antagonists are: - Islamic Fundamentalists
How sensitive is this character?
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Switzerland
Mountains/Cliffs Yes
Misc setting - resort/hotel

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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