Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief

Fun, entertaining, smart, well-researched local culture.

I so enjoyed the setting of „The Second Thief“ in the countryside of Sicily. Oh and that ‚fortress‘ with the house and basements! All in all, one of my Mrs. Pollifax‘s favorite stories!

Mrs Pollifax and the Second Thief is the tenth in the 14 book long series from Dorothy Gilman and my fourth outing with the unlikeliest of CIA operatives. I'm glad this wasn't the first one I tried, as it would undoubtedly have been the last. Truth be told, this one bored me. The others all came off as fresh, amusing, unlikely but nevertheless entertaining. This one just didn't do anything for me. Italy, Pollifax and Farrell again, a bit of romance with a young agent posted abroad, a countryside location, some antics with art and robbery, and forgeries, and a confusing cast of characters. Maybe I didn't pay enough attention. Maybe the author had an off day and it's one of the weaker books in the series. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man and whatever mood I was in at the time, no book would have tickled my fancy. Maybe I tried to read too many off these books, too quickly and too close together and I got fatigued. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted and I may revisit the series at some point in the future.

Now that I’ve completed the book, I can appreciate the whole story, but I confess to not liking the journey.