Part of Mrs. Pollifax, book 4
First published 1973
Emily Pollifax balances Garden Club meetings with secret missions for the CIA. Mr. Carstairs sends her to an exclusive Swiss health resort where intelligence operatives from around the world take their vacations. Someone has stolen enough plutonium to build a small nuclear weapon. Mrs. Pollifax must identify the thief among the spa guests while maintaining her cover as an ordinary American tourist. She practices karate between yoga sessions and studies faces in the mineral baths. Her talent for reading people serves her well until she meets Robin, a charming young jewel thief who captures her attention. Robin's presence complicates everything. Mrs. Pollifax finds herself torn between her mission and her growing fondness for this unlikely criminal. The plutonium remains missing while dangerous people close in around them both.
Genres: adventure, mystery, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unlikely-hero
Setting: Switzerland, CIA
Period: 20th-century
191 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Fawcett