Mrs. Pollifax's former colleague, John Farrell, has been hired to go to Sicily and steal a document signed by Julius Caesar. He sends an SOS while, at the same time, dodging a professional assassin whom he and Mrs. Pollifax jailed some years ago. Mrs. Pollifax, the grandmotherly karate expert who is also a member of the Garden Club, has discovered a talent for spying. In this novel she pairs up with a freckle faced gun-toting young woman named Kate Rossiter, and goes to rescue her old friend Farrell in Italy. Farrell is on the run for his life, even though he's staying at an amazing villa, coincidentally owned by Kate's eccentric aunt.

This is a nice and perfectly predictable book by Dorothy Gilman. Add to it ancient artifacts, hair-raising chases, art forgery, arms traffic, a nighttime assault on the villa, mysterious millionaires, spectacular scenery and unexpected romance and you have the perfect cozy and humorous way to spend the afternoon.
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