Mrs Emily Pollifax is a 60-something widow who wants more from life than teas and garden club meetings. In search of adventure, she decides to offer her services to the CIA – after all, who would spot a suburban grandmother as a cold war secret agent?

Mrs Pollifax is sent on a safari to smoke out an international assassin whose next target is the president of Zambia.

"Just take a lot of pictures of everyone on that safari," the CIA man told her. "One of them has to be our man." It sounded simple enough.

But it wasn't. Because shortly after she started taking pictures, someone stole her film. And right after that she was kidnapped by Rhodesian terrorists. And right after that – well, read for yourself ...

Armed with only an open mind and a little karate, Mrs Pollifax is the most unlikely and lovable of international spies.