Most famous for her Mrs. Polifax series, Dorothy Gilman didn’t limit herself to stories about the gutsy elderly detective.
In “Kaleidoscope,” we see a whole new female sleuth, Madame Karitska. First introduced in Gilman’s book “The Clairvoyant Countess,” Karitska is a displaced countess of former wealth who went through a terrible period in her life and is now virtually penniless, living in a humble apartment from where she does psychic readings.
Karitska’s good friend Pruden is on the police force and often comes to her for advice. She helped rescue his lady love in the first novel, and in this one, he continues to rely on her, as do her clients. This book has a story thread that runs throughout the length of the book, interspersed with peeks into the lives of her clients that are resolved within a chapter or two.
We meet a wife whose husband has decided to run off and join a commune, and she’s not sure if she should go with him or stay home and try to support herself. Karitska helps her to realize that she has a marketable talent for art, and soon she’s selling her drawings and supporting herself and her young daughter.
We also see a father whose daughter has lost touch with what it means to be a caring, responsible person, and Karitska solves this problem by taking the girl to work at a charity shop for ten days. Once the girl sees that she can make a difference in the lives of others, her self-esteem is improved and she begins to live her life with direction and purpose.
Along the way, Karitska receives a marriage proposal from one man, a thousand dollar check from another, and helps break up a drug ring as well as a threat to the security of the entire nation. Not bad for a few days’ work.
Written in Gilman’s gentle, uplifting style, you’ll enjoy these simple mysteries and this great heroine.
(This book was published in 2002 by Random House.)
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