I picked up Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano because of the intriguing title, which stirred thoughts of some of the Scandi humour of the last couple of years. Auntie Poldi is a middle aged German widow who has chosen to while away her latter years in a small Sicilian village with her nephew (hence the ‘Auntie’) and sisters-in-law except that she can’t just soak up the local colour and alcohol. She finds herself drawn into solving the disappearance of her handyman, Valentino which involves a close encounter with boss of the local Mafia and an enchantment with the investigating detective.
This is a charming humorous novel with some good characters and and a lovely Sicilian flavour, it isn’t heavy crime but it has sufficient twists to keep you interested. Definitely worth a read and I’m looking forward to the next Poldi novel in 2018
3.5/5