Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions

From the publisher: On her sixtieth birthday, Auntie Poldi retires to Sicily, intending to while away the rest of her days with good wine, a view of the sea, and few visitors. But Sicily isn’t quite the tranquil island she thought it would be, and something always seems to get in the way of her relaxation. When her handsome young handyman goes missing—and is discovered murdered—she can’t help but ask questions . . . .

Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions is a delight. Although it is the first book in a mystery series, there is a lot more going on here than is often the case with mysteries. Auntie Poldi is at a crossroads, not sure what to do with herself. She is a bit depressed and is drinking too much. When accidentally pulled into a murder investigation, she puts herself in harm’s way with a kind of indifference as to whether she lives or dies. But Poldi is a fighter who, it turns out, is not going to go gently into that good night. Along the way she finds new passion and a new lease on life.

Although translated from the Italian, I actually thought that added to the charm, in the way of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove. The book is narrated by Poldi’s visiting nephew. I thought this worked really well. It added a hint of both unreliability and believability to the tale. Parts of the story are absurd – but they could happen, if you had the right eccentric relative to tell you about them. The nephew is supposedly an author, and a pretty bad one from what little he says about his novel in progress. Both the nephew and Poldi are Germans living in Italy, and their outsider view is ours as well. I've only visited Italy twice, but I thought the author did a great job of capturing the feel of Italy and its people. I’ve yet to travel to Sicily, but this book made me want to go now!

This is a book that does a great job showcasing a strong older woman and her zest for life, a complicated and messy but loving family, and life in Sicily.  I recommend it for fans of Fredrik Backman and Helen Simonson’s Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. 

I read an advance reader copy of Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions. It is due out in March 2018 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library in print and as an ebook.

One minor spoiler and caution: two animal deaths occur, one a stray cat and one a guard dog.