Once I got the hang of the narrator being incredibly knowing and fell in love with Aunt Poldi myself, this delightful if perhaps implausible detective story really took off. I'd read an earlier book and enjoyed the brio and humour then too .. Poldi is a force of nature and savvy, knows just what's up and her detective police lover is equally smart and knows how to play her too, as they hunt the brother of Poldi"s ex .. playing with tropes of Italian mafia stories except set in very different ambient in Sicily itself. Refreshing and fast moving (once you get the hang of it .. narrator writing it up has been told the story giving a tale-well-told at distance feel to it all.

This is the first Auntie Poldi book I've read and I really enjoyed it. Brilliant characters and a great story.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me an early peek at this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read all the Auntie Poldi books, I love her attitude to life and the amazing island of Sicily she is lucky to live in. In this adventure her ex husband the a cheat and a liar turns up with a problem. A true character with her own take on life.

This is the third book in the Auntie Poldi series, but the first I have read and whilst it may have been useful to have read the other first, you don’t have to read them to enjoy this instalment.

So where do I start? This is a unique book, that is very difficult to categorise, because on the one hand it is a murder mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very end, and contains a very grizzly murder, but on the other hand it is also a comic farce. Combining these two genres could quite easily be a disaster, but Giordano has managed to marry the two into a quite wonderful book.

One of the strengths of the book is the larger than life character of Auntie Poldi, she is quite fabulous and I adored her from the very first page. The descriptions of her relationships with the various members of her family, including her ‘untalented nephew’ and her various paramours were a delight to read and it was the characterisations that were a real strength of this book. In addition, the book has a strong sense of place and I was whisked away to the Sicilian countryside as I accompanied Poldi on her travels to uncover the murderer of Thomas and locate the mysterious attache case.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already purchased the first two books in the series and I can’t wait to reacquaint myself with the wonderful Auntie Poldi.

PS - the farting dog is a joy and I have one just like him...!

I would like to thank both NetGalley and John Murray Press for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series of books, they are such good fun. This time Auntie Poldi's not so ex hsuband turns up on her doorstep looking for his half brother who has disappeared in Sicily. John, the ex who broke her heart and stole her house in Tanzania, wants her help to find him. In her own unique style, roping in various people along the way, a journey around Sicily ensues. Death keeps showing up along to way to muddle the waters and Poldi even removes her wig at one point.
If you like a mystery with a huge dollop of fun, read this book. I was laughing out loud.

Another wonderful Aunt Poldi adventure AuntPoldi full of sass is surrounded by great characters who I look forward to visiting with .A bit of mystery a lot of fun highly recommend each book in the series.#netgalley#johnmurraypress

This was my first Auntie Poldi book and this was fun. Reminded me of the Agatha Raisin series by M C Beaton. The book is cozy mystery and therefore comes with its share of fun, light romance and not a very hard-boiled mystery. Those who are the fans of this series and know Auntie Poldi and her recurring fellows well will enjoy this book.

Talk about starting with a bang - this third Auntie Poldi issue certainly packs a punch. Being taped to two chairs and with a fish cleaver at their throats and a handsome but maniacally yelling young man threatening Poldi and her nephew, Poldi does what she does best: she falls in love with beauty - wig, make-up and drama included. And I still adore her!
If you are after a mad-cap adventure with an ultra-sassy protagonist, the plot an ickle bit silly, exaggerated, shrill, morose with plenty of gorgeous Sicilian vistas, food and hunky policemen thrown in, you can’t go far wrong with Auntie Poldie. All I want to do now is to pack her and Totti, the farting dog, into my Maserati and cruise right across Sicily whilst listening to Uncle Martino droning on about the mafia or where best to buy double-yolked eggs.