Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions

I adore Auntie Poldi! I'm not quite as old as she is, but it is refreshing to see a middle-aged heroine who hasn't lost her sass and zest for living.

Poldi moves to Sicily, ostensibly to die. Her husband has passed away, and she's depressed. She finds a little house close to her family, and she reckons on drinking herself to death. But Auntie Poldi's father was a police officer, and she's inherited some of his investigative skills. When Valentino, a handsome young man who's done some work around her house, goes missing, Poldi wants to find out what happened.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Poldi's nephew, a struggling writer who stays with Poldi from time to time. He makes an interesting narrator! The story is also full of all kinds of detail about Sicily, and now I'd really like to visit.

There is a blurb at the beginning of each chapter that gives the reader a hint of what's to come. I really like that technique. The blurbs are hilarious, as is the writing in general.

And Poldi herself is an absolute joy. She is a mature woman who knows what she wants. When she wants to solve a crime, nothing will stop her from investigating. She charges ahead like a ship under full sail. And when she decides she fancies local investigator Vito Montana, well, nothing will stop her there, either. Even though she moved to Sicily thinking her life was over, it's the start of a whole new set of adventures for Poldi. Maybe she's not quite so ready to shuffle off this mortal coil after all.

Brava, Donna Poldina! You are an inspiration to us mature women everywhere, and I look forward to reading more of what you get up to in Sicily.