A NATIONAL BESTSELLER “Break out the prosecco! There’s a new detective in town – and she’s 60, sexy, wise and utterly adorable. In the first book of what promises to be a smash series, Poldi moves from Munich to Sicily, intent on cheerfully drinking herself to death with a view of the sea. Instead her handyman goes missing, she finds his corpse, and what choice does she have but to solve the crime? To use her favorite saying: Namaste, Poldi!”— People (Book of the Week) For fans of A Man Called Ove and the novels of Adriana Trigiani, a charming, delightfully sexy, and bighearted novel starring Auntie Poldi, Sicily’s newest amateur sleuth An Auntie Poldi Adventure 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. Soon there’s an investigation, a smoldering police inspector, a romantic entanglement, one false lead after another, a rooftop showdown, and finally, of course, Poldi herself, slightly tousled but still perfectly poised. This “masterly treat” ( Times Literary Supplement ) will transport you to the rocky shores of Torre Archirafi, to a Sicily full of quirky characters, scorching days, and velvety nights, alongside a protagonist who’s as fiery as the Sicilian sun. An Amazon Best Book of March 2018: Auntie Poldi is a stout, bewigged German widow who retires to a Sicilian fishing village so she can drink herself to death with a sea view. And death does arrive, not to Poldi but to the handsome Valentino, a young local she hired to do some odd jobs around her new house. Poldi puts the drinking on hold (sort of) to concentrate on fulfilling the promise she made to Valentino’s dead body that she would find his killer. The thing is, discreet inquiries are not Poldi’s strong suit; she’s Miss Marple by way of Auntie Mame, with a dollop of the Golden Girls. As she tells our narrator, her nephew, who records her madcap adventures during his dutiful monthly visits, “when the chips are down, show plenty of cleavage.” Hilarious, reckless, and endearingly melancholy at times, Poldi makes friends, enemies, sage comments, and even a little whoopee as the case winds to its satisfying and unexpected conclusion. --Vannessa Cronin A NATIONAL BESTSELLER An Indie Next List Selection A Spring ’18 B&N Discover Pick A Costco Staff Pick An Amazon Best Book of March 2018 A New York Post Must Read A B&N Best New Fiction of March 2018 Pick A Washington Post "Beach Read That Will Bring You More Pleasure Than Guilt" A Hello Giggles “Book You Don’t Want to Miss” “Break out the prosecco! There’s a new detective in town—and she’s 60, sexy, wise and utterly adorable.” — People , Book of the Week “ Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions has it all for hungry readers: hilarity, intrigue, the magnificent landscape of Sicily and food! Mario Giordano has created a world that spins in technicolor like a Sicilian carretto and, like the traditional donkey carts painted in an explosion of color, this novel is a celebration of the palette of Italian life and the Sicilian experience in its specificity, warmth and drama. Delizioso!”— Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Kiss Carlo “There’s a new star in the mystery firmament, and her name is Auntie Poldi. Mario Giordano has created a character who will be the envy of every novelist, mystery and otherwise.”— Alan Bradley, author of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie “A new detective is among us. Mario Giordano’s Auntie Poldi joins her peers Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano and Alexander McCall Smith’s Mma Precious Ramotswe in winning our hearts. She’s a lusty, bold woman who dives into Sicilian life with gusto. I was unable to stop reading and cheering for this renegade. May further adventures ensue!” — Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun “To the ranks of amateur sleuths from Miss Marple to Jessica Fletcher, welcome Auntie Poldi — a 60-year-old German widow who has bought a villa on Sicily to drink wine and enjoy the sea view. Then her young handyman, Valentino, is found murdered, and she has a case on her hands.”— Newsday "A masterly treat.”— Times Literary Supplement "Delightful...Giordano has won me over and I am eagerly awaiting the second in the series."— The Weekly Reader, NPR " Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions  by Mario Giordano follows a woman from Munich back to her husband’s family village, Torre Archirafi, in Sicily. Auntie Poldi is 60 and wants to retire, but this is no sweet return: Isolde “Poldi” Oberreiter intends to drink herself to death, and sooner rather than later. Despite her malaise, Poldi is tugged back toward life by, yes, a murder. The handsome police detective investigati