The second
novel in a fun, cozy mysteries series about a Bavarian
expat-turned-amateur-sleuth on a quest for justice in her adopted Sicilian
hometown.
Sicily's
most obstinate Bavarian expat--a retiree turned amateur sleuth--lands in more
hot water in the second installment of Mario Giordano's clever, cozy mystery series. Readers were first introduced to Isolde Oberreiter (aka
"Poldi")--a spirited, sensual, 60-year-old widow--in Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian
Lions. Poldi relocated to a peaceful Sicilian village
intending to live out her days while drinking herself to death. Instead, her
handsome handyman was murdered, she became swept up in the search for his
killer and sparked a romance with Detective Chief Inspector Vito Montana.
Murder
and mayhem find Poldi again in the second book, as Mount Etna spews ash, the
water supply to Poldi's community is cut off and a neighbor's dog is killed by
poison. When an anti-Mafia district attorney dies from a blow to the head with
a full bottle of locally produced wine, Poldi deems it part of a larger conspiracy.
She's led to the vineyard, where another body is found. Inquisitive,
Vespa-driving Poldi goes in search of answers--and justice. Amid her
(mis)adventures, she tangles with the locals, the owner of the vineyard, her
now-jealous beau and even the Mob.
Poldi's
story is narrated by her nephew--an unemployed, aspiring novelist who is often
summoned from Germany when Auntie Poldi is in trouble. He, along with a cast of
lovable, madcap characters, becomes embroiled in a plot with as many strands as
a pasta bowl heaped with steaming spaghetti. Giordano's passion for the
dramatic absurdity of Sicilian life, culture and traditions overflows with fun
and wit.
Aunt Poldi andthe Vineyards of Etna (An Aunt Poldi Adventure: Book Two) by Mario Giordano, translated by John Brownjohn
Houghton MifflinHarcourt, $26.00 Hardcover, 9781328919021, 368 pages
Publication Date: March 5, 2019
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NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted
with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (March 26, 2019), link HERE