Auntie Poldi and the Lost Madonna

By: Mario Giordano

Narrated by: Matt Addis

There's only one Auntie Poldi: bewigged, cursing in Bavarian, and knocking back a wee shot of grappa as a pre-breakfast aperitif...or is there? No one is as they seem (and sound) in this hilarious new mystery featuring Sicily's sultriest sleuth.

Strange dealings are afoot in the Apostolic Palace - a nun leapt to her death shortly after participating in a seemingly routine exorcism. But when a priest clad in Gammarelli and a Vatican commissario with an almost unholy level of sex appeal turn up at her door, Poldi is shocked to hear that she's a suspect in their case.

Who is the woman being exorcised, and where has she disappeared to? And why in the world does she claim, in perfect Bavarian, to be Poldi, Isolde Oberreiter, of Torre Archirafi?

Poldi will need all the help she can get to clear her name, but her nephew has been distracted by a love affair gone sour, someone in the town has been spraying graffiti death threats on her front door, and her local friends seem to be avoiding her. And even Vito Montana balks when Poldi discovers that the case hinges on a lost Madonna statue, stolen years ago from the pope himself.

Forza, Poldi! With a pair of mysterious twins dogging her every move and a mandate to maintain sobriety, will Poldi be able to find the lost statue in time, and survive her 61st birthday?

©2021 Mario Giordano (P)2021 Recorded Books

Great summer series!

I found this series on accident and have completely fallen in love with the character of Auntie Poldi! She is funny, confident, quirky and flawed. Great summer series - my only issue is that there is a 5th book in the series, just not on Audible in English (my German friends can enjoy it however.) I really hope Audible is coming out with it soon!

very imaginative and intricate plot

Much more intricate plot than previous books. A lot of surprises. The introduction of a sinister sister was very unexpected.

A fine farce!

amateur-sleuth, cultural-exploration, international-crime-and-mystery, laugh-out-loud, law-enforcement, farce, Sicily, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books via NetGalley.
I couldn't listen to AI reader in the format sent, but I have absolutely loved the earlier ones. So I guess that I will have to wait until it is published in audio so I can give a current review, but I expect it to be just as much fun!
That was in December, 2020, and now it's May, 2021 and I have bought and listened to the audio format! This one is even more hilarious than each of the others! The beleaguered nephew is definitely about to lose his mind over her antics, Poldi has bargaining sessions with Death, and she even admits to personally knowing the Pope while breaking into the Vatican! Laugh your sox off!
Many thanks to John Brownjohn for his fun translation and to Matt Addis for his delightful voice artistry with the narration.

Jumped the shark.

2 out of 5 Tropes

I think this one jumped the shark with the trope used.

I also had a feeling I wouldn't like it as much because my sister warned me that it opened with an exorcism. So I skipped listening to that chapter because I really don't need that voice acting in my ears. I read that chapter in the ebook instead. Then I listened to the rest. Fortunately there were only two scenes where I had to skip the audio edition.

There were some moments that were entertaining and I did bookmark some good quotes.