Auntie Poldi and the Lost Madonna

Written 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 sixty-first birthday?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781980091271

Mario Giordano

MARIO GIORDANO, the son of Italian immigrants, was born in Munich. Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions, his first novel translated into English, was an Indie Next Pick, a Barnes &Noble Discover selection, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and a Costco Staff Pick. He lives in Berlin.

Reviews for Auntie Poldi and the Lost Madonna

[bibliovermis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've enjoyed the different Auntie Poldi stories to varying degrees. I think this latest entry was up with the first one as a highlight. Any humorous crime/mystery romp that passes through the Vatican is going to be a good time. And, I think it was full of humorous references to a Vatican-themed thriller series written by the same author, which I'm sure would have been even more humorous If I could read German (or French, or one of the other languages the series has been translated into, since it's not in English!)

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Auntie Poldi continues to be the queen of hyperbole. And in this book, it appears she may have taken on more than her karma can handle. She is up against the Mafia and members of the Vatican. There is a high-end call girl turned nun involved, an exorcism in which the demon being exorcised takes on the Bavarian voice of Poldi. Her karma holds and she continues to be a fearless heroine even if her knees seem to be showing their age. I would love to get inside the mind of Mario Giordano, the author, to see the spinning gears as he writes another outrageous installment of the Aunti Poldi series. This is the first audio version of the series I have listened to, and I liked it much better than reading the book. In reading, I tend to skip over many of the descriptive tomes Auntie Poldi lays out and in doing so I miss parts of the story. Matt Addis’ narration fits Auntie Poldi and he is able to distinguish among the various characters who appear—even the Pope who Auntie Poldi knocks down in the Vatican as she tries to escape arrest.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.