I usually do not read mysteries but I loved the cover of this book and when I read the description I knew I had to read it. I am very glad that I did, it was a lot of fun. I found the actual murder mystery to be just okay, the strength of the book for me lied in the characters. Auntie Poldi jumped off the page with her big personality. I loved reading about her many adventures in this book, she is quirky and funny and full of life. The author does a great job of making the other characters in the book just as interesting, including the three Aunts and Uncle that look after Auntie Poldi, The detective on the case that Auntie Poldi is continually sparring with, and even the murder suspects are interesting. The setting was great, though I did have some trouble with all of the Sicilian references thrown in. I really enjoyed this one and I am looking forward to reading more about Auntie Poldi soon.