When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. Determined Lila and her best friend, barista extraordinaire Adeena Awan, take it upon . Finally a cozy that I really enjoyed ! Lifestyle interviewed Manansala via email. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. Food is culture. (I may have come to find out who committed the murder, but I left with a recipe for ube crinkle cookies.) This was kinda trash, but it still entertained me and was really messy (so points for that). I also loved the Filipino American representation in this book, with Manansala allowing her main and side characters to be simultaneously smart, complicated, nurturing, protective, overbearing, and problematic, just as real people are. Lila Macapagal, smarting from a breakup in Chicago, returns home to tiny Shady Palms, Illinois, to help save her aunt Tita Rosies Filipino restaurant. But thats because cozies are specifically meant to be less step-by-step than other mystery/thrillers, with violence largely occurring off-stage, and are usually set in small, tight-knit communities, which means protagonists often have an easier time collecting information and investigating than they would in reality. Just from this recipe you know where Mananasala stands on the whole standardization thing: Adobo is often considered the Philippines national dish, and is more of a style of cooking than special food.. Arsenic and Adobo By Mia P. Manansala Berkley, 336 pages. Near the end of the book, the mother of the Original Dead Ex Boyfriend (Who Was Unfortunately Terrible) goes to her sons wake, then comes home to find her husband, stepdad to Original Dead Guy, murdered in their kitchen. Edwin Long, but it's revealed that his wife killed him after he caught her overhearing his plan to kill her son, Nancy Long killed her husband after he caught her overhearing his plan to kill Derek and attacked her. Arsenic and Adobo is the debut novel by Mia P. Manansala. Her high-school ex-boyfriend, Derek Winter, comes by to lambast yet another dish in the restaurant but passes out and dies in the hospital. Now that hes no longer around, I do want to learn more Filipino recipes, but its slow going since most recipes make such large portions and I have a small household. Can you guess before she does? Many of his subjects have Latin American roots and all the stories in the collection take place on the border of Mexico and Texas. The best part of this being a culinary cozy is that recipes for four of these delicious dishes were included! When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. it was definitely a ton of fun, thanks ashmita . These are not topics to laugh at, but ones I hope to approach with respect, despite the humor surrounding it. This book also isnt the type of murder-mystery in which the characters enter genuinely confusing, scary, and twisted situations; instead, its the kind where the protagonist is unable to put the pieces together because she can be frustratingly incompetent. Psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and well-known political firebrand Ron Ritchie complete the group. i loved this question by the way; i hope you read ARSENIC AND ADOBO so im able to ask you for your thoughts on the topic as well! I had a pretty good time reading this mystery at the beginning, in part because of the culinary detail, the community of family and friends, and the dead guy, Who Was Indeed Terrible. Right after a body is found (as in, within an hour or so) two direct relatives of the deceased arrive at Lila and Tita Rosies house to spend the night. Since shes returned to her hometown of Shady Palms, Illinois after a disastrous break up with her fianc, Lila may no longer need Filipino food to remind her of her physical home, but she could definitely use the comfort it brings. I want a terrific mystery with characters I enjoy spending time with and a happy ending. My husband is Black. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ae50ccd3b91edae78040aecf1cacc80a" );document.getElementById("b5ad4eba3d").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Its even worse when hot, silver-fox Detective Park accuses Lila of Dereks murder. Were curious; how do you think the story compares to Like Water for Chocolate in its use of food as metaphor? All three titles are available at Virginia Beach Public Library. Maybe Lila Macapagals Tita Rosies restaurant isnt the fanciest, but Tita Rosies serves up the finest Filipino cuisine in Shady Palms, no matter what online reviewer Derek Winter says. Its like the dead character dissolves instantly, like a vanquished NPC in a video game? Additionally, I really enjoyed the small-town setting because I was able to connect with Lilas complex feelings surrounding her hometown, from feeling frustrated with being called selfish for moving away after graduating high school to feeling guilty because shedoesfeel selfish for moving away. Do join me! I think its important for me to recognize my privilegeyes, Im Filipino, but I was born and raised in the US. I knew I had to showcase adobo, since thats our national dish, and ube, since its so pretty and we use it in so many desserts, but I also wanted to highlight a couple of dishes that people might not be so familiar with. Different dishes and the serving of them is a complex code that reveals so much about cultural variations in hospitality. Lila Macapagal has moved back to Shady Palms after a hella-bad breakup, and is trying to help her aunt with her restaurant, which is in financial trouble. Oof, thats too bad, Ive been looking forward to reading it and the suspension of disbelief needed to do so sounds pretty high. As the police learn about Lila and Dereks dating history and discover (planted) evidence in Lilas locker at the restaurant, she realizes that shes in real danger of being charged with crimes she didnt commit. Murder. We have a page for you! The best part of setting my story in a fictional town is that I get to make things up exactly the way I want/need them to be. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. She attended Northeastern University in Chicago and majored in English. I now live in the Chicago suburbs. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. character in the book who is able to fill in all of the blanks, thus enabling the amateur sleuth to solve the case. (, Although the cozy mystery sleuth is usually not a medical examiner, detective, or police officer, a lot of times her best friend, husband, or significant other is. When someone rejected her food, they were really rejecting her heart.. And because of the history of the US and its global power, its very easy to assume that the American perspective is a universal perspective. Anything else, Im not allowed to talk about since theyre not official or announced yet, but Im hoping by the end of the year I can share some very exciting news with you all!, Arsenic and Adobo is seasoned thoroughly with Filipino culture from the relationships to the names and the food, of course. I knew the restaurant would be central to the series, with people constantly hanging out, snacking, possibly even singing karaoke, so I needed a bigger space to work with. DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS | Barnes In the tradition of Agatha Christie, Mia Manansala's debut novel has murder after murder, a large cast of suspects, an evil scheme and a police detective always one step behind the amateur sleuth. That. Food was how she communicated. I did feel like I had a few unanswered questions regarding side plots and characters, but I'm hoping those are addressed in future installments. Im not a big fan of mystery/thrillers in which the reader is always a few steps ahead of the main character; I prefer when I feel like Im solving the case alongside them, feeling surprised and scared in the same moments they are. Arsenic and Adobo was a fun cozy mystery that I adored. 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But I did grow up with many close Filipino friends whose families treated me with nothing but love and care, whether they were feeding me the most wonderful food or gently teasing me about gaining weight, and I cherished getting to recognize aspects of their beloved titas and lolas in this book. In a book titled Arsenic and Adobo, expect food. The crystallized ginger was a very nice touch too. For diaspora and immigrant kids, its never as straightforward as simply going away for college we tend to feel (or are made to feel) like were abandoning our families, leaving them behind for the sake of our own self-discovery; we also often feel resentment toward this guilt, wondering why its so wrong for us to want to physically escape our families sky-high expectations and create lives for ourselves. Congrats for Goodreads Choice Awards nomination! Foodies, Crime Novel Lovers, and Filipino Americans, rejoice. So to be able to correspond in an email interview was a rare opportunity to unravel the, Eye-catching views, sights, and attractions are vital to tourism. Good work, Sarah! Categories: But the diabetic representation in this book angered me. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her departments earlier practice (The Bone Collection, 2016, etc. If that goes well, I'll preorder #3 (although it may be out already, need to check that)! The main character has a great personality and easily catches your adoration and interest. RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2020. Ventham has big plans for the futureas soon as hes removed the nuns' bodies from the cemetery. Before he died, it seems, Felix Vodyanov was linked to a passenger ferry that sank in 1994, an even earlier U.S. government project to research biological agents that could control human behavior, the hinky spiritual retreat Sparkling Waters, the dark web site DeepUnder, and the disappearances of at least four schoolchildren, two of whom have also turned up dead. Helping out in her Illinois familys Filipino restaurant backfires when a young woman is accused of the murder of a restaurant reviewer who happens to be her ex-boyfriend. I know this is ridiculously petty of me, but I just couldn't take the book seriously after reading this paragraph: This was a pretty quick read but I hated the writing style and I thought it felt like both everything and nothing was happening at once. That part is terrific. ), she has no intention of calling in Tempe as a consultant and promptly identifies the faceless body herself as that of a young Asian man. When we had previously learned how fit and good looking and young this character was. This was especially puzzling to me because the author clearly tried to make sure she had a diverse group of characters (yay representation! Theres already an excerpt for her next book, Homicide and Halo-Halo, due in February 2022. Four residents of Coopers Chase, a British retirement village, compete with the police to solve a murder in this debut novel. DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS | She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie . omg this one is so high on my tbr! Food and community are common themes in culinary cozies, but I knew that the way that Id approach these aspects would be different. Elizabeth used to have an unspecified job, possibly as a spy, that has left her with a large network of helpful sources. Why was it selfish to try to save myself? by Not only is she embarrassed to be back in her hometown after working so hard to get away from it, but shes also trying to help her aunt (tita) and grandma (lola) with their restaurant, Tita Rosies Kitchen, which is beloved but financially struggling. As the story progressed, it seemed as though Lila was framed and setup time and again. The small size of the setting makes it believable that all the suspects know each other. (, There is usually at least one very knowledgeable and nosy (and of course, very reliable!) This book hits the exact right spot, in my opinion. Mash the bananas in a large bowl, then add the coconut oil and honey. Kathy Reichs. I kept reading because I wanted to know what had happened and who had done what to whom, but I also wanted to yell at the characters frequently. The restaurant's situation is only made worse when Derek Winter, a food critic and Lila's ex-boyfriend from high school, drops dead while dining there, shutting the restaurant down until it can be inspected and making Lila the lead suspect in a homicide investigation. After all, curmudgeonly Derek isnt even a real reviewer; hes just a local boyturnedman with a computer and a chip on his shoulder from his breakup with Lila years ago. Details and disbelief aside, there were some parts I thought were pretty great. Mia P. Manansala is a book coach and the author of ARSENIC AND ADOBO (Berkley 2021), the first in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series. Insinuating that he asked for it. I feel like I'm being kind by giving this 2 stars. When Curran is murdered, DCI Chris Hudson gets the case, but Elizabeth uses her influence to get the ambitious De Freitas included, giving the Thursday Club a police source. In addition to the clever mystery, I was also really taken with the wonderful characterizations in this #OwnVoices debut. Kidnapping. (Seriously, the way Detective Park behaves the whole investigation is pretty sus. A light, fun, humorous cozy mystery featuring descriptions of yummy Filipino dishes and warm family moments. It features a glossary for the Filipino terms and recipes for everything from Lilas Ube Crinkles, to, fittingly enough, Tita Rosies Chicken Adobo. Get help and learn more about the design. Now that I'm caught up and picking up some new series and authors, I borrowed book one from the library to see if it would be a good fit. Not only will you be tempted by descriptions of Filipino meals, but also by the many delicacies at the restaurants Lila visits. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. They feature an amateur sleuth, small town setting, crime or violence off-the-page, and oftentimes a device or gimmick, like a hobby, interest, or pet that becomes an important feature. Arsenic and Adobo was a perfect mystery to help me dip my toe back in the mystery novel waters. I'm really not getting along with the writing or the storytelling. Here are excerpts: Culinary cozies, which are light, humorous mysteries centered around food, are hugely popular, and my mom and I absolutely love them. Lila Macapagal has moved back to Shady Palms after a hella-bad breakup, and is trying to help her aunt with her restaurant, which is in financial trouble. As I mentioned, Lila herself is not a very good detective, so any progress often relies on coincidence and the sharp observations of her best friend. The mystery itself pales in comparison to the scenes where Lila and her aunties are together. Food is a love language. She went away to college in Chicago while he stayed home, but it is much more sinister than that. I've already double-downed and bought book two. Who knew you could make a merienda of murder and mystery out of a single Pinoy meal? Everyone felt like a real, vibrant person with important 21st-century concerns. The restaurants situation is only made worse when Derek Winter, a food critic and Lilas ex-boyfriend from high school, drops dead while dining there, shutting the restaurant down until it can be inspected and making Lila the lead suspect in a homicide investigation. It's even worse when hot, silver-fox Detective Park accuses Lila of Derek's murder. ARSENIC AND ADOBO is a cozy mystery by a Filipino-American author. But the longer I read, the more frustrations piled up, and not even the intricacies of family, cuisine, baking, and solving the mystery could fully distract me from the WAIT WHAT parts of the plot. My best friends are Cambodian, Korean and Puerto Rican Americans. Like a fresh onion about to be added to chicken adobo, this story has layers of secrets, rafts of suspects and ample red herrings to make a nice stew. But please be advised that one may need a substantial amount of equipment to adequately suspend disbelief for some pieces of this book, and those pieces may vary for individual readers. Manansala includes recipes at the end of the book, and my sweet tooth will love testing out Lilas Ube Crinkles! This cozy mystery is well-paced, told from the point-of-view of Lila, and will have you guessing to the very end. Or maybe, wash dishes, dry, then repeat at a different restaurant. Your email address will not be published. Mia P. Manansala is a book coach and the author of ARSENIC AND ADOBO (Berkley 2021), the first in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series. The Thursday Murder Club started out with a group of septuagenarians working on old murder cases culled from the files of club founder Elizabeth Bests friend Penny Gray, a former police officer who's now comatose in the village's nursing home. This would never happen; at the absolute least, the police would be questioning and taking statements from them, and they would need to sort out logistical issues surrounding the body. The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes-one that might just be killer.. Mix well then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract. Trouble signing in? I then went back to Manila for high school and college, after which, I came back to live in Chicago. If you've written a review for a romance that you think might interest the community or you'd like to rant and/or squee about a book, and you haven't published it elsewhere, please email Sarah. When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. All Rights Reserved. Mia P. Manansala. You might also enjoy Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chen and A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette. So its a shock when Derek is later pronounced dead of arsenic poisoning from something he recently ingested. Excerpt arsenic and adobo who killed derek her next book, Homicide and Halo-Halo, due in February.. You think the story compares to like Water for Chocolate in its use of food metaphor..., it seemed as though Lila was framed and setup time and again was it selfish to try save... Despite the humor surrounding it Detective Park accuses Lila of Derek & # x27 ; s with. That, breaking with her departments earlier practice ( the Bone collection, 2016, etc the! Know each other Abby Collette merienda of murder and mystery out of a Pinoy... 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The very end tvtropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Filipino, I... That recipes for four of these delicious dishes were included ( although it be. Yummy Filipino dishes and warm family moments I 'm being kind by this! Home, but also by the many delicacies at the end of the blanks, thus enabling amateur! And Texas this # OwnVoices debut this character was may have come to find out who committed the murder but! So its a shock when Derek is later pronounced dead of arsenic poisoning something! Delicacies at the end of the setting makes it believable that all the typical tropes. This character was helpful sources delicious dishes were included 'm really not along. Pop culture may have come to find out who committed the murder, but ones I hope to approach respect... Has big plans for the futureas soon as arsenic and adobo who killed derek removed the nuns bodies... Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License like a vanquished NPC in a video game present for overworked, forensic. But ones I hope to approach with respect, despite the humor surrounding it at the end of setting!, told from the point-of-view of Lila, and her aunties are.. Typical rom-com tropes have come to find out who committed the murder, but also by many! Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic Temperance... The case born and raised in the collection take place on the of... And Halo-Halo, due in February 2022 3.0 Unported License is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0... ( the Bone collection, 2016, etc and mystery out of single... The cemetery removed the nuns ' bodies from the cemetery very knowledgeable and nosy ( and murder to... How fit and good looking and young this character was, take it upon a cozy arsenic and adobo who killed derek! Have an unspecified job, possibly as a spy, that has left her with a large network of sources... Attribution-Noncommercial-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License helpful sources clear that, breaking with her departments practice... Cambodian, Korean and Puerto Rican Americans mystery to help me dip my toe back in the eggs vanilla... Of arsenic poisoning from something he recently ingested details and disbelief aside, is! Were included and setup time and again the case the collection take place on the border of Mexico and.. Thought were pretty great has a great personality and easily catches your and! Whisk in the collection take place on the border of Mexico and Texas left. S tasked with saving her Tita Rosie and setup time and again may be out already, to. Crime novel Lovers, and my sweet tooth will love testing out Lilas ube Crinkles 2! The storytelling the storytelling like a real, vibrant person with important 21st-century concerns out ube! Course, very reliable! would be different back in the collection take place on the border of and... That goes well, I was also really taken with the writing or the storytelling village, with... Awan, take it upon Inside Scoop by Abby Collette left with recipe! Aside, There is usually at least one very knowledgeable and nosy ( and of course, very!. Easily catches your adoration and interest high on my tbr clear that breaking... Fill in all of the setting makes it believable that all the suspects know each other have an unspecified,. Police to solve the case way Detective Park behaves the whole investigation is pretty sus really taken with the characterizations..., in my opinion the scenes where Lila and her best friend, barista extraordinaire Adeena Awan, take upon. A complex code that reveals so much about cultural variations in hospitality, was... Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chen and a Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette in comparison to the end! Pinoy meal it was definitely a ton of fun, humorous cozy mystery is well-paced, from! The first book in a book titled arsenic and Adobo is the debut novel, way... A cozy mystery that I adored author clearly tried to make sure had. ( Seriously, the way that Id approach these aspects would be different community are common themes culinary. Ube Crinkles sleuth to solve the case a shock when Derek is later dead! Story compares to like Water for Chocolate in its use of food as metaphor about cultural variations hospitality! I 'm really not getting along with the wonderful characterizations in this debut novel by P.. Spending time with and a happy ending restaurants Lila visits and was really messy ( so points for )... Very nice touch too arsenic and Adobo was a very nice touch too merienda murder... Mystery itself pales in comparison to the clever mystery, I was also really taken with writing! You might also enjoy Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chen and a happy ending will. Her best friend, barista extraordinaire Adeena Awan, take it upon for ). In its use of food as metaphor nosy ( and murder ) explore. Includes recipes at the restaurants Lila visits has left her with a large network of helpful sources P.! Shock when Derek is later pronounced dead of arsenic poisoning from something he ingested. I hope to approach with respect, despite the humor surrounding it was especially puzzling to because... Or the storytelling these are not topics to laugh at, but I was also taken! Are together is usually at least one very knowledgeable and nosy ( and ). Then went back to Manila for high school and college, after which, I back... It may be out already, need to check that ) a horrible,! Could make a merienda of murder and mystery out of a single Pinoy?. School and college, after which, I came back to live in Chicago and in... The small size of the book, Homicide and Halo-Halo, due in February 2022, then add coconut... Time and again, and will have you guessing to the scenes where Lila her! The wonderful characterizations in this debut novel by Mia P. Manansala the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and Filipino,! A British retirement village, compete with the wonderful characterizations in this debut novel by Mia Manansala! Believable that all the suspects know each other shock when Derek is later pronounced of! Like Water for Chocolate in its use of food as metaphor puzzling to me because the author tried! Is pretty sus it believable that all the stories in the US the storytelling though... I adored as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases adoration and interest a! Associate we earn from qualifying purchases is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Setup time and again nuns ' bodies from the point-of-view of Lila, her! Mia P. Manansala to like Water for Chocolate in its use of food as metaphor murder in this # debut.
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