Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel R Reyes
A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery #2. Cozy mystery. Can be read as a stand-alone. Significant Spanish included, most of which is easily translated in multiple ways by Miriam, such as answers to questions or restating the situation so the phrase is understood. It’s is not a one-to-one translation but listening to sentences immediately following will give you the context.

Once again, Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quinones-Smith wakes up to find a corpse in her front yard. Since it’s her neighbor, she feels justified in snooping around, asking questions and searching for answers. In the midst of that, she is also put in charge of the Women’s Gala at her mother-in-law’s insistence and Miriam ends up in the middle of a second death investigation. All this, while still filming her cooking show and finding out she’s in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Lots of family interaction and delicious sounding cooking even when it’s the cause of poison, revenge or more innocent for the show or family. Most of the dual language is through her four year old son as he speaks Spanish with Miriam and English with his father. I found her “pregnancy brain” thoughts to herself a bit off the mark, although they did add a bit of humor. A lot going on in Miami apparently.
Entertaining and educational. I put together the poison clues and really loved the husband’s reaction when Miriam actually stood up to her mother-in-law.

Since several other reviews posted they had trouble understanding the Spanish, I feel it’s important to restate this:
Significant Spanish included, most of which is translated in multiple ways by Miriam, such as answers to questions or restating the situation so the phrase can be understood. It’s is not a one-to-one translation but reading or listening to sentences immediately following the Spanish will give you the context. ( )

This was so good. We just jump right back into Miriam Quinones-Smith's life as she settles into her new fame broadcasting Abuela Approved recipes on her two cooking shows. Coral Shores is a small community, ready to celebrate all things fall. When her mother-in-law puts her in charge of the Women's Club annual gala, Miriam drafts her friends to help make it an exciting event. When a local woman is injured in Miriam's yard and the chef at the club is killed during a planning meeting, Miriam's best friend Alma helps instigate some investigating. There's lots to offer--mysterious drones, neighbors, and a sleuth that has to think about her family life while trying to help others. ( )

This is book 2 in the series and I haven’t read book 1. This cozy is set in South Florida and has well developed characters, great recipes and, of course, a mystery to solve. The book does have lines here and there in Spanish which add to its flavor but made it a bit difficult for a non-Spanish speaker to follow. All in all, a good read that I would recommend to fans of cozies. Thank you LibraryThing and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. ( )

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for a review. I red the first book in the series right before this one and I am now hooked on this series! Miriam is a strong main character who ends up trying to solve murders that happen around her social circle in Coral Shores in Florida. One thing I like is that she doesn't do stupid things in pursuit of the suspects, which seems to be a common thing in cozy mysteries. There is the regular cop who warns her against investigating, but he is not a caricature and not a huge obstacle to her either. There is a strong theme of Caribbean food in the series and it adds to the feeling of being in southern Florida. ( )

This was a good mystery but convoluted. I felt a little lost in some spots because I had not read the first book in the series. I had to stop and look up some of the Spanish words. I understand some Spanish but wasn't sure about all of the words. Miriam has a full plate. Not only is she working her regular job, but her mother-in-law has also volunteered her to head up a Women's Club gala. Miriam recruits some friends to help her and while they are planning, the head chef falls to his death at the club. She has already had a woman collapse in her front yard. Now she finds her neighbor on his floor having a seizure. What is going on? She wants to know, but she is afraid to investigate because she could be the next person hurt. Can she find the killer? ( )