Arsenic and Adobo

This is a quintessential cozy mystery. A quick, easy, fun read with no overly descriptive, convoluted sentences. Cozy mysteries are not supposed to be high literature and that's why I like them. It's good escapism. I also appreciated the fact that although there's a lot of family and friend dynamics here with a touch of romance, it doesn't supplant the mystery.

This wasn't Shakespeare. Some of the dialogue and the way the characters are written is very YA fiction but it was written with a lot of warmth and it did not drag or was boring. And that is what a cozy mystery is all about when it's done well.

My first cozy mystery! And a fantastic start to jump into the genre I think.

The main character, Lila, is a woman in her mid-20’s, having a bit of a crisis and moves back home to live with her Tita Rosie and Lola Flor. She’s back in the family restaurant, helping to keep it afloat. That’s all turned on it’s head as her ex-boyfriend comes in, eats a massive amount of food and then dies, in the restaurant. The police, at the insistence of the landlord of the property and the stepfather of Lila’s ex-boyfriend, begin to investigate the suspicious death. Their number one suspect? Lila.

I enjoyed how the characters already felt well-established in this world. I think there’s a great sense of the author knowing who these characters show more are, and their motivations and backgrounds. The relationship between Lila and her best friend’s brother (who is also her lawyer and the boy she’s had a crush on for years) really highlights how well these characters know each other.

Such an easy and fun read. The mystery had plenty of twists and turns but it was still lighthearted and a real joy to read. I don’t say this lightly, it was an actual page turner of a book! I am excited to see this will be a series, and there is already a 2nd book published, with a 3rd on the way later this year. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series, and to see the developments in this world.

Oh, and before I forget, recipes at the back of the book! How fun! I’m curious to try the adobo recipe. show less

I am not a professional book reviewer, I just enjoy reading and sharing my thoughts with others. I also cuss like a sailor and have no sense of what a spoiler is, so read this review at your own risk!

There's so much I need to say here that I don't even know where to begin lol I guess I can start by saying I think this is the FASTEST I've ever finished a book that wasn't a manga. Less than two days to finish 300+ pages, which may not seem like a lot but if you look at my history, it usually takes me a while to finish books because I tend to read a little between doing other stuff. But this book was just... wow. It flew by so quickly, it feels almost surreal.

My first thought when I started reading this book was that it didn't waste any show more time. Murder on page 18, now that's what I'm fucking talking about man. No wasting time with boring scenes for 50 pages, it got straight to what we all came for - murder. Getting right down to the juicy bits is a smart move that I can definitely appreciate.

I don't personally think the dishes described in this book sound the least bit appetizing because I don't like half the ingredients they use because I'm a literal 5-year-old, but it's still interesting to hear about them and try to butcher the pronunciation of the dishes c: I don't typically care for female protags because most of them are annoying and I just prefer male protags because, while I am a woman, I can relate more to men than women. This main character, though? She's pretty cool. I love her personality. She's really likable and her witty remarks make the story a lot easier to read.

Before starting chapter four, I made a prediction. I didn't have any suspects, but by the way Derek was sweating and shit, I'm guessing he was poisoned before coming to their restaurant. Maybe by that coffee he was drinking? After finishing the book - Fuck yes, I am a motherfucking super sleuth ya'll. I called it! Where's my medal? Or my cookie. I'd settle for a cookie.

Can I just say she has perfect comedic timing? Just look at this shit, man:

{I put my hands on my hips. "Oh, come on. Would it kill you to say something nice for a change?"
He responded by convulsing violently, then face-planting right into the dish.}

So yeah, I guess it WOULD kill him to say something nice, hey =D

{That was a mistake.
All five wheeled around as one. I don't know if you've ever been stared down by an elderly Asian woman, but It. Is. Terrifying. Don't be fooled by the cute florals and jaunty visors - these women will end you, wielding nothing but their sharp tongues, bony elbows, and collapsible shopping carts.}

Why is this the best line in the entire book? I lost it with the shopping carts, man.

Now, I'm a white woman from a white family. To us, family don't mean shit. All of them are liars and only come around if we can offer them something. It's nothing but fighting and arguing between us and we never see each other, not even on holidays. To me, my only family is my mom that I live with. The rest of our blood relations aren't family to me, they never have been and probably never will be. So, reading about how tight-nit Asian families tend to be... it makes me both sad and happy at the same time.

I enjoy the look into the lives of others, so different from the one I've led, and I envy how strong their familial ties are. To them, family comes first. Family is everything. I sometimes wish it were like that for us, too, but it's not. I don't think it ever has been. The love just isn't there for us but the hatred certainly is. So for me, seeing these strong family bonds and these big families who, despite their problems and differences, still love and support one another no matter what... it really enhanced the story for me.

{"Did you know that rice has higher levels of arsenic than other foods?"}

I'm fucking sorry, sir??? Rise has mother fucking ARSENIC in it?! That can't be true... I'm never eating rice again, man. After I read this, my anxiety decided it wanted to be its usual self and I freaked out, googling if this was true and it IS.

Quoted from healthline.com: "There is no doubt about it, arsenic in rice is a problem. This may pose a health risk to those who eat rice every day in considerable amounts." It also recommends that you use plenty of water while cooking it, wash the rice before cooking it because it may remove 10-28% of the arsenic, and that brown rice contains higher amounts than white rice. It says to choose aromatic rice such as basmati or jasmine. This honestly freaked me out and I wish it wasn't true so I'll probably avoid rice for a while before forgetting and just saying feck it.

{I raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Since when do you know Japanese?"
He ducked his head, not meeting my eyes. "I, uh, watch a lot of anime. Like, a lot. I can't speak it or anything, but I can understand a basic conversation."}

MARCUS, MY MAN. He became my favorite character with this one line, let's go~!

Prediction 2: the contractor is the killer. He, Derek, and the health inspector were doing business together and something went wrong. After finishing the book - eh, I was half right. Do I still get points? No? What about half a point?

{Dr. Jae, that coward, stuck with the mild tomato salsa.}

I... feel very called out by this statement lmfao I can't do spicy food, like at all. I don't know why, but it triggers my fucking anxiety and I hate it. So whenever we order Chinese food, I have to request my food without peppers and avoid all the spicy stuff, and honestly, even the non-spicy stuff is usually still spicy. I think that's why I haven't been able to enjoy Asian food like I hoped I could, because they use lots of peppers and onions, both of which I despise.

So, the scene where the restaurant is vandalized and everyone comes to help clean up... I couldn't stop smiling because it was so fucking precious. They really do have a great family, people who will always come to help out and not even fucking charge for it. Like, Amir is this bigtime lawyer that would normally charge out the ass for his services but he's doing all this for his family FOR FOOD. I mean, same really, but he's not charging them, he just wants Rosie to feed him which she is more than thrilled to do. Where can I get a family like this? Someone adopt me.

{"What, is your name pronounced LY-la or LEE-la? Because I've been saying LY-la, but your grandmother just called you..."
I smiled at him. "Yeah, I know. Technically, it's LEE-la, but only my family pronounces it that way. In school, my teachers would always pronounce it the other way and I got tired of correcting them. I just started introducing myself that way since it was easier."}

Not gonna lie, I've been pronouncing it LY-la, too. Even after reading this, I tried to correct myself by saying it properly every time her name came up but my brain just couldn't seem to process this at all. It was a struggle for my brain to read it that way so I just ended up continuing to pronounce it that way, I am so sorry Lila ._.)/

Okay, so... after getting farther into the book I was so damn sure Mr. Long was the one who was behind everything, but then he done did deaded. I couldn't help but wonder who the fuck was behind it all, assuming it was just one person. I did not, for one second, suspect that his wife did it. Okay, that's a lie. When they first found the body, I did think it was weird that she was walking around the house with her hood up. It was SUS man and then it turns out she did do it, but it was in self-defense. I'll be damned. And it's not like he was innocent, he WAS responsible for some of it, just not the murder.

{"We were happy to see him at first. It'd been a while and even though we heard about what he was doing with those other restaurants, we never dreamed he'd do that to us. He was like family! But nobody lets you down like family, I guess."}

Girl, preach that shit. If you can't trust you family which, in my case, you can't, who the fuck CAN you trust? It's a damn shame, lemme tell you.

Now, I would like to say that I figured out who the killer was long before he revealed himself, but then I'd be a big liar pants, wouldn't I? I figured it out about one page before he revealed himself pft I never would have thought Kevin would be behind it all and I genuinely liked him. He seemed like such a nice guy, but that tends to be my curse, you know? Whenever I watch or read something, I always fall for the guys who A - die, or B - end up to be total psychopath murderers with a serious god-complex that you just kinda wanna nudge off the edge of a building. It's a real problem and I don't know how to fix it someone send help.

The author of this book, Mia Manansala, wrote an amazing book that I didn't want to put down, with an amazing main character that was super likable, relatable, and really witty. I have nothing but praise for this book and I hope to read more from her and Lila.

Also, I can't stop thinking about Nisa sprawled across the ground posted on Instagram every time the dog is mentioned, so thanks for that lmao show less

We start with a familiar trope, albeit one that feels more like rom-com than murder mystery: A young woman comes home from the big city to help save the family business. That's Lila Macapagal, and the business is the Filipino restaurant run by her aunt and grandmother. But when the caustic local food critic, who happens to be Lila's ex-boyfriend, drops dead while eating at the restaurant, Lila is the primary suspect in his murder.

There are other suspects, to be sure, most of them the owners of other local restaurants that Derek had written horrible things about. And there's a large supporting cast of friends and allies for Lila to draw on as she attempts to solve the case -- her aunt and grandmother, of course; her "aunties" April, Mae, show more and June, a trio of gossips Lila calls the Calendar Crew; a best friend whose brother is both Lila's lawyer and her potential romantic interest; a local dentist (and second possible boyfriend) whose brother is the officer investigating the murder.

This is a solid culinary cozy, and if the murderer is a little too easy to spot -- I had it figured out fairly early, for heaven's sake, and I never know whodunit -- the characters and the storytelling are strong enough to make up for that. And for those who like their culinary mysteries with recipes, there are four at the end of the book; I'm intrigued by the Filipino-spiced banana bread, made with lots of cinnamon and ginger, and a touch of cayenne.

Manansala's adding quickly to her series; this came out in 2021, and the fifth in the series was published last month. I would be happy to pick up the next volume. show less

3.5 stars

Lila is a Filipino-American who was away for university, but returned to her hometown in Illinois to help her family with their restaurant. Her high school boyfriend is still in town, as is her best friend. She has a crush on her best friend’s brother, but has never acted on it; he is now a lawyer in town. Unfortunately, Lila’s high school boyfriend, Derek, has really changed. He writes restaurant reviews in the local newspaper and tends to come down really hard on them, Lila’s family’s restaurant included. But when he and his step-father are eating in the restaurant one evening, Derek falls face-first into his plate. He has been poisoned and it looks like Lila or someone in her family or at the restaurant has done it. show more Lila and her best friend, Adeena, try to figure out who might really be the culprit.

I liked this. There was more food descriptions in the book than I like, but it’s a cozy mystery and a lot of people like that in their cozies. For those who like that, there are recipes at the back, as well. There is also a Filipino glossary at the start, so that was handy. I did like the story, though. I also liked most of the characters and the little love triangle happening. This is the first in a series, and I liked it enough to continue. show less

I'm pretty new at cozy mysteries, are all protagonists just really awful detectives?

Loved the intro and the characters - especially the calendar gals!
I enjoyed the content warnings, the luscious descriptions of food and the cultural elements.

However, one thing that makes me furious is when grief is an atherthough or non-existant. I understand that levity is probably a staple of the genre, but it's a huge pet-peeve of mine that prevents me from fully enjoying the story.

I'll definitelly be waiting for the second book in the series.

I really loved this debut cozy mystery from Mia P. Manansala. It maintained all of the typical elements expected of the genre but brought a fresh, exciting perspective that I typically look for in cozies. Our main character, Lila, is of Filipina descent and Manansala weaves her and her family's culture and heritage throughout the story. There is also a huge variety of food throughout the book, which spans from Filipino cuisine to Japanese, Mexican, and American. It's exciting to see more diversity in the cozy genre, which has been so heavily focused on white female characters. The entire cast of characters is extremely diverse, and each of them bring their own personal experiences with their culture and family with them. The mystery show more also kept me on my toes. It felt a little more edgy than some older cozies but I was totally okay with that. I enjoyed the focus on a young adult with her inner monologue giving insight into fears about her future and what she is doing with her life.

One of the things I wanted to note was how much I appreciated the cultural sensitivity note found at the beginning of the book. Manansala outlines that as a Filipino American she writes of experiences true to herself. She also states that as a mystery author there are certain tropes that she uses, but wanted to provide a content warning for areas which may be upsetting to readers. She had a sensitivity reader from the Philippines who had pointed out the triggering aspects which would strike a Filipino reader versus an American reader. The Philippines has an ongoing conflict with the Philippine National Police enforcement of President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war. It is extremely important to bring attention to this international crisis to provide more context for readers and also to make readers (such as Americans) aware of conflicts in the world outside their own. I hope to see other authors doing the same in the future regardless of if it is a work of fiction, experiences vary greatly throughout the world and it is important to acknowledge this.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital ARC copy of this book. show less