Mango, Mambo and Murder by Raquel V Reyes
A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series #1. Spanish-language mixed with English throughout.
Miriam Quinones-Smith moves with her husband and children to Coral Shores, Miami, a rather exclusive resort area. But she’s closer to her family so that makes her happy. Her friend Alma, gets Miriam a job on a Spanish-language morning show as an on-air cooking expert where she successfully wows the crew and audience. Miriam is also invited to an exclusive country club event where one woman faints and another dies. Miriam is soon in the middle of the investigation of a Cuban herbalist and helping Detective Pullman ask questions of the club members.

A mystery series starter that is complex and yet follows a general cozy mystery format. The most interesting variance here is the amount of Spanish that’s included in the dialog that isn’t alway interpreted but it’s mostly clear in the end what is said. That’s accomplished by Mariam answering questions in the alternate language or restating the question. It’s quite cleverly done. There were some comments or sentences not restated, but those were generalized. The family drama adds depth to Mariam’s character but I still have questions on some of the money issues. Perhaps those will be answered later in the series.
There are several recipes included at the end of the book that sound quite tasty.
An entertaining premise. I’ll probably continue this series when time permits. ( )

Miriam, husband Robert and young son Manny move from NYC back to Florida for a new job for Robert and to be closer to family. Miiriam's best friend Alma, now a successful real estate agent, takes her to a Women's Club luncheon to help her meet people and keep up with the Smiths. Sadly, the guest next to Miriam at the luncheon collapses on the table and soon, she is caught up in the country club set's manias. The setting and families are very multicultural. There are lots of Spanish phrases peppered throughout and delicious sounding recipes, several of which are shared in the back. ( )

The story blends food, family, relationships, and murder into a suspenseful and charming start to a new series. These elements are woven throughout Miriam's transition to a new place where she's now with her family and in-laws constantly. Her husband takes a new job that has him working alongside his ex-girlfriend and leads Miriam to wonder if more than a working relationship is brewing. This adds some tension between the married couple and drama within the plot as he starts working too much and she's struggling to find her place when she lands herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She's strong-willed and empowering, working to find balance in her life which makes her a relatable and well-rounded character. She's looking for work, dealing with an overbearing mother-in-law, bonding with her sister-in-law, worried about her marriage, and striving to figure out who she is outside of being a mother.

Reyes excels at drawing out different layers to Miriam with each serving equal importance to her character as a mother, a wife, a friend, a businesswoman, and as an amateur sleuth. She's relatable through her jealousy, her spirit, her struggles to multitask all aspects of her life, and her spitfire nature. The attitude and empowering strength that Reyes has infused within the character make her unforgettable. The familial elements are an important part of her journey as Miriam faces the fear of her marriage ending and deals with an overbearing mother-in-law which adds to the realness of the story. Miriam's bonding with her sister-in-law adds humor to the story and gives her a sidekick dealing with her husband's family. Reyes explores various themes such as marriage, family, finding your place, and changes. As Miriam learns to embrace the new changes in her life, she's learning to balance every element of her life while taking the opportunity to explore herself. The strain on Miriam's marriage creates tension, drama, and humor (loving Miriam's temper and attitude) after they move to a new location and her husband takes a new job. Though it's to be noted that this isn't a story about the crumbling of a relationship but the strength of one as Miriam and her husband come to a stronger place by the end of the mystery.

Charming, funny, and relatable, Reyes delivers a murder mystery that sets up an addicting new series that is hard to put down from the first page. ( )

Dr. Miriam Quinones-Smith along with her husband, Robert and son, Manny have moved from New York to Coral Shores, Florida. Her best friend, Alma drags Miriam to the Women’s Club luncheon where Sunny Weatherman collapses and later dies at the hospital. Detective Frank Pullman focuses in on Alma as the guilty party. Miriam knows that her friend is innocent and sets out to prove it to the consternation of Detective Pullman. Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel Reyes is the debut of A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series. I liked Miriam and her son, Manny as well as Alma. There are a couple of other friendly secondary characters. Miriam has a doctorate in food anthropology, and she is also an excellent cook. Her cooking along with her food knowledge lands her job at UnMundo doing cooking segments. I was frustrated with Miriam’s mother-in-law, Marjory Smith who treats Miriam terribly (likes she is dirt on her otherwise pristine shoes) and Miriam’s husband, Robert. He does not listen to Miriam, does things without consulting her, and believes his mother is just wonderful (talk about wearing blinders). The mystery followed the standard formula. Sunny Weatherman is killed early in the story, but there is little action until the second half of the book. Miriam asks good questions and uncovers clues that help her investigation. Detective Frank Pullman is your standard detective. He asks questions, arrests the wrong person, and appreciates Miriam’s help (the information she uncovers) while telling her to keep her nose out of his investigation. I ended up liking the detective more by the end of the book. I like how he calls Miriam Veronica Mars. The mystery can easily be solved early in the story. As clues were revealed, it reinforced my decision. They why took longer to figure out. I liked how the mystery came together at the end. The biggest problem I had with Mango, Mambo, and Murder was the Spanish dialogue. Miriam is Cuban and I expected there to be some Spanish in the story. There is a significant amount of Spanish dialogue with no translation (I tried to learn Spanish, but I was not successful). There is plenty of cooking in this cozy that will have you hungering for Cuban food. There is humor scattered throughout the story that I enjoyed, and I loved little Manny. Mango, Mambo, and Murder is a cute Cuban cozy with a monster mother-in-law, a mysterious murder, a key conundrum, a television triumph, an unhelpful husband, and shrewd sleuthing. ( )

Miriam Quinones-Smith met and married her husband Robert in New York, where they also had a son. But when Robert's mother offers them a down payment on a new home -- near hers, of course -- Robert doesn't refuse and so they find themselves living back in Miami, where both of them grew up. Robert has asked Miriam to put her career on hold for a year while their four-year-old son grows adapted to his new life, and so she does.

But she doesn't expect her new life to become part of a Women's Club, and on her first visit there with her friend Alma, a real estate agent, a woman passes out and dies. Ruled an accident, it's soon apparent the woman was murdered. When another woman dies, it's a sealed deal. Now Miriam is caught up in a murder investigation, trying to raise her young son, and keep her marriage together. It's not as easy as it sounds...

The rest of the review is in spoilers, which you can see here, but if you have not read the book I implore you not to read them:

https://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2021/08/mango-mambo-and-murder-caribbean.html ( )