4 min read. I love mysteries and whodunits but in the past few years, Ive grown weary of all the violence and anxiety that accompany a lot of true crime or murder mysteries. The first in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen mystery series, it's about a young woman named Lila Macapagal whose life feels rather like a romantic comedy. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie . Food is history. Categories: You know how in some stories, a character will die and theres no real mourning, or any emotional fallout for the family and friends? Lila Macapagals life, as she wryly notes in the opening sentences of this charming new culinary cozy series, has become a rom-com cliche. Also, I want people to see that Asian doesnt just mean East Asianthere are close to 50 countries in Asia, and while I was happy that I was able to include East, South and Southeast Asian representation, thats only the tip of the iceberg. Here is an important note for prospective readers: if it will bother you to read a mystery wherein the people who are suspected of murder allow themselves to be questioned multiple times without their attorney present, even after said attorney, who is a friend of Lilas, tells them to stop doing that, you might want to skip this one. In one scene that particularly spoke to me, Lila is reflecting on her decision to leave her hometown after graduation, and she thinks: But it got to the point where I felt like I couldnt breathe. 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. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. The crystallized ginger was a very nice touch too. Nenia I yeet my books back and forth Campbell. Which is a huge plus for this book), and also mentioned issues the family had with police in the past. 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. Or maybe, wash dishes, dry, then repeat at a different restaurant. When Derek shows up with his stepfather, Mr. Long, the restaurants landlord, Lila dreads serving them but cant resist trying out her latest dessert creation, ube crinkles, on them. ?Mia P. Manansala manages to create a murder mystery where nothing is too horrifying and you know everything will be okay in the end. You know, the same Lila and family who are the primary suspects in the murder of her son. It would not be true to life if I didnt include these people in my work. What follows is a fascinating primer in detection as British TV personality Osman allows the members to use their diverse skills to solve a series of interconnected crimes. (I follow the ongoing blog tour organized by Caffeine Book Tours) I love that it points out inconsistencies in plot and legal repercussions that I wouldnt be able to pick up since we have a different legal system over here. (MINOR SPOILERS)This isnt the only area in which this book could be wildly unrealistic. The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishesone that might just be killer.. Arson. 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. It's even worse when hot, silver-fox Detective Park accuses Lila of Derek's murder. Thank you for reviewing this one, I had it on hold but Im too old to read books that require that much work. Don't miss a moment of Smart Bitches fun. No case is too cold! Same for mystery genre tropesI read so many crime fiction books and have been part of the crime fiction community for so long, I forget that not everyone has the same knowledge that I do about the genre. View all 2 comments. berkley, hear my filipino american prayers. Give this series a chance! 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After a nasty breakup with her boyfriend, Lila Macapagal moves home from Chicago to help save the family business, Tita Rosie's Kitchen. But Lila? It is a deeply complex novel about a young woman who stands up for herself by finding the person that murdered her ex-boyfriend with arsenic, a potent chemical. This makes a very convenient way for her to find out things that she would otherwise not have access to. (. SO MUCH. People are exposed to elevated levels of inorganic arsenic through drinking contaminated water, using contaminated water in food preparation and irrigation of food crops . Tenacity Required: A Review of "My Monticello". While writing, she worked as an English language instructor at an international school before the pandemic shut it down, and she now works part-time at a library and as a book coach. I have quite a few cookbooks, however, after reading this article of yours, I decided to buy it! 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. And let me assure you, the case is nowhere near as clear-cut as it first appears! For example: in one scene, Lila unknowingly walks onto the scene of a violent crime and discovers the unconscious and bleeding body of someone she knew well. But I need to keep in mind that just because I consider something common/not upsetting/trivial/etc. My dad did the vast majority of the cooking when I lived at home, but our kitchen was too small for me to watch him and learn his recipes. Baking is one of my hobbies, and I love making traditional Filipino desserts while also experimenting on Filipino fusion desserts for my books. Mia P. Manansala. He has his eye on a three-bedroom, two-bath propertythe sweet spot for any house flipper, with its wide appeal to various house-hunting demographics. 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. Mash the bananas in a large bowl, then add the coconut oil and honey. This was kinda trash, but it still entertained me and was really messy (so points for that). It features a glossary for the Filipino terms and recipes for everything from Lilas Ube Crinkles, to, fittingly enough, Tita Rosies Chicken Adobo. It was okay, and mostly enjoyable. Change). We have a page for you! 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. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. The portrayal of food is not just a character, but builds the characters, too. also this is 100% without question going to be my lola's fave read of 2021. blessings all around and my heart is so very full! New to SBTB? Good work, Sarah! That theres great value in stories as entertainment, and people from historically excluded backgrounds deserve to see themselves in a wide spectrum of stories. Four residents of Coopers Chase, a British retirement village, compete with the police to solve a murder in this debut novel. Let cool and enjoy with a nice cup of tea. A few recipes in the back, which will send me on another hunt for pandan leaves. RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22, 2020. The recipes I chose to include were ones that I thought were a good representation of those elements, but also fairly easy to make so that people new to cooking or our cuisine wouldnt be scared off. But while ARSENIC AND ADOBO has moments that allow its small-town setting to shine and work in its favor, this book could be frustratingly inaccurate in its depictions of legal proceedings and crime investigation. SUSPENSE | Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. After moving from her small Illinois hometown of Shady Palms to Chicago for school, she fell in love with a guy who not only broke her heart but left her nearly unemployable in the big city. Built with drug money on the grounds of a convent, Coopers Chase is a high-end development conceived by loathsome Ian Ventham and maintained by dangerous crook Tony Curran, whos about to be fired and replaced with wary but willing Bogdan Jankowski. And would he keep coming back if the food were bad? This was my first time reading a cozy mystery!! The mystery is somewhat repetitive, though I confess I didnt recognize the culprit working behind the scenes until nearly the end. With heartwarming characters and a mystery that kept me on my toes, this book was definitely entertaining. Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2021). And because of that, you just get to go along for the ride of trying to figure out what really happened when Lila Macapagals ex-boyfriend Derek drops dead in front of her at her familys restaurant. cant wait for the rest of the series. How does that image equate to the image these characters are portraying? Because Lilas aunt runs a restaurant, theres a LOT of food, but theres also dinner parties, welcoming new business owners with food, plus baking and coffee experiments that made my eyes roll back in my head wishing the cakes were real. Go to Appearance > Customize > Subscribe Pop-up to set this up. The mystery itself pales in comparison to the scenes where Lila and her aunties are together. Breaking and entering. Are all lolas the same?? Arsenic and Adobo By Mia P. Manansala Berkley, 336 pages. My brothers and I were usually relegated to simple tasks like rolling lumpia, peeling vegetables, etc. Spare by Prince Harry, with Melissa Blue, 548. it was definitely a ton of fun, thanks ashmita . A week after the night she chases but fails to catch a mysterious trespasser outside her town house, some unknown party texts Tempe four images of a corpse that looks as if its been chewed by wild hogs, because it has been. This was especially puzzling to me because the author clearly tried to make sure she had a diverse group of characters (yay representation! She'd love to hear from you! (LogOut/ I could learn and solve a mystery all at the same time, plus they revolved around food, predominantly Filipino. I now live in the Chicago suburbs. 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. This is the beach book of 2021, if the pandemic subsides enough for us to go to the beach. Summary Arsenic and Adobo The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishesone that might just be killer. You may use these HTML tags and attributes:
. So it's a shock when Derek is later pronounced dead of arsenic poisoning from something he recently ingested. Arsenic and Adobo was a nominee in the Goodreads Awards a few years ago, and while I love cozies, I was so behind in so many series, I didn't take the chance. Even now, the thought of staying here forever felt like a hand squeezing me tighter and tighterthis phantom hand molding me into the shape everyone else wanted me to be.. Combine 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp ground ginger, tsp cinnamon, and tsp cayenne. Arsenic and adobo . In this book, Lila Madricapal has returned home from Chicago after spending a few years trying to escape from the small-town she grew up in. 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! Being a cozy mystery, ARSENIC AND ADOBO is definitely not a mystery/thriller cut from the same cloth as books like SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn or AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie its not nearly as rigorous in its accuracy (in terms of legal proceedings) or in establishing scenarios that feel grounded in reality; there were multiple points where I was left thinking, In what world would this actually happen?. But the hints of other crimes Tempes identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.E.s splenetic outbursts. influencers in the know since 1933. by i (sadly) havent read LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE yet, so i cant speak to way food is used as a metaphor in the book, but i watched the movie adaptation and can speak to the role food played in that! Besides Lilas own extended Filipino clan, the cast features Pakistani Muslim and Korean main characters in addition to a truly multicultural supporting cast. I bring up Manansalas food writing because it was one of my favorite aspects of this book I had numerous issues with the plot and mystery itself, but the way she writes about dishes like almondigas and mamn was truly stunning, with entire lines dedicated to describing a foods appearance, scent, texture, and taste. When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. When I made them in my own kitchen, I tweaked them to my particular taste, and how I remember my dads food tasting. Shes even able to turn to and reconnect with old friends and rivals from high school; the fact that most of them are able to help her in her investigation makes it feel like an entire community is banding around her to prove her innocence, resulting in a read thats more heartfelt and comforting than it is disturbing or violent. Richard Osman Much of my perspective is shaped by the fact that I live in the US. The novel explores how much people can get done when they act as a team. Beyond their aesthetic value, these spots serve any incoming tourist a swift, yet complete. I understand if the author wanted to keep the tone lighter and not get too political, but it ended up feeling off and adding to the lack of realism.. Arsenic and Adobo also exemplifies the value of Filipino American representation in new genres of literature. But that disconnect between the seriousness of the events of the book (murder, assault, poisoning, planting of evidence) and the almost indifference of the characters to what had happened around them was puzzling and upsetting, because it was difficult to reconcile the events of the book with the world in which I was reading it. Police corruption. She believes he is spreading lies about her aunts caf in his blog, and it has something to do with their years-ago breakup. With the family business in jeopardy and her own freedom on the line, Lila must do a little amateur sleuthingwith the help of her friends and relationsto figure out who really killed Derek. Arsenic and Adobo. 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. The saying "do not judge a book by its cover" must have been tailor-made for this book, well the cover and the synopsis. How does attempted murder sound?, Categories: The Only Way: A Review of R.J. Hoffmanns Other Peoples Children, This debut novel reminded me of the 2007 film, "Juno. doesnt mean that everyone else will. 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. It took Manansala about a year and a half to finish the book, facing down all the rejections she had received in the past as well as keeping motivated after the death of her father. I'm really not getting along with the writing or the storytelling. RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021. And no one thinks this is weird. This book hits the exact right spot, in my opinion. Heaving Bosoms Crossover, Part II: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, 549. This is the premise of Filipino American author Mia P. Manansalas Arsenic and Adobo (Berkley Prime Crime, New York, 2021, 316 pages), an utterly charming detective novel with an unusual setting and unusual characters. Lila often talks directly to the reader, often with timely insights: Why do they always serve a soggy slice of white bread with barbecue? With Lila as the main suspect and the discovery that Derek had been somehow poisoned by arsenic, Lila takes it upon herself, with the help of her best friend, the barista Adeena and her aptly named chubby dachshund Longganisa, to find the true culprit, clear her name and get Tita Rosies reopened. To avoid spoilers, Ill be vague, but there weremultiplecrimes that the police outright accused Lila of committing when, in reality, they never wouldve been able to charge (or even legitimately suspect!) If youd like to receive updates in your inbox, visit our subscribe page and sign up for the content you crave! When Lilas ex-boyfriend drops dead during his meal with his stepfather, the restaurants landlord, Lila becomes the prime suspect. 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. In addition to the clever mystery, I was also really taken with the wonderful characterizations in this #OwnVoices debut. Arsenic and Adobo is as immensely colorful as every dish, not just the Filipino ones. Copyright Newcity Communications, Inc. 2023, A Greater Humanity: A Review of Chicago Quarterly Review's Anthology of Black American Literature. (LogOut/ Thanks for the thorough review! Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Find out this ancient time-inspired skincare regimen in Greenbelt Makati, Revenge Travel Mode activated? Trash, but builds the characters, too Best mystery & Thriller ( 2021 ) your inbox visit. Thank you for reviewing this one, I decided to buy it characters are portraying her to out. 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