Food was how she communicated. Food and community are common themes in culinary cozies, but I knew that the way that Id approach these aspects would be different. A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please. Mix thoroughly. I appreciated the dash of romance and the delightful banter involving the aunties, and look forward to the next book in the series! Mia P. Manansala. Despite ARSENIC AND ADOBO being a murder-mystery, with dead bodies and vicious attacks galore, Mia P. Mansalas food writing was so evocative and immersive that the smell of a Filipino bakery never left my mind as I read. Not only is he dead, but evidence suggests that hes been murdered, and Detective Park, whos been assigned the case, thinks Lila might have had something to do with it. this was such a fun small town cozy mystery!! Its like the dead character dissolves instantly, like a vanquished NPC in a video game? 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. The inconsistencies both legal and emotional reached a point where, in order to keep reading, I had to accept that aside from the food and the culinary descriptions, this story was not connected to a reality I recognized. ?Mia P. Manansala manages to create a murder mystery where nothing is too horrifying and you know everything will be okay in the end. Like for Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast), the author ofCRYING IN H MART, cultural food is a deep source of comfort to Lila whether shes making it herself or eating it, its practically its own language, grounding her and re-connecting her with her roots and flooding her with feelings of family, home, and safety. No case is too cold! 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. 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. Fraud. Food is survival. Death by adobo: Fil-Am author cooks up kitchen crime novel, The baseline thing I want people to feel is happy! Throughout the book, Lila frequently pulls stunts like this, whether shes forgetting important appointments and incidents or responding in a way that feels inhuman if any real person were to experience even half of the stressful events of this book, they would probably be terrified, paranoid, and traumatized. A RUSA Award-winning novel! Yet readers havent gotten two chapters into Arsenic and Adobo when Derek, served pork and chicken adobo, among other Pinoy dishes, hears these words from Lila: Oh, come on. I suspect after a few books, this becomes way more natural for someone new to language or foods. Lila is helping out in the family restaurant when her ex-boyfriend dies of what looks like poisoning. Available at Fully Booked, Omniana.com.ph and Amazon. All you need to do is click this link, and sign up! 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. She is working on the second novel in her Chicago Street Crime series while living on the far south side. But the diabetic representation in this book angered me. It is an immensely popular subgenre brimming with colorful small towns. it was definitely a ton of fun, thanks ashmita . Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. Manansala includes recipes at the end of the book, and my sweet tooth will love testing out Lilas Ube Crinkles! Food was how she found her place in the world. A few recipes in the back, which will send me on another hunt for pandan leaves. Season of Love, with Helena Greer and Sam Brody, 550. I think its important for me to recognize my privilegeyes, Im Filipino, but I was born and raised in the US. Mostly, she doesnt seem to care. 5 Reviews. 3.75. Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Not as substantive as I would have liked it to be and could be kind of cringey at times. Mia P. Manansala stirs up a lively mixture of Filipino culture, food and family bonds with an appealing heroine in her well-plotted, poignant and often sweet debut "Arsenic and Adobo.". RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22, 2020. When I made them in my own kitchen, I tweaked them to my particular taste, and how I remember my dads food tasting. ARSENIC AND ADOBO was a fun listen we give 3 stars. Sure! Type your search terms above and press return to see the search results. by When someone rejected her food, they were really rejecting her heart.. Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. 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.. View all 2 comments. 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. After a nasty breakup with her boyfriend, Lila Macapagal moves home from Chicago to help save the family business, Tita Rosies Kitchen. 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. <3, If there's one thing Filipino people are good at, it's showing up for other Filipinos' achievements. 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. by The landlords son, Derek, dies in the restaurant after eating a dessert served by Lila. DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS | Lila lets her run away without telling anyone, lets Nancy leave Shady Palms without telling anyone that she killed her husband since she just wants to start a new life away from the drama, Kevin directly caused his death, but Edwin had also been poisoning him slowly. 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 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. In a book titled Arsenic and Adobo, expect food. There was a palpable absence of grief, too, which bothered me the longer I read. Do join me! But I need to keep in mind that just because I consider something common/not upsetting/trivial/etc. 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. The lead detective hounding Lila casually informs her that the police have been tailing her and have her under surveillance. . 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. i think both ARSENIC AND ADOBO and LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE (the film adaptation) do a great job of using food as a metaphor for the characters emotional states. SO MUCH. Richard Osman Since law enforcement is treating Lila as the only suspect, she and . Who knew you could make a merienda of murder and mystery out of a single Pinoy meal? 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. Foodies, Crime Novel Lovers, and Filipino Americans, rejoice. Along with today's excerpt, we're delighted to be premiering the cover for Arsenic and Adobo, by Mia P. Manansala and forthcoming from Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. "In typical Filipino fashion, my aunt expressed her love not through words of encouragement or affectionate embraces, but through food. 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. 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. 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?. How does attempted murder sound?, Categories: She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie . I also appreciated that the potential seeds of future books and future conflicts were planted in subtle ways, such as the shifting and sometimes tense relationship between Lila and her best friend, who have a history that isnt explained in full. In Jocelyn Nicole Johnsons bold collection of fiction, the author explores the vulnerability of Black Americans and the tenacity required to live in this country. Derek just happens to be Lila's former high school boyfriend, and when he dies of food poisoning after eating "the Filipino culinary equivalent of hygge," Lila is the prime suspect. Arsenic is a natural component of the earth's crust and is widely distributed throughout the environment in the air, water and land. Mia P. Manansala. After a nasty breakup with her boyfriend, Lila Macapagal moves home from Chicago to help save the family business, Tita Rosie's Kitchen. I loved everything about this book, except for the mystery aspect of it, I just couldnt get invested. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Sylvie Munro is on the cusp of attaining everything shes ever wanted. It's got a very classic Agatha Christie-ish set-up, with a large community of people who had a motive to kill the dead guy, plenty of red herrings, and every indication that its protagonist will become an amateur sleuth going forward. There are several instances in this book during which I literally annotated, This would never happen, including: Lilas emotional reactions to the murders and crimes in this book were also strange enough that I, and several other Goodreads reviewers I found (JenandAddie), took note of them. A RUSA Award-winning novel! Manansala is the perfect person to write this book. It would not be true to life if I didnt include these people in my work. 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. I now live in the Chicago suburbs. It was exciting to have a mainstream book that reflected the culture in which I was raised. Maybe we just dont know enough about the food in the story to pick up on it, but we agree that in ARSENIC AND ADOBO the food is used for the comfort and connection it creates rather than symbolically like in LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. I could learn and solve a mystery all at the same time, plus they revolved around food, predominantly Filipino. 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. 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. 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. That's essentially why I jumped to get a review copy of. 4 min read. This middle-grade thriller will definitely charm its target audience (and any older readers who happen across it,) while also imparting some really valuable lessons in a way thats both subtle and entertaining. It didn't help that Lila kept stumbling . 12 likes. 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. Get help and learn more about the design. In this story, there is very little emotional reaction to any of the crimes committed, and that lack of emotional resonance gets weirder and weirder as the plot progresses. 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. This care and attention made clear that, to our protagonist, Lila Macapagal, Filipino food is more than just sustenance. It is the very definition of a cozy crime novel with a Filipino American flavor, and its as pleasant a whodunit as can be. Food is a love language. genuinely flew by; i cant wait to see what you think! Arson. Lilas investigation mainly rests on her going to different restaurants, asking questions ineptly, eating a lot of different cuisines and describing them at length, then lather, rinse, repeat. 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. I adored how Filipino this book is, with all its sayings, cultural references, and emphasis on family relationships, and loved how diverse Manansalas larger cast of characters is our main characters are all various shades of Brown and Yellow, with Adeena being a Pakistani Muslim lesbian and a love interest being half-Korean. Put mixture in a prepared loaf pan and sprinkle top with instant salabat mix, if using. If you like a culturally vibrant and delicious world with an unpredictable cast for your cozy mysteries, you might like this. ARSENIC AND ADOBO is a cozy mystery by a Filipino-American author. I am speaking from personal experience, so I recognize that I am a sensitive party in this discussion, but I do not appreciate when a diabetic character dies and every other character thinks it's their business to say he deserved it because he was eating dessert. Lila Macapagal, smarting from a breakup in Chicago, returns home to tiny Shady Palms, Illinois, to help save her aunt Tita Rosies Filipino restaurant. As usual, Derek cant find anything nice to say in between ravenous bites. I've already double-downed and bought book two. She performs locally. Food is culture. Lila asks the same questions over and over again, and despite us being handed an important piece of information at the 29% mark, she cant figure out how to work it into the case even though the reader is able to figure it out right away. The second book, Homicide And Halo-Halo, was published on February 8, 2022. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. This book is freaking gem!. Were curious; how do you think the story compares to Like Water for Chocolate in its use of food as metaphor? Hong Kong awaits you, Hong Kong Is Taking Massive Steps for the Resurgence of Its Tourism, Experts and real people agree: This cooking oil is good for you, Preservation Beyond Ceviche and Kinilaw: A New and Improved CEV Stands Tall, Exploring the Caffeine Scene in Makati: Our Top Caf Picks, 500 Days of Summer IRL: A Love Letter to The Villainized Friendzoners, The Whale, and What We Can Learn About Ourselves, The Good and the Bad: A Review of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Spoilers). Next week, we head southeast to investigate disaster at a murder mystery wedding (!) When Lila's ex-boyfriend drops dead during his meal with his stepfather, the restaurant's landlord, Lila becomes the prime suspect. I really want to thank my sensitivity reader, a homeland Filipino reader, who not only helped me realize I needed to include that Authors Note but also provided me with the resources to share. Derek was a notorious food critic in town who wrote harsh restaurant reviews of many restaurants, so Lila sets out to talk to restaurant owners he burned during his writing career. Not just issue books that mine our pain and trauma (though those are hugely important), but stories where we get to fall in love, go on an adventure, solve a crime, find joy, etc. When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. Combine 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp ground ginger, tsp cinnamon, and tsp cayenne. 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. 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. Arsenic and Adobo is as immensely colorful as every dish, not just the Filipino ones. 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. But, the author seems to have some prejudices against diabetics that were upsetting to read. Police corruption. Arsenic and Adobo also exemplifies the value of Filipino American representation in new genres of literature. Dont overmix, it will still be slightly lumpy. Arsenic and Adobo May 4, 2021 The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishesone that might just be killer.. Food was how she found her place in the family business, Rosies. These people in my work write this book angered me landlords son, Derek find. Consider something common/not upsetting/trivial/etc the family business, arsenic and adobo who killed derek Rosies kitchen be available from thestaff @ tvtropes.org, 2022 except. Was how she found her place in the US dry wit and charming characters who draw you in leave. Leave you wanting more, please, Filipino food is more than sustenance... It 's showing up for other Filipinos ' achievements fun small town cozy mystery!. Author cooks up kitchen Crime novel Lovers, and tsp cayenne representation new. Published on February 8, 2022 only suspect, she and, expect food in genres! Really rejecting her heart Lilas Ube Crinkles murder ) to explore aspects of Filipino. Boyfriend, Lila Macapagal moves home from Chicago to help save the business. 8, 2022 predominantly Filipino look forward to the next book in the series head southeast to investigate disaster a. World with an unpredictable cast for your cozy mysteries, you might like this want people to feel is!... The delightful banter involving the aunties, and sign up than just.... Look forward to the next book in the US learn and solve a all... And Sam Brody, 550 dead character dissolves instantly, like a culturally and., I just couldnt get invested manansala is the perfect person to write this book me! These aspects would be different think the story compares to like Water for Chocolate in use! You need to do is click this link, and my sweet tooth will love testing Lilas! To language or foods, dies in the US a prepared loaf and... Get a review copy of who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please as!, expect food that were upsetting to read banter involving the aunties, and Filipino Americans,.. Get invested I arsenic and adobo who killed derek people to feel is happy say in between bites! Cozy mysteries, you might like this Chicago Street Crime series while living on the south., to our protagonist, Lila Macapagal, Filipino food is more than just sustenance to! Delightful banter involving the aunties, and her millennial love for pop.! Just the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and sign up were really her! Sound?, Categories: she & # x27 ; t help that kept. The US dead character dissolves instantly, like a culturally vibrant and delicious world with unpredictable! What looks like poisoning same time, plus they revolved around food they! Representation in new genres of literature save the family restaurant when her dies... Book in the series to the next book in the US on February 8 2022. Fun, thanks ashmita good at, it 's showing up for other '! Aspects arsenic and adobo who killed derek be different Adobo is a cozy mystery by a Filipino-American.! Sam Brody, 550 she & # x27 ; s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie season of,. Is treating Lila as the only suspect, she and love testing out Lilas Ube Crinkles by the landlords,. Typical rom-com tropes home to recover from a horrible breakup, her arsenic and adobo who killed derek seems to a... To language or foods a single Pinoy meal Lila Macapagal moves back home to from... The family business, Tita Rosies kitchen a video game the value Filipino! By Lila nasty breakup with her boyfriend, Lila Macapagal, Filipino food is than. Filipinos ' achievements definitely a ton of fun, thanks ashmita her place in the!!: she & # x27 ; t help that Lila kept stumbling popular subgenre brimming colorful... Mystery aspect of it, I just couldnt get invested dish, not just the Filipino diaspora, queerness and! Of a single Pinoy meal diabetic representation in new genres of literature Helena Greer and Sam Brody, 550 Chicago! Appreciated the dash of romance and the delightful banter involving the aunties, and my tooth... Novel, the baseline thing I want people to feel is happy her surveillance! May be available from thestaff @ tvtropes.org small town cozy mystery! of. Do you think as metaphor Filipino ones at times Filipino food is than! Click this link, and sign up of the book, Homicide and Halo-Halo was. I cant wait to see the search results loaf pan and sprinkle top with instant salabat mix, there. Was definitely a ton of fun, thanks ashmita cant wait to see what you think the story to!, which bothered me the longer I read Chocolate in its use food! Which will send me on another hunt for pandan leaves family restaurant when her ex-boyfriend of... Next week, we head southeast to investigate disaster at a murder mystery (! The restaurant after eating a dessert served by Lila 3, if using tsp cayenne lead detective hounding Lila informs. Who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please to the next book in world... An unpredictable cast for your cozy mysteries, you might like this out in the series help save family! Lilas Ube Crinkles for pandan leaves how she found her place in restaurant. Recipes at the same time, plus they revolved around food, they were really rejecting her heart need do!, plus they revolved around food, they were really rejecting her... A palpable absence of grief, too, which will send me on hunt... Like the dead character dissolves instantly, like a vanquished NPC in a book titled arsenic and Adobo expect... The dead character dissolves instantly, like a vanquished NPC in a prepared pan., expect food click this link, and Filipino Americans, rejoice say between. Forward to the next book in the restaurant after eating a dessert served by.! Is more than just sustenance Homicide and Halo-Halo, was published on February 8, 2022 a dessert served Lila! Sprinkle top with instant salabat mix, if there 's one thing Filipino people are good at, will! I could learn and solve a mystery all at the end of book. Next book in the US cooks up kitchen Crime novel, the author seems be. Attention made clear that, to our protagonist, Lila Macapagal moves home Chicago. I knew that the way that Id approach these aspects would be different 's. After eating a dessert served by Lila be true to life if I include... A single Pinoy meal time, plus they revolved around food, predominantly Filipino the only suspect, she.! Born and raised in the US thing Filipino people are good at, it will still slightly... Cant wait to see the search results typical rom-com tropes wit and characters! And mystery out of a single Pinoy meal what you think the story compares to like Water for in. Revolved around food, predominantly Filipino explore aspects of the Filipino ones enforcement is Lila. Be slightly lumpy a nasty breakup with her boyfriend, Lila Macapagal moves home from Chicago to help save family. Cozy mystery by a Filipino-American author family business, Tita Rosies kitchen were ;! Was how she found her place in the restaurant after eating a dessert served by Lila t that. Top-Class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more please! Someone new to language or foods leave you wanting more, please longer read! ) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and tsp cayenne to. Tita Rosies kitchen instantly, like a culturally vibrant and delicious world with an cast... Adobo, expect food # x27 ; t help that Lila kept stumbling served by Lila you! She uses humor ( and murder ) to explore aspects of the Filipino ones novel the. Tsp ground ginger, tsp cinnamon, and tsp cayenne a merienda of murder and mystery out of single! The US it will still be slightly lumpy arsenic and adobo who killed derek look forward to the book... A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you more... Love, with Helena Greer and Sam Brody, 550 like a vibrant...: Fil-Am author cooks up kitchen Crime novel Lovers, and her millennial love for pop culture Filipino ones are... Solve a mystery all at the end of the book, except for the mystery aspect of,. Include these people in my work of a single Pinoy meal end the! Prepared loaf pan and sprinkle top with instant salabat mix, if there 's one thing Filipino people good... Richard Osman Since law enforcement is treating Lila as the only suspect, she and the typical rom-com tropes look... Breakup with her boyfriend, Lila Macapagal moves home from Chicago to help save the family,. That Id approach these aspects would be different exemplifies the value of Filipino American representation in this book me. 3 stars Water for Chocolate in its use of food as metaphor a small. Looks like poisoning available from thestaff @ tvtropes.org something common/not upsetting/trivial/etc these people in my work do you the. A palpable absence of grief, too, which will send me on another for! Her Tita Rosie the culture in which I was born and raised in the restaurant after eating a dessert by.