Book Recommendation: Arsenic and Adobo | Mia P Manansala | Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #1

In anticipation of the upcoming fourth book by Mia P. Manansala, Murder and Mamon, I am rereading each of the first three mysteries in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series and sharing my reviews. I love this series as a collection, though of course you can read them as solo books too. After you read Arsenic and Adobo, stop over and read my review of book 2, Homicide and Halo-Halo!

Up first I share my thoughts about Arsenic and Adobo, which is the first book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series. This book was a bit of a show-stopper as far as the genre goes because it was selected as a monthly Book of the Month selection and it was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee in the Mystery & Thriller category, an honor which rarely (and much to the detriment of readers everywhere) gets bestowed upon these lighter cozy mysteries.

In reading Arsenic and Adobo, it is clear to me why it was selected for both of these awards. It showcases a different aspect of diversity than is common in mainstream books. The lead is from a Filipino family who runs a Filipino restaurant (the famous Tita Rosie’s Kitchen). But it also explores diversity in so many ways, and introduces that diversity both with the respect that it deserves but also without seeming to make a show of being diverse. The mystery is engaging and the town and characters are intricately and colorfully developed.

In the first installment, Lila Macapagal has recently returned home only to find herself trying to save her family’s restaurant from a murder investigation.

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About the Book

Characters

As with many cozy mysteries, Arsenic and Adobo has a large cast because the town and community are part of the setting that is built for the series. I like to keep a running list of characters (at least somewhat central ones) when I can because I know they may pop up again in later books.

Lila Macapagal is the main character and narrator of the books. She is Filipino and she moves back home to help her aunt Tita Rosie with her restaurant after a brutal break up with her most recent ex, Sam. Tita Rosie is her late father’s sister. Lola Flor is her grandmother. Ronnie is Tita Rosie’s son and Lila’s cousin.

The “Calendar Crew” consists of April, Mae, and June—a group of non-blood-related godmothers (Ninang) who hang out at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. Marcus is Ninang Mae’s son and a local corrections officer.

Bernadette is Lila’s cousin (not by blood) who works as a nurse at the hospital. The two have a rivalry. Bernadette is Ninang June’s daughter. Janet Spinelli is an assistant administrator at the hospital and bullied Lila in high school. Terrance Howell is her fiancé and Lila’s friend from high school.

Derek Winter is Lila’s ex-boyfriend from high school and is currently a food critic with a popular blog. His death is the central one that starts this mystery. Nancy is Derek’s mother. Mr. Long (Edwin / Ed) is Derek’s stepfather and the landlord for the building that Tita Rosie’s Kitchen is in.

Adeena Awan is Lila’s best friend and a barista at Java Jo’s café. Kevin Conoway is Adeena’s boss and the owner of Java Jo’s. Amir is Adeena’s brother, an attorney, and Lila has a small crush on him since high school.

Jonathan Park is the detective assigned primarily to the murder investigation. He has a bit of a sweet spot for Tita Rosie. Dr. Jae Park is his brother and a local dentist who shows interest in dating Lila.

Stan and Martha Kosta are the owners of Stan’s Diner. Diana Torres owns El Gato Negro and her daughter Elena is a waitress there. Akio and Yuki Sato own Sushi-ya. Mike Krasinkski owns the Pierogi Palace. All of these local restaurants received negative reviews from Derek as well.

Plot and Setting

Arsenic and Adobo is set in the small, quaint town of Shady Palms, IL. Lila Macapagal had left town to become a chef (and found a particular knack for baking) and had worked at a restaurant in Chicago until going through a rough break up. With no job or partner, she moves home to help her Tita Rosie at her Filipino restaurant in Shady Palms.

Lila was raised mostly by her Tita Rosie and grandmother Lola Flor after her mother passed away when she was younger. When her ex-boyfriend and popular food blogger Derek Winters shows up to Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, everyone is on edge knowing that he continues to slam the restaurant in his column (despite frequently dining there and enjoying his food). To make matters worse, he is with his stepfather Mr. Long, the landlord for the restaurant who reminds them they are late on their rent.

When Derek winds up face down in a plate of Tita Rosie’s delicious food, dead of an apparent poisoning, things at Tita Rosie’s Kitchen really heat up—and not in a good way! While the restaurant is closed pending investigation into arsenic discovered in the kitchen, Lila knows it is up to her to prove the innocence of herself and save the reputation of Tita Rosie’s restaurant.

Along with her resourceful best friend Adeena, her attorney brother, Amir, and the handsome brother of Detective Park, Jae, Lila goes all in on detective work while de-stressing with a bit of Filipino baking for the café. Can she find out who killed Derek before it’s too late?

Review | Arsenic and Adobo

A cozy mystery with depth

Recently I posted about what defines a cozy mystery and also how I’ve seen the genre evolve over time. Arsenic and Adobo is definitely a cozy mystery that fits into the best parts of the genre, and also showcases some of the evolution I discussed.

It features a diverse cast of characters, effortlessly bringing in people from all walks of life who live together as a community in Shady Palms, IL. The town is small, but not so small that it lacks the variety of restaurants and businesses needed to bring a variety of suspects with motives to the forefront. The victim, Derek, isn’t particularly likable, which goes a long way towards keeping the tone light.

Lila as a main character is courageous and a fantastic friend. She is working at her Tita Rosie’s kitchen but since that closes after the murder, she’s in a unique position to sleuth as her fulltime gig. What I liked about this was that it meant she was proactively seeking information, finding clues, and learning more about suspects. Sometimes cozy mysteries can feel like the lead just stumbles across information in their life, but Lila is a bright, persistent sleuth looking for the truth.

I also felt that the author introduced more discussion of mental health in Lila than is common in these books. While it isn’t a central plot in the book by any means, it is woven into Lila’s backstory. When Lila talks about leaving Shady Pines and breaking up with Derek when she was eighteen, she says:

“It got to the point where I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Where I started having panic attacks when I thought about my future here. Why was it selfish to try to save myself? Even now, the thought of staying here forever felt like a hand squeezing me tighter and tighter—this phantom hand molding me into the shape everyone else wanted me to be.”

I highlighted this when I read it the first time. It’s dropped into a chapter where Lila is outside of Derek’s house and reflecting on her decision to leave and whether she will stay this time. The disconnect she experiences with her best friend Adeena who wants them to go into business together and doesn’t understand why Lila feels a desire to flee. This is what I mean when I call this a cozy mystery with depth.

Reflection on the story

This book is kind of like a warm hug. Cozy mystery series do tend to have a theme and the theme of Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries is food. Lila and her family are Filipino and the description and presence of food and culture throughout the book are like a warm hug. I have had the pleasure of trying Filipino food since I live in an area with authentic restaurants, but I feel like none of them have quite the charm of Tita Rosie’s.

I loved how the author talks about food as communication. Though Lila brings this up in regards to her Tita Rosie, I also found it to be true of Lila. She is becoming more confident in her cooking and baking in particular after being made to feel less than by her ex-boyfriend. One of my favorite parts is when Adeena has her try different beverages she concocted and guess the flavor profile using her palette. I think Lila’s expression of love and caring through food will continue throughout the series.

Another wonderful aspect to the book is the theme of community and family. Though many of Lila’s Aunties aren’t blood relatives, they all come together in any time of crisis. Lila realizes throughout the book that she has this network of people who care for her. I think she is still feeling alienated by losing her mother, but we see her opening back up as her family comes together.

In terms of the mystery, I loved seeing how the clues came together. Lila was persistent in chasing down leads and trying to understand more about what happened. Because Derek seemed to be intentionally targeting certain food establishments (thereby giving their owners motive), we also got to know many of the restaurants in town and people who work in them as Lila goes to each to see if they could be responsible for the poisoning.

I also liked how there were clues throughout that came together in the end, and there was a little bit of heart-pounding suspense in the final reveal that gave weight to whodunnit of it all. For a cozy mystery, this was hard to put down (which is rare for this genre). A compelling story with characters I want to come back to as the series goes on!