Thank you @GetRedPrBooks & Berkley Books, #partner, for the finished copy of Blackmail and Bibingka in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the audiobook for my own collection.
Publisher: Berkley Books / Penguin Audio
Published: October 4, 2022
Summary:
When her long-lost cousin comes back to town just in time for the holidays, Lila Macapagal knows that big trouble can’t be far behind in this new mystery by Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo.
It’s Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, the Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she’s taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he’s back on his feet and ready to contribute to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows.
She’s soon proven right when Ronnie is suspected of murder, and secrets surrounding her shady cousin and those involved with the winery start piling up. Now Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin’s innocence. He may be a jerk, but he’s still family. And there’s no way her flesh and blood could actually be a murderer . . . right?
My thoughts:
This is the third book in Mia P. Manansala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series and I am really enjoying this series. I used to read quite a few cozy mysteries but for some reason stopped and I’m not sure why…I love a good amateur sleuth and let’s not forget the food! But word of caution, don’t read this on an empty stomach…your mouth will be watering at all the mentions of the delicious food items and drink concoctions Lila and her pals talk about!
I just love being back with Lila and the gang and this time, it’s around the holidays so it definitely has a lovely festive vibe without being too overbearing. Of course, because this is a cozy mystery, a murder takes place and Lila once again finds herself trying to help solve it because this time around, her cousin Ronnie seems to be right in the middle of things – it was his wine that may or may not be what killed someone. The mystery of who was behind both the murder and the blackmail really kept me on my toes. I think both played off each other and kept the story moving.
I love that the family continues to be the focal point in this series. The author deftly explores just how complicated family can be. The calendar aunties continue to be my favorite and scenes with them usually involve lots of laughs. And let’s not forget the dogs…oh how I wish we could see the pet clothing line that Lila had commissioned – how fun would that be to maybe be able to order some of that for our own pets? I could see myself getting a bandana or bow-tie for my little pup!
As I have loved in each of the previous installments, the infusion of the Filipino culture continues to be a strong point. This time, it is focused on some of the traditions surrounding the holidays which I found to be quite interesting. And of course all the food – as I already mentioned, it is best to read this book on a full stomach or you might find yourself grabbing for anything within reach!
I feel that this series just keeps getting better as it progresses. There has definitely been some growth for our characters, particularly Lila and this is why I love reading series in order. While each of these books do stand on their own, with self-contained mysteries, I feel you miss out on that continued character developed by not reading the series in order. But if this is the first one you are picking up, hopefully you will enjoy it enough to want to go back and read the other two.
I cannot wait to see what adventures await Lila next. This really is such a fun series and I’m so glad it got me back into reading cozy mysteries!
Audio thoughts:
I was thrilled to see that Danice Cabanela was back as the narrator for this one as she has narrated the previous two books. When it comes to series, I love when there is consistency with narrators, when it makes sense as it does here, and Danice just does such a phenomenal job with the character’s voices and accents. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and I really do hope she stays on as the narrator for as long as the series continues.
Books in this series:
- Arsenic and Adobo
- Homicide and Halo-Halo
- Blackmail and Bibingka
- Murder and Mamon – due out ???
