Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and @GetRedPrBooks/Berkley Books #partner, for the finished copy of Murder and Mamon in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Berkley Books / Penguin Audio
Published: September 19, 2023
Summary:
When murder mars the grand opening for Lila Macapagal’s aunties’ new laundromat, she will have to air out all the dirty laundry in Shady Palms to catch a killer…
Lila Macapagal’s godmothers April, Mae, and June—AKA the Calendar Crew—are celebrating the opening of their latest joint business venture, a new laundromat, to much fanfare (and controversy). However, what should’ve been a joyous occasion quickly turns into a tragedy when they discover the building has been vandalized—and the body of Ninang April’s niece, recently arrived from the Philippines, next to a chilling message painted on the floor. The question is, was the message aimed at the victim or Lila’s gossipy godmothers, who have not-so-squeaky-clean reputations?
With Ninang April falling apart from grief and little progress from the Shady Palms Police Department in this slippery case, it’s up to Lila and her network to find justice for the young woman.
The Calendar Crew have stuck their noses into everybody’s business for years, but now the tables are turned as Lila must pry into the Calendar Crew’s lives to figure out who has a vendetta against the (extremely opinionated yet loving) aunties and stop them before they strike again.
My thoughts:
This is the fourth book in Mia P. Manansala’s Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series and I so enjoy 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!
While this book can most certainly be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend starting from the beginning of the series to get a better feeling for who the main characters are. Yes, the author does give just enough back story here to get you through, but if you start at book one, you really will have a richer understanding of the relationships between the characters and all their quirkiness.
I just love being back with Lila and the gang and this time, things are focused on the Calendar Crew, who I adore! 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 meddling, gossiping aunties might have gone too far. The mystery of why someone was targeted in their new shop and why one of them was injured really kept me on my toes.
As I mentioned already, the character development is what I love about this series and why I feel it’s important to read the series in order. In this particular installment, I feel we really get a deeper understanding of just how important the aunties are to Lila and what that relationship means to her. All throughout this series, the themes of friendship and family are celebrated and this is just one more example.
This really is such a fun series that I definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery!
Audio thoughts:
I was so glad to see that Danice Cabanela was back as the narrator for this one as she has narrated the previous books in this series and to me, consistency with narrators is such a big deal. 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
