Title: Arsenic and Adobo
Author: Mia P. Manansala
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Format: Paperback
Where to buy: Amazon | Bookshop.org
My Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis
When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.
With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…
My review of Arsenic and Adobo
This was one of the first adult mysteries that I read. I am definitely not a thriller girlie, and I was really concerned that this would be just that. Luckily I follow some bookstagram bloggers who made it clear that this was a cozy mystery. Honestly? I have never in my life heard of a cozy mystery before this. In my mind, all mysteries were just thrillers. How on earth did I not remember the lovely existence of Murder She Wrote. Cozy mysteries are just that: typically a murder mystery, but you feel safe like Angela Lansbury is protecting you from the bad stuff.
A huge part of the reason I decided to read this book is Lila’s dachshund, Longanisa. Nisa made Lila super approachable to me. I really loved the book and am really excited to continue the series. Arsenic and Adobo had enough excitement and tension that I could not put it down. The tension was never so intense that it gave me anxiety (as thrillers do). There were real consequences to the actions of the characters and violent events occurred, but they were never gory or scary. Manansala handled these scenes particularly well. I kept worrying that Manansala would be flippant about the crimes or the consequences but that never happened. She struck the perfect balance and it really made the reading experience exceptional.
Food plays such a huge role in the book. Obviously Tita Rosie’s kitchen is one of the primary settings, but the food itself is so important. Many of the meetings to discuss the crime and investigation happen around food. Everything sounds so absolutely delicious so I was so excited to see the recipes at the end of the book. I hope to make Tita Rosie’s chicken in adobo later this month. I’ll report back on the success of cooking it!
I also think Manansala did such a great job of creating a believable cast of characters. Lila is believable and realistic. She is a woman in her twenties who had a really tough year. She is going through a break-up, has complicated relationships with her family, and is working so hard to figure out what to do next. The “Calendar Club” aunties are so fantastic. These women are such a universal reality–old biddies who are nosy as hell, have opinions about everything, and know everyone’s business. Finally, Lila’s relationship with Adeena is also just very realistic. As someone who has been best friends with someone for over 25 years, I saw a lot of my relationship in theirs. You snipe and snarl at each other but no one knows you better and you can’t imagine your life without them.
Arsenic and Adobo was such a great read. I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series.
